Black Voices on the Hill

Ashley Acosta on the origins of her legal passion: “I’ve know I wanted to be a lawyer since I was like 6 years old…I have always been passionate about making a difference, and I knew wanted to do that in the legal world…especially coming from a low-income, immigrant background.” Listen to Ashley, a recent Cornell alum, chat with Daniel James II about her Afro-Latina roots, her New York upbringing, her journey as a 2L student at Columbia Law School, all while navigating being a full-time mommy to Amelia. Catch Black Voices on the Hill each Friday @ 3 PM on WVBR 93.5 F...

Darius Scott on why he advocates for neurological healthcare: “There is a health disparity in terms of neurologic healthcare access for black and hispanic people...it is a big part of what I want to do in my career to advocate and increase the utilization of neurologic resources and care so it’s more accessible and affordable for lower-income communities.” Listen in as Darius and Daniel James II discuss their thoughts on the UVA Football shooting, balancing his schooling, physical and mental health, and personal life as a student-athlete at Cornell University, how he combined his creative side with his work a...

Nathan Eyasu on why the Caleb Foundation is important to him: “When you really think about it, these kids are no different from me and you. They were born into a situation that they cannot control and the only difference between me and them is luck. How fair is it for me to be placed in the US, see this, and go back to my home and just not do anything about it?” Join your new co-host Erica Yirenkyi '25 as she speaks to Nathan Eyasu '25 about his work as a board member of the Caleb foundation, creating a digi...

Jeremy Gouraige on his skills he utilized during small business pro bono consulting: "Research and analytical skills along with communication because it's us providing our work to them, so the better of a communicator you are, the more effective your advice is going to be because your clients are going to be able to understand you more." Listen to Jeremy Gouraige speak with Daniel James II about his transfer journey to Cornell University, balancing recruiting season and the hectic schedule of a Cornell ILR student, distinguishing himself as a Black man in the business world, involvement in the Cornell and...

Tony on Under-Represented Minorities in Computing at Cornell (URMC): “It was a great place to be around other black and Latinx people like me doing what I wanted to do and seeing that they are able to achieve these massive goals with companies with massive names like Google and Facebook.”

Listen to Tony chat with Daniel James II about his and his family’s love of music, his mother’s immigration story, growing up in Florida, the lack of diversity in tech groups on campus, entering a decentralized era of the internet in Web 3, Lotoya’s viral tweet NFT...

Yasmin on mental health stigmas: “As black students and as black women, we’re taught that we need to be better than our white counterparts. We need to be resilient and strong. We need to be everything they are as far as grades, AND some. We can never show any signs of weakness. And I think that’s where that stigma comes along with mental health, and I think the first step is a willingness to speak openly about our struggles.”

Yasmin Bellew is the president of Alpha Phi Omega, Cornell’s largest service fraternity, but she’s also a mem...

“That’s what ultimately drives my passion… wanting to create change me, for the people around me, and for the people I care about.”

Listen to Lassan’s conversation with Daniel James II about being from Mali, growing up Harlem and understanding its place as a black cultural center, his experience between public schools and a charter school, education as a chance to nurture people and their passions, his belief in serving others, his involvement in the Black Student Union and Alpha Phi Alpha, and so much more. 

Catch Black Voices on the Hill each Friday @2pm...

“Fast forward to George Floyd, where the officers did nothing. And people said, ‘wait a minute, wasn’t an officer fired for doing something?’ …Now, they have 2020 vision.”

Cariol Horne was a police officer in Buffalo in 2006 when she witnessed a fellow police officer attacking a handcuffed black man, and she was fired for intervening. The firing was reversed in 2020 and the governor issued a formal apology, but she still has not been given her pension. Listen to her conversation with Daniel James II about how she became a police officer, accountability for police officers through Cariol’s Law, her wor...

Where did Richmond discover his love for fashion? "I think part of being African, at least with my parents, is presenting yourself to the best of your abilities. From a young age I was always well-dressed, wearing my little suit, little ties, things like that. I think people were gassing my head up!"

Richmond Addae is a junior in the ILR School chatting with Daniel James II about self-care shopping, growing up in NYC, his journey to Cornell ILR, navigating a PWI in both high school and college, bringing his identity to corporate finance and fashion, code-switching...

“Sometimes students ask me what was Malcolm’s biggest accomplishment… Malcolm’s biggest accomplishment was turning negroes into black people. There’s no legislation— he burrowed into your soul and your psyche and gave you a reason to live.”

Dr. Peniel Joseph is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and you may be familiar with his analysis of race relations with Don Lemon on CNN. Listen to his conversation with Daniel James II about his book The Sword and the Shield, the convergences of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., radical black dignity and radical bl...