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First Of All with Victor Blackwell

First Of All with Victor Blackwell

By: CNN Audio
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 Victor Blackwell brings a fresh perspective on the week's news with a focus on stories affecting communities of color.2024 CNN Politics & Government
Episodes
  • 21-Year-Old Caring for Siblings After Parents Detained by ICE, Deported

    21-Year-Old Caring for Siblings After Parents Detained by ICE, Deported
    Jun 14 2025
    Flag Day is marked by “No Kings” protests nationwide as President Trump hosts a massive military parade. DC Councilmember Christina Henderson, who is also the daughter of an Army veteran, joins Victor. Plus – Victor speaks to Black Marine veteran Phillip E. Thompson. He’ll explain his recent article for the Washington Post saying young Americans of color should “pause and reassess” service in the military. Later, you'll hear from a 21-year-old American whose undocumented mom is set to be deported as of Saturday morning. Her dad was deported to Guatemala just last week. Now Beverly Juarez is left to care for her three younger siblings and run her family's business. She shares her story, and a Father’s Day plea addressed to President Trump. Victor also gets reaction to growing anti-ICE protests from Sarah Saldaña, a former director of the immigration enforcement agency during the Obama administration. “Art is Life” this week has a superhero vibe. Victor shares the incredible yet largely unknown story of Civil War hero Robert Smalls, which is the subject of the new graphic novel “DEFIANT”. Writer Rob Edwards explains why the story is so important to learn, especially ahead of Juneteenth. Also in time for the Juneteenth holiday, Victor speaks with apparel brand founder Lanny Smith and farmer Troy Bridgeforth about their special collaboration to “reclaim cotton” and build a Black-owned supply chain amid President Trump's ongoing trade war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Job Corps "Pause" Puts Lives on Hold Across the Country

    Job Corps "Pause" Puts Lives on Hold Across the Country
    Jun 7 2025
    Job Corps is a lifeline for thousands of low-income students, and there is bipartisan concern about a Trump administration effort to close the program. Victor speaks about the legal fight now underway with Donna Hay, President and CEO of the National Job Corps Association. After claiming it was impossible to bring back a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the U.S. to face federal criminal charges. There is a lot the Department of Justice is alleging and Ben Osorio, a member of Abrego Garcia's legal team, joins Victor to react. Plus, there is a firestorm in California over a high school track star whose state title was pulled because of her celebration with a fire extinguisher. Was it clever? Or unsportsmanlike conduct? Clara Adams, along with her coach and father David, joins Victor to share what they plan to do next. Later, a historic Black community in Virginia says their neighborhood has flooding problems, but a $20 million federal government grant to help fix that just got cut. Mary-Carson stiff says what's happening is unjust, unlawful, and places residents at risk. She joins Victor to share her concerns about what’ll happen now to residents in Aberdeen Gardens and communities like it. And in this week’s “Art is Life” – Victor speaks to the creators of “She Who Dared,” an opera giving voice to Black women who dared to fight segregation but have since been overlooked by history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • White Actress Files Lawsuit After Being Blocked From Portraying Black Civil Rights Icons

    White Actress Files Lawsuit After Being Blocked From Portraying Black Civil Rights Icons
    May 31 2025
    19-year-old college student Ximena Arias-Cristobal was wrongfully pulled over in Dalton, Georgia recently. She spent weeks in ICE detention. One of her supporters through this ordeal is a Republican. Georgia State Representative Kasey Carpenter joins Ximena and Victor to discuss his opposition to her detention, and their push for meaningful immigration reform. Plus, the fight over Massapequa High School's Native American mascot just escalated. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon is threatening to full funding from New York education officials over their objections to the school’s “Chiefs” name and logo. Victor gets reaction from Germain Smith, the former general council secretary of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and an adviser to the New York Department of Education. Also this week, the Supreme Court declined to stop a land transfer in Arizona that could lead to the destruction of a site sacred to Native Americans. Wendsler Nosie Sr. joins Victor to share why the destruction of Oak Flat to make way for a copper mine is a threat to religious freedom. Should a White actress be allowed to portray Black civil rights icons like Harriet Tubman? Annette Hubbell is the writer and performer of a one-woman show she says was called off due to her race - and now she is suing, claiming discrimination and censorship. Annette Hubbell and her attorney Chris Barnewolt join Victor to explain their case. Victor also shares the story of how the skulls of nineteen Black individuals were finally returned to New Orleans after being sent to Germany in the late 1800s. Plus, an update on Clarksdale, Mississippi’s mission to get a special screening of “Sinners” with Ryan Coogler for the people who live in that town, which lacks a movie theater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins

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