NDIGO STUDIO

#401 Living Legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson

Short Description:
Conversation with the producers for a yet-to-be-released documentary on the living legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Long Description:
This program honors the living legacy of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders of our time. Hermene Hartman interviews Yusef Jackson (Jackson’s youngest son), Executive Producer, and Bill Keys, Producer, about a yet-to-be-released documentary on Jackson’s journey from his days working with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., through his presidential campaigns that reshaped American politics, to his global advocacy and rescue missions for human rights. The documentary underscores his role as a man of faith and action who transformed grassroots movements into social change. We take a behind-the-scenes look at this journey through meaningful storytelling.


#402 Food And Health Wellness

Short Description:
An unscripted conversation with young men transforming their communities with health and wellness in Chicago neighborhoods.

Long Description
This episode features two young community activists who transformed their Chicago communities through food and exercise. Hermene Hartman moderates a spirited conversation. Dion Dawson is the founder of Dion’s Chicago Dream. He addressed “food anxiety” in his Englewood community by providing free food from a single refrigerator. Today, he has 51 trunks for citywide distribution. Jackie Hoffman is the executive director of Peace Runners 773. He started on the West Side of Chicago, in Garfield Park, by running on Saturday mornings. They train for marathons, and Jackie has strengthened his community through physical and mental wellness.


#403 Ancestor Echoes

Short Description:
A take on ancestry, candid conversation, and the New Orleans ancestry of Pope XIV and Dr. Stephen Rogers, who finds his great-grandfather from the Civil War.

Long Description:
In this episode, Hermene Hartman interviews genealogist Christopher Smothers from New Orleans about tracing your ancestors' origins. Smothers takes a deep dive into the New Orleans ancestry of Pope XIV. Dr. Stephen Rogers is a guest, and Christopher traces his family’s history back to the Civil War. Smothers demonstrates how to trace family history using government records.


#404 Storytelling Survival

Short Description:
What do you do when you are defunded from telling authentic stories?

Long Description:
What does defunding mean? This program examines the defunding of Black media documentary and storytelling and its implications for the authentic telling of Americana stories that might not be told without such funding. We feature the documentary “Finding Your Laughter,” a story about Alzheimer’s told through the eyes of Arlieta Hal and her grandfather, with Brittany Alsot as the documentarian.


#405 Woodlawn Renaissance

Short Description:
How will the Obama Center change the community of Woodlawn on Chicago’s South Side?

Long Description:
The community of Woodlawn on Chicago's South Side is about to change with the opening of The Obama Center, the most expensive presidential center ever. We discuss the dynamics of neighborhood transformation with Quandra Speights, proprietor of Urban Exchange; artist Dana Todd Pope; and Pulitzer Prize-winning podcaster and artist Yohance LaCourt, who will discuss how this community will be revitalized.


#406 Erasure

Short Description:
This conversation examines the impact of erasing culture and history from museums and education, with experts.

Long Description:
This conversation addresses erasure in two segments. What does it mean to erase history and culture? This question is posed to Cline Hedspeth, a culturist and former Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the City of Chicago, and to Dr. Brad Braxton, President of Chicago Theological Center and former curator of Religion and Director of the Center for the Study of African American Life at the Smithsonian Institution. The second segment features a discussion on education and student success with educators Dr. Carole Collins, Gerald Morrow, and Valerie Leonard. Attorney Victor Henderson joins both discussions to provide a legal perspective.


#407 Exclusive Interview With Newsman Bill Curtis

Short Description:
Bill Curtis is a legendary newsman, and we chat exclusively with him about his memoir, WHIRLWHIND.

Long Description:
This is a one-on-one discussion with legendary newsman Bill Curtis about his memoir, WHIRLWIND. Curtis discusses his career and his coverage of history's first blush, including the murders by serial killer Richard Speck, the chaos of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the King Riots in Chicago, and the Manson murders in California. We bring the discussion up to date with today's news media. Curtis recounts his firsthand experiences as a newsman at CBS in Chicago.






#408 Culinary Renaissance

Short Description:
Chicago is a food city, and we talk to the chefs who make it so with new eateries.

Long Description:
Hermene Hartman speaks with nouveau chefs who have helped make Chicago a restaurant town, sparking a renaissance. Our guests are Chef Royce of Soul Prime, Emani Roberts of Brulee, Tiffany Abrams of Soul Food Lounge, and Xavier Vance of Southern Chicago. The chefs have brought new eateries to communities with a touch of soul, helping Chicago earn the title of “Best Big City” from readers of Condé Nast Traveler for the 9th consecutive year.


#409 Exclusive Interview With Rahm Emanuel, Politico

Short Description:
Exclusive interview with Rahm Emanuel, a political expert, about current events and his career.

Long Description:
Hermene Hartman had a candid, open conversation with Rahm Emanuel, the former Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, former Mayor of the City of Chicago, and former Ambassador to Japan. We discussed lessons learned from this man in politics, from the White House to lessons in education from Japan. We asked him the ultimate question, “Are you going to run for President?” He answered.


#410 One-On-One Interview With Tonika Johnson, MacArthur Genius

Short Description:
This interview features a young genius, Tonika Johnson, MacArthur Foundation Genius Awardee from Englewood, and her creative work for social change

Long Description:
Tonika Johnson is a young genius, having been awarded the MacArthur Foundation’s Genius Award. She offers a unique look at Chicago’s communities, examining how they differ yet remain similar. Her first project was “The Folded Project.” Her new project, “Claimer,” marks a block of homes in Englewood, revealing stories from yesterday. She is a storyteller who looks to the past to enlighten the future. She is a change agent.


#411 Journalism Then And Now

Short Description:
How has the landscape of media changed from the viewpoint of those reporters who write the news?

Long Description:
Hermene Hartman engages in a dynamic discussion with Darcell Rockett, a journalist at the Chicago Tribune, and Curtis Lawrence, a former writer for the Chicago Sun-Times and Block Club, about the news media and how it continues to evolve from hard-core reporting to AI-driven coverage.


#412 Exclusive Interview With Congressman Danny Davis

Short Description:
What does politics look like, and how has the career of a retiring Congressman developed? In an exclusive interview with a lion of Congress, we discuss politics with Danny Davis.

Long Description:
Hermene Hartman talks to a lion of Congress, Danny Davis. He has served in Congress since 1997 and announced his retirement in 2026. He is a champion of the people and has served the 7th Congressional District in Illinois, one of the most dynamic districts in the country. His district has 21 hospitals, making him the congressional authority on health care. His folksy manner has earned him the reputation as a “man of the people,” moving from teacher to activist to politician. He has been one of the most effective legislators of his time.