Dr. John R. Torrey

John R. Torrey is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and a contributing professor in the Africana Studies unit at SUNY Buffalo State. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Spanish from Morehouse College and an MA and Ph. D in Philosophy from the University of Memphis. As a public philosopher, his primary research interest is the interconnection between moral arguments for reparations for Black people and their political limits in America. He has also done work in applied ethics, philosophy of education, and pre-college philosophy. In addition to publications on reparations, he has published on the theoretical underpinnings of Black Lives Matter, on doing precollege philosophy, and was featured on the UnMute Podcast in 2020. He also has developed precollege philosophy programs since 2010, including the July 2019 Buffalo State Lyceum and currently serves on the Academic Advisory Board of PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization). As part of his work in public philosophy, he was appointed in 2020 to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's Commission to Recommend Police Policy and Advance Social Reconstruction, was selected to the Board of Ethics for the City of Buffalo in 2022, and was appointed to the New York State 400 Years of African-American History Commission in 2022.

A proud son of St. Louis, MO, he has been a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan and will travel to see the Redbirds play. He's also a huge fan of the Memphis Grizzlies and will forever be a member of Bills Mafia.

Charles Foreman opens this month’s gathering as the featured Morning Musician, a project presented in partnership with SneakVibing. Listen in here.

Charles “Charlie Vocals” Foreman is a singer-songwriter from the East Side of Buffalo, NY. Studying different styles of music such as choral, classical, and jazz at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, he honed in on his craft as a vocalist and became known for his smooth and melodic voice. His experience includes: the 832 Productions 5 City ‘Summer 22’ Tour as lead vocalist; a solo performance at E.A.R. Quality Ent.’s artist showcase: "R&B Aint Dead"; and, winner of NJ Hip-Hop’s Best Kept Secret. With original singles like “All Night”, Charlie V’s experience as a singer-songwriter creates engaging atmospheres in any performance space. One of his latest singles “Same Energy” has gained him local traction and put him on the map across numerous RnB radio stations throughout NYS. He’s also recently released a new EP titled “Eleven08”. Charlie’s talent and professionalism allow for a constantly growing network of artist partnerships including Mia Riot, K.Rob, Spaceboy, and Labrina. Stay tuned for upcoming projects.