Ciel Media Network presents Humane Rights with Dr. Akilah Cadet, a bold new series featuring unfiltered, deeply necessary conversations on humanity. Hosted by Dr. Cadet—CEO, author, and culture shifter—the show brings together guests with different perspectives.
Kendrick Sampson — actor, activist, and cast member of the record-breaking Michael Jackson biopic Michael (now in theaters) — sits down with Dr. Akilah Cadet for one of his most candid conversations yet. Kendrick opens up about playing the legendary Quincy Jones, his deeply personal journey with mental health, and why he built BLD PWR, a community organization centered on Black liberation, abolition, and sexual freedom.
From growing up country in Houston to dismantling white supremacy in Hollywood, Kendrick and Dr. Akilah explore what it really means to be an accomplice — not just an ally — and how storytelling sits at the heart of every freedom movement.
3 Jun 2026
Episode 14: CO-LLAB Choir
Dr. Akilah Cadet sits down live with the CO-LLAB Choir and their director, Cava Menzies, for a conversation about music, humanity, and the power of community. Cava shares how CO-LLAB came together out of a need for creative connection, what it meant to compose Suite for Humanity for the Oakland Symphony, and why collaboration — across art forms, cultures, and communities — is one of the most radical acts we have. Featuring two live performances and a choir full of heart.
19 May 2026
Episode 13: Make It Bay
Humane Rights with Dr. Akilah Cadet | Episode 13: #MakeItBay — Building a Thriving Film & TV Ecosystem in the Bay Area
Dr. Akilah Cadet sits down with Sam Bempong and Grace Porras, co-directors of #MakeItBay, to explore what it takes to build a sustainable, inclusive screen industry right here in the Bay Area. Together they dig into why Bay Area creatives keep leaving for LA, New York, and Atlanta —and what #MakeItBay is doing to reverse that creative brain drain. From the groundbreaking inaugural Bay List (a regional take on the legendary Black List, with over 1,000 script submissions and partners including Ryan Coogler's Proximity Media, Stephen Curry's Unanimous Media, Tom Hanks' Playtone, and Hasan Minhaj's 186K Media) to reimagining what an equitable, accessible, family-friendly production industry could look like, this conversation is a love letter to Bay Area storytelling and the people fighting to keep it home.
Sam and Grace open up about the intersectionality they bring to this work as women, as producers, as people who have navigated disability and chronic illness in an industry not built for them—and why that lived experience makes the infrastructure they're building more thoughtful and more human. Akilah connects the dots between Humane Rights, storytelling, and the very real political threats to the systems people depend on, from SNAP benefits to healthcare, making the case that creative equity and civic equity are inseparable.
Plus: Isaac Newton, the Port of Oakland's secret Star Wars connection, grandma's couch pants, and why every film truly is a miracle.
12 May 2026
Episode 12: Veronne Clark
Dr. Akilah Cadet sits down with Veronne Clark — social impact professional, change agent, and Head of Community for the Golden State Valkyries — for a rich, honest, and joy-filled conversation about building community from the ground up, the power of representation in women's sports, and what it looks like to show up fully as a Black woman in corporate America and professional sports.
Veronne shares her journey from her HBCU at Central State University, to the Million Man March, to launching her own social impact agency WIN Solutions, to Ole Miss, the Sacramento Kings, and ultimately the historic inaugural season of the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries — the highest-valued team in the league at $500 million, the first expansion team to reach the playoffs, and a franchise bringing an entirely new and diverse fanbase to Bay Area sports.
5 May 2026
Episode 11: Laura Geist
Dr. Akilah Cadet sits down with Laura Geist, General Manager of the 2025 Pioneer League Champion Oakland Ballers. Laura shares her journey from a career in tech at Microsoft and Google to building a baseball organization from the ground up in West Oakland. They talk about winning the championship, the deep history of Raimondi Park, community investment rounds, what it means to be a woman in sports leadership, advice for women looking to break into the industry, and why Oakland's sports identity can't be taken away no matter who leaves. Laura also talks about her work as a youth soccer referee and her belief in the power of youth sports to shape the next generation.
21 Apr 2026
Episode 9: Dev Heyrana
What does it mean to truly see someone—in all their layers, broken edges, and radiant color? In this episode of Humane Rights, Dr. Akilah Cadet sits down with Bay Area based artist Dev Heyrana, a proud Filipina whose work spans large-scale paintings, murals, public sculptures, and community-driven art education.
Dev shares the story behind her third heart sculpture for San Francisco General Hospital—now installed in Union Square—and how her children's sense of wonder sparked the whole journey. She opens up about the self-portrait art classes she launched during the George Floyd uprising and the rise of anti-Asian hate, which grew from a three-class online series into a two-year movement and eventually a bestselling children's art kit developed alongside celebrated artist Kehinde Wiley.
Dev and Dr. Cadet also dig into Black and Asian solidarity, why white supremacy depends on keeping communities divided, and why joy and fearlessness are non-negotiable acts of resistance right now.
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7 Apr 2026
Episode 8: Rafael Casal
In Episode 8 of Humane Rights, Dr. Akilah Cadet welcomes Bay Area filmmaker, poet, and Blindspotting co-creator Rafael Casal for an honest conversation about identity, storytelling, and resilience. Rafael reflects on how Berkeley's creative culture shaped his multidisciplinary career, unpacks the complexities of navigating Spanish and Irish heritage in today's America, and shares how political polarization has made even the American flag feel alienating. The two friends also find moments of levity — talking craft, community, and the unexpected joy of horses.
24 Mar 2026
Ep 7: Niema Jordan
Filmmaker, storyteller, and East Oakland native Niema Jordan joins Dr. Akilah Cadet for a candid, joyful, and deeply honest conversation about what it means to be human in a world that often asks us to be anything but. From Niema's journey of Producing documentaries — including her work on Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom — to the very personal terrain of dating, rest, and radical self-trust, this episode covers it all.
Niema and Dr. Akilah explore how genuine connection, care, and accountability are the foundation of getting back to our humanity. They get real about the exhaustion of advocacy as Black women, the pressure to keep showing up for the world while still taking care of yourself, and why rest isn't optional—it's resistance.
The conversation takes a hilarious turn into dating app horror stories, 30-minute first date rules, a tiki bar disaster, and why love—even in a world falling apart—is a spiritual assignment worth pursuing. Niema also opens up about her PCOS diagnosis, freezing her eggs, becoming a guardian to her teenage nephew, and releasing timelines in favor of hope.
This is an episode about choosing joy, dancing in your kitchen, building community, and believing that your people will find you—wherever you are.
10 Mar 2026
Episode 6: Taylor Smalls
In this episode of Humane Rights, Dr. Akilah Cadet sits down with Oakland-based palette knife painter and designer Taylor Smalls. They discuss Taylor's celebrated show Throughline, the radical act of painting Black and Brown women with vibrancy and joy, the threat AI poses to creative communities of color, and the importance of building genuine, reciprocal relationships in industries that routinely undervalue women. Personal, funny, and deeply grounded — this one is not to be missed.
24 Feb 2026
Episode 5: Jim LeBrecht
In this episode of Humane Rights, Dr. Akilah Cadet talks with filmmaker and disability rights activist Jim LeBrecht, co-director of Crip Camp, about disability representation, activism, chronic pain, aging, sex, and joy.
They explore why authentic disabled stories matter, how media shapes public understanding of disability, and what it means to live fully in bodies the world isn’t built for.
Honest, funny, and deeply human—this conversation challenges stereotypes and centers disability as part of the human experience.
17 Feb 2026
Episode 4: Grace Porras, Post-Super Bowl
Grace Porras — Emmy-winning producer, Make It Bay Co-Founder, and Executive Producer of Humane Rights — joins host Dr. Akilah Cadet fresh off the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, where she worked behind the scenes managing talent for Bad Bunny's historic performance. Grace shares what it was like to shepherd Bad Bunny's musicians through production at Levi's Stadium, reflects on the cultural power of the halftime show's imagery — from sugar cane and plantations to the flags of Latin America and the Caribbean — and explains why representation behind the camera matters just as much as what's on stage. The two also discuss the GOAT screening with Stephen Curry and Unanimous Media, the importance of rooting creative work locally in the Bay Area, and what intentional community investment really looks like. A rich conversation about culture, colonization, collective power, and joy.
17 Feb 2026
Episode 3: CO-LLAB Choir, Post-Super Bowl
Dr. Akilah Cadet sits down with the CO-LLAB Choir — director Cava Menzies and members Allison Skylr, Clarice Janine, Candace Goodwin, Zoë Boston, and Marc Allen — fresh off their historic Super Bowl LIX performance at Levi's Stadium. As the first choir to serve as both pre-game performers and house band in Super Bowl history, CO-LLAB shares what it felt like to get the call from Bay Area artist LaRussell, the disbelief of rehearsing for the biggest stage in the world, and what it means to bring authentic Bay Area culture to a national platform. The group also reflects on how they connected with LaRussell, the community-rooted ethos that drives their music, and why purpose-driven, collaborative art matters more than ever. The episode closes with a live, spontaneous three-part harmony performance — proof that the magic is always right there, ready to happen.
19 Jan 2026
Episode 2: Michelle MiJung Kim
In Episode 2 of Humane Rights, Dr. Akilah Cadet sits down with author and community leader Michelle MiJung Kim to explore collective courage, immigrant identity, and why human rights should never have to be earned. From high-risk activism to hope as a daily practice, this conversation is a powerful reminder that being human—and being seen—is an act of resistance.
6 Jan 2026
Episode 1: W. Kamau Bell
In the premiere episode of Humane Rights, Dr. Akilah Cadet talks with comedian, writer, and cultural critic W. Kamau Bell about what it means to lead with empathy in an increasingly polarized world. From anti-fascism and white supremacy to culture, comedy, and community care, they explore how humor can be a tool for truth-telling, how joy can be a form of resistance, and why compassion must be an active practice, not just an ideal.
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