Etch The Edges

Social Security is regarded by many as our national safety net. We all pay into the system if we work. This is supposed to be guaranteed income for every employed American once we retire. However, if we unfortunately become disabled we are supposed to be able to take advantage of the safety net the Social Security program is supposed to provide. However, woe to any American if they truly have a need. The system as it stands is built to deny those who apply for disability. Social Security Disability denies the claims of the vast majority of those who apply. This begs the question … what is the truth about Social Security? With our guest, expert Spencer Bishins we dive into this topic and uncover harrowing truths that are lost on almost all Americans. This is powerful material that rests in the very foundations of America. Let’s etch some etches.

America is more divided than ever. The elevation of innovation in technology, once thought to be the great unifier has only served to be our greatest divider. It has created immense echo chambers in which far too many of us thrive on a menu of rhetoric of confirmation bias. We stand on the precipice of change, but what change will it be? Our guest on this episode is Marc Wendt and he has a vision for a tomorrow that incorporates all our perspectives. Believe it or not it is finding reason through the elevation of technology. It is Hope, Innovation, and Love. Join us as we unpack this powerful conversation on the edge. Let’s etch some edges.

This episode is all about learning how to leverage SEO techniques to drive more traffic to your website. Our special guest for this episode is Brandon Leibowitz. He provides us with a wealth of knowledge on just what it takes to drive traffic to your website. Without question this is critical information that you must have if you’re to succeed online in this continuously evolving web-driven interconnected world. Join us and listen in as Brandon etches the edges on optimization.

The truth is discovered through the narrative. It’s the stories that we share, the telling of our lives and experiences. Nate brings the heat and the truth to our platform with Edges etched aggressively using passion and tenacity. A man who is not afraid to call bullshit what it is, bullshit. And that is real shit. The journey towards truth regarding the black experience through the perspective of a white man is a powerful idea, a thought formed into action that needs to be shared, understood, internalized, and replicated. Nate is doing incredible work, truly work that must be done. We lean in deep on this one and truly take it to the real.  Grab a moment and etch the edges with us.

Excuse me, what are you doing in this space? A question Sharyl often receives as someone firmly standing in the space of diversity proponent. Her life experiences and environment informed her decisions and shaped her actions. Sharyl grew up as one of the few white kids in her neighborhood. Seeing the bad things that to her friends and neighbors is the root of the story. Hear and truly listen as she shares the details from the edges. Living a life as a white person who saw so much inequality and the powerful lack of equity not only elevated her perspectives as a human being, it transformed her into a champion for the cause of change. Walking such a rode in life and even love is no easy thing. Still, her choice is to walk it like she talks it. She has dedicated her life to helping others learn to live and thrive in a diverse world. Listen to Sharyl as she Etches The Edges.

Bob makes a statement that speaks to making a difference. He says he’s a white male American and he is among the safest human beings on the planet. A powerful truth in perspective. On Etch The Edges we always talk about being an aspiring critical thinker and leaning deep into discomfort to have the conversations that need having, to advocate for the people and positions that need support, doing the real work of building a society that is truly good for all of us, not just some of us. Realizing the American ideal is all about being equal, about realizing equity. The American ideal is not about authoritarianism, espousing divides while at the same time accusing others of doing the dividing. America is not about elevating the basket of deplorables. We can and must say that because it is the truth. The deplorables descended upon the capital on January 6th and tried their very best to turn our nation into a banana republic, at the behest of a narcissistic moron. This is simply the unfortunate truth. Bob clearly is stepping up to do the right thing, realizing our ideal. Listen in as he etches the edges.

We can’t show you the accent in this episode’s title but just understand if you’re in Atlanta you can call him Pete Marin. In Gwinnett County it’s Pedro Marin. Listen to the episode and get the inflection. It is a joy to lean in and work on pronouncing his name as it was given to him. Why do we say this? We say it because it is part of the story, it is us getting familiar, comfortable and trusting, it is us doing the work of closing the divides and standing on common ground. It’s us being the best of America. This is the work. Listen in as Pedro Etches the Edges on this episode of being one of the first Latino’s to serve in the Georgia State Legislature. Hear his stories on building bridges that serve the people, and doing the work necessary to ensure all Americans get to realize the full breadth of opportunities America provides, while at the same time staying committed to forging a path to true freedom. Let’s Etch some Edges.

The question is always appropriate for any given candidate that is running for office. However, as the electorate we’re often far too busy, or too lazy, to actually answer the question. It’s a critical thinker’s question and if a person would fully embrace the gift of American Freedom then it must be answered for each and every election, for each candidate on your ballot. That’s the work. On this episode we get to speak with one of our favorite people. Yes, we’re biased and we freely admit it. Ruwa Romman is running for Georgia State House District 97. She represents what’s best in America. But don’t take our word for it. Listen, as she Etches The Edges on why voting is so important and why we say voting for Ruwa Romman to represent District 97 in the great state of Georgia is a vote for America.

We state it plainly because it needs to be said. Mike Ford is running for Congress in Georgia’s 9th District.  It ain’t easy. He’s a Democrat running in a GOP bastion of the state. Over 78 percent of the electorate voted for Donald Trump. He’s got his work cut out for him. However, as ever the point is to tell the stories, understand the facts, and do the hard things, work to close the divide. Now more than ever it is so critically important. The courage of Congresswoman Liz Cheney points the way. Be willing to take a stand. Take a moment and listen as we Etch the Edges with Mike on why it is so important that we do all the things we advocate for on this program. We have to UNITE THE BLUE, unite the Democrats and get people to be rational in the midst of this crisis. Make no mistake it is a crisis. If we want to keep America this is the work. Make reason a blinding beacon that burns in common sense and burns out mendacity. Make your vote matter. Listen, and I think you just might find out why WE LIKE MIKE for Georgia’s 9th District.

Being focused on local elections is a requirement. That’s the opinion of us here on Etch The Edges. For us our local official is Kirkland Carden, Gwinnett County Commissioner for District 1. On this episode we talk about his journey and his focus on local politics; how he got engaged and what spurred him to seek office. Listen as he shares how and why he became hyper-focused, as he says, on local politics. It does matter, and it is critical. We have stated as much many times on this podcast. Everyone wants to live in a community that is safe, comfortable, efficiently run, and prosperous. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people don’t have this option, this luxury, and that is the point. You can’t even begin to chart a path to such an environment in a given community unless the people get engaged. As the saying goes, “All politics is local.” Give us a listen and let’s etch the edges.

Who is Keybo Taylor? The Sheriff of Gwinnett County is without question a man on a mission. He lives a life of purpose and he says with emphasis that “Failure is never final.” The Sheriff makes it clear that his perspective mandates that we practice life. The journey is important. Why and how things happen are critical. There is the perception of Law Enforcement and there is the work that gives rise to the facts. Sheriff Taylor is taking the time with us to Etch The Edges and talk about the issues that are so very important. He openly talks about the atrocities, the breakdowns, and the work that needs to take place to make things better. He and his department are in the community in a way that matters. In the practice of life he fully believes in finding a path and mapping out a better way. It’s an open and honest conversation, a powerful conversation about the facts. Take a moment, take some time, enjoy us and Etch The Edges with Gwinnett’s own Sheriff Keybo Taylor.

In his new book Finding Washington, Richard Raines takes us on a look back at America’s first founding father and his virtues. He shares with us how through the benefit of the perspective his book provides we can leverage those virtues to navigate our way through what many consider to be the most difficult times in our nation’s history. As ever Etch The Edges is about working away the edges in order to clear what’s keeping us from coming together. With the right work we can close the gap. On this episode we discuss how things have become so difficult and so charged. We talk about how we see each other across the divide and how it is the labels, and tribal mentality that makes it so difficult for us to see each other as we truly are. We are without question all human beings, and in this country we are all Americans. How do we move away from seeing each other as the other, and see each other as us? Let’s Etch the Edges with Richard and get some insight on how his book helps us do just that. Let’s learn how to do the right thing.

Brenden Kumarasamy is a communications expert and the founder of MasterTalk, how to become a master communicator. Where one may at first consider what he does only applicable to corporate environments and high-dollar situations, all one need do is think about the chaos of our daily lives as individuals trying to thrive in our social settings and we realize that the power of better communication applies to all of us, at all levels. He teaches us how to overcome our fears, and just talk to each other, truly talk to each other, which as so many of us often forget requires that we truly listen to each other. Listen in as we Etch The Edges with Brenden and learn how he came upon this field and became such an expert. How he honed his skill into helping others. And now, why he is taking the time to make sure the gifts he provides can be utilized by anyone, not just big business.

Jason Butler’s mission is to help others flourish.  He helps leaders realize the power of compassion and how it can open doors to greater opportunity and prosperity. In fact, his message to us all is to realize that compassion is the new SUPER POWER! He also thoroughly believes in the power of diversity and how it can truly help us close the gaps between us, all the gaps, not just color but modes of thinking, different dimensions of diversity. This is truly important for leaders in business and those in the heart of our communities. What he provides most certainly is needed. I don’t think anyone would readily say that America has enough compassion. In fact, it’s quite plain that we don’t have enough compassion. Jason’s work is most certainly needed. He also is Vice President of the Wake County (Raleigh NC) chapter of the Progressive Democrats. Take a moment and listen in as we Etch The Edges on compassion and diversity and why just now it is so very important.

A CPA by day and a conservative blogger and podcaster by night, Josh Lewis is on a mission. He’s Saving Elephants.  Josh presents as an aspiring critical thinker, which we love on this show. He’s an intellectual that voraciously consumes knowledge in order to seek and find higher levels of understanding. He is the thinking man’s, thinking man, thought and exposition filtered and clarified through the prism of his perspective. Listen to our conversation as he leans into what he says he does, reading a ton of stuff written by old white guys with the intent to understand it, figure out how it informs our present, and perhaps help us create a better future. For Josh, he holds fast to the sentiment of conserving good things and sharing these good things for the prosperity of everyone. Conservatism, and what it is, is not a readily, easily defined thing, same for liberalism. Hear him when says Conservatives in America have a goal of preserving American Liberalism. That is a mouthful of a statement for lay conservative and liberals. Check this powerful episode out. Let’s Etch some Edges. Oh, and when I say matriarchy, know I meant monarchy. Edged my word there.

On Etch The Edges we always remind ourselves and our listeners that the work is talking, conversations, leaning in even when it is most uncomfortable, to etch away at the parts of us that keep us from coming together, from serving in order to make our world better. And if you choose to lead, lead as a servant of the people, not the kind of person that would lord over the people. It is our pleasure to bring to you on this episode Ryan Cox, servant of the people who now seeks to serve as a leader.  He is the founder of Gwinnett Chatt, an outreach organization that partners with public and private organizations to provide opportunity and ensure that the people of Gwinnett continue to thrive. Now, Ryan is running for State Representative of Georgia District 111. Listen in as we etch the edges on Ryan’s personal journey that led him to this moment.

Being a Judge is one of the most important jobs in our society.  A judge must walk a fine line that is charged with complications and challenges to push the human soul to the limit … if you are truly doing the job right. This is no trite thing and cannot be dismissed. On this episode of Etch The Edges we have a conversation with Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Angela Duncan to talk about how as a judge you must maintain your humanity, not dismiss it, adhere to the law, because that is what is required, but always see and meet people where they are. In order to do the work of administering justice one cannot be blind, as so many assume by looking at the statue of Lady Justice and her Scales of Justice. The law must be applied as the law is written but as the arbiter of the law Judge Duncan cannot lose sight of fairness, opportunity and of course justice for all equally, no matter who you are, how you present yourself, or where you are from. To be clear, it’s not easy being the judge, but it is a job she has leaned deep into with the mindset of a servant, as it is a job for the people. Listen in, learn, and enjoy a conversation as we etch the edges with Judge Duncan.

When you walk a path of service your way of life becomes consumed by the commitment, or so we have often observed. On Etch The Edges we take the time to hear people in their own words, share their own stories, and when it comes to people running for office we listen for the commitment, to see if they are on the path, if service is truly a way of life. BT Parker has worked hard, put in the time, and made it her purpose to serve. She has taken the time and done the work of extending herself throughout the environs of this county, to get engaged, to see the who and the what of the details of our county and where she can best contribute in order to better serve the people. With an effervescence that sparks positivity she says it best in her own words, “BT PARKER … BE SURE TO MAKE HER!” Listen in as she etches the edges on getting engaged and fixing the inefficiencies.

There is no question we have a social dilemma. Hands and eyes remain fixed on devices worldwide, absorbing snippets of information voraciously. There are any facets to the dilemma that need to be addressed. Our guest on this episode is Peter Zaborszky, serial entrepreneur and founder of RealTalk.com, the social platform for the center and center-right conservative. However, don’t let the labels lock your perspective. As with us all his history, his life story, informs his perspective. However, the label, which he is not overly fond of, do not prevent him from being an aspiring critical thinker. He seeks to enhance the conversation and provide a medium for people who feel they are being ignored. Now, there are many who will say those who claim they are being ignored taking up the majority of the space in any echo chamber, but again we must be reminded that with all things in life, it is truly about perspective. Peter has decided to lean in and address a need, moving away from the megalithic social media platforms, carving a space for others. Whether or not that space is for you is not the question. The question is will you be aspiring and etch the edges on the topic, the supposition, and the challenges our platforms provide. Give us a listen.

A critical thinker’s plan to methodically re-engage the Georgia Department of Labor on the job of labor. That is truly the thing to do. It is a task that requires immediate tactical engagement that builds to a strategic plan which will do the necessary work of enabling the workers of Georgia at all levels. If Georgia is to become the best state in the nation for business, then it stands to reason that we should be the first state in the nation to truly realize that what’s best for business can and must include what is best for labor. With critical consideration and due perspective we can realize that these two objectives are not mutually exclusive. Nadia Surrency is aware of this and she has a plan. She states it’s a “new day,” for a “new leader,” to lead the Labor Commissioner role. Sit down and take some time to etch some edges with us. Listen to the conversation and learn how Nadia plans to bring her considerable skills and versatility to the role and how she will effectively chart a course for Georgia labor into the 21st careers of tomorrow.

As an advocate of perspective and the lifelong pursuit of knowledge we find it refreshing to encounter people who take the time to consider, question, stop and think. Now, in that thinking we may not all arrive at the same conclusion, but we aspiring critical thinkers know the journey to the conclusion is always worthwhile, and perhaps in that journey we may find we have something in common. Joshua Longbrook is a person who upon a time stopped, took stock, and decided to think deeply on who he was and how he would move forward through life. On this episode of Etch The Edges we take a brief journey with Joshua and consider critically how history, economics, behavior, and science-fiction, all come together to tell the story of how we are, who we are, and perhaps with sincere consideration and pursuit of deep understanding, just who we might become. Take a moment and listen as we etch the edges with Joshua.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we talk with Kelly Kautz who is running as the non-partisan candidate in the Gwinnett County Board of Education election. Listen as she clarifies her perspective and discusses why she thinks the non-partisan approach is the right approach when it comes to school policy. She has pledged to bring her knowledge to the Board in order to do the hard work of leaning in deep and finding common ground among the divisions that right now threaten to poison our progress and hurt our community. She makes it clear that she will focus on removing the pork, getting the bacon out of the way and creating efficiencies in the bureaucracy, leveraging her skills and experience to meet the needs of a changing community. As we etch the edges on the conversation pay particular attention to how she will commit to listening, truly hearing the perspectives, and learning what needs to be addressed before recommending any action. She says effective evaluation of the current state of the system is necessary, if it hasn’t been done already. Give us a listen and let’s etch some edges.

Dr. Adrienne Simmons is running to serve on the Gwinnett County Board of Education as the representative of District 4. At this point everyone should know that in 2022 the fate of the country goes right through local School Boards and in particular Gwinnett County, Georgia. Everyone should know that fear tactics have pushed CRT as the next political wedge issue in order to garner votes and retain or gain power. Etch the Edges is always about facts and truth, so we must say that this new Republican tactic to divide communities and win elections is rearing its ugliness and fear mongering in Gwinnett County just as it is doing across the country. Listen as we etch the edges with Dr. Simmons, and as we always do with our guests, lean in and have an everyday conversation like everyday people. Adrienne makes it clear that doing the work on the school board requires that we listen to everyone, include everyone, get knee to knee at the table and stop with the nonsense, such as a CRT distraction, and get with the real, such as TLC, her approach to the issues. Listen as she focuses our conversation on Teachers, Learners, and Community. It’s a vital conversation that informs more than just the election for the School Board, but speaks to how we should view every election this year, focusing on what matters, focusing on what’s real.

Tony Sellers has watched intently and critically and decided that he must do something. As he watches the direction many in our county are choosing to take he has grown ever more concerned. He sees us on a precipice and Etch The Edges cannot help but agree with him. Book banning is without equivocation NOT THE WAY! Tony has decided to throw in and run for a seat on the Gwinnett County Board of Education. He’s taught in Gwinnett Public Schools for 18 years and truly believes in putting students first. It is time to focus on the work of meeting the needs of all our communities. Listen to his story as we Etch The Edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we welcome back Gwinnett County Solicitor General Brian Whiteside to talk about the challenges in Gwinnett County and how he has chosen to lean in deep and face them. As the first Black Solicitor General of Gwinnett there is a story to the man that absolutely must be shared. He comes from a family of tradition and service. He has stood staunchly against those who choose to do wrong and has spent a lifetime in service to others. In his own words he calls what some call arrogance, confidence. How he does this, pushes hard with confidence, is something he does for the entire community and seeks to model for the generations that come after. He sees his role in government as a servant-protector who has been chosen by the people to operate as a servant-leader. For the people his father used to say point the rescue boat towards the sea, not the land, because precious seconds matter. Listen to his story and get a good understanding of his perspective as we etch the edges on this episode. Brian Whiteside has much to say and sharp edges to etch. Join us and listen and see how he does it.

It’s always easy to make assumptions about people. It’s part of simply being human. However, we know the real work requires gaining some understanding and moving beyond the simple assumptions we make at first glance. This is important as we live out our daily lives and becomes even more important when we decide to choose who will lead us. The state of our understanding of government and how much we truly value how we are governed and who governs us, is clearly evident at every election. We don’t do a good job as a rule, just one opinion. Antonio Cortez Hicks clearly understands this and he has decided to do something about it. A popular saying is when you see something say something, or do something. Antonio has done both. He is clearly the kind of person we want to have engaged in our community, whether he does serve as an elected official, or doesn’t.  All of us should see him and hear him as he etches edges, stands up and stands out. He serves as an example not just for making an effort to run for office, but making an effort on anything that truly matters. As a mogul once said, “Don’t talk about it. Be about it!” Let’s etch the edges.

The state of Georgia is right in the middle of the evolving conflict that is the American political divide. The divide is ever widening even as many of us seek to close it. There are those running for office who take advantage of this divide to gain or retain power. Then there are those who have decided to step up to do what’s right for all of us, not just some of us, those who seek to close the divide and govern with courage, empathy, inclusion, and real-world solutions. We like to call them aspiring statesmen. One such aspiring statesman or stateswoman is Nicole Horn. We invite her back on the show to share with us again her point and purpose, why the need to elevate the profile of the Georgia Department of Labor is now more important than ever before.  And, how she would do the necessary work required as Georgia Labor Commissioner to fix what’s gone so very wrong. Listen to her, and let’s etch the edges.

When a person decides to run for office we should always give them some grace and thank them for deciding to do what is never an easy thing. If they’re doing it for the reason they should be doing it they have earned our consideration. We should give them some grace and assume positive intent. We should consider that the person running for the position sees a need in our community and is deciding to step up and step out, to do the work that needs doing in order to maintain our community, or more often than not uplift it and make it better. On this episode of Etch The Edges we get to have an everyday conversation with Lisamarie Bristol about her campaign, why she has decided to step up and step out, and why it has become so challenging. With honesty and candor she talks about the missteps, her position as a Democrat, not a Republican, and why it is important to talk to all the people, not just some of the people, even those with whom we don’t agree. The exercise of voting is all about knowing and finding understanding in order to elect someone that can and will personally address our concerns. The position of Solicitor General is important to the county and to you as a constituent. Listen to Lisamarie as she etches the edges and get the knowledge we know you need in order to make an informed decision.

Things are changing, for the better. Yes, it may not seem that way when we’re bowed, but we are ever unbroken, and things do get better, step by step, even after taking two steps back. We remain committed to three steps forward. Understand that when someone named Ruwa Romman, an immigrant Muslim from Jordan of Palestinian descent can run for office as a representative of Americans it is truly the realization of the American Ideal. Ruwa Romman is walking talking representation of the American ideal and it was here in Georgia that she found her purpose. She has decided to stand and run in a time when the fear and intolerance of a changing demographic has people violating rules and eroding the very democratic process they have developed. The cognitive dissonance is deafening but as Ruwa states and etches edges it just calls us to stand all the more. The franchise must be exercised and she has committed herself to ensuring that we all do so. Ruwa Romman is running for office. Give Ruwa a listen and hear how she etches the edges.

As we close out Black History Month, Black Heritage Month is my preference, we want to take a moment to highlight the achievements of Captain Hugh Nathaniel Mulzac. The assumption is that you do not know who this man is. So, we take a moment to hear from his granddaughter, Karen Mulzac Watkins of the Gwinnett County Board of Education representing District I. She tells the story of her grandfather and the challenges he faced as a Black man in the United States Merchant Marine. He was a man of great intelligence and character. He had integrity. He also believed in the American ideal, a belief that could be hard to maintain in the face of racism. However, he had grit, and he held his own line as well as his own counsel. He would choose the time of his elevation only if the opportunity was right. And this he did do, despite how long it took. Captain Mulzac is an American profile in courage and his story bears listening to today more than ever. Give Karen a moment and let her etch the edges on her family history, which is Black history, which is without equivocation, American history.

JT is first generation American and as so many others represents what is best in Gwinnett County, represents what is best about Georgia, and in his daily walk represents what could be the best of a future America, an American that is coming no matter what we do, but how well we allow it to come forth is the question.  JT etches the edges with us and talk about the very serious critical issues that face us as a district, county, state and nation. Health care, education, libraries, how often have we stated that reading is fundamental, investing in our future. These issues are important now just as much as they have always been and they serve as a foundation for the preservation and expansion of the American dream. JT Wu is running for office, to be an aspiring statesman. Hit the play button and etch the edges with us as we talk to JT. And when you’re done check out his platform at jtwuforgeorgia.com and learn what he plans to do in order to preserve and expand the American Dream.

In this episode we continue the conversation we started in Part 1 – Breaking Shackles. We hear from Akbar Stout, a man like any other, an American that grew up on the dream that was supposed to account for all Americans. However, for Akbar the dream didn’t take. He was a Black kid growing up in a two-parent household, decency and positivity surrounded him. Unfortunately, just like it is for any American ethnicity, be you White, Latinx, or Asian the cracks in the culture push through. What is ugly, evil and pervasive in the poorest neighborhoods be the urban or rural still creep into suburbia or middle class urbania, and it is there Akbar was exposed, lured by the illicit. We find in his message the true cost of not imparting a critical thinking framework to our youth, being able to discern and dismiss the insatiable evil of fool’s gold, the petty prettiness of crime. Akbar fell into the trap by choice, and his payment would be prison, punishment for the life he lived. However, while inside he was afforded an opportunity to share his story, and that sharing continues still even as he is free to breathe the open air. The work continues. Take a moment, listen and let’s etch the edges.

On this episode we welcome back Bernard Mills, a man who embraced the criminal lifestyle as an opportunity to live and thrive, and become something better. Let that statement settle for a moment. Our world as it is structured for far too many of us offers crime as a worthwhile opportunity at a better life. Remember, perspective matters. We also bring on Ronnie Long, a man tried and convicted for a crime he didn’t commit. Yes, we’ve seen this story before, all over television and the movies, and we hear about it as real life. Real people suffer. But the drama is a story, one that many of us say just is, sorry, life is hard. That, is not the way. On this episode we hear the stories of Bernard and Ronnie and we dive deep into the humanity of these men, to see them as human beings, and realize in the hearing of the stories, that second chances are worthwhile, for Ronnie a first chance and a shift in how the system works. No one should be convicted for a crime they did not commit. We all know this. However, we have to lean in and not treat it just another something we hear on the news. If you think a 2nd and 1st chance for those consigned to hell but want nothing more than to live righteously I the right thing to do, then do more than listen, etch an edge and act. Let’s listen.

In this age of division it is absolutely imperative the we figure out how to talk to each and not at each other. It is absolutely critical that we figure out how to do the mandate of this podcast and the project, bridge the ideological divide and come together. It is essential that we learn to internalize and understand perspective, value it for what it brings, toss it into the crucible of conflict, and figure out answers for the challenges we face that we can all live with, together. Our guest on this episode, Jerry Fu is all about conflict resolution. He lives to do just this type of activity and that is why we’re so glad to have him on this episode of Etch The Edges. As we learn about his work of conflict resolution we get some insight into who he is, how he arrived at his calling, and the challenges he faced through the prism of diversity, dealing with stereotypes. Join us for this uplifting discussion as we continue our journey into 2022, and work to close the divides between us all for the greater good. Let’s Etch The Edges.

It’s 2022 and the mission and mindset continues. We have to lean into discomfort, lean into the things that are necessary. There are elections this year. Voting rights are truly under attack. No matter your perspective we have to understand that the debate is on the table, and the concern is generations long, a charged road to be sure. WE ARE IN THE GAME OF THRONES, and life is far more precious than seeking to live the metaphor of the dramatized. Insurrection and and secession cannot be up for consideration. That is not American and that has nothing to do with freedom. Additionally, CRT is looming large and threatening to overwhelm our critical conversations, which to be sure is a tragedy as the actual emergency is not that it is looming, but that it is being seen as a threat instead of what it is, a systemic approach to realizing the truth of the American ideal, an academic approach to uncovering our shared American truth. There is all this and more. So, let’s lean into discomfort. Let’s think critically. Let’s talk. Let’s share stories. Let’s get familiar, find comfort, and develop some trust. And let’s do all this while we work the work of getting into some Good Trouble.

From Burbank California we Etch The Edges with multimedia artist and entrepreneur Sebastian Schug. No matter where you are in your life journey it bears listening to Sebastian and hearing how he has carved out a life for himself around his passions, the things he enjoys doing. In this world it is as it has always been for the majority of us living on this planet. We must earn our daily bread working for someone else. And to be sure even as you work for yourself you are beholden to receiving a check from someone. However the crux of the matter is finding space for yourself, your true self, if such a space is what you need and can be found. In my book Critical Success: The 2 Rules of 3 I talk about the third principle of 3POP, The Three Principles of Prosperity, which is Entrepreneurship. If it is for you, then let it be for you, embrace it, engage in executing the plan that will fulfill it, this objective of earning your daily bread at your own enterprise. Let’s etch the edges with Sebastian and figure out how he does it. Oh, and you have to listen to some of these stories! They are OFF THE CHAIN!

The work on Etch The Edges is sharing the stories, realizing the truth in all of us and sharing it, no matter what perspectives we may have. It is the hallmark of the critical thinker to seek and understand the other side. However, in order to do this you must have the right tools, the best tools. On this episode we etch the edges with Scott Miller, best-selling author, career coach, and host of the world’s largest weekly leadership podcast, On Leadership with Scott Miller. In his latest book Master Mentors we meet 30 amazing and transformative minds that provide us with the right tools, the best tools. This was a real boon, so listen in and enjoy the conversation as we etch some edges and learn from a few Master Mentors.

Landing in the mighty metro ATL. Let’s say it as it is despite the desire of a minority to divide us one from the other, Commissioner Fosque made her home in Gwinnett County. We are all part of the metro Atlanta area and many of us are proud of this. Gwinnett is what America looks like and what it should be. This is the culmination of generations of work. She very much highlights the foundation and foresight of the founders of this county and their ability to look generatios ahead. She respects what came before. She looks with inclusion and equity to where we sincerely believe we want to be. She sees a community in our county where everyone thrives. That is her personal mandate and that is her commitment. We are superior in our approach and how we execute. She speaks and embodies the Gwinnett Standard. She says, all any of us needs is an opportunity. This is the work! This is the way! Your language, your ethnicity, your origins, we are welcoming, and that feeds our standard.

The point of serving in office is all about meeting the needs of the people and being willing to do what is required to ensure those you represent are served effectively. On this episode of Etch the Edges we speak with Lilburn City Councilwoman Yoon-Mi Hampton. Lilburn is a city in Gwinnett County Georgia. It is diverse, inclusive, and growing. As such it is changing in many ways, ways that require change in representation. How this change takes shape and who steps up is critically important. Listen and learn Yoon-Mi’s story, her challenges in life, and why she may be exactly what Lilburn needs, a stateswoman that is perhaps the very best person the citizens of Lilburn could have elected to office. Let’s Etch The Edges.

On this episode we say some of you may know Donna McLeod, but we ask that you take a moment to really get to know Donna McLeod. A servant leader who made her way to America from the Caribbean by way of Canada. With a strong understanding of American freedom and liberty, she had to pass the test, she did the citizens work of engaging in the process of governing. She understood the assignment. This is the responsibility of every American citizen, one we take far too lightly. However, Donna did not take this duty lightly at all. She understood the need to engage. She understood the need to educate and fight for much needed equity within the confines of American freedom and liberty. Under the big tent of the Democratic Party she stepped up and out front, to serve as a State Representative, answering the call of her constituency, to represent them not as a politician, but as a stateswoman. Listen to her story and understand why she serves. Get to know Donna Mcleod the person, behind Donna Mcleod the stateswoman. Let’s Etch The Edges Support her non-profit CANI – Community Action  Network Initiatives here: https://caniinc.org/

Rosa Steele is a child of the South. She has seen what we have been and she knows what we can become. She has passion for the work of the community and likes to stay in the details of politics. She has made Loganville her home and like others she found this tranquil city slow and inviting, not too far from what was happening but not too close. However, as with so many other areas progress came to Loganville. Growth was at every corner and when she and others asked the City Council to do something about a traffic light at a busy intersection their requests fell on def ears. And so, she felt the call. Hear Rosa’s story and find out how a person who wanted to represent Loganville in all its diversity was met with the subtlety of the old south, a wall of no admittance thrust in her face with not even a smile, just an understanding that she was not allowed. Etch the edges with us and find out how she broke through that wall, and stands now ready to challenge the remnants of the old, and stand as a representative of what’s best for all of Loganville, whether they like her or not.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we have a conversation with Sophie Gibson. She hails from Jamaica to Norcross by way of New York and brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. And in one of the most diverse cities in one of the most diverse counties in the state of Georgia she not only embraces multiculturalism and champions diversity she is born of diversity, lives her life and made a family in diversity, and now seeks to ensure that diversity remains at the forefront of the conversation. Her objective? She wants to make sure everyone has a voice, a seat at the table. As a self-made woman, entrepreneur, business-owner, and job creator she sees what she brings to the table of opportunity as essential to providing a chair for others who would emulate her success. Listen as she shares her story. Let’s Etch The Edges.

Norcross City Councilman Matt Myers is our guest on this episode of Etch The Edges.  Who is he and why is he serving? A self-declared kid from South Carolina, who is still just a kid, though the aches and pains he says he feels tells him otherwise. He has no patience for the heated fire of partisan politics, but rather spends his energy on listening, learning, collaborating, and building together, for the good of all the people who put him in office. He is an aspiring Statesman and on this episode he takes the time to tell us what he’s about and why, for the time he is in this position, which according to his own words is only long enough as necessary to achieve objectives set before him by the will of the people. Then, he will pass the responsibility to someone else  qualified to take the reigns of the power he now holds. This is what he does, and what he will do. He serves. Listen, and hear him Etch The Edges.

Patty Durand is running for office, the office she’s seeking to attain? Georgia Public Service Commissioner. Why is she running for this position?  Because as she looks at the work the Commission is doing she sees action, or lack thereof, gone horribly wrong; cronyism and misappropriation. In this episode Patty in measured tones gives us insight, painful insight into the bureaucratic machinations of a commission that allows a company to run its nuclear power project at a hundred percent over budget with no regard for the citizens of Georgia who are paying the bill.  This really is not the way. Patty wants to lower our energy bills, ensure climate justice, reign in corporate waste at Plant Vogtle, invest in renewable energy and create green jobs. She wants to represent the people with what can only be called equity. Listen as she makes the case and etches the edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we have Gwinnett County Solicitor General Brian Whiteside share with us his story. Where he’s from, his journey to Gwinnett County, and how he has become a one man engine of justice and firsts, for the marginalized and disenfranchised. It’s about Justice for the people. Always forward. A proud Purdue Boilermaker who made it happen on and off the field. A career of service. A breaker of rules that do harm. A maker of rules that defend and elevate. A motivator to others to join together in a coalition of change for justice and equity. Give us a listen and together let’s Etch The Edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we have Gwinnett County School Board members Dr. Tarece Johnson and Vice Chair Karen Watkins. They have answered the call to represent the people in their respective districts on the School Board, responding to a cry for help from children and their parents who have been and to a degree still are marginalized. In the finest American fashion living up to the American ideal they were called, ran, and won office. This is our way. However, the response? For their service they have been attacked, bullied, antagonized. There are those who say they do all this because they are concerned parents. They do all this because they want to protect their children, and by extension the children of color as well, the undercurrent clearly translated as stay in your place, do as you’re told, the truth is what we tell you because you’re too ignorant and will turn our schools and our community into a negro dominated ghetto cesspool, and by the way Dr. King is on our side. You PEOPLE just don’t get it. Yes, this is the message of a Right turning a hard radical right with an unwillingness to even consider the other side. Well, on this episode we give these two women called to circumstance the opportunity to share their truth, share their experience, share their perspective, and hopefully humanize them. By humanizing them hopefully we will dissuade those that are hurling invective and supporting the guys who follow these two women and park outside their homes with ill intent. These outstanding women are human beings, just like all of us, and here we will give them grace, and let them speak, in the hopes that those others will etch off their rough edges and do the same. We all want to do right by our children, all our children, and we can only do that right, if we stand together on common ground. Let’s etch some edges.

Our special guest on this episode of Etch The Edges is entrepreneur and philanthropist Maceo Brown, owner of System 5 Electronics. Continuing our conversations on Black Excellence, Maceo shares his wisdom with us on what it takes to realize and fulfill what if you truly seek to find, you can achieve. It’s something I like to call Critical Success. Maceo shares with us how we can apply critical and innovative thinking, creativity, steadfastness, and just plain good ‘ole guts in battling the barriers that hold us back, that hold us down. Those American born barriers of racism and the hateful intractable, those people who live and breathe to deny all of us the American dream, and in so doing in many respects deny themselves by being un-American. He shares with us how he conducted his battle and achieved his Critical Success, realizing the best of America, that so-named Dream. And finally, he shares with us how he is looking back to pay it forward with Maceo’s Kids. It’s a powerful conversation. Give us a listen and Etch The Edges.

On this episode at the Edge we have a deep and enlightening conversation with Dan Obarski. It is always enlightening to hear about how our fellow human beings do what they must in order to survive, grow and thrive. As a man who came from pain Dan found his way, lived at the edge, worked hard and played hard, abusing himself in the process. Falling through life he eventually fell into darkness. Self-abuse and avoiding responsibility can only last for so long, no matter who you are. As fate intervened Dan found himself literally under the water line, staring at death, and deciding death was a better offer. It was at this, his lowest moment that he experienced what could only be called a miracle. He met himself anew, with powerful purpose, and rose a changed man. Listen intently to his story. You will be moved. Let’s Etch The Edges.

Emerging excellence from the Caribbean, powerful positivity in community, parents rooted in poverty, but with love and community leaving poverty behind, building a foundation to push for the dream of America in New York, to a school with an eighty percent graduation failure rate, but that failure pushed back and locked out by the strength, power, the love of community, to drive forward towards excellence, a hundred and four human lights of brilliance that propelled Wade to success, to the full realization of America. This, is the way. This is who Wade Anthony is. A powerful story of American excellence indeed. A story that he wants to leverage to lead Dacula forward, preserving what is best in this thriving inclusive community, maintaining its standards as well as its affordability, for all families that seek to make Dacula their home.

On this episode of Etch The Edges Dave Mibrandt shares with us how he leans deep into discomfort to have the hard conversations. He does this for his students and models the kind of behavior we strongly support at the Edge. As we all know the last few years have torn our country apart, friends against friends, families against families. it is truly worth taking the time to listen to how Dave engages in a Brave Space and does what he can to bring people together. It’s a lesson from which we all must learn, if we are to close our divides in all the ways that matter. This is the work. Listen as we Etch The Edges with Dave.

For those that don’t know the Gwinnett County Solicitor General is the top prosecutor in the county that handles the prosecution of all misdemeanors, traffic violations and ordinance violation. Felonies are managed by the District Attorney. In this episode our friend LisaMarie Bristol share’s with us why she is running for this position. The why starts at the very real beginning. She is a Canadian born emigrant and sees much of her birthplace in Gwinnett County. Gwinnett’s diversity and rising inclusion speak to her desire to serve in her chosen role, which is to be an advocate for and an implementer of the county’s justice. However, she sees the rising need for equity and that is where and why she has chosen to put her name on the ballot. Listen, and find out why Banana Bonds pointed the way on her journey of justice. Let’s Etch The Edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we lean deep into what many of us call Black Excellence. As a proud American-African (to explained more deeply in a later episode) it warms my heart to talk a tale of success and uplift. John Hurt owns eleven McDonald’s establishments on the South East side of the Metro Atlanta area. He’s also the President and CEO of a Sleep In & Suites in West Georgia. As we say on Etch The Edges stories matter, they humanize of course, but more importantly they inspire, and in a world where young people of color need to know that opportunities exist for them, that the American Dream though hard to achieve for anyone, but for them most especially must be achieved over the high barrier of inequity and still unrealized full equality, the dream can still be realized, unbought and fulfilled through knowing, sharing, acting, and paying some of it back in order to pay if forward. Listen as we talk the real with John. Let’s Etch The Edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we lean deep into the discomfort of a life made wondrous still, though birthed and grown through charged, hard fought challenge. Our very special guest is Michaela Cox. She shares with us the perspective of a person born into blindness, achieving as she would despite her disability, a divorce at age 26, and then the loss of her husband, the love of her life at 38. Now, as a single mother she continues to rise to the challenges of life, and shares how she faces these challenges, what she calls her 38DDD. Join us as she shares her story, and her wisdom. Let’s Etch The Edges.

On this episode we Etch The Edges with Karen Scott Greene. She’s running for Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge. As ever we engage in a real conversation with straight talk, listening to Karen’s story of who she is, where she’s from, and why does running for a judgeship matter, not just for the community, but for her personally. What does she seek to accomplish as a judge? We discuss the challenges of the justice system as it relates to equity, and how engaging in such a dialogue in this state, in this county, requires a higher level of transparency and a need to create trust, trust that she will be a judge for all of Gwinnett County, not just Black Gwinnett County. And of course, we talk about the importance on both sides of the edges on why it’s important to even have such a conversation. Join us on this episode and understand once again that all politics is local. Let’s etch the edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we have Alex Phillips, and we are so very glad he has taken the time to join us. Why? Because Alex is the founder of the American Priority Conference, which sponsors AMPFest, an event that hosts some of the biggest names in the MAGA movement. Now, given the mission of Etch The Edges it is clearly important and critical to our mandate that we take the time to talk to Alex, listen, then listen again, because listening is always so difficult and as a rule we spend too much time seeking the next word. We talk too much, instead of establishing a real dialogue. On this episode that is exactly what we do. We have a dialogue. We talk. We share stories. We share perspectives, we lean into discomfort, and we talk about the things that divide us, and we find common ground. Yes, we find common ground. Hopefully, we model a mode of behavior that many others would emulate. So please, find some time, get comfortable, hit play, and listen to Alex and DS Etch The Edges.

How does local government work? What purpose does your City Council serve? What things are they responsible for and how can you get involved? Why would you get involved? Does it matter? In this episode of Etch the Edges we lean into a great conversation with Councilwoman Heather Hall on what makes Suwanee, Georgia so great. Why planning is so important and what a community in the middle of what some consider to be some of the reddest most conservative parts of the state can accomplish when it is committed to inclusion and acceptance, duly responsible for and accountable to all its citizens. Heather shares with us why despite what you may have heard, Gwinnett is Great!

On this episode of Etch The Edges we have a powerful and energetic conversation with our friend, and we are proud to say a great American, Jeff Le. We’ll etch the edges on the American dream from an Asian-American perspective. Far too many of us do not take the time to listen to the story, and therefore cannot etch the edges, preventing us from closing the divide. Jeff will share with us his story, the Asian, particularly Vietnamese side of the American Dream and how the rise of irrational national hate in the age of COVID does more than hurt just Asians, it hurts us all, preventing us as a nation from realizing our best selves. Listen, as Jeff shares the story. Let’s Etch The Edges. Read Jeff’s powerful thought provoking article on Politico here: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/03/asian-american-aapi-political-power-covid-19-478845 And read more of Jeff’s work here: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/08/02/asian-american-aapi-protect-seniors-women-business-500661

China is amazing. China has a rich and glorious history. China is a world of people and perspective that demands both our attention, and our respect. However, for far too many of us China is simply the latest villain on the world stage, geopolitical boogey man that we must fear, compete against, and in many ways defeat. Our special guest today is Jason Szeftel, author and host of the China Unraveled Podcast. With his insight and knowledge we’ll make sense of what’s happening in China and what that means for those of us with a western perspective.

Leaning into discomfort is what we are all about on Etch The Edges. We know without equivocation that it is the sharing of stories, truths that are difficult to digest that truly matter. That is the hard part of closing the gaps that divide us. We also understand that the stories are often so unbelievable that far too many of us that matter dismiss them out of hand. They just refuse to believe that they are true, and contribute to the continuation of the divide. Today our guest as Emory graduate Daniel Hamm. He’s on his way to Boston College to study law. We all know the truth is where you find it and today Daniel is going to show us the truth of CRT, in my humble opinion, in a story about systemic racism in the founding of American music. Let’s Etch The Edges.

When we lean into discomfort and etch the edges on the truth we realize we don't want small government any more than we want big government. What we want is government of the right size with the right budget making the right decisions and taking the right actions, all accountable to we the people. We need aspiring statesmen, not politicians. On this episode we interview Nicole Horn, candidate for Georgia Labor Commissioner. Listen as she shares her past, who she is, where she's been and why she feels the need to serve the public. She shares with us her perspective on what a Labor Commissioner is, who the office should be accountable to, and how one should effectively do the job for all the people. 

John “Jersey” Koedderich is back on the Edge with a discussion about voter suppression, the reality of the new Georgia laws and how they truly are modern day Jim Crow efforts strategically designed to give the GOP an election advantage. It’s not illegal, as it is in the process of being made legal, but just like Jim Crow laws were unethical and un-American so too is the new Georgia election law. Stories matter. We track such a perspective on the law to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, and life in south Georgia, and what type of perspective informs the need to be un-American and marginalize the rights of Americans in a banal effort to win.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we hear from activist and former leader of Black Lives Matter Sacramento, California Sonia Lewis. She is the founder and CEO of Ascribe Educational consulting. She pours her passion and her power into the hard work of Heart Work. She advocates strongly for truth, that we as human beings are all connected. At an early age she etched the edges on freedom, justice, and liberty, juxtaposed against a family member being killed by the police. She is sharing and telling the stories that matter, and working for justice and equity through her life’s work. Listen and learn who Sonia Lewis is and why we at Etch The Edges fully support her efforts, and we hope you will too. Listen and let’s etch the edges.

Etch The Edges is about closing the divide and elevating us all. With that consideration we are happy to once again have special guest Bernard Mills on the show. After decades of incarceration Bernard has come back into the world with a powerful commitment to making positive change and engaging in community uplift. On this episode he walks us through the vital 12 steps of a recovering drug dealer. He shares with us how young dealers on the inside have arrived at a point of clarity and are now committed to doing better, being better, and have developed a plan on how to do it. Listen in and learn from a real a real one, a truth teller. Let’s Etch The Edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we have the pleasure of speaking with Georgia State Representative Greg Kennard. In the state of Georgia like so many other states the ideological divide feels impossible to overcome. One side of the aisle holds the power and the other side is relegated to the sidelines. In the manner of a true aspiring statesman Representative Kennard shares with us how no matter how charged the road, you must walk it. You must reach out to the other side. You must endeavor to work together. You must believe that we can find common ground and find a better way. Take the time to hear his story, understand his context, and hear why it is important to etch the edges.

What if President Trump had won reelection in 2020? What would our world be like today? Where would we be with regard to the Pandemic? What would be the current state of the economy? What would be the state of relations between ethnicities? In Tom Fischgrund’s book Trump’s Second Term. Join us as we discuss this journey into a world that could have been.

It’s another D&D episode and unfortunately we’re talking about the same topic. We’ll have to keep leaning into discomfort and talk about, share it, push against it, make something positive happen as we continue to engage the issues. Cops are still killing Black men, and we know why.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we speak with Georgia State Representative Shelly Hutchinson. She represents House District 107, the city of Snellville in Gwinnett County, where everything is greater. Yeah, it’s a thing, or still a thing, depends on your point of view. Some think it’s getting weaker, dirtier, uglier, less intelligent. These adjectives are indicative of the state of Georgia politics, as evidenced by the new Jim Crow law passed in our great state. Please listen as Shelly illuminates the struggle, shares her journey, walking through petty kindergarten politics and man-sized misogyny in the halls of power. This is worth your time. Hear her and understand why she is no politician, but rather what we all want in office, an aspiring statesman.

This week on Etch the Edges Dennis and Derrick talk about the insanity that is the continued killing of black men by the police. We know why it happens. However, our minds reel when we’re confronted with it again, and again, and again. Some of us are simply getting used to it. However, we have to discuss it. We have to talk about it. We have to lean in and etch the edges on the topic simply to stay standing and stable, then recognize we know what’s wrong and why, then get about the business of having the courage to fix it. Oh, and we talk about Matt Gaetz too. Yuck!

This week on Etch the Edges we had the honor of having the esteemed Brenda Lopez Romero on the show. She is the chairwoman of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party and former member of the Georgia House of Representatives for the 99th District. The 99th District represents an area in Gwinnett County bounded by the metro area cities of Lilburn and Norcross, one of the most rapidly growing and ethnically diversifying areas of the state. She was also the first Latina to have ever been elected to the Georgia General Assembly, a distinction on which she definitely has a certain perspective. Please listen in as Brenda talks voter suppression, the state of Georgia politics, chickens in our backyard, to which I discuss telepathy during the Obama years, and what her vision of the future as the chairwoman of the Gwinnett Democratic Party looks like.

This week Dennis and I lean into discomfort to talk about the tragic events that happened in our city of Atlanta. This is about Asian Hate. The work of closing the ideological divide and engaging in hard conversations is what it’s all about. We extend the discussion through time and discuss what was with regard to race and what is, and what we hope will be. We can be better. We have to be better. If we commit to learning and caring and embracing compassion we will be better.

Dennis is back and we’re just leaning in and running through on a host of topics as 2021 continues. Join us and have a listen.

In the great state of Georgia trouble is afoot, and I don’t mean good trouble. In this state that so recently sent to the United States Senate a black man straight outta the south, a son of faith who preaches at Dr. King’s legacy church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and a young Jew, who served and was guided by the esteemed John Lewis, trouble is indeed afoot. Georgia lived out the promise of its evolving creed. Its constituents, imminently diverse in both thought and action and most critically ethnicity have seen fit to make the state blue. In an act unprecedented the state voted a Democrat for President and both its Senators. At the local level voting districts in places like Gwinnett County truly lived up to the meaning of what it means to be diverse. However, the GOP sees itself at a critical juncture and is taking steps to change things. It’s not about doing what’s right. It’s not about doing what the people want, or at least the plurality, if not the majority of the people. The GOP is presenting bills that are de-facto voter suppression, the evolution of Jim Crow. Check out this episode as we discuss the effort in brief and talk about what it will take to stop it cold.

Welcome to Black History Month. It’s February and here on Etch The Edges we have just a few things to say about this special month. We also find it the perfect time to remind Americans of the truth. What is the truth? The truth is that disgraced former President Donald John Trump didn’t do a thing for Black People. That’s the bottom line. Join us and find out the truth.

Our friend Dennis Mercon is back to chop it up about the State of the Union before the first State of the Union under our new President and Vice President, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. These past four years have been some of the most historic in all of American history, and will serve to our posterity as a powerful example of power not so much corrupting absolutely, but rather spiraling in a degenerative manner on its way to authoritarianism out of moronic narcissism and ignorance. And this is not an insult, but rather a statement of fact. We’ll talk about insurrection, impeachment, and the future of the GOP.  Join us.

Our friend Jersey Koedderich joins us again for Conversations With A White Guy as we continue the work of closing the ideological divide. We were supposed to be talking about life in what Jersey calls Trumplandia and the challenges of closing the divide that created the environment in which Ahmaud Arbery was murdered. However, as is no surprise, we find ourselves having to discuss the continued purposeful ignorance and narcissism that is the American President, Donald John Trump. He has fomented sedition in his followers, the unfortunate sycophants who have divorced themselves from individual thought and in behavior that is very much reminiscent of the Night of Broken Glass, Kristallnacht. Trump and his seditious insurrectionists simply, happily, calling themselves incorrectly patriots, took another step down the road to autocracy and the destruction of the American Democratic Republic. This unfortunate incident that will forever live as a day of infamy in American history is what Jersey and I must to discuss, as have all of you. Join us for the dialogue.

Donald John Trump is a traitor to the United States of America. Make no mistake this statement is not hyperbole.  He is the President so the sentence is viewed through a different lens and people on the right and the left with will view the sentence with trepidation and doubt, as if my words are going too far. However, as ever on Etch The Edges we seek to adhere to what is factual and how people’s opinions with regard to those facts inform our polity and impact our politics. On this issue there can be no mistake. He fomented rebellion in the nation’s capital putting our elected officials in mortal danger. Because of his actions five people are dead. The cult of personality that he created where he speaks in the third person of himself and declares he can commit murder on the streets of Manhattan, consign children to cages in concentration camps, and grab arbitrary women by the pussy successfully stunted the critical cognition of nearly half this nation, such that 70 million people still voted for him in the last election. This is how Hitler came to power. The comparison is appropriate. This is why so many people did not balk at men in the crowd wearing t-shirts that said 6MWE, Six Mills Wasn’t Enough. This destruction of compassion and rationality cast Air Force Veteran Ashley Babbitt her life. This Is The One About Donald John Trump, the American Traitor, because that is what he is.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we get to meet a down-to-earth good ‘ole Southern Democrat.  However, when we say southern and democrat we acknowledge how things have changed.  John Jersey Koedderich is what many people expect, and at the same time he most certainly is not. A self-described “I look the part of a GOP man,” who is firmly rooted in the ideals of a modern Democrat. He hails from Glynn County, the same place where Ahmaud Arbery lived and was murdered. The purpose of our podcast is to close the ideological divide with the best tool we know we have, telling the stories that matter, talking and getting to know each other. In other words, we leverage critical thinking in order to lean into discomfort and practice some FCT, Familiarity, Comfort, and Trust. It’s the only path to building the bridge over the divide, and with time perhaps even closing it. So, please give this episode your attention and a good listen. Get to know Jersey and hear the path he has walked. Let’s as he says, “have a conversation with a white guy.”

On Etch The Edges we continue to make the case that all politics is local, and that all things are politics. The ugly sincere bottom-line truth is that even if we choose to ignore our politics, our politics will not ignore us. We are always impacted, for good or for ill. Our level of participation and understanding of the topics is the determining factor. To that end we are proud to have Daniel Blackman on this episode. He is running for Georgia District 4 Public Service Commission. Georgia has a critical runoff on January 5th not only for both of Georgia’s Senate seats, but this Public Service Commission seat as well. His mission is to ensure the future of energy in Georgia and to be a voice for the voiceless. His knowledge runs deep and he fully intends to use that knowledge to benefit the people of Georgia. On this episode lean into the conversation and learn more about local politics. And remember, your vote matters.

Dennis and Derrick cut the fool on this one just like half of America. The era of Man From Orange is said and done. However, he continues to fight back against reason hoping to stoke the fires of hate and division all the while goading his painfully ignorant followers into believing that what he does is anointed by God and for the good of the country. It is Jim Jones on steroids. Donald John Trump plays golf, throws the nation’s security infrastructure into disarray, wastes millions in tax-payer dollars on frivolous lawsuits of no merit, and contemplates taking action and going to war with Iran. It’s so funny. It’s so dangerous. It’s so scary. It’s FUCKING TERRIFYING! We have to fix it. We have to bring out brothers and sisters on the harsher, science is fake, and facts are fallacy side of the ideological divide out of the smarmy dark dank wet dunlap of Donald Trump and into the fresh air new day of the dawn. And we have to do it now. While he plays golf, Americans die.

On Etch The Edges we are happy as hell! This is the one about YOU ABOUT TO LOSE YOUR JOB Mr. President. Please afford us some grace and forgiveness in this moment of pure joy. The era of Donald J. Trump is over, even if he is trying to pull some kind of half-assed coup. It’s not going to happen. However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that what was created before him, that which propelled him into the White House beyond all reason and rationality represents half the country. Without question, we have work to do. And this isn’t just the work of Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. It is the work of all well-meaning Americans who recognize just how precious and important this country is, that it has yet to realize its ideal, but its ideal represents what could be without equivocation the very best in human governance. Safety, security, opportunity for each and every last human being that rests upon our shores, providing them the ability to pursue, attain, and maintain Life, Liberty, and Happiness, protected by Justice. That is our chance at hope this November, only with the removal of the Man From Orange.

Dennis and Derrick talk THE Election, the 2020 Election. President Donald Trump is seeking a second term, a belief in his vision of America, which to be clear is not the best, a stark departure from the ideal of America. We can say with plain certainty that the vision of the worst President since Andrew Johnson is the elevation of a nation that disenfranchises, marginalizes, and institutes a permanent underclass with fewer rights for not just minorities, but anyone who is deemed not loyal. 

Dennis and I are back at it and we are to be honest … getting tired. We discuss the townhalls, the classic conversation management of Savannah Guthrie, dealing with the President, a man with who operates from a world of disrespect and voccarhea, vocal diarrhea. We also have to give the President an “A” for his performance. We fully expected him to go full toddler. He did not. He maintained. To be sure the A was an A of low expectations, but it was an A nonetheless. Dennis and I fervently want to see a world where people on any given side of the ideological divide can converse and work together to create sound policy, some give and some take for all Americans. However, in that world we must all acknowledge when we have made a mistake, when we have put ourselves in a position to do ourselves harm. It takes qualified leadership, honest and worthy leadership, leadership that embraces critical thinking, is patient, measured, and exercises wisdom. On November 3rd, my sincere hope is that we will have that leadership, and will start the hard work of truly making America great, no MAGA.

Last week Ice Cube met with Donald Trump, and all hell broke loose. He got dragged mercilessly and the memes even now are so off the chain as to promise he will be traded in the next draft not even to white people but rather to five head five horned flying purple people eaters. Black Twitter apparently wants him cancelled yesterday, or at least half. The other half wants the first half to shut the hell up and get off the plantation. It’s a helluva distraction. And as expected he has hit back but not in an overly negative manner. He’s remained out front and he has spoken to people that can help change the narrative, and help him grow. On this episode of Etch The Edges we share our perspective. Cube lacked knowledge to speak and engage. He lacked the cred to hold the position. He has the right to speak but he has not earned the right to speak for us. However, his intent is well met and he should not step back from the firing line. If he is willing to learn what he needs to learn and leverage what he has at his disposal we can and should stand with him. But until then, he needs to go back to school. And to be clear, he must never, ever ever ever, ever threaten the vote.

President Trump had a disastrous performance during his debate with Vice President Biden. Dennis and I agree it was a horror show of the worst kind. Yet, it was perhaps one of the best debates we at Etch The Edges have ever seen.  Biden spoke directly to the American people.  Despite what some said, he most certainly did speak on policy points. Powerful points derived from research, science, facts. And when Biden told Trump to shut up ... well, though it may have been a slip in decorum given who we were dealing with my family jumped for joy at Biden putting the narcissistic 78 year old tantrum toddler in his place. Listen to Dennis and Derrick chop it up as we slide through October on our way to November 3rd! 

On Etch The Edges we always seek to Lean Into Discomfort and seek to understand perspectives  by sharing our stories, our very lives. On this episode we hear from Bernard Mills, a man who in his own words says he was that guy that you didn’t want to meet in the street. His life circumstances were geared towards the pipeline. Prison was his future. But the light that was his true self could not be dimmed, and over time he fed that light, sought truth, and became educated. Prison is now his past, but he has purposefully made it his present. His story on becoming better, and helping others in the system do the same is worth hearing. His desire to change the system and transform prisons is innovative and definitely gives us hope for what we can do, and what we can be.

This episode of Etch The Edges is part one of a three part series where DS Brown and his family walk the talk of the edges of our political divide. It’s “The One About OHMYDAMN what in the WORLD?”  In it they cover RBG, Breonna Taylor, Race in America, and the ideological divide. They go deep and they wade wide as they consider this political climate and the impact it could possibly have on us all. Listen to Part One as DS Brown laments the passing of RBG and our political climate such that it is.

In Part Two of Etch The Edges “The One About OHMYDAMN what in the WORLD?” Erica Brown joins us as we continue the discussion of RBG, Breonna Taylor, the climate of racism, fear, loathing, loss, and hope, do we still have it?

In Part Three of Etch The Edges “The One About OHMYDAMN what in the WORLD” we hear from The 13 Year old Political Pundit, Elle Lindsey Brown. People, the cultures we create and the society in which live is her thought space, and the impact of politics on it encompasses is where she likes to focus her ever aspiring critical thinking mind.  She understands the edges as well as the ideological and in this episode we get to hear her passion on relevant topics.

On this episode of Etch The Edges our good friend Dennis Mercon is back with us to discuss the state of things after we lost RBG. Our country is painfully divided and nowhere is this more evident than in our dialogue. The point and purpose of the program is find common ground. Once again with Dennis we have found common ground. It is worth hearing from his perspective as white man who understands the power of privilege why voting is important. It may be too late to do anything about RBG, but the lesson of this moment must be understood fully, and internalized. Voting matters.

On Etch The Edges we must always remember the goal is to LEAN INTO DISCOMFORT and have the hard conversations in order to close the ideological divide. And even if we can’t close the divide we work to bring the edges close together, close enough to understand why the people on the other side think the way they do, do the things that they do. Our voting youth are absolutely critical to this discussion. Generation Z, what I like to call Generation NOW are the foundational future on which our hopes rest. They are pragmatic. They understand the issues. They seek truth and believe in action. In this episode we engage three young women of NOW, each of a different ethnic background, each diverse in her own right, all three resting firmly on common political ground.

Lee Smith is a man dedicated to the truth. As many a man of color does he simply wanted to put in his work, do what was necessary to earn a living, and do it well. Respect should come with a job well done, for skills brought to bear on a given task, respect for skill shown and success afforded. However, in a bastion of liberal perspective under a banner widely recognized as being for the people, it was not for him. His experience at WGBH, a non-profit television station in Boston Massachusetts know nationwide was a personal journey of pain and persecution. Unfortunately, it was not a unique experience. However, Lee would not simply accept it. He fought it and fighting it would cost him dearly over the course of his life. In this two part episode of Etch The Edges we hear Lee’s story and experience his journey as he comes to grips with life in America, and satisfaction unfulfilled, par for the course of any given American Black Man.

Lee Smith is a man dedicated to the truth. As many a man of color does he simply wanted to put in his work, do what was necessary to earn a living, and do it well. Respect should come with a job well done, for skills brought to bear on a given task, respect for skill shown and success afforded. However, in a bastion of liberal perspective under a banner widely recognized as being for the people, it was not for him. His experience at WGBH, a non-profit television station in Boston Massachusetts know nationwide was a personal journey of pain and persecution. Unfortunately, it was not a unique experience. However, Lee would not simply accept it. He fought it and fighting it would cost him dearly over the course of his life. In this two part episode of Etch The Edges we hear Lee’s story and experience his journey as he comes to grips with life in America, and satisfaction unfulfilled, par for the course of any given American Black Man.

Or is Hell already here? Hell is coming to America, or some say Hell is already here. In the final week of August we see the glaring existential danger that is Donald Trump take the stage to lie in a display of mendacity that is truly astonishing to behold. He smiled and hurled nonsense to his sycophantic crowd who sat shoulder to shoulder in an invisible Covid cloud nodding, smiling, exhaling in each other’s faces. It was horrible to watch these Americans test their very lives to listen to a man achieve unheard of levels of mendacity all while doing this in the People’s house, a house he seems bound and determined to turn into his palace. He is an existential threat to America and the entire world. This November Americans must do the right thing and #VOTEHIMOUT … #DOITFORAMERICA

Check out these soundbite from Anthony Downer on the work of bringing equity and justice to our education system, even in the midst of a pandemic.

Gwinnett Educators For Equity and Justice are on the forefront of the challenge of elevating education to serve the American community, because we know the truth, the American community in total has never been served by our educational system, not all of it. Aireane Montgomery and Anthony Downer represent a vanguard of educators fully aware of the weight of the moment in which they live and the trying painfully challenging times in which they have been charged to raise up generations. We say raise up because an educator of is challenged with a lot more than just educating, they actually must step into the fold and raise many a young woman and young man. They are be no means nannies or babysitters, but they are often charged with the task nonetheless. And as teachers the world over do and have always done, they face this and embrace it, because they take what they do so seriously they have committed their very lives to task. For this, we will always be thankful. Listen to them as they share their journey.

Michelle Head and Jeremy Persons are our guest on this episode of Etch The Edges. Please join us for a powerful conversation on what is it like being on the front lines of the pandemic not as a medical professional, peace-keeper, or grocery store worker, but rather an educator whose work is doubling, pay in some cases decreasing, and danger magnifying in ways unheard of. The choice is no choice at all, tempt fate and dance with possible death, or quit and possibly lose the ability to take care of yourself and your family. This does not feel like America, but yes, this is America. Let’s etch it out.

Check out these soundbites of Michelle and Jeremy from their time with Etch The Edges. Educator and student, facing the devil’s choice.

In this soundbite listen to Karen talk about the importance of understanding what's happening locally, politically, and why it is critically important. She explains that Education is not Political, and she will work to ensure it remains that way.

In an environment where we have people happily marching into the darkest spaces of the COVID ERA on purpose because they can’t think beyond the pained perspective of failed leadership, we have people like Karen Watkins. People who are perfectly willing to lean into discomfort and launch out into the battle of our era, engaging against a political machine that is perfectly willing to raise autocracy over reason and cause our children to suffer at the hands of incompetence, she rises to claim a seat of authority on the Gwinnett County Board of Education in order to promote equity and uplift. This is who she is and what she will do. This is the one about the truth, Education is not Political … unless we make it.

It just doesn’t make any damn sense. Trump doesn't make any damn sense. In the final summation that’s what we get to in this episode of Etch The Edges. We talk to Dennis Mercon, a man who has spent most of his life on the ideological right side of the divide. However, as many of us have evolved to understand, the majority of us who claim a right or left more often than not have a great deal in common in the middle. Dennis shares with us his journey from the edge to the middle, and how in the era of Trump, the only logical answer in this instance, in this year is to skew to the left. He’s ridin’ with Biden.

Ayanna Muhammad is an IT Specialist living in Gwinnett County Georgia. As with every one of us she has a unique perspective and a unique history. This global pandemic has affected her just as it has affected so many millions of others, but she still perseveres. More importantly she perseveres and understands that the situation did not have to be this bad, that a lack of leadership and a lack of participation by some have enabled our current circumstance. Her connections from childhood informs how she see the world and how even the so-called worst of us can strive to be better and do good.  Listen to her speak.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we talk to Gwinnett County resident Candace Jordan on how she is making it through her everyday in the middle of a pandemic, especially in a county with the highest infection rate in the state of Georgia. In Gwinnett there are far too many people who simply have become tired of being safe. The catch phrase is, "You can't live in fear." However, even as you refuse to live in fear your an also live safely and responsibly.  Candace tells her how she is doing just that with husband and children to manage. 

In this soundbite listen to Udi's take on local politics and why we should be engaged.  And be sure to listen to her full interview here on Etch The Edge in the episode CRISIS! THE ONE ABOUT NIGERIAN AMERICANS IN A POLITICALLY POLARIZED GWINNETT COUNTY GEORGIA.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we talk to Gwinnett County Georgia resident and local entrepreneur Udi Ikpe on living in the south amid political strife in the COVID AGE on top of the TRUMP AGE.  As an individual from what President Trump calls a SHIT country who grew up with pride in home and pride in her adopted nation we get a unique perspective from her particular ethnicity, and we come to understand why a conversation with Udi truly etches the edges, and unpacks critical perspectives that all American should consider. 

On this episode we talk to Nikki Merritt, who is running for Georgia General Assembly State Senate District 9. We get to talk to her about the issues, the challenges we all face in these precarious times. She shares with us her journey and how she came to run for office and why it is so important that we engage in local politics. Listen to this episode and get to know someone who has the courage to step up and step out, and work to do the right thing. 

2020 is turning out to be one horrible year. It gives us more things to discuss than we can count. However, we have to find the time and discuss them. On this episode we model Etch The Edges behavior with our special guest Andrew Whatley. We will do what we advertise, discuss the topics across the ideological divide in order to etch the edges and find common ground. Listen, like, subscribe and join us in etching the edges. 

July 4th is America's Independence Day. However, at the time of its inception to fully participate and reap the benefits of being American meant you were male and white. Today, in 2020, what does it mean to celebrate Independence day, most especially if you are a person of color? Erica Brown joins us on this podcast to share what July 4th means to her as a Black woman in today’s America.

CLOSING THE IDEOLOGICAL DIVIDE ONE LISTENER AT A TIME! WE ARE IN CRISIS! Freedom is dying and liberty is only for those loyal to the establishment. Those who stay in line don’t see their freedoms dying. They are used to being told and obeying, not thinking. Reading is hard and thinking for oneself is even harder. American freedom costs, it requires work. Not only must you want it, but you must understand it in order to keep it. Join us @ EtchTheEdges as regular people talk about regular things that impact us all in extraordinary ways. We'll start with what's of the moment, and of course, that's Black Lives Matter, Policing, and life in the COVID Age.  vist our website: www.EtchTheEdges.com

CLOSING THE IDEOLOGICAL DIVIDE ONE LISTENER AT A TIME! WE ARE IN CRISIS! Freedom is dying and liberty is only for those loyal to the establishment. Those who stay in line don’t see their freedoms dying. They are used to being told and obeying, not thinking. Reading is hard and thinking for oneself is even harder. American freedom costs, it requires work. Not only must you want it, but you must understand it in order to keep it. Join us @ EtchTheEdges as we continue the conversation with our special guests, members of our own team Erica Lindsey Brown and Elle Lindsey Brown, a 13 year old political pundit in the making.  vist our website: www.EtchTheEdges.com

CLOSING THE IDEOLOGICAL DIVIDE ONE LISTENER AT A TIME! WE ARE IN CRISIS! Freedom is dying and liberty is only for those loyal to the establishment. Those who stay in line don’t see their freedoms dying. They are used to being told and obeying, not thinking. Reading is hard and thinking for oneself is even harder. American freedom costs, it requires work. Not only must you want it, but you must understand it in order to keep it. Join us @ EtchTheEdges as regular people talk about regular things that impact us all in extraordinary ways.  vist our website: www.EtchTheEdges.com

Ahmad Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd are the current names in a line of long, deep, ingrained cultural evil that finds its roots in the heart of our country. Unfortunately, it's part of its founding. However, their painful legacy has sparked a fire in the hearts and minds of not only Americans, but people worldwide. Out of their deaths comes the call for action. However, the question is what type of action? What have we done? What have we traditionally done? Why riot? And once the dust settles, as the pain festers, seeking to be excised, what do we do next?   *Explicit - one instance of the n-word