Back in 2010, Ebony Walden was a city planner who looked at her life and decided to trade the blueprint for a blank page. She spent eight months backpacking across 15 countries and 5 continents. She didn't just pack a bag and cross borders; she stepped into a new journey where she didn't just find the world, she also found herself.

On this episode of Black in the Stacks, Ebony and I discuss what it really means to leave a predictable career behind, why every major life transition starts with the simple act of quitting what no longer serves you, and how stepping into the unknown opens up entirely new spaces for personal growth.

Today, Ebony is an author, filmmaker, and creator. Her upcoming memoir, "Where I’m From: A Poetic Journey Across Five Continents", isn't just about a passport full of stamps. It’s an invitation to drop the armor, risk the unknown, and discover and love different cultures not as a digital aesthetic, but in the raw and beautiful truth of the present moment.

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackInTheStacks

CONNECT WITH EBONY

Web: https://ebonywalden.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebonywalden80/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ebonywalden80

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ebony.aroundtheworld

Click here to watch “Black Beyond Borders”

When society looks at athletic giants like Marshawn Lynch, Steph Curry, or Deion Sanders, it loves to reduce them to a single script: the 'beast' to be feared, managed, or objectified. On this episode of Black in the Stacks, I sit down with Dr. Gary F. Green,II, a former college athlete turned author, to look at how these iconic figures frustrate those racist cultural boxes. We talk about womanist theological ethics, embodied spirituality, and how athletes can break free from moralized frameworks to reclaim their true physical agency.

Dr. Green shares insights from his journey across sports, the Black church, and higher education and how he incorporated what he learned from Black stand-up comedians to break down these heavy dynamics in his book, “Playing the Game: Embodied Brilliance Beyond the Moral Limits of Race in Sport.” The book also examines everything from the double-edged sword of athletic tropes to the revolutionary power of play.

Dr. Green is a professor, consultant, and a curator of conversations that expose hierarchies of power that play out in plain sight. He is also the designer and founding director of Racial Intelligence Systems at United Theological Seminary, a three-tiered reconditioning program designed to develop racial acumen among the faculty, staff, and students.

CONNECT WITH DR. GREEN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgreenideas/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@drgreenideas

Web: https://www.greenideasconsulting.com/about

Book: https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9798889833581/Playing-the-Game

What happens when that tired old storytime at the library gets all the way turnt up? Billy Allen is what happens. An award-winning librarian, community leader, and innovator, Mr. Billy, as he's known online, carved his own path by bridging hip-hop instrumentals while reading and sometimes rapping popular children’s books, to make a one of a kind experience no library had ever seen. Often imitated but never duplicated, Billy has taken the library world by storm using his passion for inspiring lifelong learning to redefine what a library can be for the next generation.

As Manager of the newly built NoMa Library in Wilmington, Delaware, Billy is leading the vision of a modern “Think. Do. Hub.”— a library that blends technology, entrepreneurship, workforce development, creativity, and community engagement. He has built a national reputation for making libraries exciting, relevant, and impactful through social media, strategic partnerships, and innovative programming.

FOLLOW MR. BILLY!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3kingvisions/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@3kingvisions

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@3kingvisions

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3kingvisions/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@3kingvisions