The Folding Chair with Osyrus Bolly

We can create a new strategic plan every year but if we don’t know how to translate it to the community we’re missing the opportunity to activate ecosystems for change. Our schools have a story worth telling and when we share our stories it builds trust with students, faculty, stakeholders and partners. We can’t afford to keep making quick decisions and dealing in secrecy if we want the community in the room so that we can make the right decisions. The silos must disappear and we have to build coalitions for an inter-generational approach. We have to stop looking at the youth as future actors but as present contributing leaders, when we have inclusive leadership aligned it doesn’t show just in theory, it shows in operations and decision making! What if today when we returned home after work we received news that our trusted medical facility, favorite communal gathering space, the restaurant most frequented, athletic facility, your local library, arts co-op, mental health support venue and theater were all closed how would that make us feel as adults? All of those resources I just mentioned are housed in the school for our youth, so when we close down a school we’re not just shutting down a place for academics we’re closing all the free vital support systems for young people! Tap in with me because like I always tell my siblings, many hands make light work! GO VOTE, early voting starts October 19, 2026!

This fall I’ll be launching my artist mentorship, development and open mic workshops series STRICTLY 4 MY SIBLINGZ 🫶🏾This is all about giving back to the artist community that embraced me when I was just cultivating my voice years ago.All artists who want to take it to another echelon especially those just starting their journey over the last few years should connect with me.#BigBroLuhYa ✊🏾🎉🎬

The Price of the Game: NIL, Power, and the Fight for College Sports JusticeFor decades, college athletics generated billions of dollars for universities, television networks, coaches, conferences, and corporate sponsors while the athletes whose labor fueled the machine were told that compensation beyond a scholarship would somehow corrupt the game.Now, in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, many of the same voices that once benefited from that system are raising concerns about chaos, instability, and the future of college sports but where was that concern when athletes had little power to negotiate, transfer freely, or profit from their own name, image, and likeness?In this episode, I'm unpacking the contradictions surrounding legendary football coach Nick Saban's evolving position on athlete compensation, examine the political and economic forces shaping the NIL era, and explore why the transfer portal has become one of the few mechanisms giving student athletes leverage in a system long built on their unpaid labor.We look at Cruz-Cantwell bill, "To protect the name, image, and likeness rights of, and provide protections for, student athletes and to promote fair competition among intercollegiate athletics, and for other purposes," asking a fundamental question: Does this legislation truly empower athletes, or does it preserve a status quo where institutions remain wealthy while the people creating the value continue fighting for a fair share?Through the lenses of race, economics, education, labor, and power, this conversation examines who profits, who sacrifices, and who gets to write the rules in one of America's most lucrative industries.Because when billions of dollars are on the table, the debate is no longer about amateurism.It is about ownership.It is about freedom.And it is about whether the young people generating the wealth will finally be allowed to participate in it.Peace Osyrus BollyThe Folding Chair podcast

What does it mean to see Black Arkansas, not just in textbooks, but in texture, rhythm, resistance, and everyday brilliance?In The BLACK Aesthetic, Osyrus Bolly takes listeners on a journey beneath the surface of history, uncovering the overlooked, the uncelebrated, and the quietly revolutionary stories that shape Black life across Arkansas. This is not a retelling of the familiar—it is a reclamation of the hidden architecture of culture: the artists, organizers, educators, musicians, and everyday people whose lives have defined a legacy too rich to remain in the margins.From the enduring courage of the Little Rock Nine to the economic and cultural force of the Mosaic Templars of America, from the echoes of grassroots resistance in Forrest City to the living traditions carried through neighborhoods, classrooms, and creative spaces—this podcast reveals how history is not something behind us, but something we are still shaping.This is more than a podcast.It is an archive. A classroom. A cultural offering.A reminder that:Black history in Arkansas is not rare—it is just rarely told this way.And through every story, illuminates a deeper truth, that the aesthetic is not just how we create…

Arkansas is being rapidly targeted by companies building AI and cloud data centers because of cheap land, lax regulations, and low utility costs. The state and local elected officials will scream that AI data centers bring in so many jobs and revenue to Arkansas but they won't tell you about:1. The extreme amount of water consumption needed for data centers for the cooling.2. Massive electricity demand that raises utility rates for working families, all of our utility rates will rise while the billion-dollar corporations running the centers will get discounts on their bills.3. Noise pollution that harms nearby residents, that makes our small communities unlivable or undesirable for residents.4. Environmental harm on rural and low-income communities5. They are dealing in corporate secrecy and little democratic oversight, none of their contracts have been made open to the public.6. Few permanent jobs relative to the harm they cause.7. Potential displacement due to land grabs and pressure on small towns. If you're interested in meeting with me to learn more drop a comment so that we can schedule a time.Tap in with me January 31, 2026 1:00pm for a community discussion about this data center campaign. Contact me at Osyrus Bolly - [email protected]

The episode of The Folding Chair podcast with Osyrus Bolly is dedicated to the month of September which is Suicide Prevention Month. I had the pleasure of interviewing a dynamic individual, Susie Reynolds Reece.Susie Reynolds Reece is a powerfully engaging storyteller, mental health activist, and communication strategist who blends her lived and living experiences with evidence-based insights. An avid writer, she explores the intersections of creative expression, autoethnographic storytelling, and best practices to pose new approaches to age-old issues. Her work reflects tragedy and resilience, drawing on real-life lessons to educate and encourage audiences to act.Known for her ability to navigate complex topics with clarity, compassion, and grace, Susie approaches every space authentically. She deftly weaves humor, curiosity, and vulnerability into every message to ensure it leaves its mark.Whether in her writing or on a stage, her stories stay with people long after they’re shared. Susie has led national training initiatives, advised federal organizations, and partnered with government agencies, nonprofits, and institutions to design impactful and effective communication-based strategies. Her work consistently improves outcomes and helps organizations translate values into practice. She has expertise in applied communication, organizational program and instructional curricula development, crisis and conflict management, and lived experience-driven leadership.As Director of Lived Experience Initiatives at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), Reece leads national and multi-organizational efforts to embed lived and living experience(s) into programs, policies, and professional pathways.As a trusted liaison and advocate for lived experience experts, Reece develops innovative practices that shape international guidance to center those with direct experience across disciplines.Learn more about her at susiereece.org

On this episode, I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Ellen Chiocca and Dr. Esaa Mohammad Sabti Samarah about ending corporal punishment in schools. The mission of Arkansans Against School Paddling is to achieve a statewide ban on the use of corporal punishment in Arkansas schools by educating school personnel, board members, and legislators, encouraging lawmakers to sponsor a legislative ban, and promoting alternative, evidence-based disciplinary strategies rooted in respect and positive relationships rather than fear and pain. They also advocate for the protection of all students, not just those with severe disabilities, from this outdated practiceDr. Esaa Mohammad SamarahDr. Esaa Mohammad Sabti Samarah is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Florida and an MSW from Florida State University. His doctoral work focuses on child welfare accountability, policy implementation, displacement, and the experiences of religious minorities within the foster care system. Before academia, Dr. Samarah worked as a Child Protective Investigator in Florida and served as a Research Coordinator in university labs. His work is informed by both field experience and empirical research. He has earned recognition for academic achievement, including a Medal of Honor from the University of Florida. Dr. Ellen M. Chiocca, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri. Dr. Chiocca completed her PhD in December 2018, and she has over two decades of experience as a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner, serving vulnerable children and families.Her teaching and research interests include pediatric primary care, family health, cultural and developmental aspects of child assessment, and serving populations that may face barriers to health and wellness. Dr. Chiocca is known for her commitment to mentoring, educational excellence, and for integrating clinical practice with scholarship in child health.

On this episode of The Folding Chair podcast this discussion explores how proposed and enacted federal budget cuts affect everyday Arkansans. The conversation with Camille Richoux highlights which groups are most vulnerable to funding reductions, how budget choices reflect political priorities, and what Arkansans can do to organize and advocate for a fair and equitable federal budget that invests in people and communities rather than leaving them behind.Camille Richoux is the Health Policy Director at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, where she leads the organization's work to improve health access and outcomes in the state. A native of Louisiana, Camille was raised in rural South Arkansas, where she developed a passion for health justice through her mother’s advocacy work for children in foster care. She is a doctoral candidate in public health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), where she obtained her Master of Public Health. She has published research in overdose prevention, harm reduction, and quality of life issues in LGBTQ+ youth. Camille serves on the board of the CAHR project, a grassroots organization working to prevent overdose and infectious disease transmission in Central Arkansas. 

“Storytelling Through the Arts: Banned Books & Beyond” featuring the innovative works of artist Loni Harshaw, a Little Rock native and art educator. Check out the upcoming events for this powerful exhibition:Artist Reception Friday, August 8, 2025 - 5:30 pmArtist Talk : Saturday, August 23, 2025 - 2 pm Media Specialist Panelist Discussion - Saturday, August 30, 2025  - 2 pm Loni Harshaw is the Visual Arts Chair at Little Rock Southwest Magnet High School in Little Rock, Arkansas and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Philander Smith University, where she has taught Art Fundamentals for the past 7 years. She earned her B.S. in Visual Arts Education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2009, her M.S.E in Educational Theory and Practice from Arkansas State University- Jonesboro in 2012, and her ESOL Certification 2023. Harshaw is a proud member of the Tau Rho Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and Lambda Nu chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, International Music Fraternity for Women. She has been teaching for 15 years.  Harshaw is very passionate about the arts and education. She has mostly taught ART I, II, and III, Drawing I & II, Applied Art, and Art Appreciation for the Little Rock School District. She has served as an Art Facilitator for the Timmons Arts Foundation, Say It Loud! Readers and Writers, and various churches around the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock. She has been a club sponsor and co-sponsor for several art and social justice clubs at each school she has worked. Harshaw has taught all levels of education and has taught around the world; in Boston, MA, Zanzibar, Tanzania, and Kampala, Uganda. Harshaw has helped build the Visual Arts Department at Southwest High by developing the mission and vision for the art programs, Senior Art Night, Community Art Nights, SEL Maker’s Space for Faculty and Staff, and visiting Middle Schools for recruitment. She has shown her dedication to the arts, on the district and state level, by leading professional developments, serving on the Artistry in the Rock Committee, and developing the first Middle School Portfolio Day.As an Art Educator, Harshaw has chosen Art Literacy, telling and creating stories through art, as her primary mission. Her first body of art, as an emerging artist, focuses on banned book authors and is entitled “The Banned Book Series”. In this 25 piece series, she highlights authors of various ages, genres, and genders. Her professional debut was at the “Conversations with Artist Frank Frazier” as a visiting artist in December 2024. Her artwork is currently a part of the “HerSTORY & Beyond” exhibit at the Spellman Museum of Forney History in Forney, TX and the “In Search of Myself” exhibit at the ArtsXchange in East Point, GA. She will be a guest on The Finesse Media Podcast in April, 2025, where she will discuss the importance of Art Literacy. Loni Harshaw’s most recent body of work is dedicated to musicians and the stories they tell. The purpose of this body of work is to spark a dialogue about each musical artist and the relevance of them being showcased together. She wants the viewers to search the musicians, listen to their music, and see how the generations have influenced the others. So often we forget about the foundation of different genres of music and how all of them are truly connected; this body of art is meant to ignite that forgotten curiosity about music, its origins, and its original story.

On this episode of The Folding Chair with Osyrus Bolly, Brotha Knowledge and myself explore the incredible potential for positive transformation and success that can emerge after incarceration with Maurice Burnette Ford.Maurice Burnette Ford is a speaker, author, and founder of 5 Times a Slave LLC, an organization dedicated to justice reform, storytelling, and community healing. He is the author of 5 Times a Slave: The Death and Resurrection of Maurice Burnette Ford and 5 Times a Slave: How Childhood Trauma Can Create a Career Criminal.Drawing from his lived experiences with incarceration, addiction, and redemption, Ford uses his voice to break generational cycles and inspire transformation. His work explores the deep impact of childhood trauma on adult behavior, while offering a message of hope, healing, and personal responsibility.Check out his books on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0FF3V8XZQ?ingress=0&visitId=92983629-b9d7-49b6-9f5a-30e986a0a954&ccs_id=91620cc8-3ac3-471c-8b02-f1c9e25698a5