John L. Hanson Jr.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. presents a conversation with the late George E. Curry, formerly editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine. Curry was a staunch champion of the black press until his death on Aug. 20, 2016. He was 69.

Curry talks about growing up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, working for Sports Illustrated, and his commitment to the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Newspaper Publishers Association and BET’s Lead Story.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Spencer Haywood, NBA/ABA legend and Hall-of-Famer.

Haywood will always be remembered as the person who opened the door for underclassmen college basketball players to leave college early to enter the NBA, thereby creating the "Spencer Haywood rule."

In celebration of Black History Month, In Black America presents an encore presentation of "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music," an extended interview with her that originally aired in March 1983.

The legendary singer, dancer, actress and Civil Rights activist died in 2010 after a career in film, television and theater that spanned 60 years.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Dr. Timothy M. George, medical director of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Center of Central Texas at Dell Children’s Medical Center and adjunct professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. George died on November 10th, 2019. He was 59.

Dr. George talks about growing up in New York, attending medical school, his love of racecar driving, his commitment to healing children and his fascination with the human body.  

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Dr. Monique W. Morris, Ph.D., social justice scholar and author of Sing A Rhythm, Dance A Blues: Education for the Liberation of Black and Brown Girls published by The New Press. She’s also the founder and president of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with the Honorable Mitch Landrieu, author, speaker, advisor and the former Mayor of New Orleans. This past fall, Mayor Landrieu released a report titled Divided by Design: Findings from the American South.

Landrieu talks about the 15 key insights; how southerners are impacted by race, equity, economic opportunity and violence; the importance of the study; and why diversity matters.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. pays tribute to the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. King would have turned 91 this week.

Featured on the program are the voices of former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, former President Barack Obama, and civil rights activist D'Army Bailey.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with J.C. Watts, co-founder and chairman of the Black News Channel, and Gray Wordlaw, its vice president of news and programming. 

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Cheryl Grace, Nielsen's senior vice president of Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement and co-creator of the 2019 Diverse Intelligence Series Report on African Americans.

At 47.8 million strong and a buying power that's on par with many nations' gross domestic products, African Americans continue to outpace spending nationally.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Glen Crawley, co-owner of ATX Heli Tours. Crawley and his partner, Kenny Garth, opened the helicopter tour company based in Pflugerville in 2017. 

Crawley talks about how his brother got him interested in flying, how he met Garth and started the company, the joys of giving tours of the city and the business' future plans.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Dr. Glenda Glover, international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and president of Tennessee State University.

This past fall, local chapters, private donors and corporate matching dollars from across the globe helped the 111-year old service organization reach a $1 million fundraising goal.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Dr. Idopise Umana, a board-certified internal medicine physician who specializes in managing patients with acute and chronic illnesses and founder of The Wellness Institute, located in Suwanee, Ga.

Dr. Umana talks about wellness for the mind, suicides in the U.S., people who inspired her, her nonprofit and why she became a doctor.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Sherri Shepherd, actress, comedian, author, game show host and television personality. Shepherd is a multi-talented entertainer with exuberant charm and charisma. She’s probably best known for work as a co-host on The View from 2007 to 2014.

Shepherd talks growing up in Chicago, taking a leap of faith in becoming a comedian, working on The View, being a game show host and the movie Brian Banks.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Charles Whitaker, the newly appointed dean of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University.

Whitaker talks about his new appointment, working for Ebony magazine, why Medill is a leader in journalism education, and the lack of people of color in newsroom management.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Dr. Aldon D. Morris, the Leon Forrest professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University, author of The Scholar Denied: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Birth of Modern Sociology and president-elect of the American Sociological Association.

Morris talks about earning his Ph.D., African American sociologists and intellectuals, the new focus of the association and bringing the study of sociology to the streets of Chicago.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. concludes his conversation with Dr. Aldon D. Morris, the Leon Forrest professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University, author of The Scholar Denied: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Birth of Modern Sociology and president-elect of the American Sociological Association.

Morris talks about the American Sociological Association, growing up in Chicago, race issues, social inequality and social movements.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Jasmine Allen, owner and director of events for Destination Birmingham, a firm specializing in attracting special events to Birmingham.

Allen talks about growing up in an entrepreneurial family, why she chose this career path, how she came up with the idea for the business, her love of Birmingham and the biggest challenges she’s faced so far as a young entrepreneur.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Corey Minor Smith, attorney, former Canton, Ohio City Council member, motivational speaker and author of #Driven.

Minor Smith talks candidly about her childhood, her path to becoming an attorney and how her family's struggles with mental illness inspired her to become a motivational speaker.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. concludes his conversation with Jarrett Bell, NFL columnist with USA Today Sports and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. He has covered the National Football League for more than three decades.

Bell talks about the Rooney rule, concussion protocol, instant replay, African American quarterbacks and highlights of his career so far.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Jarrett Bell, NFL columnist with USA Today Sports and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. He has covered the National Football League for more than three decades.

Bell talks about attending Michigan State University, covering professional football, the NFL’s 100th season, this year’s Hall-of-Fame selection process and working for the Dallas Cowboys.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Robert Townsend, comedian, actor, film director/producer, writer and former cable network programming CEO, whose projects include Hollywood Shuffle, The Meteor Man and The Five Heartbeats.

Townsend talks about growing up in Chicago, being an independent filmmaker, his first big movie break, working with Eddie Murphy and why he believes The Five Heartbeats is a classic film.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with the Honorable Andrew J. Young, former UN ambassador, Georgia congressman and mayor of Atlanta. In the 1960s, Young helped change the country as a leader in the civil rights movement.

Young talks about growing up in segregated New Orleans, his passion and commitment to social justice, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, his foundation and elected politics. 

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Abdul "Duke" Fakir, founding member of The Four Tops, and Mary Wilson, best-selling author, former U.S. cultural ambassador and founding member of The Supremes.

They  talk about growing up in Detroit, forming their singing groups, signing with Motown Records, and why their music is just as popular today as it was when they first recorded it.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Claudette Annette Robinson, founding member of the Motown recording group Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Robinson was the first female artist signed to the Tamla/Motown label.

Robinson talks about growing up in Detroit, forming Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the legacy of Motown Records, and why their music has stood the test of time.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Vanessa Wyche, deputy director at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. In August 2018, she made history when she was appointed the first African American deputy director of the Johnson Space Center.

Wyche talks about becoming an engineer, her passion for science, growing up in South Carolina, mentoring minorities, and her new position.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. presents highlights of the Summit on Race in America: Liberty and Justice for All, held last spring at the LBJ Presidential Library at UT Austin.

Featured on the program is a speech given by Vernon E. Jordan, civil rights icon,  former president and CEO of the National Urban League and former executive director of the United Negro College Fund. 

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. presents highlights from the 20th anniversary commemoration of the March on Washington, a massive gathering near the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963, to draw attention to racial inequities. It was on this occasion that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Featured on the program are the Honorable Andrew Young; the late Congressman Mickey Leland; Martin Luther King, III; the Honorable John Lewis; Dr. Maya Angelou and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. 

 On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. presents a 2018 interview with Dr. Patrice A. Harris, MD, a psychiatrist and president of the American Medical Association. She served for a year as president-elect and became the first African-American woman to lead the organization in 2019.

Harris talks about becoming a physician, her vision for the organization, mental health in the black community, and being the first African-American woman to lead the AMA.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. presents a 2018 interview with Mike Haynes, a pro football Hall of Fame cornerback and prostate cancer survivor. Haynes is a spokesperson for the Know Your Stats campaign.

Hayes talks about the day he discovered he had prostate cancer, the need for prostate screenings and the Urology Care Foundation.

On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. presents a 2018 interview with Leon Robinson, actor, singer/songwriter, and film producer. He’s known to the world as "Leon."

Leon talks about becoming an actor, playing iconic personalities, his band, and why it’s important to tell African American stories.