SEASON 2 is coming in hot with an Elections Special with Jacquetta Van Zandt, host of Politics & Prosecco.

Residents of Boston are casting a historic vote for mayor of Boston, and a new, progressive city council. We break down the unique conditions that led to Boston electing it’s first woman of color to the mayor’s office.

Listen LIVE on sparkfmonline, Facebook and Instagram. Or check it one hour later on Apple Podcasts.

****We do not own the rights to this music****

Clips courtesy of the artists and BAMS FEST, Inc.

The BAMS or Boston Art & Music Soul Festival was founded in 2015 by Catherine Morris and started with 4 artists performing at normally outdoor event.

Now, they work with 400 artists and the pandemic has forced them to pivot this year.

Performances were filmed at Big Night Live music club for a virtual, streaming experience through August.

Amplify the Soul uses the musical experience to elevate those who've spent the last year on the front lines of racial equity, social justice and economic empowerment.

My interview with founder Catherine Morris and series opener Danny Rivera Jr. plus, joining us in conversation are artists Miranda Rae and Jon Hope. You can see them this summer in streaming performances as part of the Amplify the Soul Series.

More info at BAMSFEST.org

Boston police say they expect to make dozens of arrests this summer 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.

Last month, 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 offense to Native Americans.

Faires Gray, Sagamore of the Massachusett Tribe and researcher Laurel Davis-Delano join me in conversation on the harm and the hazards around the use of Native American imagery as mascots and the history of racism attached to it.

The Center for Teen Empowerment (TE) is presenting their 29th Annual Youth Peace Conference: SENSELESS Smoke; a two day conference kicking off our summer 2021 campaign, Promoting Peace Through the Power of the People.

The conference is Wednesday May 26 and Thursday May 27: 5:30PM-7:30PM both days.

Join the conversation with organizers to talk about their lived experience in community and what needs to happen to address violence in the city.

Abrigal Forrester, Exec Director of Teen Empowerment

Willington Vuelto, TE Youth Organizer

Sheri And Robert Bridgeman, filmmakers

Ariella Taylor, Teen Empowerment Boston Community Action Team

According to the CDC, Black women, and women of color, are much more likely to die due to childbirth-related complications than white women, or to suffer from medical complications.

For Black women, the leading causes of death are cardiovascular conditions, as well as cardiomyopathy, pre-emplasia, and eclampsia, or hypertensive disorders.

According to the American Journal of Managed Care -- healthcare providers should take into account social factors when looking at someone’s health, including trauma, stress, violence in their neighborhood, healthcare access, and food insecurity.

Early this year, the Massachusetts legislature recently passed a bill creating a maternal health commission, which received Gov. Charlie Baker’s approval in mid-January. The new commission is tasked with finding ways to eliminate or reduce racial disparities when it comes to maternal health.

Joining the conversation is Representative Liz Miranda, doula Nneka Hall and advocate Timoria Queen Saba.

On April 20, 2021, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second degree murder and second degree manslaughter in the murder of George Floyd. As the nation take a collective exhale, the conversation around policing in America continues on the very next breath. We unpack this topic with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Monica Cannon Grant of Violence in Boston, State Rep. Russell Holmes and WGBH reporter Saraya Wintersmith.

More than 3 million vaccine doses have been administered in Massachusetts, but issues around equity and access remain. According to the the latest state data, more 71% of all residents who received at least one dose of vaccine are white, 12% are latinx and 7% are black.

Vaccine hesitancy in communities of color has been reported as a significant barrier to the state's roll out efforts but recent surveys show white Republican males are among the most hesitant. How has the narrative changed?

My guests this show are Eva Milon of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Association, Dr. Atyia Martin of the Black Boston COVID-19 Coaltion, and Michelle Wu, Boston city councilor and mayoral candidate.