Living for We: Season 2 now available
Hear the latest episode:
S2E3: You Right, I'm Wrong, I'm Gone
Something as simple as the smallest slight or embarrassment, like losing a pickup basketball game, can lead to gun violence. Young people reacting in the moment and not taking half of a second to think, combined with easy access to guns, is a deadly combination. Too often, these interpersonal conflicts are leading to a loss of life or to prison time for young Black men.
In this episode, we speak with two Cleveland teens about the stress of avoiding violence at school and in their neighborhoods. Community advocate Walter Patton, founder of the award-winning mental health program Ghetto Therapy, also speaks with us. Patton started Ghetto Therapy in Cleveland’s Outhwaite public housing community in 2018, and it now serves 1,600 people every year with free weekly therapy meetings. He’s joined on the couch by Cleveland Peacemaker’s outreach worker Vincent Evans. Jor-El Caraballo, therapist and author of "Self-Care for Black Men," returns to share advice on how to handle interpersonal conflicts.
Listen to Season 2: Keep Ya Head Up
In the Cleveland area, and in cities across the country, teens and young adults are dying in our streets – victims of gun violence. There's no question: it’s an epidemic. It's the leading cause of death for teenagers. Young Black men often feel like they a target on their backs. Kids in schools face metal detectors, police presence in the hallways, and shootings at football games. Jr. High students are carrying ghost guns.
This season, we're asking what can be done to reverse cycles of violence and retaliation when shooters value their reputation over their own lives. We know where this violence occurs, we know what drives it. How can we start Living For We and decrease the violence?
Every bullet fired creates two victims: the child in front of the gun, and the one pulling the trigger.
We'll talk with people who are navigating streets where gun violence is normalized – seen as no big deal, while at the same time ruining lives. We'll listen to those fighting for their children and their communities, putting in work to uplift their neighborhoods and create meaningful change. This is more than a podcast, it's a resource for communities tired of chaos and ready to build peace.
Has gun violence impacted you or someone you love? Share your story. Your story might be shared in an upcoming episode.
Season 1
In 2020, cityLAB of Pittsburgh released a study that ranked Cleveland dead last in terms of livability for Black women. On Living For We, we talk to Cleveland's Black women about their experiences at work, at school, in the doctor's office, and in community with each other in an attempt to answer the question... is Cleveland really as bad as they say it is for Black women?
Resources
This is more than a podcast, it's a resource for communities tired of chaos and ready to build peace. Click here to see a list of resources.
Award-winning podcast
Living for We has received the following honors:
- Regional Murrow Award: Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Webby People's Voice: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Davey Awards: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (Gold), Series (Gold), Society & Culture (Silver)
- W3 Awards: Cause Awareness (Gold)