Hi, I'm Ray Christian, the host of What Ray's Saying. A new podcast is coming soon. What Ray

saying is a social and cultural commentary program that progresses from me having conversations

with you about contemporary black American social issues that is informative, interesting, and

entertaining.

Where I'll use historic connections and personal narratives to talk with you and explain how history is deeper than a series of dates and themes,

doing so by making personal connections with the past

and the lived experiences of my life and the lives of others today.

The idea for the podcast is drawn from my experiences teaching a course called

The Souls of Black Folks at Appalach State University in North Carolina

and the dozens of impromptu conversations I've had about black people over the span of my life

and my 55 years of being one. My overall perspective and opinions on black American issues are drawn from the experiences of growing up in an urban ghetto in the South,

known as Churchill, during the 1960s and 70s with the illiterate parents to run away from home to join the army at 17, serving in combat, becoming a paratrooper,

a drill instructor, and then retiring from what was to be my stepping stone out of the ghetto

that turned into my island of adventure, injury, and PTSD, followed by dreams of higher education, failures, and successes that ended

with graduate degrees in history, public history, and education, and more than 12 years as an

adjunct professor of history and general education.

Lastly, I'm influenced by my experiences, experiences I've had

telling stories and winning multiple story slams and recognition with the moth, being on

their main stage, RIS, the Monty, First Person Arts, the Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers, and many others.

All these things help make the ingredients for a podcast with a perspective you're just not

hearing anyplace else.

But to be successful, to give you what you need, to invigorate your mind, I need your

...