It All Begins Here

Former Seattle protest leader TK Turner recently reflected on her transformative six-year journey since her renowned leadership during the 2020 protests in the Emerald City. Now a student at Seattle University, Turner offered a candid assessment of Seattle's current state of equity, warning against "closeted" microaggressions, and urged the community to move beyond complacency toward proactive progress.

Watch the full interview with TK at tinyurl.com/TKTurner‍ ‍

Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 9 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.

Gregory Joseph, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility Director of Communications, joined host The Big O last week to discuss the Alliance’s work in supporting survivors and sharing their stories with lawmakers and those in positions of power. His message was clear: “Survivors have to be front and center in this movement.”

Gregory’s interview, alongside ROGVP Youth Ambassadors, was part of "Together We End Gun Violence Week," in partnership with the King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Watch the full interview at tinyurl.com/YouthAmbassadors1

Learn more about the Alliance at gunresponsibility.org

Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 9 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.

The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Last week on The Pop-Up! King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention (ROGVP) Youth Ambassadors Melodie Slaughter and Joshua Wheeldon discussed the collective effort required to end gun violence and the importance of centering youth voices in creating a safer Seattle and King County. 

Melodie and Joshua highlighted the Youth Ambassador for Change program, which provides a platform for young people to share their lived experiences and the specific challenges facing their generation. They emphasized that coming together as a community to support those in need is an imperative step toward getting ahead of violence. 

The Youth Ambassadors’ interview alongside Gregory Joseph of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility was part of "Together We End Gun Violence Week," in partnership with the King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Watch the full interview at tinyurl.com/YouthAmbassadors1 

Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 9 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.

Last week on The Pop-Up!, LaTanya Horace DuBois, the founder of The Silent Task Force, highlighted the crisis of young Black girls being the most trafficked group in Washington state and laid out solutions to solve this problem.

While poverty and family displacement are significant drivers, DuBois pointed to a lack of youth resources in the Emerald City as a prime culprit, alongside online and in-school grooming.

The Silent Task Force is hosting a Community Town Hall tomorrow, Friday, June 5th at the Garfield Community Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event aims to strengthen community awareness, preparedness, and collaboration to prevent sex trafficking during the FIFA World Cup and beyond.

Learn more about The Silent Task Force at thesilenttaskforce.org.

Watch LaTanya’s full interview on The Pop-Up! at tinyurl.com/mvr2nkvd

Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 9 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.

Did you know that gun violence and gun-related injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the US? As part of “Together We End Gun Violence Week” on The Pop-Up!, Eleuthera Lisch, the Director of King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention (ROGVP) sat down with host The Big O to discuss her Office’s commitment to working alongside gun violence victims and survivors. 

As part of "Together We End Gun Violence Week," in partnership with ROGVP, watch Eleuthera’s full interview alongside Deaunte Damper and Ariana Donaville of ROGVP on The Pop-Up! at tinyurl.com/EleutheraLisch 

Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 9 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.

Through unimaginable grief, Lonnisha Landry still finds her smile. Monday night on The Pop-Up!, Lonnisha, the founder of Just/Us Love Ones, spoke of her late son Xavier Landry and his love and light that has allowed her to keep smiling through incredible loss. 

Two years ago this summer, Xavier, a beloved friend, son, and brother, was killed in Auburn at the hands of gun violence. Today, Lonnisha has dedicated herself to supporting other survivors with her organization Just/Us Loves Ones, which provides therapeutic services for the siblings of murder victims.

“Yes, a piece of me has died, but I’m not dead,” she said. “I’m going to continue to live, I’m going to continue to live, and I’m going to continue to shed my light.”

As part of "Together We End Gun Violence Week," in partnership with the King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention, watch Lonnisha’s full interview alongside Solace founder Jenine Lewis on The Pop-Up! at tinyurl.com/SurvivorsThePopUp

Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 9 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.

Last night on The Pop-Up!, Converge producer Juma Blaq from Portland, Oregon paid a visit to the Black Media Matters Studio where he touched on something deeply impactful: Black men’s mental health. His message was clear: normalize going to therapy and discussing trauma in the name of healing.

Juma Blaq is a dedicated visionary and producer whose unwavering commitment to community stewardship has provided a home base for Black culture and representation in the Rose City. We applaud him for his impact and dedication to telling better stories.

When it comes to protecting Black people, therapist and author Ashley McGirt-Adair keeps it real. Last night on The Pop-Up! with host The Big O, McGirt-Adair discussed the recent controversy around reality star Cheyenne Bryant’s academic credentials, saying that by falsely claiming to be a therapist on Black platforms, Bryant is harming Black people.

Learn more about Ashley McGirt-Adair at ashleymcgirt.com

There’s been some confusion about the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) spray-painting “Remove” on the iconic red, black, and green crosswalks in the CD. Last night on The Pop-Up!, The Big O cleared it up: SDOT is repainting the crosswalks, and “Remove” identifies which crosswalks will be touched up, not that the City is removing them for good.

India Irons, Executive Director of Fearless Dance Studio joined guest host Elisha Michelle on The Pop-Up! to share her journey of overcoming domestic violence and depression, and her studio's mission to empower youth through dance.

Beyond India's dedication to teaching dance to the next generation, Fearless Dance Studio focuses on helping kids discover their purpose and value, providing support to overcome challenges like suicide and depression, and building confidence and a fearless spirit in every student.

You can keep up with Fearless Dance Studio at livefearlessdancestudio.com

Cloé Luv a best-selling author, business and branding coach, and content creator, joined The Big O on The Pop-Up! last week where she discussed her experience navigating a divorce and her son’s autism diagnosis while building her brand. Her latest book, Step Into Your Celebrity Energy, is all about leaning into the magnetic force of alignment between your true essence, your voice, and your visibility.

Learn more about Luv’s work at stepintoyourcelebrityenergy.com.

Before legal analyst and podcaster Angela Rye joined tens of thousands of others marching for civil rights in Montgomery, Alabama for All Roads Lead to the South, she stopped by the Black Media Matters Studio to tell us that only 10% of Montgomery’s population participated in the bus boycott that successfully secured the right for Black people to sit where they chose on buses, according to her Native Land Pod co-host Andrew Gillum.

For Rye, the current power of unified action is the key to making a mighty blow. “We have always been a powerful people,” she said.

Check out all things Angela Rye at angelarye.com