Black Thought: The Spark

Black Thought: The Spark

Black Thought: The Spark is a thought-provoking show on WOVU 95.9 FM, hosted by Pastor Benjamin Gohlstin (affectionately known as "Rabbi"). Through conversations and ideas that drive progress and change in the urban community, the show ignites meaningful discussions that challenge perspectives and inspire growth. Tune in for insightful dialogue that sparks new ways of thinking.

Episodes

Redefining Black Empowerment

October 22, 2025 • 58 mins
This episode of Black Thought on W.O.V.U. 95.9 FM opens with condolences and community announcements before shifting to themes of Black self-empowerment, freedom, and economic self-sufficiency. The hosts critique reliance on white validation, highlight historical struggles from Dred Scott to civil rights, and call for redefining empowerment through a Black perspective. They discuss the African roots of Christian theology, the loss ...
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A Conversation on Overcoming Slavery’s Legacy

August 4, 2025 • 49 mins
The Rabbi and Black Unicorn discuss the lasting impact of slavery on the Black community, including mental blocks and fractured families, while emphasizing healing, empowerment, and strong family bonds. They critique regressive movements and explore evolving views on relationships and marriage, ending with a call for self-determination and growth.
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Reconciliation and Empowerment in Black Relationships

August 4, 2025 • 49 mins
In a powerful episode of Black Thought, the Rabbi and Trey explore the deep-rooted divisions between Black men and women, linking them to the lasting effects of slavery and systemic manipulation. Drawing on influential works, they discuss issues like economic disparity, willful irresponsibility, and legal manipulation, ultimately calling for reconciliation, spiritual renewal, and empowerment to heal relationships and restore commun...
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Language, Division, and Empowerment in the Black Community

August 4, 2025 • 52 mins
RaBBI and Uni discuss how language and divisions rooted in oppression, like the Willie Lynch Doctrine, keep the Black community separated. They explore gender roles, barriers to unity, and the need for mental, spiritual, and economic freedom, stressing true democracy and financial literacy as keys to empowerment.





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Black Fragility and the Fight for Empowerment

August 4, 2025 • 53 mins
The Rabbi and DJ Kristyles explore the mindset of young Black men, the impact of small choices, and the harmful influence of commercialized rap. They discuss systemic control, economic disparity, and the need for Black ownership, responsibility, and community empowerment.
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Awakening the African Mind

August 4, 2025 • 52 mins
In Black Thought: Everything Must Change, hosts Rabbi and Uni examine the impact of historical trauma on Black identity, challenging the idea that Black Americans lack culture. They discuss the legacy of slavery, suppressed knowledge, and the need for a mass awakening. Citing key books, they stress reclaiming heritage, economic empowerment, healthier living, and the promotion of self-reliance and cultural pride.
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Reclaiming Power, History, and Community

August 4, 2025 • 51 mins
In Black Thought: Everything Must Change, hosts Rabbi, and Uni call on the community to support Garden Valley families impacted by a recent explosion by donating clothes and household items at WOVU. The episode explores the need to decolonize the African mind, challenge historical manipulation, and reject white supremacist beliefs. The hosts critique token gestures like the National Baptist Convention’s offering from Target, urging...
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Unity, Awareness, and Action: Building Power in the Black Community

July 10, 2025 • 50 mins
The hosts of Black Thought on WOVU 95.9 FM—Rabbi, Uni, and intern Nathaniel—discuss unity, historical awareness, and empowerment in the Black community. They highlight the need for informed action, shared resources, and collaboration despite differences. Topics include the impact of historical trauma, Western value systems, incarceration vs. education, and modern-day exploitation. The episode calls for sustainable living, youth emp...
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Reclaiming Truth & Supporting Garden Valley

July 10, 2025 • 51 mins
Rabbi and DJ Black Unicorn of WOVU 95.9 FM urge the community to support Garden Valley families affected by a recent explosion by donating household items and clothing to 7201 Kinsman Road. They emphasize compassion, the unpredictability of hardship, and the importance of helping others. The conversation explores the erasure of Black history, calling for a decolonized, Afrocentric perspective. They discuss self-knowledge, redefinin...
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Justice and the People: A Conversation with Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat Fischer

June 11, 2025 • 51 mins
In this episode of Black Thought: The Spark, Pastor Gohlstin sit down with Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat Fischer for an insightful conversation about the judicial system and its role in people’s everyday lives. Justice Fischer discusses how the courts can better serve the public, what he’s learned from the bench, and the one case that left a lasting impact on him.
From access to justice to public trust in the courts, this episode o...
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Across the Diaspora: A Conversation with Heather Flynn

June 11, 2025 • 50 mins
In this episode of Black Thought: The Spark, Pastor Gohlstin and DJ Black Unicorn sit down with Heather Flynn, former Senior Professional Staff Member for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Flynn shares stories from her time advising on Africa and global health policy, offering a behind-the-scenes look at U.S. foreign policy, international development, and her travels across the African continent. They discuss how African...
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Know Thyself, Part II: The Journey Back to You

June 11, 2025 • 54 mins
In this follow-up to their exploration of Dr. Na’im Akbar’s Know Thyself, Pastor Gohlstin and DJ Black Unicorn continue the journey of rediscovery — digging deeper into what it means to truly know who you are. This episode explores the layers of identity that have been buried or distorted through colonization, slavery, and systemic erasure — and how relearning your spiritual, cultural, and personal self is a radical act of liberati...
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Groundwork: Restoring Black Land Ownership

May 19, 2025 • 50 mins
Pastor Gohlstin sits down with his fraternity brother Duane Johnson — a former banker and mortgage professional — to explore why Black Americans own less land today than in 1910. They discuss the lasting impact of the Great Migration, redlining, the Great Depression, and the Great Recession, and offer insight on how the community can begin to reverse these trends. A powerful conversation on legacy, loss, and the path forward.
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Connection is Power: Joshua Edmonds on Bridging the Divide

April 26, 2025 • 50 mins
In this episode of Black Thought: The Spark, Pastor Gohlstin and DJ Black Unicorn sit down with Joshua Edmonds, CEO of DigitalC, to talk about why internet access is about much more than convenience — it’s about power, freedom, and survival. Edmonds shares his mission to close the digital divide in Cleveland, connecting thousands of families who have been left behind by traditional internet providers. Together, they break down how ...
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Fractured Masses: Rebuilding Through Core Values

April 26, 2025 • 51 mins
In this critical episode of Black Thought: The Spark, Pastor Gohlstin and DJ Black Unicorn address the painful reality of the Black community existing in fractured masses — divided by ideologies, geography, class, and mistrust. They dive deep into how this fragmentation weakens our collective power and how the road to true restoration begins with returning to, redeveloping, and agreeing on a set of core values.

This conversation cha...
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Exiled: The War on Black Humanity

April 26, 2025 • 52 mins
In this episode of Black Thought: The Spark, Pastor Gohlstin and DJ Black Unicorn explore the deep wounds left by the forced exile of Black Americans from their original land, culture, and identity. They unpack how, through the brutal process of slavery, there was an intentional effort to animalize those who were kidnapped — stripping them of their humanity to justify their oppression.

This conversation exposes the psychological war...
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Breaking the Curse of Willie Lynch

April 15, 2025 • 46 mins
In this powerful episode of Black Thought: The Spark, Pastor Gohlstin and DJ Black Unicorn confront the lingering impact of the infamous Willie Lynch letter — a blueprint designed to divide, control, and destroy unity within the Black community. They unpack how the psychological chains of division, distrust, and self-hate still show up today, generations later. Most importantly, they discuss what it looks like to break that curse —...
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Know Thyself: Unlocking the Power Within

April 2, 2025 • 57 mins
On this episode of Black Thought: The Spark, we dive into Dr. Na'im Akbar's transformative book Know Thyself and explore what it truly means to understand the spiritual, physical, personal, and social self. Pastor Gohlstin and DJ Black Unicorn break down how self-knowledge is the key to empowerment, healing, and reclaiming our collective identity. From ancient wisdom to modern struggles, this conversation sheds light on how deeper ...
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Breaking the Chains: Restoring Black Independence

April 2, 2025 • 56 mins
In this powerful episode of Black Thought: The Spark, Pastor Gohlstin and DJ Black Unicorn dive deep into the systemic dehumanization of Black people and how it traces back to the dynamics of the slave maker and the slave master. They explore how institutions have worked to strip Black communities of independence-economically, politically, and culturally-and discuss what it takes to reclaim true self-sufficiency. From economic empo...
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