Episode Description
Award-winning actor, playwright, and activist Daniel Koa Beaty takes center stage in this gripping episode that explores his extraordinary journey from a child of an incarcerated parent to a renowned figure in American theater and television. Through powerful performances and candid interviews, Beaty reflects on his critically acclaimed plays and TV work, his advocacy for social justice, and the personal and communal healing achieved through his movement, I Dream. With his latest documentary Behind the Glass, Beaty sheds light on the harsh realities of mass incarceration’s impact on families, offering a raw, empathetic look into a crisis that mirrors his own childhood experiences.
Guest Biography
An award-winning actor, singer, and writer, Daniel Koa Beaty’s critically acclaimed plays Through the Night, Emergency, Mr. Joy, Breath & Imagination, and The Tallest Tree in the Forest – Paul Robeson, have been performed at venues ranging from the Public Theater and Lincoln Center to the White House and maximum-security prisons. He has garnered numerous awards including an Obie award for writing and performance, five NAACP Theater Awards, and five AUDELCO Awards for Excellence in Black Theater. For television, Beaty has written for network and premium cableincluding The Good Fight, Your Honor, Law & Order, & Supergirl. A graduate of Yale University (BA) & American Conservatory Theatre (MFA), Beaty has developed original scripted television shows with Imagine/Fox, Fox/Showtime, UCP/USA, CBS & WB Studios. In 2010, Beaty began I Dream, a movement of artists, activists, and entrepreneurs committed to public good. I Dream’s core strategy is using the tools of the arts to help heal trauma and build coalitions to address urgent social justice issues. Beaty recently completed a documentary about the impact of mass incarceration on children and families called Behind the Glass. A child of an incarcerated parent himself, Daniel’s poem Knock Knock has become an Internet sensation receiving over 30 million views and has been made into a children’s book, also titled Knock Knock, published by Little Brown Books. Penguin-Random House published his memoir Transforming Pain to Power. Beaty second children’s book, Future Ancestor, releases in ’25, and his second memoir, Love Warrior, releases this summer. For more information, please visit insta/tiktok/youtube: @danielkoabeaty or www.DanielKoaBeaty.com.
Host – G. Keith Alexander
Born and raised in Chicago, G. Keith Alexander as a young boy had dreams of becoming a disc jockey and eventually became music director, afternoon jock, and leader of the launch team for his native city’s new station WGCI. His baritone delivery has also resounded over the airwaves of Disco 92 WKTU, 98.7 KISS-FM, former jazz station WRVR, Inner City Broadcasting’s WBLS in the Big Apple, Clear Channel’s Jammin’ 105, and Infinity’s New MIX 102.7.
G. Keith is also the host of “What’s Hot! HarlemAmerica with G. Keith Alexander”, the first podcast hosted on the HarlemAmerica Digital Network. He talks with a great variety of influential black voices in the entertainment industry like Gloria Gaynor, Keith David, Dionne Warwick, Darrin Henson, Phylicia Rashad, and more.
Episode Description
Award-winning actor, playwright, and activist Daniel Koa Beaty takes center stage in this gripping episode that explores his extraordinary journey from a child of an incarcerated parent to a renowned figure in American theater and television. Through powerful performances and candid interviews, Beaty reflects on his critically acclaimed plays and TV work, his advocacy for social justice, and the personal and communal healing achieved through his movement, I Dream. With his latest documentary Behind the Glass, Beaty sheds light on the harsh realities of mass incarceration’s impact on families, offering a raw, empathetic look into a crisis that mirrors his own childhood experiences.
Host – G. Keith Alexander
Born and raised in Chicago, G. Keith Alexander as a young boy had dreams of becoming a disc jockey and eventually became music director, afternoon jock, and leader of the launch team for his native city’s new station WGCI. His baritone delivery has also resounded over the airwaves of Disco 92 WKTU, 98.7 KISS-FM, former jazz station WRVR, Inner City Broadcasting’s WBLS in the Big Apple, Clear Channel’s Jammin’ 105, and Infinity’s New MIX 102.7.
G. Keith is also the host of “What’s Hot! HarlemAmerica with G. Keith Alexander”, the first podcast hosted on the HarlemAmerica Digital Network. He talks with a great variety of influential black voices in the entertainment industry like Gloria Gaynor, Keith David, Dionne Warwick, Darrin Henson, Phylicia Rashad, and more.
Guest Biography
An award-winning actor, singer, and writer, Daniel Koa Beaty’s critically acclaimed plays Through the Night, Emergency, Mr. Joy, Breath & Imagination, and The Tallest Tree in the Forest – Paul Robeson, have been performed at venues ranging from the Public Theater and Lincoln Center to the White House and maximum-security prisons. He has garnered numerous awards including an Obie award for writing and performance, five NAACP Theater Awards, and five AUDELCO Awards for Excellence in Black Theater. For television, Beaty has written for network and premium cableincluding The Good Fight, Your Honor, Law & Order, & Supergirl. A graduate of Yale University (BA) & American Conservatory Theatre (MFA), Beaty has developed original scripted television shows with Imagine/Fox, Fox/Showtime, UCP/USA, CBS & WB Studios. In 2010, Beaty began I Dream, a movement of artists, activists, and entrepreneurs committed to public good. I Dream’s core strategy is using the tools of the arts to help heal trauma and build coalitions to address urgent social justice issues. Beaty recently completed a documentary about the impact of mass incarceration on children and families called Behind the Glass. A child of an incarcerated parent himself, Daniel’s poem Knock Knock has become an Internet sensation receiving over 30 million views and has been made into a children’s book, also titled Knock Knock, published by Little Brown Books. Penguin-Random House published his memoir Transforming Pain to Power. Beaty second children’s book, Future Ancestor, releases in ’25, and his second memoir, Love Warrior, releases this summer. For more information, please visit insta/tiktok/youtube: @danielkoabeaty or www.DanielKoaBeaty.com.
