Is food central or trivial to the formation of identity?   In our final episode of the season, hosts Jason and Yvonne Lee welcome Yvonne’s sister, Chef B.B. Huff to the show. Chef Huff left the corporate world to begin her own company, The Salted Parlor, which is a boutique catering firm specializing in storytelling through food. In this episode, these three bring food into the story of our lives. They ask questions like how do we use ingredients and dishes to tell a story? How does art and the story of food connect us to the past? What is food’s role in preserving culture?   This sp ..read more

How do we personally take action to shift the narrative?   With an energetic calm that is both inspiring and soothing, playwright/actor/producer Nambi E. Kelley (Native Son, Re-Memori, Jabari Dreams of Freedom) joins hosts Jason and Yvonne Lee for a discussion about how we take action to shift the narrative from one that is exclusive and often incorrect, to one that is authentic to ourselves and our stories.   Knowing that small change can make a tidal wave of change, these three discuss their personal journeys as examples of how they have individually taken action to change the narr ..read more

Why is film such an important medium for creating access? How can we use empathy to expand vision? Hosts Jason and Yvonne Lee share a moment with Spirit Award nominated producer (Songs My Brothers Taught Me), Angela C. Lee who also is the Associtate Director of Artist Development at Film Independent. By examining the ecosystem of filmmaking and producing, these three discuss the larger notion that access to “Hollywood” doesn’t come just because we deserve it. They explore how we can find (or even create) traction within a film system by showing myopic gatekeepers the capability of success from ..read more

Can we move away from caste to create a more equitable society? How do we understand racism by looking at caste and class?    Pull up a seat and join us for a special roundtable episode with the Lagralane Team.    Using the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson as a source of exploration, we help define what caste is, and discuss how race has become the basis of our caste system in the United States. We also talk about how caste affects each of us personally – and what we can do to bring about meaningful change.    Through the lens of our ..read more

We return to explore the theme of passing – and the duality of preserving one’s identity while being forced to navigate the world in certain ways.  Joining us for this episode are producer and philanthropist Brenda Robinson and CEO and civil rights attorney Chaz Ebert. As Executive Producers on the film Passing (2021), Brenda and Chaz have so much to share on their respective roles, as well as the vital importance of the critically-acclaimed movie.  Together, we examine systems of oppression and share personal stories of what we gotta do – and what we’ve had to do – to survive and th ..read more

What does it mean to look at yourself through the eyes of the ‘other’? How do you maintain a sense of self in this process? How do you build social equity to match the room that you are in? Hosts Jason and Yvonne Lee examine the pathways to equity in this season two debut of Lagralane Spirits. With guests Monique Marshall (anti-bias/anti-racist educator) and DeMille Halliburton (champion of access and equity), they discuss the historical perspectives of ‘Passing’ which is the ability of a person to be regarded as a member of an identity group that is different than their own. This meaningful c ..read more

In this final episode of the first season, Jason and Yvonne spend valuable time with Oscar-nominated, “brother” Kemp Powers -- journalist, screenwriter, playwright, journalist and now, director. This grounded, yet uplifting conversation circles around this notion: to maintain truth and integrity in storytelling, we must bring ourselves into the story and we do so by holding steadfast to emotional honesty and by creating empathy. This way, we create a great story, and a great story brings us together. This week: Jason asks, “How do we honor identity without exploiting it for the sake of a ‘goo ..read more

In this episode, Jason and Yvonne sit down with Jacqueline Olive, a friend and a filmmaker. All three met through her documentary, “Always in Season” at the Sundance Film Festival. Here, they sit down and examine the meaning behind the question, “Who’s telling the story, and does that add or take away from the story?” Through the lens of storytellers and their own experiences as People of Color living in America, they respond.  This week: Jason asks, “How do we author history? Jacqueline’s work is about filling in the gaps of narrative in history? Jackie’s documentary, “Always in Season ..read more

In this episode of Lagralane Spirits, Jason and Yvonne sit down with critically acclaimed actress and documentary filmmaker, Erika Alexander. The three discuss taking control of our storytelling destiny, being the narrators of our own history, and the meaning of true power and agency in the filmmaking industry and beyond.  This week:  Enjoy a Boukman Daiquiri and share this recipe’s origins  Erika is the creator of Color Farm Media Erika talks about the difficulties of being a darker skinned woman in the acting industry. She was often only casted as a sex worker, a slave, and m ..read more

In this 3-part series to Episode 3, we deep dive into three very different adoption stories to explore the topic of biological identity and origin. In Part 3, Jason and Yvonne sit down with Lisa Cole, a writer, mother, filmmaker, and global nomad. Lisa discusses how her writing about strong and disenfranchised women has been her way to find herself and shed light on the people who need it. Lisa also tells Jason and Yvonne about her fertility journey and her relationships with her transracially adopted children.  This week: Yvonne asks Lisa, “What has been your search for identity?” Lisa ..read more