our voice: Telling Our Story, Together

Embrace Boston chats with political strategist and friend Jacquetta Van Zandt, the host of “Politics And Prosecco,” a videocast/podcast that focuses on contemporary politics, lifestyle, current events and more. Her aim is to inform, entertain and advocate, typically for progressive causes. In this episode, they discuss everything from how her “big mouth” jump-started her political career, history, local happenings, the election and why sipping on bubbles makes talking politics a little sweeter.

Good Trouble host Greg Ball welcomes Embrace CEO and friend Imari Paris Jeffries to showcase the modest beginnings and evolution of Embrace Boston, originally named KING Boston. They reminisce about being roommates in Mission Hill with a group of other friends who all lived in the same building, “a broke and Black Melrose Place” where community building and strategy was released. They discuss challenges around the start of creating the monument honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in the wake of the pandemic and the George Floyd murder. We learn how building the monument became secondary to our new reality, and supporting small business and the community at large was center stage. Imari explains societal rituals and storytelling that surround monuments, and how they shape perception and ultimately history. He explains the deliberate approach ensuring “The Embrace” represents the values with a lens for all Black Americans. They talk about the future of Embrace Boston, the continued effort of visibility, through storytelling, events, festivals and its organization’s overall expansion and growth.

“Good Trouble” Host Greg Ball sits down with Nay $peaks, the award-winning musical artist, rapper and college student. In 2023, she was named Boston’s Best New Artist of the Year at the Boston Music awards and has received acclaim and praise for her album, “Nayborhood Healer,” with energy and honesty that she says has helped to heal her own Mattapan neighborhood and can help other ones around the country too. We learn where she draws her inspiration, how Boston has shaped her storytelling through music and what is on the horizon for this young, emerging talent.

“Good Trouble” host Greg Ball speaks with living legend of the Boston airwaves, José C. Massó III, the Emmy-award winning host of WBUR’s “¡Con Salsa!” whose name is inscribed on the base of the Embrace monument on Boston Common. In this episode, we learn about the cultural curator and community activist’s journey and learn about his latest endeavor, a partnership with Embrace Boston.Explore the podca