Almeta Whitis is a renowned storyteller, theatre artist, author, and poet who has taught on five continents. Combining diverse stories and traditions, alongside history, she encourages students to explore movement, dance, film, and the visual arts; and helps them gain knowledge of academic subjects and the world at large. Her experience as an educator, university professor, and Master Teaching Artist has resulted in many awards, among them, Phi Delta Kappa’s 1995 Lay Teacher of the Year, National Endowment for the Arts’ Most Skilled and Experienced Community Artist, and Governor Mario Cuomo’s 1993 Decade of the Child Award. In 1996, she received SUNY Brockport’s Distinguished Alumni Public Service Award and she was a professor at University of Rochester and SUNY Brockport. She is featured in Rochester Museum and Science Center’s “CHANGEMAKERS: 200 Rochester Women Who Have Changed The World” exhibition.

Photographer: Selena Eyob

Selena Eyob is a multidisciplinary artist who harnesses culture and diverse experiences as her creative bedrock. Her work moves beyond traditional boundaries to evoke profound emotions and connect deeply with her audience. Through her art, she seeks to challenge perceptions, ignite conversations, and foster empathy. Her commitment to authenticity and her ability to capture the essence of fleeting moments make her a distinctive voice in the realm of visual arts.

Essayist: Dr. Gaya R. Shakes

Dr. Gaya R. Shakes is a retired secondary English teacher and lead teacher mentor in the Rochester City School District. She was also an adjunct professor of urban education at Nazareth College. Dr. Shakes is a graduate of Vanderbilt University (BA) and Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (MA). She completed her doctoral work in teaching and curriculum from the University of Rochester (EdD). She was an American Federation of Teachers Distinguished Fellow, a Wright Fellow, and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow. Dr. Shakes presents and consults widely, and has published articles about culturally relevant pedagogy, teacher reflection, and the intellectual empowerment of African American women. She is married to actor and director David A. Shakes.

Links mentioned in this episode: inthismoment585.org

Joe Beard is Rochester’s legendary blues guitarist and vocalist. He has many times toured the United States as well as Europe and has sat in with Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and his idol John Lee Hooker. Beard performed at the inauguration gala of President George H.W. Bush.

He grew up in Ashland, Mississippi, surrounded by aspiring and veteran blues musicians, singing at an early age and taking to the guitar when he was 17. After settling in Rochester in the mid-1950s he formed the Soul Brothers Six and also befriended famed classic blues guitarist Son House, who was his neighbor in Rochester (and now a fellow inductees in the Rochester Music Hall of Fame). Beard and Son House began playing together, including a concert for students at the University of Rochester in 1968. Beard’s music is rooted in the delta and early urban blues of Memphis, Detroit, and Chicago. Critics and fans say his songs have a storytelling quality about them. Beard has recorded several acclaimed blue albums, including the critically acclaimed “Blues Union” with musician Ronnie Earl in 1996, which won Offbeat Magazine‘s Blues Album of the Year award. – Rochester Music Hall of Fame

Photographer: Rody Fabre

Rudy Fabre is a distinguished freelance photographer based in Rochester, NY, specializing in portrait photography. His work has been featured in CITY magazine and exhibited at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center. Rudy’s talent has also led him to capture the vibrant atmosphere of The Lucky Flea. Through his lens, Rudy not only showcases his creative prowess but also forges meaningful connections with his subjects, providing a deeper, more intimate portrayal of their stories.

Essayist: Monique Franz

Monique Franz is the senior editor of Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc., based out of Rochester, New York. She founded Kinsman Quarterly, a literary journal for BIPOC and underrepresented authors which reaches thousands over 70 nations. Franz earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University, where she won the Beverly Hiscox and Norris Church Mailer scholarship awards.

Franz, a creative writer for page and stage, built the CAIPE Kids Playhouse in Murrieta, California in 2004. She later moved to Hong Kong, where she served as the Head Performing Arts Mentor at the International Academy of Film and Television. Her book publications include The Dove Training Series and Legacy of a Father; and as editor of Black Diaspora: Tales and Poems from the Sons and Daughters of Africa and the upcoming Native Voices: A Literary Collection of Emerging Indigenous Writers. kinsmanquarterly.org

Photographer: Rudy Fabre

Rudy Fabre is a distinguished freelance photographer based in Rochester, NY, specializing in portrait photography. His work has been featured in CITY magazine and exhibited at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center. Rudy’s talent has also led him to capture the vibrant atmosphere of The Lucky Flea. Through his lens, Rudy not only showcases his creative prowess but also forges meaningful connections with his subjects, providing a deeper, more intimate portrayal of their stories.

Links referenced in this episode:

• inthismoment585.org

3rd Trumpet Rochester Philharmonic Director of Jazz Bands RIT Composer, Recording Artist, Conductor

Photographer: Jackie McGriff

Jackie McGriff is the founder and owner of Jackie Photography and Our Voices Project. She's a portrait photographer whose mission is to provide a safe space and platform for teens, women, and people of color to recognize and embrace their worth, live unapologetically, and share their stories.

https://www.jackiephotographs.com/

https://www.ourvoicesproject.com/

Essayist: Taurus Savant

Taurus Savant is a queer Black artist, writer, musician, and community advocate that uses his crafts in creativity to invoke, influence and promote individuality, freedom of expression, and change on a variety of different mediums.

Links referenced in this episode:

• inthismoment585.org