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  • Black. Single. Mother. with Jamilah Lemieux

    Black. Single. Mother. with Jamilah Lemieux
    2026/05/12
    Jamilah Lemieux is a writer, cultural critic, and — officially, loudly, and necessarily — a published author. Her debut book, Black. Single. Mother.: Real Life Tales of Longing and Belonging, dropped in March 2026, and it is already doing exactly what the best books do: making people uncomfortable in the most clarifying ways.

    In this conversation, Jamilah and I go deep. We talk about what Aunt Toni Morrison taught us about writing the books we need—and what it means to actually do it. We trace the wreckage of the 1965 Moynihan Report, the myth of the absentee Black father, and the way respectability politics decides which single Black mothers this culture chooses to celebrate and which ones it chooses to punish. We talk about Nia Long, Taraji P. Henson, and Cardi B. We talk about the African ancestral village and why every-other-weekend is not enough. And we talk about what it costs all of us—not just women—when we fail to love one another fully.

    This is one of those episodes you share. With the single mothers in your life. With the men who need to hear it. With anyone who's ever made an assumption about what a Black family is supposed to look like

    The class is in session.

    SHOW NOTES

    Resources & References
    • Black. Single. Mother. by Jamilah Lemieux — [BOOK LINK PLACEHOLDER]
    • Jamilah Lemieux on Instagram: @jamilahlemieux
    • Jamilah's conversation with Nia Long — https://www.playboy.com/read/entertainment-culture/the-playboy-interview-nia-long?srsltid=AfmBOoocTvvAgpTBuKE2yVFLct-1QDEHfeQspaIQBISiJT7GC0s81gaP
    • "Freaks and the American Ideal of Manhood" by James Baldwin — originally published in Playboy, 1985; submitted to Walter Lowe Jr., the magazine's first Black editor. Essay also published as "Here Be Dragons" in The Price of the Ticket (1985).
    The Negro Family: The Case for National Action (The Moynihan Report, 1965) — U.S. Department of Labor

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    25 分
  • UNtrending Rundown- Wins & Warnings

    UNtrending Rundown- Wins & Warnings
    2026/05/05
    The news cycle will not save you. This month, Dr. David J. Johns breaks down the stories that slid quietly past the headlines while our communities’ futures were being decided. We open with a win—the Global Black Economic Forum sued the state of Texas for stripping HUB certifications from 15,000 minority- and women-owned businesses, and on April 13th, a Travis County judge said: not so fast. Then we get to work: voting rights under coordinated assault, the weaponization of an 1866 civil rights law against Black scholarship programs, the true cost of Liberation Day’s tariffs on working families, a 100% pharmaceutical tariff arriving September 29th, and the faith-rooted organizing happening right now across 10 cities that nobody’s covering. Class is in session. Pull up.

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    17 分
  • How Black Women Built the Democracy We Keep Almost Losing

    How Black Women Built the Democracy We Keep Almost Losing
    2026/04/28
    What does it actually take to build a democracy that lasts—and who has always done that work? In this class session, Dr. David J. Johns sits down with award-winning political strategist, founder of Omara Strategy Group, and author Atima Omara to dig into her new book, The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy (HarperCollins, May 5, 2026). From the Javits Center to the 107 days of the Harris campaign, from Shirley Chisholm to Sherry Beasley, Atima and Dr. Johns trace the through-line of Black women’s political contributions and what keeps getting in the way of the credit, the resources, and the wins they deserve. They get into the “white voter” trap, what it actually means to follow Black women’s lead, and why the most urgently sleeping-on lesson from history might just save us. Grab your copy at theinstigatorsbook.com—and get one for somebody else while you’re there.

    Show Notes:
    • The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy by Atima Omara — theinstigatorsbook.com
    • The Real Ones by Maya Rupert — TTB Episode: “A White People Whisperer on Authenticity,” aired March 24th
    Support the Book
    • Pre-order or buy The Instigators at theinstigatorsbook.com
    • Support your local Black or independent bookseller — National Association of Black Bookstores (shoutout to Kevin Johnson, founder)
    • Available in hardcover, audio, and e-book
    • Find Atima: @atima_omara on LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky, and Threads


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    26 分
  • Julie Wenah on AI and Civil Rights

    Julie Wenah on AI and Civil Rights
    2026/04/21
    What if the technology deciding your housing, your credit, your medical care, and your freedom was never designed with you in mind? Julie Wenah has been inside the rooms where those decisions get made-at NASA, the Obama White House, Airbnb, and Meta-and she's done something rare: she came back to tell us what she saw.

    In this conversation, digital civil rights lawyer, tech executive, and Chairwoman of the Digital Civil Rights Coalition Julie Wenah breaks down how AI is already shaping the lives of our elders, our children, and our communities-often without accountability and almost always without our consent. From the Medicare algorithm that denied an 83-year-old rock climber his pain treatment, to the gap between how fast technology moves and how slow the law catches up, Julie makes the stakes plain. She also reminds us that we have more power than we think-if we choose to use it. The technology train is moving. Julie Wenah is here to help us find our seats.

    Show Notes & Resources:
    • Digital Civil Rights Coalition: digitalcivilrights.com | @digitalcivilrights
    • Follow Julie: @juliemwenah (Instagram) | @juliemwenah (some platforms)
    • Film: Rain to Reign (2022)-Julie's short documentary on Black womanhood, healing & the next generation
    • Referenced: NCNW (National Council of Negro Women) & the Dorothy Height Foundation
    Referenced: The Book of Genesis / Babel Tower-Zeke Ultra's album connecting scripture to tech

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    29 分
  • AI Is Not Coming for You. It's Waiting on You with Dee Marshall

    AI Is Not Coming for You. It's Waiting on You with Dee Marshall
    2026/04/14
    AI is already here. The question is whether it's working for you—or leaving you behind. In this conversation, Dr. David J. Johns sits down with Dee C. Marshall, CEO of AI Training Plus, creator of the Free by 3™ methodology, and founder of the inaugural Global AI Adoption Day—a people-first movement she's building to be for AI literacy what International Women's Day is for gender equity. Dee breaks down the biggest AI myths keeping people stuck, explains why closing the AI divide is one of the most urgent equity issues of our time, and gives the class practical tools to start their AI journey today—no tech background required. This one is for the babies, the parents, the educators, the community leaders, and everyone who has ever felt like AI wasn't made for them. It was. And May 6th is your moment to prove it.

    SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

    Resources Mentioned:
    • Global AI Adoption Day (May 6): www.aiadoptionday.com
    • AI Training Plus: www.aitrainingplus.com
    • Google Gemini: gemini.google.com
    • Anthropic (Claude): claude.ai
    • Perplexity (research & fact-checking): perplexity.ai
    • Microsoft Copilot (enterprise/closed source): copilot.microsoft.com
    Connect with Dee:
    • LinkedIn: Dee C. Marshall
    • Instagram: @deecmarshall


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    37 分
  • How Vouchers Are Destroying Public Schools with Fred Jones

    How Vouchers Are Destroying Public Schools with Fred Jones
    2026/04/07
    Vouchers aren't new—they're the same resistance to integration we've been fighting since 1954.

    Fred Jones (Southern Education Foundation) joins the class to trace a direct line from Brown v. Board of Education to today's federal tax credit voucher program. The history is ugly: after Brown, Southern states created 450 laws to block desegregation. They funneled public money to "segregation academies"—and 300 still exist today.

    Now it's happening again. The 2026 federal voucher program lets families earning up to $491,700 in some areas access public dollars for private schools that can legally discriminate. Meanwhile, public schools lose $51 billion annually.Fred breaks down what vouchers actually are, who benefits (hint: not Black families), and what the data shows after 50 years of failure. Most importantly, he tells us exactly what to do right now, whether you're a parent, educator, or concerned citizen.

    Class, the babies are watching. What are we teaching them?

    Read the Full Report:
    • Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program Memo - Southern Education Foundation
    Organizations Fighting for Public Education:
    • Southern Education Foundation
    • Public Funds for Public Schools
    • Education Law Center
    • Learning Policy Institute
    Take Action:
    • Contact your governor about opting out of the federal voucher program
    • Attend school board meetings and speak up
    • Request accountability data from your state on voucher spending


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    34 分
  • Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis on DEI, Public Schools, and Refusing to Stop

    Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis on DEI, Public Schools, and Refusing to Stop
    2026/03/31
    In this conversation, Dr. David Johns welcomes back a colleague, a co-conspirator, and a genuine friend from their Obama White House days—Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis—for an honest, urgent, and surprisingly joyful conversation about the state of public education in America and what it demands of all of us, in spite of this moment.

    Zakiya brings her full toolkit: the policy precision of a former Senior Advisor on the White House Domestic Policy Council and U.S. Department of Education, the grounded clarity of New Jersey's former Secretary of Higher Education, and the voice of a mother who—in spite of best-laid plans—had to pause this very recording to redirect her daughter and close a door. Together, she and David break down the federal push to require all recipients of federal funding to certify they don't operate "illegal DEI" programs, unpacking what those words actually mean, what the courts have repeatedly said, and why the vagueness is entirely the point. They take on the narrative that public schools are failing, the difference between an executive order and the law of the land, and what Black families—and all families invested in democracy—should be asking, demanding, and refusing to be intimidated into silence about.

    In spite of what's being torn down, Zakiya insists we are still living in the house. And she wants us to start dreaming about what we're going to build.

    SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

    Organizations doing critical work right now:
    • NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) — ldf.org
    • Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law — lawyerscommittee.org
    • Democracy Forward — democracyforward.org
    • LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) — lulac.org
    • EducationCounsel — educationcounsel.com (weekly plain-language updates on the latest policy and legal developments)
    Follow Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis:
    • Substack: zakiyaellis.substack.com
    • Instagram: @zakiyasmithellis


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    34 分
  • The White People Whisperer: On Authenticity with Maya Rupert

    The White People Whisperer: On Authenticity with Maya Rupert
    2026/03/24
    What does it really cost to be yourself in America—and who gets to decide if you're "real" enough? In this class session, Dr. David J. Johns sits down with political strategist, presidential campaign trailblazer, and debut author Maya Rupert to dig into The Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic—a book written not just for people who've lived the cost of inauthenticity, but for the people unconsciously sending the bill. From Lisa Turtle to Kamala Harris, Candace Owens to Jasmine Crockett, Maya and Dr. Johns examine the authenticity trap, the machinery of whiteness, and why political authenticity is really just gatekeeping in a blazer—and why it's time to storm the gates.

    SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

    Guest: Maya Rupert — Political Strategist | Author | Host, When We Win Podcast (NAACP Image Award Nominee), @MayaRupert. The Book: The Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic by Maya Rupert
    • Available wherever books are sold
    • Order online at bookshop.org (the independent-bookstore-supporting alternative)
    • Shoutout to Loyalty Bookstores — Black, Asian, and queer-owned — on 9th Street NW in Petworth, Washington, D.C.
    Referenced in This Episode:
    • Misogynoir — term coined by Moya Bailey; explored in the "Lisa Versus Jessie" chapter
    • Kamala Harris, Jasmine Crockett, Julián Castro, James Heller Rico, Candace Owens, Hasan Minhaj — all examined through the lens of the authenticity trap
    • The Black Tax — page 165, The Real Ones
    • Being "deputized in your own oppression" — page 86, The Real Ones
    Follow the Show: @NBJCONtheMove across all platforms

    📚 EmpowerED Book Club Giveaway: Look out for our giveaway featuring The Real Ones — details at @NBJCONtheMove

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    45 分