Dying To Stay Here

In “Genocide in Slow Motion,” Dying to Stay Here host Chuck Cantrell and guest Kenyatta Yarn expose systemic racism in Black maternal health and infant mortality in Santa Clara County. Through the traumatic birth, NICU journey of her son, Kristopher, Kenyatta shows how disbelief, bias, and delayed care turn a healthy pregnancy into a preventable tragedy, and why empathy, accountability, and Black-led support are essential to saving...

This powerful episode of Dying to Stay Here, host Chuck Cantrell sits down with Ray Goins, who shares his extraordinary journey from childhood trauma and systemic injustice to lengthy incarceration and, ultimately, transformation. Ray exposes how zero-tolerance school policies and the school-to-prison pipeline set Black youth on a path toward prisons instead of opportunity. Through raw storytelling, he reveals the reality inside Ca...

This episode of the Dying to Stay Here Podcast with Jahmal Williams explores the enduring challenges and unrecognized resilience of Black residents in Silicon Valley. Jahmal describes the familiar ache of being the only Black face in many rooms, a consequence of historic exclusion from political and civic leadership. Representation, Jahmal argues, is not mere symbolism; it’s a foundation for community progress. When Black voices an...

Our housing crisis is about more than just an inadequate supply of housing, it also exposes enduring structures of exclusion and generational barriers to opportunity. Continued practices like exclusionary zoning, predatory lending, discrimination from financial institutions and the real estate industry undermine wealth-building and homeownership. In the most recent episode of "Dying to Stay Here," I sit down with Cupid Alexander, d...

In this compelling episode, host Chuck Cantrell sits down with Regina Celestin Williams, executive director of SV@Home, to unravel the realities behind Silicon Valley’s housing crisis. Together, they challenge the idea that the crisis affects everyone equally, exposing how the region’s abundance benefits some while leaving others—especially Black residents—struggling to remain.

Regina shares her personal journey growin...

In the powerful first episode of the Dying to Stay Here podcast, inspired by Chuck Cantrell’s acclaimed mini-documentary, Keanna Ward reclaims the narrative of what it means to be unhoused and Black in Silicon Valley. Through her unfiltered perspective, Ward shares a deeply personal and eye-opening account of surviving on the streets, the systemic barriers she faced, and her journey back to stable housing.

Ward’s story is not just ...