In this episode of Rooted in Reality, I take a hard look at what’s happening in Minnesota with ICE enforcement and community response, especially in the wake of the recent fatal shooting of Renee Good and the broader surge in federal immigration activity in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. From local protests to questions about civil rights and public safety, I explore how this moment echoes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s calls for justice, dignity, and the protection of human rights — and what his legacy invites us to consider about state power today.

Below listeners can see how to document or report ICE activity, support immigrant communities, and stay informed:
• National Immigration Law Center (NILC) — resources on immigrant legal rights
• ACLU — tips on recording and reporting civil rights violations
• Monarca Minnesota Rapid Response Team — volunteer observer training and hotlines for reporting ICE presence in Minnesota

This episode is both a reflection and a call to stay vigilant, informed, and grounded in the values Dr. King championed — equality, justice, and community care.

Five days into the new year and there’s already… a LOT going on. In this episode, I break down Trump’s latest move in Venezuela, Ohio’s changes to weed laws, and a Rolling Stone report raising serious questions about Amazon data centers and health impacts like cancer and miscarriages. I also get into what it means now that ACA subsidies have expired, and why the Trump administration is restarting wage garnishment for people with defaulted student loans.

It’s a packed episode — news, context, and how all of this actually affects real people’s lives. Tap in.

This week we're continuing with the HBCU series and this one features a Southern University grad. Aaron takes us through the journey of student-althete turned Defensive Line coach and drops a lot of gems a long the way. Tune in, you don't want to miss this one!

In this episode of Rooted in Reality, I talk about ICE’s presence in Columbus, Ohio — and why it’s not needed or wanted. I break down what ICE actually does here, how their presence creates fear instead of safety, and why local communities are pushing back. Resources below:

- https://immigration.ablelaw.org/know-your-rights/

- https://www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EmployerGuide-NELP-NILC-2017-07.pdf

- columbus.gov/allofus

- ohioimmigrant.org

This week on Rooted in Reality, I’m talking about what happens when power goes unchecked. I break down Trump’s executive order blocking states from regulating A.I., his dangerous attacks on Somali Americans in Minnesota, and Congress failing to act as ACA subsidies get closer to expiring. These might sound like separate issues, but they all point to the same problem — communities being targeted, protections being stripped away, and everyday people left to deal with the consequences. I talk about who’s being protected, who’s being ignored, and why all of this matters.

We're back and there's sooo much to cover this week. This episode talks about how the government keeps crossing lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Ohio is sending driver’s license info to Homeland Security, Trump is threatening to cut SNAP from blue states unless they hand over personal data, and ICE is changing its story again in the Marimar Martinez case. We wrap up with the tragic killing of Ta’Kiya Young and why her death was completely avoidable.
It’s a heavy episode — but a necessary one — about power, privacy, and the real people caught in the middle.

This episode picks up where Pt.1 left off and we get even more deep and personal in this one. To the school that changed our lives forever, HU, we love you!

This episode kicks off my new HBCU Series — a monthly deep dive into real stories from graduates of historically Black colleges and universities. In Part 1, I sit down with my best friend Carlissa to talk about our time at Howard University: the culture, the surprises, the lessons, and how The Mecca shaped who we are today.