Welcome to the Voices in Justice pilot podcast mini-series for Biking While Black. We were thrilled to have intern and UCLA public affairs student, Talia Hamilton, recording, producing, and editing this pilot series.
Over the course of the next week, we will be releasing each episode. This series will also be available eventually on Spotify and Apple Podcasts in addition to here on Substack.
In this episode, Talia talks with Yannick Haynes, a Black man who was involved in an accident while biking during his sophomore year of college. This interview shows the personal effect of traffic violence and how it affects people of color.
About the Capstone Project
The Public Affairs Capstone at UCLA is a year-long experiential learning sequence that allows students to bridge academic coursework with real-world public service. To participate, students must complete prerequisite courses, attend professional development workshops, and demonstrate readiness for a sustained community engagement experience. Once enrolled in the capstone seminar series (Public Affairs 187A/B/C), students engage in reflective writing, peer dialogue, and applied research that connects their academic learning with their work in the field. The capstone culminates in a final project demonstrating the student’s ability to analyze, synthesize, and communicate insights from their internship and academic background.
Talia Hamilton’s capstone project, Voices in Justice, is a podcast created during her internship with Biking While Black, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit focused on mobility justice for BIPOC communities. The podcast features interviews with community members, advocates, and community leaders to explore how race, transportation, and public safety intersect in the lived experiences of Angelenos. Through storytelling and critical analysis, Voices in Justice highlights the barriers many residents face in navigating the city and calls attention to the need for equity-driven solutions. The project reflects the core mission of the capstone: to use public affairs education in service of community-centered change while developing professional and research-based communication skills.
About Talia Hamilton
Talia Hamilton is a senior at UCLA studying Public Affairs and Film & Television. Talia has worked on numerous projects involving social justice advocacy throughout her academic career first beginning in high school where she founded her schools first Black Student Union and worked with Healing Justice Santa Barbara as an intern. Post graduation, Talia plans to continue her work in advocacy and is excited to see where it takes her.
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