On the August 4, 2026 episode of Mic Check, host Mike Merli sat down with Bridgeport native, Shaenna Taylor.

Shaenna Taylor is an award-winning educator, mentor, community advocate, and entrepreneur from Bridgeport, Connecticut. With more than 10 years of experience in the Bridgeport Public School system, she has been recognized with multiple Staff Member of the Year awards for her dedication to students and education.

Beyond the classroom, Shaenna serves as the Mentor Lead and Director of #100GirlsLeading, empowering girls age 9-18 through mentorship, leadership, and personal development. She is also the co-founder of Bridgeport Stronger Together, where she works alongside community members to advocate for justice, strengthen neighborhoods, and amplify voices that often go unheard.

Her commitment to service has earned her the Connecticut Entrepreneur Community Builder Award and the Black People Rock Community Leader Award. A graduate of Sacred Heart University, Shaenna continues to inspire others through education, mentorship, advocacy, and community storytelling.

During the conversation, Shaenna discusses the March 2025 Bridgeport Police murder of her friend Dyshan Best, shares memories and stories of Dyshan, and speaks about the unjust incarceration of Joe Grits.

To connect with #100GirlsLeading:
https://www.100girlsleadinginc.org/

To connect with Bridgeport Stronger Together:
On Facebook
On Instagram

Letters of Solidarity can be sent to Joe Grits by writing to:

Joseph Thompson
#322513
Bridgeport Correctional Center
1106 North Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604

Commissary Funds can be sent via JPay to Joseph Thompson / #322513,
or via depositing cash at the kiosk inside Bridgeport Correctional Center.

On the Tuesday June 9, 2026 episode of Mic Check, host Mike Merli sits down with Joe Grits, Bridgeport-based community activist and musician. Joe takes time to remember his friend Dyshan Best, who was shot and killed by Bridgeport Police on March 31, 2025. Joe also speaks about his ongoing legal battle, stemming from his grief and pain being criminalized by the state in the aftermath of Dyshan's murder.

Sandra Levinson, executive director of the Center For Cuban Studies (www.centerorcubanstudies.org), reports on her recent trip to Cuba, focusing on the island nation's struggle survival under the yoke of the Trump regime's total oil embargo.
Interview by Richard Hill

On the February 10, 2026 episode of Mic Check, host Mike Merli sat down with James Jeter, Co-Founder and Director of Full Citizens Coalition, a non-profit organization here in Connecticut. James was incarcerated at the age of 17 and served 19.5 years in prison before being released in 2016. James is dedicated to the cause of prison education and has sought opportunities to apply his own experience to benefit those still incarcerated or returning home.

James and Full Citizens Coalition are part of the Coalition for Community Healing Through Justice Reform, which has been working hard to pass an important piece of Juvenile Justice legislation at the state capitol in Hartford during this legislative session.

An important press conference on this bill will be taking place tomorrow, Wednesday February 11 at 10am in Room 1-C at the Legislative Office Building, or LOB, located at 300 Capitol Avenue in Hartford.

For more on Full Citizens Coalition:
https://www.fullcitizenscoalition.org/
voteunlocked@fullcitizenscoalition.org

To connect with the campaign behind the new Juvenile Sentencing Reform legislation being proposed at the state legislature:
coalitionforhealingandjustice@gmail.com

Stephen Zunes, a foreign policy scholar and professor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco, analyzes and contextualizes the Jan. 3 US military strike on Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Adela Flores.
Interview by Richard Hill

In this episode of Mic Check, host Tyler Nelson speaks with Terri Eickel, Executive Director of the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (IREJN), Connecticut’s only faith-based environmental non-profit organization. Committed to justice and grounded in hope, IREJN seeks to inspire and equip Connecticut’s religious communities and their spiritual allies to protect our planet through education, engagement, and advocacy.

Topics covered in their conversation include:

• IREJN's origin story and how Terri came into this work
• the meaning and opportunity of interreligious coalition building
• distinctions between eco-justice (a.k.a. environmental justice) and environmentalism
• barriers to participation preventing vulnerable CT residents from home weatherization
• Residential Energy Preparation Services (REPS) – its success and the need to replenish funding
• the value of rapid solar deployment and turning houses of worship into climate resiliency centers

Find more information about Interreligious Eco-Justice Network at irejn.org or by contacting Terri at terri@irejn.org.

Resources mentioned by Terri include:

• IREJN Energy Efficiency Small Grant Program
• Residential Energy Preparation Services (REPS)
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• EnergizeCT

On the November 18, 2025 episode of Mic Check, host Mike Merli sat down with Debbie Gray, founder of Women Aligned With Abundance (WAWA), a Waterbury-based non-profit focused on women's empowerment.

Debbie spoke about her personal journey, and the motivation and inspiration behind her founding WAWA, and engaging in the women's empowerment work she's doing.

WAWA meets every fourth Wednesday at the North End Recreation Center at 268 North Main Street in Waterbury, Connecticut.

For more information, Debbie and WAWA can be reached at 203-514-2144, via email at wawainc24@gmail.com, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/467279502566892.

WAWA's website is https://wawainc.mailchimpsites.com/.

On the September 21, 2025 episode of Mic Check, host Mike Merli sat down with Derrell Soulds. Derrell was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to a single mother, and has two siblings. He has served over twenty years in and out of prison here in Connecticut, and is currently home and on a positive path. Derrell’s prized possessions are his family members. He has worked hard to earn certifications that include ServeSafe, OSHA 30, Flagging, and a Human Services Certificate via Asnuntuck Community College, with employment tenures at Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Global Steering Company, and as a Support Specialist for Entry Point Staffing. Derrell’s mantra is: “Through God, all things are possible.” During this program, Derrell speaks out about the impacts that systemic racism and the injustices within the prison system have had on him, while also shining a light on his journey, his childhood, the immense and profound love he has for his family, and his hopes and dreams for the future.

Derrell welcomes correspondence and support via email at dsoulds731@gmail.com and via CashApp at $DerrellSoulds.