Felischa Marye, Jeanne Sparrow, and Subhah Agarwal visit friends and discuss representation without trauma, Chicago radio and more with host Marina Franklin. Felischa Marye is an American television writer and producer from Chicago. She is best known for her work as a writer and story-editor for the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, and as the creator and showrunner of Bigger on BET. She is a graduate of the UCLA MFA screenwriting program, during which she won various film fellowships, and writing competitions including; the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Streisand/Sony Fellowship, Film Independent’s Project Involve Award, and the Entertainment Weekly Award. Jeanne Sparrow is renowned speaker, top consultant and 7-time Emmy-winning television and radio personality. She hosts a weekly radio show on #1 rated V-103, WVAZ Chicago, an iHeart Radio Station, and is also a graduate faculty instructor at Northwestern University. Jeanne helps people and organizations find more success and deliver their unique, authentic value through visionary leadership, effective sales and inspiring speaking. Subhah Agarwal has brought an honesty to her comedy that is refreshing, and at times a bit disturbing... but in a good way. Trust me. Subhah has written for the "Plan B" movie on Hulu, and “The Jim Jefferies Show"on Comedy Central, amongst others. You can also catch her jokes live at stand up comedy clubs across the country. If you don't want to leave your couch, you can see her late night debut on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh." She's also appeared on season three of HBO's "Westworld", on TruTv's sketch comedy "Friends of the People", and as herself on MTV2, Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy Live. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

FriendsLikeUs

Trauma Free Stories Of Color Matter

Kanesha Broadwater, Brittany Carney, and Von Decarlo visit Friends and talk Breast Cancer Awareness with host Marina Franklin Kanesha Broadwater, age 44, has been an oncology nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago for 18 years. Her nursing skills, background in oncology and personal experience with breast cancer have given her a newfound path to help others understand the importance of early cancer screenings, even during a global pandemic. As a Black woman and a cancer survivor, Kanesha understands the health disparities facing her community and wants to bring visibility to women of color when it comes to health care. She has been working with an initiative Pfizer started called Get it Done, which encourages people to speak with their doctor about how to continue routine cancer screenings and follow-up appointments during the pandemic. Her 5 advice for anyone diagnosed with cancer is to go sites like GetCancerScreened.com or Get It Done, write a checklist of appointments and daily tasks or needs, rely on your support system- you’ll need them, ask every question, and let your support system help you in the ways you really need Brittany Carney began her standup comedy in Washington, DC, and now lives in New York City, where she performs at venues like the Comedy Cellar She's experienced in the festival circuit with appearances at Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest, New York Comedy Festival, Kennedy Center REACH Opening Festival, and many more. Check out her debut comedy set on Comedy Central this year!    Von Decarlo is a New York based stand up comedian with global ad campaigns, and national commercials for Disney, GNC, Match, and Carnival Cruise Lines. She performed at the Just For Laughs comedy festival for Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, as well as, the Lil’ Rel and Friends show, and has been a featured comedian on HBO’s innovative talk show Pause with Sam Jay, Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks on Tru TV and HBO Max, CNN’s talking head year end wrap up special, BuzzFeed, The Jerry O Show on FOX, Fox Soul, The Breakfast Club, and more. In addition to hosting The Power Hour and The Godfrey Complex on Sirius XM‘s Urban View, she was also the first woman, and first comedian, to host her own show on the SiriusXM NBA channel. Von Decarlo is the Executive Producer of the Patrice O’Neal documentary, Killing Is Easy, on Comedy Central, and the producer of three posthumous comedy albums Mr. P, Unreleased, and The Lost Files. Her debut comedy album, A Draggable Offense, is available on all major platforms, and can be heard on the She So Funny and Laugh Out Loud radio stations on Sirius XM. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

The Get It Done Initiative

Dan Naturman is known to his fans as the "real winner" of NBC's Last Comic Standing season two a few years back where he was the favorite of celebrity "judges" Drew Carey and Brett Butler. Dan's charming combination of self-deprecation and outright grouchiness has earned him four appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, his own "Comedy Central Presents..." Special, and a starring run on NBC's America's Got Talent. And now he’s written a book: Ira Spiro: Before Covid available now on Amazon and Barnes And Noble Robb Leigh Davis is an artist, activist and creative educator residing in Brooklyn, New York. His plays include SYNDROME, The Homosexual Agenda, Friends & Lovers, The Glam Factor, We The People,  and AMERICANBLACKOUT. He is the creator of the performance series Meditation on a Theme, co-host of the podcasts Takin U Back (with Jenn Wehrung),l and The Cookout Culture (with Kenya Claytor), and co-host of the live stream chat show Gray Matter, with David Maddalena, which can all be found on Instagram. He has performed as part of the National Network for Education Renewal Conference (NNER), was a selected playwright for the Tectonic Theater Project’s LGBT Theater Artists of Color Training Lab in NYC & was a featured performer for two performance art pieces commissioned by Brooklyn College, In the Eyes of God and Intolerable. He has worked as Director of Arts & Culture at the LGBT Center of NYC and as Grant Manager for the NYC Department of Education, overseeing arts education at a portfolio of NYC public schools and producer of the 21st Century Chronicles, a youth arts festival. He continues to record and create music at the intersection of gospel and soul, examine gender and masculinity through essays at The Good Men Project and develop artistic work at the crossroads of race, gender and sexuality Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

Facing Your Fears To Succeed

Aminah Imani is a stand-up comedian, host, and actor who lives in New York city, known for her featured appearance on Hulu’s late night television show, Up Early Tonight and Viceland Television. Her web content contributions include commentary on Buzzfeed and Scary Mommy. She has performed at the world’s famous Apollo Theatre, the 208 Comedy festival, the DC Comedy Festival, and the Stand Up comedy special, Ain't YA Mama Heat Wave featured in the Environmental Film Festival. Aminah is the host and producer of the Wine Before Nine podcast and is one host of Comedy at the Knitting Factory, a weekly comedy show in Brooklyn, New York. Janice Pugh is a Boxing Fitness trainer, online virtual coach, and Certified Health and wellness coach inspiring women through workouts and internal self-care to live in their strongest and healthiest bodies now. Vanessa Fraction Born in St. Louis and raised in Chicago, this mother of two has over a decade of experience captivating fans around the world with her one of a kind storytelling talent. Whether you see her on stage, television or hear her on the radio, Vanessa is on a mission to empower her audience to overcome their struggles while laughing at hers. These can be hilarious tales of being a single mother paying child support or revealing anecdotes on the battle of being a strong, successful black woman. Her television credits include appearances on Comedy Knock Out and Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks (TruTV), Tales (BET), and a  recurring role on BounceTV’s Mann and Wife. Vanessa’s hilarious and bold stand-up comedy has been showcased on many shows such as HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, 1st Amendment Standup (STARZ) and Mike Epps Live at Club Nokia. As a writer she has worked on The Arsenio Hall Show (CBS), 106 & Park and The Mo’Nique Show (BET). Her film roles include Barber Shop 2: Back in Business and Kim Field’s Holiday Love: The Rebirth. Her quick wit and sharp humor is featured when she guests hosts on entertainment shows like DishNation (FOX) When you "do the math" Vanessa Fraction equals One Very Funny Lady! More info at www.vanessafraction.com  Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf          

Emotional and Physical Wellness

Rafia Zakaria is an author, attorney, and human rights activist who has just released her newest book, Against White Feminism. Zakaria was born and raised in Karachi before moving to the United States. She formerly served as a board member for Amnesty International USA. An accomplished writer, she has two previous books, The Upstairs Wife, An Intimate History of Pakistan and Veil, and is a columnist for BafflerMag and Dawn in Pakistan. Her articles have also been featured in The Guardian, CNN, The Boston Globe, The Boston Review, and The Times of India. Nonye Brown-West is a New York-based Nigerian-American comedian and writer. She has been featured in the Boston Globe's Rise column as a Comic to Watch, as well as in NPR, PBS, ABC, Sway In The Morning, and the New York Comedy Festival. In 2019, Nonye made her acting debut in The Sympathy Card. Look out for her two new web series, Fairytales with Nonye and Gayby Jesus.  Karinda Dobbins is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. Karinda has performed at comedy festivals across the country, including Comedy Central’s Clusterfest, SF Sketchfest, and Bridgetown Comedy Festival. Bitch Magazine said Karinda is one of “Six Hilarious Female Comedians You Don’t Know Yet – But Should.”  She has opened for Dave Chappelle, Trevor Noah, Michelle Wolf, Roy Woods, Gina Yashere, and Arsenio Hall. You can hear her now on SiriusXM Radio, or come to her live recording of her comedy album, Tuesday October 5th & 6th at the Punchline in San Francisco! Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

Against White Feminism With Rafia Zakaria

Uyoata Udi is a Los Angeles-based actor who stars in HULU's new drama, “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”. Prior to this role, Udi has performed on Broadway and for the Obama White House. You may recognize him from HBO’s Watchmen and NBC’s This is Us  and For the Record (2020) Udi has a number of Broadway credits under his belt. He was the only Nigerian cast member in the three-time Tony-winning musical Fela! on Broadway. The University of the Arts alum also appeared in Broadway’s Amazing Grace the Musical and performed for former President Barack Obama and his family at the White House. Nina Kharoufeh is a Producer for various different platforms- Sirius XM, MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid, and even Fox News. She has launched her very first children’s book called “I’m a Princess Too” available on Amazon. And recently, she partnered up with the Amazon app! Every week at 1pm, she’ll be going live to show all her favorite products! So check her out Jon Laster is a New York City based comedian. He’s appeared on three season’s of BET’s Comic View, appeared in New York’s Underground Comedy Festival and you can see him weekly at the world famous Comedy Cellar.  As well, Jon has started a new app called BLAP that’s right BLAP. And app designed to help you get black owned products near you! Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F Wit

Shauna Lane is a New York City based actor and comedian known for her goofy, lovable characters and comedy. As an actor she has been in several national commercials and is in the feature film Creedmoria on Netflix. As a comedian she has appeared on Comedy Central, MTV, and Sirius XM. Shauna studied acting with the legendary Wynn Handman and has graced the stages of the New York Comedy Festival, The 10,000 Laughs Festival in Minneapolis, The Ct. Comedy Festival, and the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. She was the co-host of The Gone Girls Podcast (free on iTunes) from 2016-2020 and ran a monthly comedy show at New York Comedy Club called "We Share A Void."   Dr. Florencia Greer Polite is a Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology, Chief of the Division of General OBGYN and Vice Chair of Clinical Operations for the Department of OBGYN at Penn Medicine. Dr. Polite is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU and Bellevue hospitals and joined the faculty at NYU upon graduation. Dr. Polite practiced at LSU in New Orleans, her husband’s hometown, where she served as the Residency Director and Division Chief for General OBGYN during her tenure. In September 2018, Dr. Polite was recruited back to PENN Medicine to serve as the Chief of the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology, the largest division in the department of OBGYN. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Polite created and operationalized Operation-CAVEAT: COVID-19 Acceptance: Vaccine Education and Adoption Taskforce, an intervention designed to address vaccine hesitancy among staff at Penn Medicine.  She has been a front-line health care worker during the pandemic and has provided over 100 hours of vaccine education on podcasts, Instagram and virtual forums. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

French Toast

Nonye Brown-West is a New York-based Nigerian-American comedian and writer. She has been featured in the Boston Globe's Rise column as a Comic to Watch, as well as in NPR, PBS, ABC, Sway In The Morning, and the New York Comedy Festival. In 2019, Nonye made her acting debut in The Sympathy Card. Look out for her two new web series, Fairytales with Nonye and Gayby Jesus.  Calise Hawkins is a stand-up comedian and writer. She has performed her standup on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC), Russel Simmons Presents Live At The El Rey (Comedy Central), Gotham Live (Fox), Stand Up in Stilettos (TV Guide Channel), Nick Mom’s Night Out (Nickelodeon), among others. She has written for Comedy Central’s @midnight and Hood Adjacent, Adult Swim’s Soft Focus, AMC’s Unapologetic with Aisha Tyler, and MTV’s Totally Clueless, Girl Code, and Charlemagne’s Uncommon Sense. She was also a cast member of Oxygen’s Funny Girls. Autumn Rowe is a Singer/Songwriter/Producer/DJ from New York. Growing up in the South Bronx, she applied her musical talents in a range of roles, from bandleader to session singer. She later became a sought-after songwriter. She wrote the 2011 FIFA World Cup dance anthem “Happiness” featuring Alexis Jordan, and she has worked with Diana Ross, Dua Lipa, Tori Kelly, Ava Max, Jon Batiste, Naia Izumi, Jax Jones, Big Freedia, MK, Avicci, Zedd, Alesso, AfroJack, Deadmau5, Alex Newell, Leona Lewis, Digital Farm Animals, Boy George, Jon Bellion, The Knocks, Nick Jonas, Kali Uchis, Kacy Hill, Fifth Harmony, Rodney Jerkins, Sinead Harnett, Fka Twigs, Lindsey, Stirling, Becky G, and Macy Gray, among many other artists. She appeared on Season 2 of The X Factor, and as the only vocal coach on America’s Got Talent for five years, between the show’s eight and twelfth seasons. She has coached artists including America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal, Fifth Harmony, Bea Miller, Carly Rose Sonenclar, and Diamond White. She performs as the DJ act AFTR PRTY. She is currently signed to Stellar/Sony ATV as a writer and Ultra Records as an artist. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

The Banana Skirt

Robin Cloud is an award-winning writer and director working in television and film. As a member of the 2020 Class of the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women, Robin wrote and directed the short film 2 Dollars that premiered at the BFI Flare Film Festival in London. During its festival run, 2 Dollars earned several audience and best of the festival awards. Her first narrative short, Out Again, was executive produced by Refinery29 as part of their Shatterbox Anthology and premiered in March of 2017. Out Again has screened at film festivals throughout the world. Her docu-series, Passing: A Family in Black & White, executive produced by Topic/First Look Media, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019. In 2020, Robin wrote and directed This Old House which premiered on Hulu as part of their Bite-Size Halloween Series. Cloud is a 2021 Alliance for Women Directors Black Directors Advancement Initiative Fellow, a 2017 Kickstarter Creative Fellow, and a graduate of Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad mentee program. Robin has been featured in The New York Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post, Diva Magazine, and GO magazine’s “Top 100 Women We Love.” Her production company, Cloud Creative Media, was launched in March of 2016 and focuses on creating independent narrative and documentary films and series. Leighann Lord is a veteran standup comedian who has appeared on ABC, HBO, Comedy Central, and is a former co-host of StarTalkwith Neil de Grasse Tyson. She has performed for the troops in the Middle East and was a national finalist in the American Black Film Festival-HBO Comedy Wings Competition. Leighann received the AHA Humanist Arts Award and recently re-released her comedy album, I’m Not Urban. I’m Urbane is available and streaming. Leighann is the author of several humor books including: Dict Jokes and Real Women Do it Standing Up, available on Amazon. Her special, "I've Got Connections" can be seen on Dry Bar Comedy. Pat Brown has been seen on CBS’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Fuse’s Uproarious, Axis’s Gotham Live, NBC’s Comic’s Unleashed and BET‘s ComicView, TVOne’s made for TV movie-WHITE WATER, the independent film SOMEBODIES, and the web series UNREQUITED. Pat has won both the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and the She Devil Competition. She has been featured in Time Out Magazine, After-Ellen, Splitsider and Punchline Magazine. Her critically acclaimed album “The Pat Brown Sex-Tape” has been described as “provocative and conceptual” by Laugh and is streaming on all platforms. You can watch her on the  Two Dope Queens on HBO! Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf  

One Race, The Human Race

Nonye Brown-West is a New York-based Nigerian-American comedian and writer. She has been featured in the Boston Globe's Rise column as a Comic to Watch, as well as in NPR, PBS, ABC, Sway In The Morning, and the New York Comedy Festival. In 2019, Nonye made her acting debut in The Sympathy Card. Look out for her two new web series, Fairytales with Nonye and Gayby Jesus. Suzette Simon is the founder of NYLaughs, a New York-based nonprofit that produces free comedy events in public spaces to inspire audiences, enrich the lives of New Yorkers, connect them through humor while deepening an appreciation of stand up comedy as a unique NYC cultural asset.  Diagnosed with stage II breast cancer in January 2020, the Manhattan-based producer is now using laughter in her battle with the disease to raise awareness of the impact breast cancer — which kills Black women at a 42 percent higher rate than white women — has on the Black community. Suzette recently launched her awareness initiative called #STRONGBLACKBOOBS as a place to go for the intersection of her own breast cancer journey, information, comedy, self-esteem boosting, and support for communities of color. She is the self-appointed “Master of #CancerBadAssery” and considers herself to be in the running to be “America’s Next Top Cancer Survivor.” She hopes that being a #CancerBadass might shake things up and save black lives. She looks forward to reshaping Black Boob leadership and dominating boobs, cancer, and the whole world (in a good way, of course!) one fun-filled post at a time. Jenny Saldana is a writer, actress, and stand-up comedian and a Breast Cancer Rock STAR and all around hotness. She wrote, produced and starred in Happy Cancer Chick, a web series inspired by her own battle with breast cancer. She recently appeared in HBO’s High Maintenance. Her video series, The Little Brown Girl Show can be found on Youtube and Facebook Live. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

The Importance Of Being Proactive

Wendy Liebman started her stand-up career in Boston in 1984. Since then, she has been a regular on late night television, with appearances on Carson, Fallon, Letterman, Kimmel, and Leno. In 1996, she won the American Comedy Award for Female Stand-up Comedian of the Year. Wendy has half-hour specials on both HBO and Comedy Central and her first hour, “Wendy Liebman: Taller on TV” premiered on Showtime in 2011. She recently appeared on the FX documentary, "Hysterical" and performs throughout the United States. She currently produces and hosts “Locally Grown Comedy”, a monthly show in Studio City, CA, featuring the best standups in town. Erin Jackson is one of the fastest-rising comedians in New York City. She works nightly in the city’s top comedy clubs, and most recently made her Netflix debut as part of Season 2 of Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready. She’s also appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, CONAN, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, truTV’s Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, Last Comic Standing, and Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham. Erin's debut comedy album, Grudgery, was released in 2018 and debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes comedy charts. Zainab Johnson, a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer is quickly being propelled as one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen. In 2019, Zainab was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics To Watch. Recently, she was one of the hosts for Netflix's new show "100 Humans". You can also catch her as Aleesha on the new comedy series "Upload" on Amazon prime. Zainab made her first late night stand up appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, and has also had appearances on HBO’s All Def Comedy (2017), NBC’s Last Comic Standing (2014), Arsenio (2014), BET’s Comic View (2014), AXSTV’s Gotham Comedy Live! She also just recently starred in a new web series titled Avant-Guardians. Zainab is a regular at the Improv Comedy Club in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NY, and has performed in the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival as one of the 2014 New Faces of Comedy and returned numerous times since.   Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

A Lift Me Up

Mia Jackson is a New York based comedian originally from Georgia. In 2017, Jackson was selected as a New Face by the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and Atlanta's Creative Loafing named her the Critic's Choice Best Stand-Up in the city. She has toured nationally with Amy Schumer and is a featured comic at festivals and clubs across the country. Her first stand up special aired in October 2018 as part of Unprotected Sets on EPIX. Jackson has appeared on NickMom's Night Out, Viceland, Comedy Central's This Week at the Comedy Cellar and was a semi-finalist on Season 9 of NBC's Last Comic Standing. Her Comedy Central half hour special debuted in November 2019. Carmen Lynch is a NY based stand up comedian who’s been on a string of late night tv shows including The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Conan.  She is featured in the newly-released documentary Hysterical (Hulu) and on HA Festival: The Art of Comedy (HBO Max). Her new comedy album “Vertically Obese“ can be found on all mainstream platforms as well as her podcast “The Human CentiPOD” (which also airs on SiriusXM.) Carmen also tours doing standup in Spanish and has a plethora of ridiculous viral videos on TikTok at @carmencomedian. Von Decarlo is a New York based stand up comedian with global ad campaigns, and national commercials for Disney, GNC, Match, and Carnival Cruise Lines. She performed at the Just For Laughs comedy festival for Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, as well as, the Lil’ Rel and Friends show, and has been a featured comedian on HBO’s innovative talk show Pause with Sam Jay, Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks on Tru TV and HBO Max, CNN’s talking head year end wrap up special, Buzz Feed, The Jerry O Show on FOX, Fox Soul, The Breakfast Club, and more. In addition to hosting The Power Hour and The Godfrey Complex on Sirius XM‘s Urban View, she was also the first woman, and first comedian, to host her own show on the Sirius XM NBA channel. Von Decarlo is the Executive Producer of the Patrice O’Neal documentary, Killing Is Easy, on Comedy Central, and the producer of three posthumous comedy albums Mr. P, Unreleased, and The Lost Files. Her debut comedy album, A Draggable Offense, is available on all major platforms, and can be heard on the She So Funny and Laugh Out Loud radio stations on Sirius XM. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

Going Backwards

Bechir Sylvain is a quadruple-threat Haitian American actor, writer, director, and producer from Boston and Miami who can be seen in the second season of Netflix series BLACK SUMMER. Additionally, Bechir currently plays ‘EJ’ on the TNT’s hit comedic drama series, CLAWS and ‘Willy’ on BET+’s hit series, BIGGER currently streaming S2, and is executive-produced by Will Packer. Bechir’s television credits also include guest starring on This Is Us (NBC) Chicago, PD (NBC), Better Call Saul (AMC), Black-ish (ABC) Grace and Frankie (Netflix), Fuller House (Netflix) and The Mick (FOX). He was supporting lead in the Hallmark drama The Ultimate Life and had a supporting role in the Aubrey Plaza-headlined horror comedy film, Life After Beth. Jerod Haynes is an award-winning actor from Chicago. He has appeared in multiple TV shows such as NBCs “The Village”, “Empire”, “Sense 8”, “Crisis”, and currently on the History Channel in Robert Zemeckis’s show “Project Blue Book” and on NBC alongside Christina Hendricks in "Good Girls". Haynes has appeared in such independent films such as “Consumed” and “Animals,” as well as Sundance hit “Southside with You”. Haynes co-wrote and produced “Blueprint” which tackles the trauma a young man encounters once his best friend is murdered by police. Jerod was honored in 2015 with the Jeff Award for his performance in a principal role in the Chicago play “Native Son,” in which he reprised his role at Yale Rep in Fall 2017. He recently starred in Netflix and Blumhouse Production “Benji.” In 2019 he also appeared in HBOs production of Richard Wright’s “Native Son,” directed by Rashid Johnson.  Subhah Agarwal has brought an honesty to her comedy that is refreshing, and at times a bit disturbing... but in a good way. Trust me. Subhah has written for "The Jim Jefferies Show"on Comedy Central, and "Comedy Knockout" on TruTv, amongst others. You can also catch her jokes live at stand up comedy clubs across the country. If you don't want to leave your couch, you can see her late night debut on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh." She will also be appearing on season three of HBO's "Westworld", as Ichtaca on TruTv's sketch comedy "Friends of the People", and as herself on MTV2, Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy Live. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

The Method Of Acting

Dr. Florencia Greer Polite is an Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology and Chief of the Division of General OBGYN at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.  Dr. Polite is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU & Bellevue hospitals, where she served as the Administrative Chief Resident and received the Lyman Barton Memorial Chief Resident award.  Upon graduation, Dr. Polite joined the faculty at NYU and served as the Associate Residency Program Director for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.   In August 2010, Dr. Polite joined the LSU faculty as an attending in the Generalist Division of OBGYN, becoming Director of the Residency Program in 2012, Director of the Generalist Division in 2014, and the Director of Faculty and Resident Development in 2017.  In September of 2018, Dr. Polite returned to the University of Pennsylvania as the Chief of the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology.  In this capacity, Dr. Polite is responsible for the largest division in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology including four clinical practice sites. Dr. Polite is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a member of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO), and a member of the Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology (SASCOG).  She serves on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Executive Board, Audit and Finance, and Budget Committees and the USMLE Test Development Committee.  Dr. Polite has been the recipient of numerous mentorship and teaching awards including the coveted CREOG National Faculty Award, the APGO Excellence in Teaching Award, and the ACOG Mentorship Award.  Dr. Polite has served as a medical expert for both plaintiffs and defense since 2011.  She has reviewed medical cases and served as an expert in both depositions and trial work.  She lives in Philadelphia with her husband (a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP)  and their 2 daughters. Rafiq R. Kalam Id-Din II, Esq., a current resident of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, is Founder & Managing Partner of Ember Charter Schools for Mindful Education, Innovation and Transformation (Ember). A social entrepreneur, activist, teacher, lawyer and nonprofit leader with over 25-years experience, Rafiq grew up in severe poverty in inner city Philadelphia during the height of the crack epidemic and violence of the 1980s and early 1990s. A two-time graduate of the University of Virginia (Bachelors in English and African-American Studies, and a Master of Teaching—English Education), Rafiq received his JD from NYU School of Law as a Thurgood Marshall Scholar, becoming an Editor of the Law Review and President of the Student Bar Association. Rafiq practiced law with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York and Hong Kong, before serving as Executive Director of the AnBryce Foundation in the Washington, DC area, a pioneering pipeline program focused on impactful education opportunities for socio-economically disadvantaged youth. In 2007 Rafiq received the prestigious Echoing Green Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs for his innovative “Teaching Firm”, an innovative model for fully teacher-led schools managed like law firms, the first of which launched in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn in 2011. A co-founder and former Executive Board member of the NYC Coalition of Community Charter Schools, founder of the #BlackLedSchoolsMatter initiative and co-founder of the New York Black-Latinx-Asian Charter Collaborative, Rafiq also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Echoing Green, The Brooklyn Crescents, and President of the NYU Law Alumni of Color Association (LACA). Rafiq was recently honored as a recipient of the Black Voices for Social Justice Fund Award from the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation. Melissa Diaz - Bronx native Melissa Diaz (New York Comedy Festival, Laugh Your Asheville Off) is a unique and rising talent in the New York City comedy scene. Her sharp and quirky wit paired with an edgy attitude takes audiences through a funhouse of fatalism and hilarity that no amount of therapy will make you forget. Melissa is featured regularly at Caroline’s on Broadway, has placed in Devil Cup and Laugh Your Asheville Off competitions, appeared in the New York Comedy Festival and has been named one of NYC’s comics to watch.  Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

Effective Vaccine Conversations - Squashing Misinformation

Dr. Wayman Merrill -Dr. Merrill graduated from the University of Chicago Division of The Biological Sciences The Pritzker School of Medicine in 1974. Dr. Wayman Merrill has over 47 years of experience in the field of medicine Dr. Merrill works in Wilmington, CA and specializes in Family Medicine. Dr. Merrill is affiliated with Marina Del Rey Hospital As a family doctor in California, Dr. Wayman Merrill offers comprehensive medical care for individuals & families. Family doctors may diagnose, treat, & manage a very wide range of illnesses, conditions, & diseases. As a family doctor, Dr. Merrill is generally the first point of contact for patients seeking general or primary medical. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

BONUS NEW EP: Learn Critical Thinking With Dr. Wayman Merrill

A podcast featuring women of color with different views on topics hosted by Marina Franklin.

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