Send us Fan Mail

Host: Amir Whitaker (@Drknucklehead_esq) and Diana Barbadillo (@deeeeezzyyy)

Guest: Cayden Brown (@thecaydenbrown)

At just 19, Cayden Brown is already reshaping how the world talks about children's rights. In this powerful episode of the Know Your Rights Camp podcast, the youth advocate, author, and executive director of the Trespass Project opens up about being silenced in family court as a six-year-old during his parents' divorce; an experience that inspired his Amazon #1 bestselling children's book, The Kid in a Courtroom. Cayden breaks down how teen court offers a peer-driven alternative to the juvenile justice system, boasting a 90% success rate in preventing recidivism, and why it should be adopted nationwide for first-time, low-level offenses. He also shares his experience as the youngest youth panelist at a United Nations event on global peace and security, and explains why legal literacy and honest conversations with kids are essential tools for healing. A must-watch for parents, educators, and youth advocates alike.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Host: Amir Whitaker (@Drknucklehead_esq) and Diana Barbadillo (@deeeeezzyyy)

Guest: Adam Rose (@adamrose on Bluesky, @adjoro elsewhere)

Lexis Olivier-Ray (@shoton35mm)

YouTube

Description:

Investigative journalist Lexis-Olivier Ray of LA Taco and Adam Rose of the Freedom of the Press Foundation join us to break down what's really happening to press freedom in the United States today.

From covering the George Floyd protests and Dodgers championship celebrations to anti-ICE demonstrations and homeless encampment sweeps, Ray shares firsthand accounts of being targeted, beaten, and arrested by police while doing his job. Rose connects these stories to a troubling national pattern: dozens of documented attacks on journalists, new state protections like California's Senate Bill 98, and a U.S. ranking that has fallen into the 60s on the World Press Freedom Index.

We dig into the First Amendment's press clause, why "the press" includes independent and citizen journalists and not just legacy outlets, the growing militarization of police at protests, and the corporate consolidation, including the Paramount, CBS, and Warner mergers, that's reshaping who controls the news Americans see.

This conversation is a reminder that press freedom isn't just a professional privilege; it's a right that belongs to everyone, from credentialed reporters to citizen documentarians like Darnella Frazier. We also talk about why independent local outlets like LA Taco matter more than ever, and how everyday people can stay informed without burning out.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Dyana R. Williams, pioneering journalist, broadcaster, and the "mother of Black Music Month," joins host Amir Whitaker to uncover the powerful origins of Black Music Month, from Kenny Gamble's Black Music Association to President Jimmy Carter's historic 1979 White House recognition. They explore how enslaved Africans used spirituals and coded songs as resistance, expose systemic exploitation in the music industry, and trace Black music's DNA across global genres. From Marvin Gaye to Nas, this conversation is essential listening for anyone who loves music and truth.

Support the show