The first step in understanding each other is talking to each other.

The week of July 27, 2020 WBFO NPR launched a five-part series on race relations — bringing people together to talk about equity, white privilege, systemic racism and diversity.

Inspired by NPR’s StoryCorps, the discussions featured a person of color in dialogue with someone who is not. The conversations- facilitated by WBFO reporter Thomas O’Neil White – included people with different backgrounds but similar occupations or fields of interests. After an overview, two people each from the Business, Education, Religious and Social Justice Activism communities were included in subsequent segments. The on-air segments are supplemented by longer additional material provided online.

Hear the entire conversation with WBFO's Thomas O'Neil-White, SUNY Buffalo State's Ron Stewart and Kevin Heffernan from the RISE Collaborative.

Hear the entire conversation with WBFO's Thomas O'Neil-White, Standing Up for Racial Justice's Linnea Brett and Orlando Dixon from the Partnership for Public Good.

Race and Covid 19 | How the pandemic has increased health disparities inWNY

Reporter Thomas O'Neil White with guest LaVonne Ansari, Ph.D. , CEO/Executive Director of the Community Health Center of Buffalo. October 29, 2020.

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Race and Covid 19 | How the pandemic has changed education for persons of color

Reporter Thomas O'Neil White with guest Sam Radford, President of the District Parent Coordinating Council of Buffalo. November 5, 2020

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Race and Covid 19 | How the pandemic has altered the economic landscape for already disadvantaged people

Reporter Thomas O'Neil White with guest Thomas Beauford, President of Buffalo Urban League. November 12, 2020.

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Buffalo Toronto Public Media partnered with Say Yes Buffalo and Breaking Barriers for a series of Facebook Live events recently on the topic of changing the narrative for young men of color. Young men from the Breaking Barriers program lead the Facebook Live discussions, taking the opportunity to exercise their youth voices.

This series is part of WBFO’s Racial Equity project which is funded by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
 

Young Men of Color: Changing the Narrative
The first in the series of Facebook Live events asked what it means to be a young man of color in Buffalo. Dwayne Sawyer is 18 years old and working on his GED. He’s a part of Breaking Barriers, a program through Say Yes Buffalo’s Boys and Men of Color Initiative. Dwayne lead the conversation examining the narrative around young men of color in Buffalo and nationwide with Boys and Men of Color Program Manager, Daniel Robertson, and Director, Tommy McClam on September 4, 2019.
 

Young Men of Color: Art as Inspiration
In the second in a series of Facebook Live conversations examining the narrative for young men of color we heard from Edreys Wajed. 

Edreys is an artist and musician who helped paint Buffalo's Freedom Wall Mural. He explored the narrative around young men of color with Daniel Robertson of the Boys and Men of Color Initiative and Dwayne Sawyer, an 18-year-old who is working on his GED on September 11, 2019.

Young Men of Color: The Blackness Project
For our third conversation in the series on changing the narrative for young men of color, we spoke with Korey Green, the director of “The Blackness Project,” a film about culture and race from the perspective of African Americans and other minorities. It was inspired by another documentary called “The Whiteness Project” by white Americans in Buffalo on race and culture and the perceived loss of white privilege. Daniel Robertson, program manager for the Boys and Men of Color initiative, hosts the conversation which also includes Malik Patterson, a 20-year old Buffalo State student and member of the Breaking Barriers Youth Leadership Council.

Young Men of Color: Looking Forward
In the last in our Facebook Live series examining the narrative for young men of color, we turn our attention to the next generation and ask how they will shape the narrative going forward. Joining host Daniel Robertson are Dallas Taylor and Malik Patterson.

The working poor struggle to afford the basic necessities of housing and food, and they make up almost a third of the population of Erie County. WBFO recently focused on the working poor in a series of reports and a Facebook Live event.

This series is part of WBFO’s Racial Equity project which is funded by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

Remembering John Lewis, American Politician and Civil Rights Leader

July 20, 2020

By Madisson Haynes

Rep. John Lewis, a Civil Rights hero, was a supporter of civic engagement, including the ongoing global Black Lives Matter protests. He had been beaten and arrested several times during the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis, who died from pancreatic cancer July 17, was known for his powerful speeches and advocated for getting into "good trouble" all his life.

Here are some videos exploring his extraordinary life from different angles.

John Lewis appeared on PBS Kids in Arthur Takes a Stand. Here, Lewis meets with Arthur and his classmates. “There’s nothing more important than following your conscience,” an animated version of Lewis said. “If you can do that, you’re always going to sleep well.”

In the episode, John Lewis encourages Arthur to stand up to an injustice against lunch lady Mrs. MacGrady, who is friend of Lewis'. Additionally, the episode highlights Lewis’ record as a civil rights pioneer.