Leah Frazier went from practicing law to becoming an entrepreneur, founder of Think Three Media, media personality, and Emmy and ADDY Award winner, but building a business came at a cost.

In this candid conversation with Liz and Porter, Leah opens up about losing her car, investing her life savings, starting over, career reinvention, and learning when it's time to pivot. She shares the question that changed how she approached entrepreneurship and her future: “What else can I build?”

Follow Making Black History Today for new conversations every other Thursday at 5:00 a.m.

There is more than $1 trillion in contracting opportunity. Getting access to it is another story.

For small, Black-owned, minority-owned and women-owned businesses, government contracts can mean growth, jobs, capacity and generational wealth.

But getting a seat at the table has never been simple.

And now, some of the rules are changing.

Angela L. Alexander, Executive Director of the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (NCTRCA), joins Making Black History Today to break down what business owners need to know about government contracting, certification, procurement and access to opportunity.

Changes affecting the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) programs are reshaping how some businesses demonstrate eligibility.

But Angela makes something else clear:

Getting certified doesn't mean you're getting the contract.

Businesses still need capacity. Relationships. Information. Strategy. And, increasingly, partnerships and joint ventures that can help them compete for larger opportunities.

Angela also explains The Bridge by NCTRCA, an AI-powered directory designed to increase the visibility of certified businesses and help connect them with buyers and prime contractors.

This isn't simply a conversation about certification.

It's about who gets to compete.

Who gets the information.
Who builds the relationships.
Who has the capacity.
And who is ready when opportunity shows up.

Because with $1.2 trillion in contracting opportunities, the question isn't simply whether the money exists.

The question is: Who is positioned to get their share?

• What NCTRCA does and why certification matters
• What's changing for DBE and ACDBE businesses
• Why certification doesn't guarantee a government contract
• What business owners should do after getting certified
• Why capacity and relationships matter
• How partnerships and joint ventures can create larger opportunities
• How The Bridge by NCTRCA connects certified businesses with buyers and prime contractors
• What Angela Alexander believes small businesses need to do to compete in a changing environment

🎙️ Making Black History Today documents the leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, creatives and change-makers writing Black history right now.

Hosted by Liz & Porter.

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Shirley Ison-Newsome integrated a school as a fourth grader before spending nearly 40 years transforming education in Dallas ISD. She shares what school integration taught her, why poverty should never determine a child's ability to learn, and why she refused to lower expectations for Black students.

From educational equity and Black school leadership to the vision behind Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy, Ison-Newsome reveals what it takes to demand excellence inside a public school system and the resistance that can come with it.

Today, a Dallas ISD school bears her name: Shirley Ison-Newsome Montessori Academy.

But the story behind that legacy started decades earlier.

History doesn't disappear all at once. It disappears one story at a time.

For more than 50 years, Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney has dedicated his life to preserving African American history from Black Dallas and Texas to the people, places, institutions, and stories that helped shape America.

In this episode of Making Black History Today, Liz and Porter sit down with the historian, scholar, educator, author, and preservationist to talk about what happens when history isn't documented—and why preserving the memories of our elders can't wait.

2026 also marks an important anniversary: 100 years since Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926, laying the foundation for what would eventually become Black History Month.

Dr. Dulaney would later serve as president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the organization Woodson founded.

In this conversation, we explore:

→ Dr. Dulaney's journey into African American history→ The Black Dallas history hiding in plain sight→ The stories we've already lost and those still waiting to be uncovered→ The importance of the African American Museum, Dallas→ Dr. Carter G. Woodson and 100 years of preserving Black history→ Why documenting the stories of our elders is urgent→ Freedom Schools and teaching Black history to the next generation→ The responsibility we all share to document the history happening around us

But this conversation isn't only about looking backward.

It's about what we choose to carry forward.

Dr. Dulaney has spent more than five decades helping preserve the history that came before us. Making Black History Today is documenting the history unfolding around us now.

Different generations. Different methods. The same responsibility.

Because somebody has to keep the archive.

Somebody has to identify the people in the photograph.

Somebody has to interview the elder.

And somebody has to make sure one more story makes it into the record before it disappears.

What history are you living right now that you worry future generations might forget?

Follow Making Black History Today on Spotify and share this episode with someone who believes our stories deserve to be preserved.

Making Black History Today is the digital archive of today's history-makers, documenting today's history for tomorrow.

New episodes every other Thursday.

Making Black History today.

"Travel teaches you something powerful...you realize how much we are all the same." — Ambassador Ron Kirk

Former Dallas Mayor and U.S. Trade Representative under President Barack Obama, Ambassador Ron Kirk reflects on the leadership lessons, relationships, and life experiences that shaped one of America's most respected public servants.

This isn't a résumé recap.

In this exclusive conversation with Liz and Porter, Ambassador Kirk shares what growing up in East Austin taught him, the influence of former Governor Ann Richards, the wisdom of his ancestors, the mistakes that became his greatest teachers, and why he believes, "We Are American History. Period."

Whether you're a student, a young professional, or simply looking to grow as a leader, this conversation offers timeless lessons on purpose, service, and building relationships that matter.

Hosted by Liz & Porter on Making Black History Today, Dallas's premier podcast documenting today's history makers for tomorrow.

New episodes every other Thursday.

🌐 www.makingblackhistorytoday.com

📩 impact@makingblackhistorytoday.com

Wall Street has historically shut its doors to Black women, so right here in Dallas, two founders built their own.

This week on Making Black History Today, hosts Liz & Porter sit down with LaToya Gooden and JaCoi Pugh, the creators of Black Women's Wall Street. Together, they break down what it actually takes to invest while Black, push past the barriers still built into corporate finance, and turn community into generational wealth.

This isn't a corporate success story. It's an unfiltered look at what it takes to build something that brings Black women entrepreneurs, business owners, and community leaders together to create ownership and lasting impact.

In this episode, you'll hear:

- How Black Women's Wall Street grew from a local idea into a movement

- The barriers Black women entrepreneurs still face—and how they're overcoming them

- Why building wealth together creates more impact than doing it alone

- The role of strategic relationships and mentorship in growing a business

- Why ownership is essential to closing the racial wealth gap

- What legacy means when you're building something designed to outlive you

Whether you're an entrepreneur, a professional, a community leader, or

someone building toward a stronger financial future—this one's for you.

If this episode inspired you, hit the [+] FOLLOW button and save this episode to your library so you never miss a moment of history being made. Share this with someone building a business, a legacy, or

their own future today.

Making Black History Today is Dallas's premier podcast documenting the leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and change-makers shaping Black history in real time. New episodes every other Thursday.

Hosted by Liz & Porter | Recorded in Dallas, Texas

Can music heal a city? Can faith create common ground? And what happens when people choose unity over division?

In this episode of Making Black History Today, Pastor Richie Butler, founder and CEO of Project Unity, joins internationally acclaimed conductor Maestro Leon Lacey for a conversation about leadership, community, and the power of music to bring people together.

Pastor Richie Butler shares the story behind Project Unity, the Dallas-based organization dedicated to building trust, strengthening relationships, and creating meaningful dialogue across communities. Maestro Leon Lacey reflects on a career that has taken him around the world, including conducting for Beyoncé in Dubai, while explaining why some of his most meaningful work continues to happen right here in Dallas through Together We Sing.

Together, they discuss how faith, collaboration, and servant leadership can help heal divided communities, why honest conversations matter, and how music often communicates what words cannot.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why Pastor Richie Butler founded Project Unity
• How Together We Sing became one of Dallas' most powerful movements for unity
• Maestro Leon Lacey's journey from the international stage to leading music that transforms communities
• How faith and servant leadership build trust across differences
• Why collaboration is essential for creating lasting change
• What it means to make Black history today in Dallas

Whether you're passionate about leadership, community development, faith, music, or the future of Dallas, this conversation offers practical wisdom and hope for anyone who believes stronger communities begin with understanding.

Making Black History Today is Dallas' premier podcast and the digital archive of Dallas's current Black history makers. Hosted by Liz and Porter, each episode features conversations with the leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, artists, faith leaders, and change-makers shaping the future of Dallas while preserving its history for generations to come.

Follow Making Black History Today on Spotify for new episodes every other Thursday featuring the people making Black history today across Dallas.

For years, the Forest Theater stood empty.

A historic landmark. A cultural icon. A reminder of what once was.

Many people accepted that story.

Elizabeth Wattley did not.

In this Season II premiere of Making Black History Today, the President and CEO of Forest Forward joins us to discuss the effort to bring one of South Dallas' most important landmarks back to life and why the work is about much more than a building.

It's about history.

It's about community.

It's about who gets remembered and who gets left behind.

From the future of the Forest Theater to the future of South Dallas, Elizabeth shares the vision, challenges, and leadership lessons behind one of the city's most significant revitalization efforts.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to preserve history while creating opportunity for the next generation, this conversation is for you.

Topics include community development, historic preservation, leadership, economic opportunity, South Dallas, the Forest Theater, and the power of investing in people.

Follow Making Black History Today for conversations with everyday people making an extraordinary impact.