Episodes

  • Standing On Business In NOLA with Stevie & Drin

    Standing On Business In NOLA with Stevie & Drin
    Aug 19 2025
    What does it mean to stand on business when it comes to our babies' education? Drin Kelly and Stevie Elem-Rogers, co-founders of BE NOLA (Black Education for New Orleans), join Dr. David J. Johns for a powerful conversation about building Black educational excellence in the Crescent City and beyond.From Hurricane Katrina's aftermath to creating "hush harbors" for Black educators, these truth-tellers share why "race-neutral solutions will not transform race-based inequities." Stevie opens up about her "Black Women Are for Grown Ups" platform, while Drin reminds us to "make the community the curriculum."This episode is packed with gems about spirit work, the importance of Black governance in education, and why we must listen to our children more. Plus, they break down what's really happening with Essence Festival and why community accountability matters now more than ever.

    Connect: Learn more about BE NOLA's Black Is Brilliant Summit (October 2-5) at blackedunola.org.

    This conversation will feed your soul and challenge you to think differently about education, community, and what our babies truly deserve.

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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • Joyful Survival: How Marsha P. Johnson Taught Us to Turn the Volume Up On Ourselves

    Joyful Survival: How Marsha P. Johnson Taught Us to Turn the Volume Up On Ourselves
    Aug 12 2025
    Today we're diving deep into a conversation that has been decades in the making. You know, sometimes the universe brings people together at precisely the right moment, and today feels like one of those moments. I'm here with Tourmaline. An Artivist, an activist, a filmmaker, and now the author of what I can only describe as a groundbreaking biography, Marsha, the Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson.

    Tourmaline reminds us that Marsha P. Johnson didn't wait for permission to exist—and neither should we. If you've ever wondered what real Pride looks like beyond corporate rainbow flags—start by pressing play.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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    32 mins
  • Resisting vs. Existing w/DeJuana Thompson

    Resisting vs. Existing w/DeJuana Thompson
    Aug 5 2025
    Political strategist DeJuana Thompson has engaged 2+ million Black voters through her revolutionary organizing approach. From leading the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to founding Woke Vote and spearheading the State of the People movement, she shares how centering marginalized communities changes everything.DeJuana explains why she focuses on "zero propensity" voters others ignore, her philosophy of meeting people's immediate needs first, and the difference between resistance and existence. She reveals lessons from preserving civil rights history while building modern movements, plus her work responding to current legislative threats.A powerful conversation about grassroots organizing, radical collaboration, and why "the people on the margins" hold the key to transforming our communities.

    "This is a different time, but it's still our time. Period."

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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    44 mins
  • Federal Funding Follows the Count, Not the Need

    Federal Funding Follows the Count, Not the Need
    Jul 29 2025
    Today we're diving deep into something that touches every single one of our lives, but that many of us don't always take the time to understand fully... the US census, and we're exploring it through the lens of someone who embodies the intersections of data democracy and artistic expression.

    Today's classroom guest is Larry Carter II, a former project manager at the US Census Bureau, who built partnerships to ensure historically under-counted communities are both seen and heard. But Larry isn't just about numbers. He's also a recording artist whose R&B work was considered for a Grammy and a community leader who ran for Atlanta City Council.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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    31 mins
  • The Constitution Does Not Coronate Kings

    The Constitution Does Not Coronate Kings
    Jul 22 2025
    State Senator Shevrin Jones and Representative Michele Rayner take us inside "Alligator Alcatraz," Florida's controversial immigration detention center, sharing firsthand accounts of what they witnessed. From the Supreme Court's dismantling of the Department of Education to the political takeover of HBCUs, these two trailblazing Black queer legislators reveal how Florida has become a testing ground for authoritarian policies spreading nationwide. With raw honesty, they discuss leading while broken, the power of walking in your convictions, and why "the Constitution does not coronate kings." A urgent conversation about resistance, democracy, what it means to sacrifice in service of the people and why Florida’s cruelty is coming for everyone.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Fire Fueled Tears w/Brittany Packnett Cunningham

    Fire Fueled Tears w/Brittany Packnett Cunningham
    Jul 15 2025
    Dr. David J. Johns sits down with activist, educator, and UNDISTRACTED host Brittany Packnett Cunningham—not just as colleagues, but as family. Fresh from her address to 20,000 members of Delta Sigma Theta and her leadership of the multi-day "State of the People" telethon, Brittany breaks down how we're navigating this political moment where children are detained in facilities nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz" and climate disasters meet federal abandonment.From the intersection of immigration and Black liberation to teaching the next generation about democracy defense, this is an urgent conversation about connection, community care, and what it takes to build the world our children deserve. Plus: rapid-fire questions including the most crucial choice between Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages."
    • State of the People www.stateoftheppl.com
    • Heather McGhee, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together (book)


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    54 mins
  • Fighting for Health Equity in Dark Times

    Fighting for Health Equity in Dark Times
    Jul 8 2025
    We are so excited to have our sister Caya Lewis Atkins, stopping by the class today. Caya is the founding principal of global DC Strategies and her resume reads like a masterclass of health equity Advocacy. Her early days at NAACP Health Division to literally being in the room where the Affordable Care Act was drafted and implemented to her more recent work as Chief Advisor for Policy and Strategy at Health and Human Services, office of Global Affairs. At the Global Fund fighting hiv, aids, tuberculosis, and malaria and zombie, and other places throughout the world, this sister has been moving mountains for our community.
    • Protect Our Care https://www.protectourcare.org/join-the-movement/
    • Kaiser Family Foundation https://www.kff.org/tracking-the-medicaid-provisions-in-the-2025-budget-bill/
    • Black Women’s Health Imperative https://bwhi.org/
    • NAACP http://naacp.org/issues/health-wellbeing


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    51 mins
  • The Truth About July 4th and Black Freedom

    The Truth About July 4th and Black Freedom
    Jul 1 2025
    Dr. David J. Johns examines what July 4th truly means for Black Americans in 2025. Drawing from Frederick Douglass's historic speech, Dr. Johns exposes how we're living under a "tyranny of the minority" where democratic institutions suppress the people's will. From the erasure of 2020's racial reckoning to nationwide Juneteenth cancellations, this episode reveals how performative allyship crumbles when real commitment is required. Dr. Johns calls for collective liberation rooted in African ways of community building, emphasizing that our freedom has always come from organized power, not appeals to oppressors.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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    22 mins