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December 2009 Ralph
McDaniels Just before Thanksgiving '09 on a chilly Wednesday afternoon Ralph McDaniels graciously made room in his hectic schedule to meet up with radio producer and on-air presenter Angela McKenzie for an in depth conversation about the crucial role he has played in the genesis of the Hip-Hop music industry in the 1980s and his continued relevancy as one of the elder statesmen of the Hip-Hop nation. The name Ralph is German in origin and means wise and strong. This being the case Ralph McDaniels was rightly named by his parents and was also given the fitting moniker Uncle Ralph by music industry peer and icon DJ Red Alert. DJ Red bestowed the moniker upon McDaniels as a testament to his unrelenting efforts to help emerging talents make a breakthrough in a music industry that did not invest substantially in Hip-Hop musicians in the genre's early days. Long before television stations like MTV played music videos from Hip-Hop and Urban artists, McDaniels a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology, possessed enough wisdom and foresight to know that Hip-Hop would eventually surpass Rock 'n Roll to become the music that now represents America universally. Over a quarter of a century ago, McDaniels approached WNYC TV - New York City's public broadcasting station, with the idea of airing music videos in a one hour package called "Video Music Box" (VMB) to showcase musicians who told tales of inner-city life through their beats and rhymes. Needless to say the idea was met with initial resistance but VMB's Nielsen ratings surpassed those of the station's traditional content and cleared the way for McDaniels to bolster famous and almost famous Hip-Hop artists of the past present and future. In fact it is fair to say that any Hip-Hop artist one can bring to mind, megastar or otherwise, made his/her debut on Uncle Ralph's VMB. Angela McKenzie is pleased to present her engaging and edifying interview with McDaniels, which is underscored by vintage and current Hip-Hop music selections. The hour encapsulates his extensive career as a television producer; his work in video production for artists such as Whitney Houston, Public Enemy and Notorious B.I.G; and his influential role in the swift launch of Wu Tang Clan and the rise of Hip-Hop icon Nas. McDaniels also discusses his latest media ventures including Onfumes and his philanthropic work with anti-violence initiatives.
Justin
Brannan On today's edition of "Initiative Radio with Angela McKenzie" Angela pays a visit to the New York City headquarters of the B'nai Zion Foundation in Murray Hill, to chat with Campaign Director Justin Brannan. B'nai Zion is a secular, apolitical organization that is just over a century old and its' core mission is raising funds for projects in Israel that improve the quality of life of underprivileged children regardless of their religious and ethnic background. Additionally, B'nai Zion hosts numerous recreational activities and employs on-line social networking strategies to engage multiple generations of Jewish people living in the United States. Justin Brannan believes that B'nai Zion's transparent corporate culture, makes it easy for him to instill confidence in donors that their charitable dollars will be put to excellent use on the ground in Israel and not to pay hefty salaries of bureaucrats. A former Wall Street man with an extensive background in raising capital, Brannan finds fund raising for B'nai Zion his most rewarding assignment to date.
Reverend Billy and the Life After Shopping Gospel Choir believe that Consumerism is overwhelming our lives. The corporations want us to have experiences only through their products. That our neighborhoods, "commons" places like stoops and parks and streets and libraries, are disappearing into the corporatized world of big boxes and chain stores. But if we "back away from the product" - even a little bit, well then we Put The Odd Back In God! On today's program Reverend Billy Talen meets up with Angela at the Theater for the New City, to discuss his valiant challenge to incumbent Michael Bloomberg in the 2009 Mayoral race as the Green Party candidate. Billy says that under his watch, New York City would be a place where citizens have a fair say in how their schools and neighborhoods are run and he would encourage local economic stimulation while keeping a close eye on the predatory practices of the large corporations. Angela asks Billy to reveal the catalysts that perpetuated his aversion to crass consumerism and to give a run down of the Life After Shopping Choir's holiday engagements. Among the activities is his Black Friday aka Buy Nothing Day pilgrimage to the Valley Stream, New York Wal-Mart, where Wal-Mart worker Jdimytai Damour was trampled to death by a flood of savage shoppers. According to a WABC eyewitness, in spite of being told that Damour was killed in the stampede belligerent buyers insisted they continue shopping because they had waited all night to hunt for their bargains.
Angela's guest Sunsara Taylor has been given the honor of being called a lunatic by Bill O'Reilly on the right wing political program "The O'Reilly Factor" during a heated debate about Sunsara and her colleagues' opposition to the Iraq war and the subsequent torture inflicted upon detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Sunsara Taylor is not only an anti-war activist but she is also a writer, speaker and uncompromising atheist. Just in time to challenge the religious dogma and traditions associated with the holiday season, Sunsara sits down with Angela to discuss the book "Away With All Gods" authored by Bob Avakian. During the conversation, Susara highlights the role religion has played in promoting oppression and violence against women, racism, fearful superstition and manipulation of the masses. We also get a glimpse into Sunsara's early life when she was a devout and unquestioning Christian who had a dramatic change of heart along the way.
Jeremiah Jurkiewicz presides over the College of Staten Island's Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). He counts himself fortunate that when he came out as homosexual to his parents, they did not estrange themselves from him - in fact they assured him that they would continue to be supportive parents no matter what. This type of reception is not generally the case for other young people who choose to reveal their true sexual identities to friends and family, so with that in mind Jeremiah and his GSA officers provide a safe space where young homosexuals can come together to socialize, take up community initiatives and openly discuss the challenges they face in a heterosexual society. The challenge of loneliness is predominant during the holiday season because although families are expected to gather in an atmosphere of love and goodwill, many gay people remain marginalized or outright rejected by their kin. Jeremiah regrets that at this point in time the GSA does not directly have resources to aid members in need of community during this critical time, however he does give helpful suggestions about where help can be found.
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