Love + Grit

Jena Harris & Terrill ”Ya Fav Trashman” Haigler

Terrill Haigler and Jena Harris are two people who are all about love and grit. Born out of the 2020 pandemic, the West Philly Bunny Hop is a food pantry created by Harris that now feeds more than 350 families each week. Next up is Haigler, known as Ya Fav Trashman on social media. He talks about how starting a job as a sanitation worker inspired his activism and raising awareness for the sanitation industry. The fundraiser he led to purchase PPE, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies for sanitation workers soon turned into Trash2Treasure, a non-profit whose mission is to clean Philadelphia block by block.

Blew Kind & Dr. Sheena Howard

Blew Kind and Dr. Sheena Howard are taking a creative approach to inspiring the next generation of activists in Philadelphia and beyond. Kind is the founder of Kensington-based Franny Lou’s Porch, named after Fannie Lou Hamer and Frances E.W. Harper, two influential Black women from the Civil Rights movement. The Afro-centric cafe is focused on activism, health, history, art and culture in the Black community. Next up is Howard, an award-winning author and professor at Rider University. She uses her passion for comic books and social justice to discuss representation in this space in her newly released book, “Why Wakanda Matters: What Black Panther Reveals About Psychology, Identity, and Communication.”

 

Jeannine A. Cook & Chef Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate

Love + Grit Season 3 kicks off with an all star reunion featuring Jeannine A. Cook, Chef Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate who continue to amplify their visions and make Black history as they do. First, Cook discusses growing Harriett’s Bookshop nationwide, a visit from Will Smith, calls from Oprah and a vow of silence. Then, we catch up with TIME 100Next's Chef Omar Tate and his wife Cybille, founders of Honeysuckle Projects. The husband-and-wife duo are set to open their first brick-and-mortar this spring.

Dr. Janice Johnson Dias & Ellen Yin

Dr. Janice Johnson Dias and Ellen Yin have both been sources of inspiration for women and girls, giving them spaces to grow and develop their skills to succeed in the face of adversity. Johnson Dias, the mother of 16-year-old activist and writer Marley Dias, talks about her new book “Parent Like It Matters: How to Raise Joyful, Change-Making Girls.” Wharton graduate, Ellen Yin, who owns High Street Hospitality Group, is one of the leading forces behind the Sisterly Love Collective (an alliance of women restaurateurs and food entrepreneurs responsible for the Sisterly Love Food Fair). Her recent ghost kitchen concept, The Wonton Project, is inspired by a family recipe and benefits local non-profits combatting social issues close to her heart. 

Joan Myers Brown & Ben ”BoxWon” Barnes McGee

PHILADANCO’s Dr. Joan Myers Brown is a true dance pioneer. After founding the Philadelphia Dance Company in 1970, she went on to create the International Association of Blacks in Dance and the International Conference of Black Dance Companies. As she steps down (but not away) from her role at PHILADANCO, she reflects on her achievements and the impact she has made on the dance community globally. Also on the show: Ben “BoxWon” Barnes-McGee, who will take break dancing to the 2024 Olympics for the first time ever with the help of the World Dance Sport Federation’s Breaking for Gold USA. This West Philadelphia native is a 4x World Champion Breaker and Founder of Bred2Burn, a hip-hop dance education and development mentorship program.

Khalil Munir & Natalie Pompilio

Khalil Munir is a performer, educator and author who has defied the odds and equips his students with the tools to do the same. His first book, The Crown is Yours, is inspired by the challenges he faced growing up with dyslexia, a disorder he turned into "his superpower." Also on this episode is Natalie Pompilio, talking about her new book, This USED to be Philadelphia. A former reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News, Pompilio has harnessed her Philly knowledge to write several books, and her newest is sure to open your eyes to the city’s best-kept secrets. 

Trey Brown & Mz. Icar

This episode features 15-year-old—yes 15-year-old —Trey Brown. The founder of SPERGO, a trendsetting streetwear and lifestyle brand, turned his passion for design and community into a six-figure company in only three years. One of the most sought-after youth speakers in the country, Brown has been featured on a billboard in Times Square, opened up two stores, received a key to the city and just received a deal on ABC’s Shark Tank. Also on this episode is Mz. Icar, the woman behind a dope (and anonymous) art collective creating works that celebrate women, global Blackness and play. Comprised primarily of Black women artists specializing in different media, this collective's work has been recognized by the art community’s most elite and is part of the Love + Grit Storefronts Project.

Michelle Angela Ortiz & Roberto Lugo

When it comes to visual arts in Philadelphia, Michelle Angela Ortiz is a local legend. Her work has been presented in all forms — on canvas, lightboxes, building walls and now TV screens with her first documentary, “Las Madres de Berks.” The New York Times recently shouted out the Moore College of Art grad with South Philly roots for her work in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s New Grit exhibition. Also featured in The New York Times and on this episode of the podcast is Kensington-born Roberto Lugo, known as “The Ghetto Potter.” Roberto is reinventing the idea of fine China and will install a mural in honor of The Roots’ Black Thought on the Clay Studio building opening in Olde Kensington in spring 2022. 

Jennifer Zavala & Nicholas Ducos and Francesca Galarus

Jennifer Zavala kicked off Philadelphia’s birria taco craze with a graffiti truck and a pop-up shop at Underground Arts. Tune in to hear from the South Philly-based owner of Juana Tamale as she prepares for her brick-and-mortar opening later this year on Passyunk Ave. In Kensington, Nicholas Ducos and Francesca Galarus have opened the city's first independently owned urban winery with the goal of making wine more affordable and accessible. Hear about how Nicholas’ sommelier skills and Francesca's eye for arts and love of community has helped Mural City Cellars bloom into a welcoming destination for good wine and chill vibes. 

Tess Hart & Maria N. Gonzalez

Contributing to Philadelphia’s business community is a conscious effort for the two women featured on this episode. Tess Hart brought her mission to life in the Spring Arts District when she co-founded Triple Bottom Brewing, dedicated to putting people, the planet and profit on equal footing. In Centro de Oro’s Business District, Maria Gonzalez manages a $100 million budget for commercial and housing development. As president of the Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises (HACE), she’s charged with making sure the district's Good Lands 2025 plan, aimed at providing a road map for the revitalization of the surrounding neighborhoods, is executed.