Kourtney Toney, manager of Community Engagement and Programming for the Academy of Country Music is dedicated to increasing the representation of people of color across the country music industry. Kortney discusses the importance of providing access to vital resources and opportunities for talented individuals from all walks of life and shares how artists of color are creating their own spaces within country music, putting on their own showcases and supporting each other while Nashville truly lives up to its name as Music City where all our diverse voices are welcomed and heard.

Cornelius Brownlee is the Executive Director of Equity and Inclusion at Tennessee State University, and believes in the importance of sustaining Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Although he did not attend an HBCU, he explains how important they are in creating safe spaces to foster a sense of empowerment and opportunity for those who feel different. In this episode, Brownlee debunks some of the misconceptions of HBCUs, and explains how and why they play such an essential role both in the Black community and the institutional educational space as a whole.

Jeff McGruder is the Chief Relationship Officer for Citizens Savings Bank and Trust Company, the oldest continuously operating minority owned and operated bank in the U.S. He is a Nashville native, and believes in the importance of communities supporting local banks. In this episode, McGruder touches on the history of Citizens Bank and the broader widespread discrimination in banking, and goes on to emphasize how local banks need support and what action steps are necessary towards that end.