On Thursday at 7 p.m., a notification pings frequent viewers of a local Instagram Live show: “TONIGHT‼️ Tune in at 7:30pm sharp!” with information about that evening’s special guest on The Moment Of Truth. The live opens with the host thanking viewers for “tapping in” to another edition of the show.

The Moment of Truth launched in April. It was the brainchild of youth mentorship and entrepreneurship nonprofit Community Connoisseurs, which saw a need for positive content on social media during the pandemic.

“When the pandemic hit, everybody was on Instagram Live all day and all night,” says Charlie Gussom. The Ward 8 native is a Community Connoisseurs board member and an interviewer on The Moment of Truth. “A lot of the topics [people share] aren’t resourceful and about drinking and smoking, but we highlight positive work in our community.”

The Moment of Truth features guests like Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, Ballou Senior High’s head football coach Kenny Brown, nonprofit founders like WEFITDC’s Joe Houston, ManPower DC’s Jimmie Jenkins, and more. About 40% of featured guests are from Ward 8, says Gussom. About 45 viewers tune in live on average, and 350 more watch after the show is posted.

DonVeto Premier, founder of Community Connoisseurs and interviewer on The Moment of Truth. says that the show “seeks to give community leaders their flowers while they’re here because tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone. Sometimes the media only shows up when there’s tragedy. We want to spotlight those doing positive work in our community now.”

He says the show’s intro and outro music, “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, “came out 50 years ago, but is exactly what we are saying now from shootings to systemic racism, lack of resources, resorting to drug addiction to deal with mental illness, [and] broken families.”

The name The Moment of Truth is fitting, too: Speakers not only share successes, but also humble beginnings, personal and professional failings, and the struggles within their respective industries.

In July, Councilmember Trayon White shared his story. “It’s been a journey, a struggle, triumph, serenity, a lot of God’s grace, a lot of love, a lot of anxiety, a lot of death, homicide, [and] a lot of community work,” he opened the interview saying.

The councilmember was scheduled to appear on The Moment of Truth on July 9, but those plans were set back due to a community tragedy — White attended a balloon release after 11-year-old Davon McNeal was shot and killed at a neighborhood party in Anacostia on July 4.

The following week, White explained how he manages stress and trauma.

“I’ve buried 156 people in my 36 years … and so I can imagine the trauma people have seen over the years in this community,” he said, mentioning he attended another funeral earlier that day and the week prior, in a conversation that also touched on the support of his mentors, his own mentorship, and the importance of service.

He suggested therapy. “We have to dispel the myth that seeing a psychiatrist or therapist is only for white people… [There’s] healing in communication,” White said. “[If] we leave that thing bottled up inside of us and to ourselves it comes out in unproductive ways.”

Natural Taylor, 18, Ward 5 native and Harvard University freshman, interviewed White. Taylor is Community Connoisseurs’ youth ambassador and DonVeto Premier’s son. When Taylor watches the show each week, it “anchors” him to his community while he’s away at college, he says. “It makes me more motivated to come back and be a part of that community of influencers. I hear the stories of all these people and the work they’re doing, and I want to achieve that same effect. Their stories just reaffirm that I should be the best version of myself and mentor others,” he says.

The show has also helped introduce people to new mentors.

D.C.-area realtor Arial Pegues appeared on The Moment of Truth in May to talk about her professional journey and lend advice to viewers interested in working in the industry and purchasing property. Fourteen years ago, Pegues earned a real-estate agent license after becoming concerned with discrimination and poor property management at her residence. She entered the industry professionally, but says she didn’t have the mentorship needed as a new agent.

Prince George’s County resident Alexis Pannell, 24, had already been following Pegues on social media and waiting for the right moment to introduce herself when she tuned into the show.

“I emailed her two hours after the live. I was seeking employment and interested in real-estate, so I thought ‘Reach out,’ ” says Pannell.

Pegues scheduled an interview with Pannell for an assistant role with her company Arial Pegues Real Estate. Panell ended up beating out 20 other candidates and landing the position. When she tuned into The Moment of Truth, she hadn’t expected it would lead to a new job.

Those kinds of connections are what The Moment of Truth’s founders had hoped for when they launched the show.

“It gives the speakers a platform to serve and, in some respects, do community service because they’re telling their story, they’re giving advice on how to stay focused, on how to push through hard times,” says Gussom. “It can be very resourceful for people who may not have someone in their direct community or household [to advise them]. With The Moment of Truth, all you have to do is pick up your phone.”