A Brief But spectacular take on centering Black leadership in climate change solutions

A Brief But spectacular take on centering Black leadership in climate change solutions

Heather McTeer Toney spent three years leading the Environmental Protection Agency for the southeastern United States. She now continues her advocacy for the environment both nationally and worldwide. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on centering Black leadership in…

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Singer-songwriter Syd's Brief But Spectacular Take on her path to being an artist

Singer-songwriter Syd’s Brief But Spectacular Take on her path to being an artist

Singer-songwriter Syd is one of the pioneering and most prominent voices to sing about same-sex relationships in R&B music. She has now released solo music after working with hip-hop collective Odd Future, and her own Grammy-nominated band The Internet. Syd…

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A Brief But Spectacular take on Asian American mental health

A Brief But Spectacular take on Asian American mental health

Christine Catipon is clinical psychologist at the University of California, Irvine Counseling Center. Growing up Filipina, she says that people around her did not want to talk about mental health. Catipon is now working to dismantle barriers that keep people…

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Viet Thanh Nguyen's Brief But Spectacular take on writing and memory

Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Brief But Spectacular take on writing and memory

As long as he can remember, author Viet Thanh Nguyen has been interested in how stories about his home country of Vietnam are told in America. In his own works, including the Pulitzer-winning novel “The Sympathizer,” he centers on the…

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Roxane Gay Brief But Spectacular take on effective ways of being heard

Roxane Gay Brief But Spectacular take on effective ways of being heard

Roxane Gay has used writing as a means to untangle and communicate her own trauma since childhood. Now a successful author, professor and mentor to many, she advises young women and aspiring writers on how to harness their voices. Gay…

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A Columbia University professor’s Brief But Spectacular take on Black life and literature

A Columbia University professor’s Brief But Spectacular take on Black life and literature

Columbia University professor Farah Jasmine Griffin was deeply troubled by the political turmoil happening across the U.S. during the 2016 presidential campaign. She began writing a literary memoir, “Read Until You Understand,” which explores what democracy means for the lives…

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There are still ‘so many’ Asian stories yet to be told, entertainment advocate says

There are still ‘so many’ Asian stories yet to be told, entertainment advocate says

Michelle Sugihara is the executive director at the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) and has long been a champion for Asian representation both on and off the screen. As part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS, Sugihara…

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How this advocate fights gendered Islamophobia in medicine

How this advocate fights gendered Islamophobia in medicine

Muslim women in the U.S. experience discrimination in many aspects of their lives, including health care. Sahar Pirzada has made it the mission of her work at a national nonprofit to fight the medical mistreatment Muslim women experience. She gives…

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