Ras in 60: Recent Episodes
Ras in 60
This will not be your conventional political podcast. Prepare to be intrigued by new information you will hear straight from Newarks Mayor himself. Subscribe for future episodes, as they will involve a series of conversations between the Mayor of Newark and guests who are doing work to move Newark and/or the culture forward. This will include segments on fitness, lifestyle, health, Newark’s progress in development and more. Get involved in every conversation by hash tagging #Rasin60.
Summers in Newark are full of free community entertainment, activations and events for the entire family. From Newark's youth to their seniors and everyone in between - summers are sure to keep you entertained and busy. On this episode of Ras in 60, Mayor Baraka and co-host Desiree discuss International Pride Month, Newark Pride and the 2024 Summer Fun line up.
Ras in 60 hosts are joined by the cast of the 2005-2006 Logo Network scripted series Noah’s Ark to discuss their show’s impact and their special appearance in Newark on June 29th. Included in this conversation are the Newark LGBTQIA Commissioners, Susu Stewart, Della Walker and Citi Medina who all discuss the LGBTQIA events scheduled to take place during the North 2 Shore Festival, International Pride Month and Newark Pride month.
On the second half of the show Mayor Baraka and co-host, Desiree discuss Newark’s Summer Fun line up. They are joined by the Director of the Arts and Education District, Victoria Walker, the Director of the Newark City Parks Foundation, Marcy DePina and the Director of Recreation, Cultural Affairs and Senior Services, Donnell Redding to discuss the plethora of family fun programming scheduled to take place throughout the summer. From the senior all white yacht party to Newark’s annual Father’s Day picnic to the Afro Beats Festival, to community movie nights, the City of Newark will be activated with events sure to embrace our sense of community while keeping the entire family outside and thoroughly entertained this summer.
Listen in now to hear the exciting list of programming scheduled for our Newark community. For a cohesive list of Newark Summer Fun programming, visit Summerfuninnewark.com.
The Re-engagement Center was officially opened on March 26th. The center enables young people aged 13-24 to reconnect with programs leading to a high school diploma or an equivalent credential and moves them toward employment. Students 21 or over who have aged out of city schools are referred to GED and high school equivalency program options.
The center’s mission is to create diploma pathways with advanced support to empower the community of students and their families to reap positive impacts pre- and post-graduation. The programs are designed to pro-actively minimize the negative effects that come hand in hand with not completing high school.
We will discuss the opening of the Re-engagement Center and what that means for Newark's youth with the Director of Newark Works and the Summer Youth Employment Program Tyreek Rolon, the Superintendent of Newark Public Schools, Roger Leòn. Later in the show, we’ll be joined by one of the center’s participants, Stephan Young, who will share his personal story of his experience with the Re-Engagement Center.
Mayor Ras J. Baraka presented his 10th annual State of the City Address on March 12th, in a joyful, impassioned, and triumphant speech to the residents of Newark assembled at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, located at 1 Center Street.
In his address, Mayor Baraka reflected on his administration’s achievements of the past decade starting from his “David moment.” Describing himself as “just a kid from Clinton Avenue and 10th Street…Amiri and Amina’s son, an activist, a poet, a teacher with nothing in his hands but a rock and a sling shot,” he proclaimed, “It’s only when we face Goliath that our circumstances begin to change. We can’t miss our David moment out of fear and trepidation.”
The mayor went on to delineate a remarkable sequence of improvements and upgrades to Newark living, focusing on the administration’s accomplishments over the past 10 years. Stopping along the way, he commended municipal employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and residents who have benefited from city initiatives, he shared a compelling vision for the future.
Listen to this episode now and share with your social circle.
Audio Engineer:
Carter "Roc" Mangan Jr.
www.TheRocProductions.com
On the first part of this show hosts Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Desiree Hadley are speaking with the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services, Luis Ulerio, the President and CEO of Newark Alliance, Evan Weiss, and the Data and Homeless Outreach Team Lead, Izaiah Hayes-Willoughby.
By developing housing for residents without address, Newark is not only tackling the issue of homelessness but it’s employing young people to build these homes by collaborating with the local organization, Youth Build.
Youth Build is a community-based pre-apprenticeship program that provides job training and educational opportunities for young people ages 16-24 who have experienced challenges with completing high school and simply require a different path to success. Youth Build joins the middle of the show to discuss their phenomenal program and how they’re training and employing our residents in construction and other trades.
The final group of guests include professors and students from the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Hillier School of Architecture and Design. Listen and share this episode with your friends and family.
Audio Engineer:
Carter "Roc" Mangan Jr.
www.TheRocProductions.com
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstone of our communities.” -Barack Obama
On September 6th, the Baraka administration and Invest Newark launched a program to help businesses and not-for-profit organizations locate, relocate, or expand their operations in Newark’s burgeoning downtown core.The program, known as the Newark Retail Reactivation Initiative, aims to support businesses that are looking to bring more retail, cultural, and dining experiences downtown. Populating our downtown space spurs an upward spiral that improves aesthetics, safety, and quality of life in the heart of the city, and turns long vacant storefronts into amenities for Newark residents, workers, and students.The City and Invest Newark will make low- to no-cost financial assistance available to businesses looking to locate in the focus areas. Business operators will be eligible for up to $650,000 in support, depending on the square footage of the storefront.Over the summer Audible launched a grant for startups looking to relocate around Harriet Tubman Square Park. Audible is offering startups a $250,000 relocation grant. This episode features conversations with both the President and Chief Executive Officer of Invest Newark, Marcus Randolph and Audible’s Vice President of Urban Innovation Aisha Glover.Later in the show, the owners Markisha and Carlos Swepson of Harlem, New York restaurant BLVD Bistro, will speak about their plans to open a Newark location of their restaurant in the downtown district in the near future.Also joining this conversation is Anthony Frasier, an awardee of the Audible grant program and the owner of the startup ABF Creative.Audio Engineer:
Carter "Roc" Mangan Jr.
www.TheRocProductions.com
September is back-to-school month, and, appropriately, National Literacy Month. On September 8th, the world recognizes International Literacy Day to raise awareness about the importance of literacy as a fundamental human right. Literacy is a fundamental human right.
During the pandemic, young people experienced learning loss at an alarming rate. In 2022, the Newark test results of the NJSLA literacy test showed only 19 percent of third graders passed. In the same year, Newark’s literacy passing rate for all grades was 27 percent.
To combat these alarmingly low literacy rates, over the summer, the City of Newark unveiled a 10-Point Youth Literacy Action Plan. The plan outlines 10 actionable steps that schools, parents, and community organizations will undertake during this school year to put Newark’s students back on track.
On this episode Mayor Baraka and co-host Desiree Hadley will discuss the action plan with the Brain Trusts’s experts helping to carry out the city's literacy mission. Joining the conversation is Chief Education Officer Dr. Sharnee Brown, Assistant Superintendent of Newark Board of Education Dr. Mary Ann Reilly, Director of Community Engagement of United Way of Greater Newark Karen Leach-Toomer, and the new Director of the Newark Public Library Christian Zabriskie.
Audio Engineer:
Carter "Roc" Mangan Jr.
www.TheRocProductions.com
August 11th 2023 was hip hop's 50th birthday. Newark is celebrating hip hop's 50th year with an annual 24 Hours of Peace celebration on September 1st -2nd , 2023. 24 Hours of Peace is a yearly event that advocates a violence-free community and promotes community building for parents, children, artists, business owners, and faith and community-based organizations.
On this episode Mayor Baraka discusses the details of this annual celebration by speaking with hip hop artist, educator and the 24 Hours of Peace event Producer, Hakim Green. This segment also involves a conversation with Newark born and raised hip hop artist who sucessfully transitioned into political office, West Ward Councilman Duprè Kelly.
Hip-hop music and culture has impacted the lives of many. The music genre was established in the Bronx, New York in 1973. Although hip hop’s creation started in New York it was in 1979, across the Hudson River in Englewood, NJ where the first hip hop record was recorded on vinyl, Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang. Later in the show, Mayor Baraka along with co-host Desiree joins in conversation with the iconic hip hop group The Sugarhill Gang.
Only one in four residents own a home in Newark, and with corporations vying to purchse houses and turn them into high cost rentas, it is urgent to provide residents with affordable pathways to homeownership.
The homeownership revitalization program, which mny know as the $1 properties program, is specifically for residents of Newark. It enables the low cost sale of city properties to residents who have lived in Newark for five years ormore or have been displaced by gentrification.
NACA is the program administrator and also provides low cost mortgages. To discuss this topic and other homeownership options offered by the City of Newark, this episode features conversations with Marcus Randolph, President and CEO of Invest Newark along with Bruce Marks, CEO and Founder of NACA, and Assistant Director of Newark's Department of Economic and Housing Development department, Jerrah Crowder.
Later in the show we dive into a conversation with two Newark residents and homeowners who have benefitted from the homeowenrship options available in Newark and from the NACA mortgage program. The two homeowners are Patricia Hobbs and Tricia Lubrano.
In 2020 the Baraka administration created the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, the first of its kind in the City of Newark. While the rest of the country shouted 'Defund the Police', the City of Newark reallocated funds from the NPD budget to establish the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery.
Lakeesha Eure, the Director of the OVPTR, explains her strategic plan while providing an in debt look into her team's efforts and collaborative approach to decrease violence in conjunction with the Newark Public Safety Department.
Later in the episode Mayor Baraka and Co-host Desiree Hadley, speak with Sonia Rogers, founder of the non-profit organization 'Through Their Voices' and Al-Tariq Best, the CEO/Founder of the H.U.B.B. Arts and Trauma Center. Ms. Rogers describes her personal experience with gun violence Mr. Best touches on his non-profit's active caollaboration with the OVPTR.
Newark is leading the way and is proud of it. Listen to Mayor Baraka deliver his ninth State of the City address from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Hear reactions from the audience and testimonials from residents who were positively impacted by his administration's life changing intiatives and policies.
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Harriet Tubman is known to many of us as one of the most courageous women in American history. As a conductor on the underground railroad Harriet returned to the south 13 times to lead enslaved people to the freedom.
On March 9, 2023 the City of Newark unveiled the Harriet Tubman monument in Harriet Tubman Square Park downtown Newark. This monument was deidicated to the life and legacy of one of America's greatest freedom fighters, Harriet Tubman. The monument is interactive with an audio component that was produced by the audiobook and podcast company, Audible. Members of the community contributed to the monument by creating personalized tiles that were added to the project.
The Harriet Tubman Monument project was funded by the City of Newark, Audible, the Mellon Foundation and individual residents in collaboration with the Newark City Parks Foundation,Newark Arts, the Newark Museum of Art and the Newark Public Library.
Mayor Ras J. Baraka and co-host/ producer Desiree Hadley discuss the monument in detail with the Artist/ Architect Nina Cooke John, Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs fayemi shakur and the CEO of Audible Don Katz.
Access to a reliable internet connection is essential for us to function in our daily lives. From remote learning to telework, our children, families and workforce will fall behind if we do not have quality and reliable internet access.
On this episode of Ras in 60 we explore the steps Invest Newark is taking to equip our community with the infrastructure to access low cost or free broadband. Mayor Ras J. Baraka and co-host Desiree Hadley are joined by Invest Newark's CEO and President, Marcus Randolph and Chief Economy Officer and Director of Broadband, Aaron Meyerson.
Ammon, Idaho created their own municiapal broadband infrastructure in 2011, and made national headlines with their innovative approach to providing internet access to their residents. On the second half of the show we will expand our conversation by speaking with the former Director of IT for the City of Ammon, Idaho and the current Operations Director of Entry Point, Bruce Patterson. Mr. Patterson played a critical role in making municipal broadband a reality for the City of Ammon.
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Chronic homelessness is an issue that affects communities in America on both coasts. Last week, The Mayor's Office of Homeless Services released "Newark's Strategic Plan to End Chronic Homelessness" within 3 years. On this episode we breakdown the comprehensive plan with the City's Homelessness Czar Luis Ulerio, and Jim Pelliccio, Chair of the City of Newark Commission on Homelessness.
We then expand the conversation to include Ken Craft, CEO of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission located in southern California. His company's mission is to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger and homelessness.
In 2021 his company, helped with the mission of the development of 6 tiny home villages in Los Angeles County, CA. These 6 villages provided over 900 beds. This was in addition to the 506 beds, Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission helped to previously develop in souther California.
Listen in as we explore Newark's strategic plan and as we learn about the actions taking place by Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission to decrease southern California's homeless population.
Economic equity is critical to urban communities like Newark, NJ. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median annual household income in the City of Newark is about $37k.
Our first guest is Mr. Michael Tubbs. Mr. Tubbs is currently the Special Advisor for Economic Mobility and Opportunity to California Governor Gavin Newsom, and the former Mayor of Stockton, California. Mr. Tubbs joins virtually to explain the guaranteed income program he started in Stockton, CA.
Keeping on topic we are then joined by City of Newark's Pilanthropic Liaison Kevin Callaghan. This episode concludes with a brief conversation with one of Newark's guaranteed income recipients, Shamonique Jones, who shares her experience.
Here in Newark, the City and people work collectively to achieve a safer city in which public saftey is based upon trauma-informed care.
Keeping Newark Safe is a high priority. Newark has a holistic approach to reducing violence, healing and supporting the community. This episode is all about exploring Newark's innovative approach to public saftey.
Featured guests:
- Director of Public Safety, Fritz Frage`and Police Chief Emanuel "Manny" Miranda.
- Director of the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, LaKeesha Eure.
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Rasin60
Engineer: Carter 'Roc' Mangan Jr.
On the first episode of season 3 of Ras in 60, September 6th marks the start of the new school year for Newark Public School students. Mayor Ras J. Baraka and co-host Desiree Hadley are speaking with Superintendent Roger León about the new school year, health and safety precautions, athe addition of new schools, the focus for the 22/23 academic year and much more!
On the second half of the show we transition into our conversation with Deputy Mayor of Community Engagement, Jacqueline Quiles. Ms. Quiles shares details of the events scheduled to take place in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and more.
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We are finaly 'Back Together Again' for a great second season of Ras in 60. This episode is all about us coming back together as a community, Mayor Ras J. Baraka is joined by his special guest host baby Jua and co-host/producer Desiree Hadley.
The three discuss Newak's plethora of prgramming, camps, activities for adults, seniors and kids, and much more. Featured guests on this episode are Director of Recreation and Senior Services Patirck Council and Dj Lil'Man.
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Engineer: Carter 'Roc' Mangan Jr.
Recorded at =Space Podcasts Studios
This will not be your conventional political podcast. Prepare to be intrigued by new information you will hear straight from Newarks Mayor himself. Subscribe for future episodes, as they will involve a series of conversations between the Mayor of Newark and guests who are doing work to move Newark and/or the culture forward. This will include segments on fitness, lifestyle, health, Newark’s progress in development and more. Get involved in every conversation by hash tagging #Rasin60.