Jan Huff is a mother and wife and independent entrepreneur and spirit who came upon an impending health crisis a few years ago. She challenged herself to turn things around -and did so, The result of her self-discovery became her 24 hour dietary challenge that is one of the core elements of her creation- SYOLife, which means Save Your Own Life. Jan joins us on this episode of OJ to talk about her path to wellness, the challenges and discoveries she made on the way - and to offer us all an opport...
Sep 29, 2021•24 min•Ep. 81
The Houston Women’s March will bring together women and allies for a peaceful protest on Saturday, October 2, 2021. Participants will gather at Discovery Green and then march to Houston City Hall beginning at 9 a.m. The event will also include voter registration stations, speakers, and musical performances. The march will serve as a peaceful protest of dire current events in Texas, including Senate Bill 8, which is tantamount(equivalent)to an unconstitutional ban on abortion; recently passed vot...
Sep 29, 2021•29 min•Ep. 80
This month marks one year since the horrific police murder of Houston’s George Floyd in Minneapolis, a galvanizing moment for the Black Lives Matter movement and the cause of racial justice in the United States and across the world. Open Journal has presented a series of discussions on race and racism over the course of time, especially this past year. Cherry Steinwender is founder and co-director of the Houston-based Center for the Healing of Racism - dedicated to the healing of racism through ...
May 17, 2021•50 min•Ep. 79
The Texas Tribune is the only member-supported, digital-first, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Erin Douglas is the environment reporter for the Texas Tribune. She was previously a business and economy reporter at the Houston Chronicle where she covered labor, energy and the environment. Before moving to Texas, Erin worked as an intern at Bloomberg in New York and at The Denver Post, her h...
May 14, 2021•27 min•Ep. 78
Tierney Malone is a visual artist and storyteller who uses African-American history and pop culture to create mixed media works that challenge contemporary culture and politics. Additionally, Malone is the creator of the Jazz Church of Houston and is host of the Houston Jazz Spotlight on 90.1 KPFT every Wednesday afternoon from 4-6pm. Tierney has exhibited his art widely throughout Texas and the United States. Born in LA, raised in Miss. and Ala. and based in Houston’s historic Third Ward, he co...
May 14, 2021•24 min•Ep. 77
A conversation about the legendary Montrose restaurant store: AL Quick Stop
May 14, 2021•21 min•Ep. 76
A conversation with Tracie Jae: The Quiet Rebel
May 14, 2021•23 min•Ep. 75
Soccer, or futbol for most of the world, has a history that goes back 150 years to England. Soccer has long struggled to gain the mainstream American status of Baseball, Football and Basketball, even Hockey. Still, Houston as the fourth largest city now has 2 professional soccer teams, Houston Dynamo(M) & Houston Dash(F), several collegiate teams and many thousands of youth playing in leagues. And with some 2026 World Cup matches likely headed this way, soccer is definitely on the rise. With...
May 13, 2021•59 min•Ep. 74
Julia Lewis has been organizing within the climate movement for 2 years. She is a junior at St. Catherine's Montessori High School, and also works on the Actions Team at Sunrise Houston. Vidya Muthupillai(moo-two-pee-lie) has been involved in the climate movement for the past 4 years. She is currently a senior at Glenda Dawson High School and a youth organizer in other issues as well. Devin Guevara is a senior at Sharpstown International School. He joined the climate movement back in 2019, and h...
May 13, 2021•25 min•Ep. 73
Located on the western edge of Memorial Park, the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and the opportunity to experience the natural world. This 155-acre urban nature sanctuary plays a vital role in protecting native plants and animals in the heart of the city where development threatens their survival. Conservation Director Stephen Benigno and Education Director Tiffany Ritter are with us to tell us more about the urban oasis in the heart ...
May 13, 2021•31 min•Ep. 73
The COVID-19 Wall of Memories is the brainchild of Mohammed Nasrullah. Observing the steady rise in the numbers of sick and dead from the disease, he began thinking of a way to memorialize them, to keep them from being merely statistics. When the United States reached 100,000 deaths, he felt called to action, to create something to remember and honor their lives. Mohammed imagined a digital version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. He shared his vision with his wife, Ruth, a f...
May 13, 2021•22 min•Ep. 72
Based in Galveston, Artist Boat was founded in 2003 as a nonprofit to promote awareness and preservation of the coastal margins and the marine environment through land conservation and fun, educational, inspiring adventures. Founder and Executive Director, Karla Klay has over 25 years experience in arts and environmental education.
May 13, 2021•33 min•Ep. 71
We’ve long heard the nursery rhyme: March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers. April is a good time to start harvesting water so plants can drink during dry days. Nell Wheeler & Dean Cook design systems that can collect and store as much as 3,000 gallons of rainwater in metal tanks. Veterans of the KPFT’s former beloved program, Eco-ology, Nell and Dean have been involved in the environmental justice movement for many years.
May 13, 2021•23 min•Ep. 70
Houston Media Source provides education, equipment, and a content-neutral platform for people who want to produce their own television or radio programs. By giving Houstonians access to the mass media, HMS empowers them to address issues and tell stories that are not covered by traditional media outlets, highlighting the rich cultural tapestry of our city. Executive director Tom Richards, who is no stranger to the KPFT airways, is with us to tell us about HMS, how they have been handling the pan...
May 13, 2021•34 min•Ep. 70
For nearly a week in mid-February, most of the state suffered through subfreezing temperatures. Millions lost power and heat. When pipes burst and water systems shut down. Just this week, the New York Times reported that 111 people had died in the freeze, almost doubling the number of deaths officials had reported earlier. A month and a half since the freeze hit Texas, we’re still trying to make sense of what happened. A decade ago, University of Houston Energy Fellow, Ed Hirs predicted this fai...
May 04, 2021•45 min•Ep. 69
Kim Perry is the Food Access Director with Urban Harvest. Prior to that she was County Extension Agent for Prairie View University within Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension system. Kim hails from Denver, Colorado, where she studied Social Work with an emphasis on Child Welfare and the Law. She received her Master's degree in Agriculture Science from Texas A&M - Kingsville. In 2009, Kim co-founded and operated Healthy Habits produce co-op that grew from 2 to over 300 families. For the past si...
May 04, 2021•22 min•Ep. 68
Stephen L. Williams joined the City of Houston as the director of the Houston Health Department in June of 2004. He serves on several boards of community, professional and civil rights organizations and is a past president of the Texas Association of Local Health Officials. Under his leadership, the HHD launched community outreach programs such as Project Saving Smiles, See to Succeed, Assessment, Intervention, and Mobilization (AIM) efforts and in 2006, Williams and his incredible team initiate...
May 04, 2021•32 min•Ep. 67
-As many of us are trying to understand the difference between allergies and flu symptoms or determine if we are an asymptomatic superspreader for COVID-19, it seemed now would be a good opportunity to get some facts. So, we on OJ thought it might be timely to have a little sit-down with subject matter experts that have a background in public health to talk thru some of what we are all dealing with right now. Hopefully, we might gain some insights and perhaps obtain access to information and too...
Jan 12, 2021•50 min•Ep. 66
Micki Fine
Jan 12, 2021•40 min•Ep. 65
Lelia Rodgers, owner of Rudyards joins KPFTOJ
Jan 12, 2021•43 min•Ep. 66
Rich Levy and Krupa Parikh from Inprint Houston join OJ
Jan 12, 2021•59 min•Ep. 65
Comedian and host of Whiskey Brothers joins us on Open Journal
Jan 12, 2021•53 min•Ep. 65
David Leslie of the Rothko Chapel joins KPFTOJ
Jan 12, 2021•27 min•Ep. 64
Listen in for a conversation with voting registration activist Tamara Sell
Jan 12, 2021•22 min•Ep. 64
Cherry Steinwender, Founder/Co-director, Center for the Healing of Racism & Joel Goza, author/activist Can our current racial and ethnic divide be turned around? Recent events surrounding the police murder of George Floyd and others have brought tens of thousands into the streets. The BLM movement has galvanized the moment. Images of protestors confronted, attacked and gassed by military units in our nation’s capital have exacerbated old wounds and brought others into focus. The Houston-base...
Jan 12, 2021•58 min•Ep. 63
Loreta Kovacic is known for her virtuoso performances from Mucky Duck to Carnegie Hall. She calls herself a “three for one special”: pianist, singer-songwriter and a storyteller. She started out as a classical pianist in her native country of Croatia. After immigrating to Texas and graduating with a Doctorate in Music from Rice University, she worked as a performer and a teacher, later adding the "Alchemist Piano Theatre" children's theatre. She has created 7 albums over the years and her "Broth...
Jan 12, 2021•24 min•Ep. 62
In a different time, Ginny Stogner McDavid would be jetting off to here and beyond as a crew member on a United Airlines flight. In addition to her duties as flight attendant whose career goes back to 1990 and Continental Airlines, Ginny is the first woman to serve as president of the Harris County Labor Assembly. She’s with us this evening to discuss her dual role as airline employee and labor leader, as well as the struggles caused by Covid-19. And, with the election only a couple of months aw...
Jan 12, 2021•27 min•Ep. 60
The United States Postal Service(USPS) has existed since 1775 and the first Postmaster General was Benjamin Franklin. The USPS aka the Post Office, delivers over 48% of all the mail in the world; it has a fleet of over 228,000 vehicles; processes and delivers 182 million pieces of first class mail daily (~20M/hour); for $.55 you can send a letter to anywhere in the USA; it employs over 600,000 people (497K career/136K contract ~2019), generates $236M in revenue per day and costs the American tax...
Nov 03, 2020•58 min
Karen Warren has a job that many people envy. As the lead Houston Astros photographer for the Houston Chronicle, she spends countless summer nights near the dugout in Minute Maid Park photographing baseball games. Since landing at the Chronicle in 1997, she’s photographed more than 1,500 Astros games. She has also worked at 14 Super Bowls, and covered the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and a Little League World Series. In addition to keeping her eye on sports, her other duties include taking po...
Nov 03, 2020•26 min
Among the methods used to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus (pandemic) - beyond hand-washing, social distancing, masking up and getting tested is the process known as contact tracing. If someone tests positive for COVID-19, a contact tracer from the Houston Health department will contact you by phone, email or text message. Making a choice to work with contact tracers helps protect your family and your community by slowing the spread of COVID-19. It involves tracking down persons who ma...
Nov 03, 2020•30 min
