Beverly Aarons's guest appearances

Beverly Aarons

Town Hall Seattle Civics Series

Town Hall Seattle Science Series

In The Moment podcast

Siri Hustvedt

Ijeoma Oluo

Yanis Varoufakis

Michael Pollan

Lori Gottlieb

Randy Shaw

Adam Winkler

Anne Biklé

Charles Fishman

Peter Sagal

Mary Norris

Maryn McKenna

Michael Shermer

Neal Stephenson

Leonard Mlodinow

OwlTail

The fight for racial justice within the U.S. criminal legal system — and the call for its reform — has intensified in recent years. Studies show that Black Americans are almost five times as likely to be incarcerated than whites. Can our society be transformed? The story of the formerly incarcerated gang founder and leader, Antong Lucky, reveals how peace, nonviolence, and societal change are possible. The child of an incarcerated father, Lucky grew up in a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood in East Dallas, Texas, a city experiencing an alarming rise in crack cocaine and heroin use in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite high grades and a passion for learning, Lucky was introduced to gang life. Eventually, Lucky formed the Dallas Bloods gang and played a part in the escalating gun violence and illegal drugs until he was ultimately arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison. While incarcerated, Lucky turned away from his gang affiliation and quickly rose to become one of the most respected and sought-after mentors in prison. After his early release, he returned to his old neighborhood and became a leading activist, uniting people in challenging systemic issues in U.S. communities. Now chronicled in his new book, A Redemptive Path Forward, Lucky investigates the possibility of prison abolition and the path to societal changes. While the harrowing account of his transformation is moving, Lucky’s frank discussion about racial inequities is also a call to action. His experience adds to our public examination of the future for the U.S. criminal legal system. Antong Lucky is an activist, advocate, and public speaker concentrating in the areas of mentoring Black men and boys, bridging the gap between community and police, and developing and launching violence reduction strategies, criminal justice reform, and reentry initiatives for formerly incarcerated people. Beverly Aarons is a writer, artist, and game developer. She works across disciplines exploring the intersections of history, hidden current realities, and imagined future worlds. She specializes in making unseen perspectives visible and aims to infuse all of her creative work with a deep sense of emotionality. She’s won the Guy A. Hanks, Marvin H. Miller Screenwriting Award, Community 4Culture Fellowship, Artist Trust GAP Award, 4Culture Creative Consultancies Award, and the Seattle Office of Arts &amp; Culture smART Ventures grant.  She’s currently publishing in-depth artist profiles at Artists Up Close on Substack. Buy the Book: A Redemptive Path Forward: From Incarceration to a Life of Activism (Hardcover) from Third Place Books Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

The fight for racial justice within the U.S. criminal legal system — and the call for its reform — has intensified in recent years. Studies show that Black Americans are almost five times as likely to be incarcerated than whites. Can our society be transformed? The story of the formerly incarcerated gang founder and leader, Antong Lucky, reveals how peace, nonviolence, and societal change are possible. The child of an incarcerated father, Lucky grew up in a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood in East Dallas, Texas, a city experiencing an alarming rise in crack cocaine and heroin use in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite high grades and a passion for learning, Lucky was introduced to gang life. Eventually, Lucky formed the Dallas Bloods gang and played a part in the escalating gun violence and illegal drugs until he was ultimately arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison. While incarcerated, Lucky turned away from his gang affiliation and quickly rose to become one of the most respected and sought-after mentors in prison. After his early release, he returned to his old neighborhood and became a leading activist, uniting people in challenging systemic issues in U.S. communities. <a href="https://townhallseattle.org/event/antong-lucky/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Now chronicled in his new book, A Redemptive Path Forward</a>, Lucky investigates the possibility of prison abolition and the path to societal changes. While the harrowing account of his transformation is moving, Lucky’s frank discussion about racial inequities is also a call to action. His experience adds to our public examination of the future for the U.S. criminal legal system. Antong Lucky is an activist, advocate, and public speaker concentrating in the areas of mentoring Black men and boys, bridging the gap between community and police, and developing and launching violence reduction strategies, criminal justice reform, and reentry initiatives for formerly incarcerated people. Beverly Aarons is a writer, artist, and game developer. She works across disciplines exploring the intersections of history, hidden current realities, and imagined future worlds. She specializes in making unseen perspectives visible and aims to infuse all of her creative work with a deep sense of emotionality. She’s won the Guy A. Hanks, Marvin H. Miller Screenwriting Award, Community 4Culture Fellowship, Artist Trust GAP Award, 4Culture Creative Consultancies Award, and the Seattle Office of Arts &amp; Culture smART Ventures grant.  She’s currently publishing in-depth artist profiles at Artists Up Close on Substack. Buy the Book: <a href="https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/book/9781640095342" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Redemptive Path Forward: From Incarceration to a Life of Activism (Hardcover)</a> from Third Place Books Presented by <a href="https://townhallseattle.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Town Hall Seattle</a>. To become a member or make a donation <a href="https://townhallseattle.org/support/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click here</a>.

294. Antong Lucky with Beverly Aarons: A Former Gang Founder’s Path to Peace

Design is more than an aesthetically pleasing logo or banner – it has the power to solve problems in unique ways, cultivate innovation, and anchor multidisciplinary teamwork. In Reimagining Design, Kevin Bethune describes his journey as a Black professional through corporate America, revealing the power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity. Bethune, who began as an engineer at Westinghouse, moved on to Nike (where he designed Air Jordans), and now works as a sought-after consultant on design and innovation, shows how design can transform individual lives and organizations. In Bethune’s account, diversity, equity, and inclusion emerge as a recurring theme. He shows how, as we leverage design for innovation, we also need to consider the broader ecological implications of our decisions and acknowledge the threads of systemic injustice in order to realize positive change. He contends that design transformation takes leadership by leaders who do not act as gatekeepers but, with agility and nimbleness, build teams that mirror the marketplace.  Bethune is joined by Beverly Aarons in the 138th episode of Town Hall’s In the Moment Podcast, as they discuss design in harmony with other disciplines. Design in harmony with other disciplines can be incredibly powerful; multidisciplinary team collaboration is the foundation of future innovation. With insight and compassion, Bethune provides a framework for bringing this about. Kevin G. Bethune is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of dreams • design + life, a think tank for design and innovation. Over a career that spans more than twenty years, he has worked in engineering, business, and design. Beverly Aarons is a writer, artist, and game developer. She works across disciplines exploring the intersections of history, hidden current realities, and imagined future worlds. She specializes in making unseen perspectives visible and aims to infuse all of her creative work with a deep sense of emotionality. She’s won the Guy A. Hanks, Marvin H. Miller Screenwriting Award, Community 4Culture Fellowship, Artist Trust GAP Award, 4Culture Creative Consultancies Award, and the Seattle Office of Arts &amp; Culture smART Ventures grant.  She’s currently publishing in-depth artist profiles at Artists Up Close on Substack. Buy the Book—Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation  Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

Design is more than an aesthetically pleasing logo or banner – it has the power to solve problems in unique ways, cultivate innovation, and anchor multidisciplinary teamwork. In Reimagining Design, Kevin Bethune describes his journey as a Black professional through corporate America, revealing the power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity. Bethune, who began as an engineer at Westinghouse, moved on to Nike (where he designed Air Jordans), and now works as a sought-after consultant on design and innovation, shows how design can transform individual lives and organizations. In Bethune’s account, diversity, equity, and inclusion emerge as a recurring theme. He shows how, as we leverage design for innovation, we also need to consider the broader ecological implications of our decisions and acknowledge the threads of systemic injustice in order to realize positive change. He contends that design transformation takes leadership by leaders who do not act as gatekeepers but, with agility and nimbleness, build teams that mirror the marketplace. <a href="https://townhallseattle.org/event/kevin-g-bethune-with-beverly-aarons/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Bethune is joined by Beverly Aarons in the 138th episode of Town Hall’s In the Moment Podcast</a>, as they discuss design in harmony with other disciplines. Design in harmony with other disciplines can be incredibly powerful; multidisciplinary team collaboration is the foundation of future innovation. With insight and compassion, Bethune provides a framework for bringing this about. Kevin G. Bethune is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of dreams • design + life, a think tank for design and innovation. Over a career that spans more than twenty years, he has worked in engineering, business, and design. Beverly Aarons is a writer, artist, and game developer. She works across disciplines exploring the intersections of history, hidden current realities, and imagined future worlds. She specializes in making unseen perspectives visible and aims to infuse all of her creative work with a deep sense of emotionality. She’s won the Guy A. Hanks, Marvin H. Miller Screenwriting Award, Community 4Culture Fellowship, Artist Trust GAP Award, 4Culture Creative Consultancies Award, and the Seattle Office of Arts &amp; Culture smART Ventures grant.  She’s currently publishing in-depth artist profiles at Artists Up Close on Substack. Buy the Book—<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/reimagining-design" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation</a> Presented by <a href="https://townhallseattle.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Town Hall Seattle</a>. To become a member or make a donation <a href="https://townhallseattle.org/support/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click here</a>.

138. Kevin G. Bethune with Beverly Aarons: How Reimagining Design Can Transform Lives and Organizations