You have to love an opening line invitation suggesting, “Please, Do Tell!” Fortunately for our region, a vibrant local podcaster — and member of the 2019 Class of the Moody on the Market 40 Under 40 Young Professionals — will explore influence, power and leadership with a series of local guests in her new series, “Everyday People of the 49022.”
The 49022 is, for the record, the Zip Code for the Benton Harbor community, and local freelance editor, author and storyteller Ronnika Williams will launch her special series next Tuesday, March 9th as part of her ongoing podcast, “Please, Do Tell.”
Williams’ special programming on the podcast is a 10-part series. Her regular podcast features local community members and also explores the issues of influence, power, and leadership in Benton Harbor and Benton Heights.
Ronnika says, “Our hope is that people of Benton Harbor and Benton Heights will listen to these stories and know that their voices are being heard,” adding, “They are the ones closest to the problems and closest to the solutions, so we want to listen and co-create solutions for a better community. Until now, the narrative around Benton Harbor has been surrounded with negativity, but these stories are filled with hope and we want to share that. Influence, power, and leadership are all important topics to understand when trying to develop strategies to create systemic change.”
The podcast series features conversations with five community members:
- Perry Jackson, certified legal assistant and fitness trainer
- Larry Carter, father, youth advocate, and singer
- Pastor Jaime Cervantes, licensed minister at the Church of God
- Uriah Baker, community engagement consultant
- Bertha King, MA, co-founder of Strong Women of Faith Breast Cancer Support Group
The podcast series is part of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project to examine the effectiveness of the Community Grand Rounds initiative. The research is guided by a seven-member evaluation work group and supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Corey Smith, Ph.D., lead evaluator, says, “We embarked on a journey to explore power, influence, and leadership in the Benton Harbor community using an approach guided by community-based participatory research methods,” and adds, “The researchers spoke to people who have done some extraordinary things for their community in both big and small ways. The individuals interviewed were not necessarily leaders according to their title, but everyday people who want to see change in their community.”
Here is the Podcast schedule:
Episode air date Interview guest__
March 9th and 16th Perry Jackson
March 23rd Uriah Baker
March 30th Jaime Cervantes
April 6th and 13th Larry Carter
April 20th, 27th and May 4th Bertha King
May 11th RJ Williams
To listen, simply search and subscribe to “Please, Do Tell” on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Breaker, Overcast, PocketCasts, Radio Public, or Anchor. Video versions of the episodes will also be available on YouTube which you can find by searching for “Please, Do Tell Podcast.”
Launched in 2018, “Community Grand Rounds (CGR): Healing the Trauma of Racism” hosts local and nationally recognized speakers, workshops, and other events that explore topics of health equity and population health. The events are designed for professionals in medicine and allied health fields, government leaders, and other non-for-profit leaders and community members.
Community Grand Rounds is a collaborative effort between Spectrum Health Lakeland and The Todman Family Foundation. For more information, including a complete list of upcoming events, visit http://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/cgr
