A Free lance writer and photographer, David S. Perata spent much of his boyhood at rail yards an on passenger trains in San Francisco Bay area. During the 1980"s he worked as a porter on Amtrak's long-distance trains,where he met many bof the workers whose reminiscences inspired this oral history. 

Mark McCormick, Executive Director The Kansas African American Museum

New York Times best-selling author with 20 years of journalism experience as a reporter, editor and columnist. He serves as a trustee at The University of Kansas School of journalism and has been a Professional in Residence at the University of Oklahoma.  His work is featured in the beat reporting chapter of the Journalism textbook, ''Writing and Reporting News, A Coaching Method."

Mark is also featured in 'Roots and Branches: Preserving the Legacy of Gordon Parks' a documentary about WSU's quest to acquire the collected works of the trail blazing photographer, writer, filmmaker and native Kansan.

In 2015, he co-authored ''African Americans of Wichita '' with Arcadia publishing and was voted onto the Association of African American Museums' board of directors as communications committee chair.

Mr. McCormick has been a member of the Alpha Nu Boule chapter of Sigma Pi Phi since 2004.

William D. McColl, Esq., the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy for AIDS United, has been an advocate on behalf of the HIV/AIDS community, alcohol and other drug treatment and reform issues and criminal justice reform for more than 20 years. He works on implementation of health care reform, strengthening Medicaid, Medicare and the Ryan White CARE Act, implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, syringe service program issues and ending HIV-specific prosecutions, increased punishment, and government-sponsored discrimination against people with HIV.

Prior to joining AIDS United, McColl worked to shape national policies on syringe exchange, treatment instead of incarceration and drug policy reform as the national affairs director at Drug Policy Alliance. As director of government relations and later executive director of NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals, he worked on alcohol and substance abuse parity legislation and state level licensing issues. Earlier, McColl served in the U.S. Air Force as a Deputy Missile Combat Crew Member advancing to the rank of Captain in the U.S.A.F. Reserve. A native of Michigan, Bill earned his law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law where he wrote the first major law review article on drug courts. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in International Relations from Troy State University.

AIDS United’s mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in the United States.

Lidia Caton was born in Trinidad and Tobago and later moved to the United States where she joined the U.S. Navy.  She became a U.S. citizen when she was on active duty.  She joined the Navy in 1979 and initially left active duty in 1981.  She then served a few years in the Navy reserves, and in 1988 she returned to active duty.  Between 1988 and 2006, she served on a number of ships, including the USS McKee (AS-41), the USS Dixon (AS-37), the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), and the USS George Washington (CV-73).  During her Navy career, she traveled the world on multiple deployments, with stops in many countries.  She retired from the Navy in 2006 as a Petty Officer First Class, SW/AW Mess Specialist/Culinary Specialist.  Since her retirement from the Navy, she has worked for Home Depot, Florida Youth Academy, General Dynamics and most recently for Veteran Choice. She also does volunteer work with the Veterans Court in Hillsborough County, Florida.   She earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Everest University.  She is our guest on The Veterans News Hour to discuss several topics, including serving in the US Navy, the VA’s Veterans Choice program, and veterans’ treatment courts.

KATHERINE TERRIEN

Katherine Terrien is a Seattle, Washington, born and raised, singer/songwriter. From a young age she would be found singing at the top of her lungs to family members, but has since taken her boisterous personality to the stages and streets of L.A.. At age twenty-five, she plays around at local venues and hopes to bring her mellow, soulful music to the people of this world wherever that may lead. Keep up to date with her on her Instagram for upcoming shows and events and on Youtube for new videos!

GAIL MICHAEL

Gail Michael is a writer, poet, sculptor and a deep thinker. For the past 4 decades, she has been on an eternal search to understand the meaning of her life and to heal her deep childhood wounds. She finally realized that every being and situation that comes before us has a message and this is where the healing begins.

Her career in corporate America spanned 20 years when she realized she had to resign and follow a dream to the Island of Capri to write a novel. So she did. Once on this enchanting island in the Mediterranean and alone with her thoughts, old memories, fears and anxiety bubbled up. She had to address them to forgive her innocence and release them. Only then was she able to step off the island and travel throughout Italy and Greece. Her internal growth and clarity and this picturesque backdrop created the character Roxanna and the story in her latest book, Unveiling Rosanna. Roxanna’s story is loosely based on Gail’s experiences and adventures.

From 1983 to 2003, Gail’s poetry was published by the International Library of Poetry, Noble House and the Amherst Society. In 2002, her first nonfiction book was published, I Am a Thousand Winds That Blow, the Healing Power of a Remarkable Death, the story of her mother’s battle with cancer.  In 2005, she was invited to co-author in the Giving Gratitude Series, Wake Up – Live the Life You Love with Deepak Chopra, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Greg Scott Reid and others.

The Passions of Roxanna was released in 2008 after Gail’s time in Italy but she eventually pulled it from her publisher to rewrite it and change the story from the place where she is today. “We can only write from what we know,” she says. “I could never have written this revised story before because I had not healed all those parts of me that needed attention.”

Her desire has always been to inspire and entertain others with her books, articles, poetry and sculptures.  Her life experiences have taught her loving kindness, compassion and empathy for others and finally herself. She is now enough.

No matter where she is in her day, Gail continues to pinch herself and asks, “How does it get any better than this?”

Pax of Wildly Women by VC Bestor

Predators balance Mother Nature. So Farraga takes time off from menopause to run a charity - Fanged Wilds and Women Program - to inspire others around the world to protect the most dangerous animals in natural habitats.



Very few ladies end up being eaten.



They are, however, targeted by extremists to whom one word is an unspeakable obscenity: Eco-feminism. Many can't even pronounce the word. What can the ladies possibly do to defend themselves?



Besides patrolling holistically herded livestock at the margins of wilderness, the micro-finance recipients also market apparel that - theoretically - repels animal attacks. For instance, F.W.W.P. uniforms are garish, since bright colors can indicate toxic unpalatability. Celebrities espouse the style as a trendy statement.



Fashion models, snobs and the hoi-polloi head toward climate collapse. F.W.W.P. anti-poaching squads stand up to opponents - even environmentalists, and fanatics of every stripe - and ultimately Save the World.

Fanged Wilds and Women Program is a 501c3 Tax-Exempt Non-Profit Organization.

I am Mike Partain, a co-founder and public spokesman for an organization called "The Few, The Proud, the Forgotten."  From 1953 until 1987, the base water supply for Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was highly contaminated with industrial chemicals. For the past decade I have served as a community representative to the estimated one million Sailors, Marines and their families potentially affected by the Camp Lejeune contamination. I have testified twice in Congress and I am recognized as an expert on those issues.  I was invited as a special guest to the White House in 2012, for the signing of the Janey Ensminger Act into law. Much of our fight for justice was chronicled in the award winning documentary "Semper Fi: Always Faithful."