News as a conversation. Hosted by Crystal Haynes, Common Narrative breaks down public perceptions of social and political issues with the change agents at the center.
Federal funding freeze suddenly rescinded. ICE was granted the authority in or near schools. School boards around the country have taken precautions to reassure students, parents and families but the fear and uncertainty remains.
Massachusetts Attorney general Andrea Campbell has sent a memo to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education saying schools are prohibited from giving, either verbally or in writing, a student's information to third parties -- including ICE agents -- without specific, informed written consent of a parent or guardian, under state and federal laws and regulations.
It leaves the conversation around equity in education wide open. I sat down with Education Civil Rights Attorney Matthew Cregor to talk about it.
15 Jan 2025
DEI is under attack
Major companies, including Walmart, Lowe’s, Ford and Toyota, have dialed back their DEI programs, with META one of the most recent brands to pull back their efforts.
But there are major players doubling down -- Costco said its DEI efforts help the company attract and retain a wide range of employees and improve merchandise and services in stores. Costco also said its members want to interact with a diverse employee base.
Jill Harvey, the first equity officer for the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Beya Jimenez is the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Culture at Northeastern University and Dr. Alana Anderson, Corporate DEI consultant and strategist join me to talk about the future of DEI.
24 Dec 2024
Holiday Business Boom with Black Market Nubian
According to the National Retail Federation, holiday retail sales in the United States reached over $950 billion in 2023, with online sales accounting for nearly 20% of that figure.
Black Market was established in 2017 as a pop-market with a vision to help close Boston’s $247,500 wealth gap and mission to reignite Roxbury’s creative economy.
Black-owned businesses can tap into this expanding market by offering unique products and services that cater to niche audiences…and no one does that better than Black Market Nubian. I sit down with founder, Kai Grant.
17 Dec 2024
Boston Writers on The Poetry & Legacy of Nikki Giovanni
Boston writers Tatiana and Amanda She explore the enduring impact and poetry of iconic poet Nikki Giovanni, revealing her lasting influence on social justice and children's literature.
6 Nov 2024
Season Premiere - Election Special on SPARK FM
Election Eve on Common Narrative, where we break down some of the major civic and social issues with the change agents at the center of it all.
Our weekly series, we go deep with leading subject-matter experts AND the real folx at the center of the stories impacting communities.
It’s our season premiere and election special! Today’s show is gonna be a good one with PHOEBE SEGAL of the MFA talking about the new POWER OF THE PEOPLE EXHIBIT which presents diverse perspectives on democracy through 180 works of art.
In her book, The New Bostonians, Marilynn Johnson examines the historical confluence of recent immigration and urban transformation in greater Boston, a region that underwent dramatic decline after World War II.
To understand the stakes here is to understand what the next four years and possibly more will look like. To help break it all down is my dear friend and the best politico I know, Jaquetta Van Zandt, host of Politics and Prosecco here on SPARK FM.
Common Narrative streams Monday 1-3pm on SPARKFM online and replays Wednesdays on Apple Podcasts.
11 Dec 2022
Black Mamas Matter
It's an ugly truth in the U.S. -- black women are three times more likely to die due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth. I share my own experience carrying my son with complications with Massachusetts State Rep. Liz Miranda.
**note: Rep. Miranda is now Senator-elect
11 Dec 2022
Mapping Police Violence
Almost 1000 people have died at the hands of police and methods for tracking those numbers are still evolving.
I sit down with Mapping Police Violence (mappingpoliceviolence.us) founder Samuel Sinyangwe who says data science is the key to saving lives.
27 Nov 2022
Mass and Cass- The Fight for Home
Boston police say they expect to make dozens of arrests in the summer of 2022 in an effort to address a rise in violent crimes and open drug use in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, also known as Methadone Mile.
Parents with kids who go to school in the area, and those live and work near Mass and Cass have turned to activism after years of inaction by local and state lawmakers. It's now a central issue of the Boston mayoral race.
Joining us in conversation are three members of the South End Roxbury Partnership
27 Nov 2022
People Not Mascots - Racism and Native American Imagery
Controversy continues across the commonwealth over the use of Native American images for school mascots.
The town of Wakefield voted to keep their mascot after the school committee voted to get rid of it over concerns the warriors logo was offensive to Native Americans.
I spoke with tribal leaders about that vote and a push at the statehouse to ban the use of Native American mascots in all Massachusetts communities.
27 Nov 2022
Teacher Shortage or Student Shortage?
Teacher shortages are happening across the country and here in Massachusetts. Or are they?
Educators for Excellence’s ED Lisa Lazare on why teachers in the space say it’s the student shortage that’s the problem and it goes beyond the pandemic.
20 Nov 2022
COMICS IN COLOR
Black Panther, Ms Marvel, Luke Cage, Blade -- they’re not just blockbuster comic book franchises they’re a source of representation in a space that often excludes people of color.
This week, I sit down with Comics in Color co-founder Cagen Luse on creating spaces for black and brown folks who just want to nerd out.
5 Nov 2022
2022 Midterms - High Stakes and Hot Takes with Jacquetta Van Zandt
The stakes are high and the takes are HOT in this midterm election…we’re talking all things politics with Jacquetta Van Zandt of Politics and Prosecco podcast.
Common Narrative Airs Mondays 1-3 on SPARK-FM Online.
5 Nov 2022
Quiet Quitting - It is for People of Color?
#QuietQuitting…legitimate labor action? Or just laziness?
And is it for POCs?
I sit down with DEI expert Dr. Maritsa Barros to get the real story.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,582
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
16
Social presence
0
YouTube
68
Engagement
0
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