WE LOVE
TASHA JONES



START WITH GRATITUDE


FELLOWSHIP DEFINED




As the inaugural Reginald L. Jones Senior Fellow, I am committed to the people as the namesake. This column will unfurl issues and concerns of the Black community while at the same time illuminating the brilliance of Black People. Over the next weeks, the contributions to the Indianapolis Recorder will be in the areas of Health/Wellness, Education, Music, Art, and Culture. I am grateful for the opportunity and ask that you read and share.



IN THE BEGINNING, aLPHA. (W2)


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This week, I had the privilege of interviewing Alpha Blackburn about her love, life's work, and, most importantly, ownership of her freed self. It is the latter that takes precedence. Not because of the day or the week but because of society's continual fight with women, knowingly or unknowingly, and Alpha's remarkable exuded ability to live as God's Masterpiece missioned for our community.


TALL VOWELS!
(W3)


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This week, I celebrated Black Music and our (Black People's) place in musical spaces - like Opera. I talked with Indianapolis's Diamond, the world-renowned Soprano, Angela Brown. She shared, "Opera is the most diverse genre; the audience is the antithesis," Selah. The piece asks us, as Black people, to expand our musical taste by checking out "Opera, from a Sistah's Point of View!"




WORK IN
PROGRESS (W4)


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As the country celebrates independence, I examine the American Galleries at Newfields. I delineate how they define "disrupt" and try to determine if they will directionally abandon diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. Come along as I speak with Natalya Herndon, Newfields' Public Relations Manager, on this week's podcast. After you listen, read the article and determine if the American Galleries at Newfield's are moving forward with diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.



BE NIMBLE!
(W5)


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Have you ever wanted support or a little help getting your ideas off the ground or access to new opportunities, then you have to tune in this week to hear the mission and vision of the Be Nimble Foundation. Join me as I speak with Be Nimble's co-founder Jeff Williams. For this one, you will need something to write with; he dropped plenty of nuggets. Be sure to read the article in this week's Indianapolis Recorder.




tHERE wILL bE nO DIMMED LIGHTS, WE COMFORTABLE! (w6)


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This week in the Indianapolis Recorder, I address the ability to show up in any space as your authentic self. I talk to International Comedian and content creator @Ambur James about shining bright and being a lighthouse for others. We also speak BEYONCE! Join us as we reminisce about The Renaissance Tour, Lil' Magic, and going places you are celebrated!


TILL (W7)


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This week I had the opportunity to meet Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley's cousin Priscilla Sterling. She carries the justice mantle for her family, the Till family. On what would have been Emmett Till's 82nd birthday, President Biden designated three national sites in Illinois and Mississippi. The conversation was with Priscilla Sterling (Emmett Till Justice for Families Foundation - ETJFF), Eunice Trotter (Indiana Landmarks), Mmoja Ajabu (Veterans Association of Afrikan Descendants -VAAD)), and Darryl Gibson (Board Member at ETJFF). Read the article in this week's Recorder. The podcast is a double-decker (two parts) journey with me to determine how far we have come.



Effective Today
Learing w/Marrisa Miller (W8)


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This week join me as I reflect on learning from the brilliant Marissa Miller. Ms. Miller is the founder and CEO of Trans-Solutions. On September 7, 2022, at the Trans-Solutions fundraiser, Ms. Miller taught me a lesson I will never forget. Oh! The Power in knowing your worth! You have to read and watch


Books &
Libraries(W9)


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Join Me this week as I speak with Public Library Board Member Stephen Lane about censorship, book banning, and public libraries. You will see, hear, and read our love and passion for books, equity, and the Indianapolis Public Library's Center for Black Literature & Culture (CBLC) under the auspice of Nichelle Hayes.



Don't call it a comeback, i been here [50] years (W10)


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Happy Birthday, Hip-Hop! Joining me this week are Dr. Patrick Jones (Senior Vice President of Leadership and Equity Mind Trust/Knowledge Reigns Education Group), Artist Gary Gee (Art by Gary Gee), and Professor Manon Voice (Butler University). We talk about an art genre we love, Hip-Hop. As we celebrate its birthday, we discuss Hip-Hop's beginning and evolution. Read the article and listen to the podcast and the poem (in full) "Dementia," a sonic interrogation of the genre and culture that schooled the world (but has it forgotten how to get home)?



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I AM TASHA JONES