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From Green Spaces to Leadership: Voices of Change in WNY

Background from left to right: red, then a vertical, thick white stripe in the middle, then black. from left to right: WN logo in the top corner, "FROM GREEN SPACES TO LEADERSHIP:" in white text and "VOICES OF CHANGE IN WNY #292" in black text over the red, then photos of the guests placed throughout the image.

On this episode of What’s Next? We hear from Dr. Jennifer Roberts, a Buffalo native and University of Maryland professor, about her BET in FLO program connecting East Side teens to green spaces and her upcoming book on Buffalo’s history and future. The team also visits Providence Farm Collective for a tour of their site. And we close with Duncan Kirkwood, Director of the Center for Resiliency, who previews his upcoming Student Leadership Conference at Villa Maria College.

What's Next? 2025
Latest Episodes
  • Today we sit down with filmmaker Stephen Rosenthal and actor Stephen McKinley Henderson to discuss their new documentary, It Is Up to Us. The film explores the impact of racism on society and why a deep understanding of history is essential for our future.
  • On today’s show we speak with Maria Ta, the new Executive Director of Ujima Theater, Della Moore and her work with the African American Center for Cultural Development, and we speak with Latino filmmaker Rocco Anastasio.
  • This Hispanic Heritage Month, What’s Next? spotlights leaders shaping the future of Buffalo. Today we sit down with Buffalo School Board candidate Talia Rodriguez. She shares her vision for educational equity, with a focus on multilingual learners and students with neurological differences.
  • On today’s What’s Next? we mark a major milestone with People Against Human Trafficking of Western New York. Executive Director Julie Palmer joins Jay Moran to reflect on ten years of fighting exploitation and to share details about their upcoming Gala on September 25. Then we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with a visit to El Batey.
  • On this episode, we’re switching things up! Jay Moran sits down with Executive Producer Charles Gilbert to talk about what’s new on What’s Next?
  • On today’s show, we return from our summertime hiatus with a breakdown on the One Big Beautiful Bill. A sweeping new law that supporters call historic prosperity, but critics say will deepen hardship for working families.
  • On today’s episode, we focus on the mental health stigma surrounding Black men. We welcome back Cheney Brockington, licensed master social worker and an Erie County Restorative Justice Coalition board member, and Deja Middlebrook, co-owner of Walking Through Solutions LLC.
  • Southern Fried is one of the largest spoken word and performance poetry competitions in the world. Founded in 1993, it’s rooted in storytelling, soul, and Southern hospitality.
  • On today’s show we bring in another voice from this year’s Buffalo mayoral election. We welcome Anthony Tyson Thompson, a Buffalo native leader and one of the five candidates on the Buffalo Democratic primary ballot.
  • On today’s show, we’re joined by conductor and educator Jaman Dunn-Danger, a Black, queer artist leading Joshua’s Boots, a work by acclaimed composer Adolphus Hailstork this weekend at First Shiloh Baptist Church.