Episodes

  • 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.

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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
  • Black Pride & Ballroom Culture w-Kenya Hutton

    Black Pride & Ballroom Culture w-Kenya Hutton
    Jun 24 2025
    Join Dr. David Johns for a powerful conversation with Kenya Hutton, President and CEO of the Center for Black Equity, as they explore the intersections of Black pride, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and community building. From the origins of Black Pride in Washington, DC, to the life-saving power of ballroom culture, Kenya shares his journey from bartender to movement leader, revealing how safe spaces and chosen family can transform lives.

    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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    53 mins
  • Kimberlé Crenshaw: A Born Back Talker

    Kimberlé Crenshaw: A Born Back Talker
    Jun 17 2025
    Today I'm in conversation with the brilliant Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw—legal scholar, civil rights advocate, chief architect of Critical Race Theory.

    From her parents' kitchen table discussions that shaped her critical consciousness, to her groundbreaking work challenging legal institutions, to founding the African American Policy Forum, Professor Crenshaw has spent decades translating academic theory into tools for resistance.

    In this powerful conversation, we explore what it means to be "a born back talker," why pivoting away from our truth won't save us, and how we can resist critically—and in community—during these challenging times. Enjoy!

    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 5 mins
  • Chasing Equity with Dr. Marcus A. Hunter and Dreisen Heath

    Chasing Equity with Dr. Marcus A. Hunter and Dreisen Heath
    Jun 10 2025
    "The time for studies that lead to inaction is over. The time for reparative justice is now." Those aren't just words—they're a battle cry from our movement. In this episode, we dive deep into reparations with two of the movement's most powerful voices: Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter, author of "Radical Reparations" and NBJC board member, and Dreisen Heath, founder of the Why We Can't Wait National Reparations Coalition. We're talking about Maryland's vetoed reparations bill, federal momentum, Equity Week, and how we currently organize for justice in the movement. This conversation is timely and important because, when they come for our rights, we don't retreat—we revolutionize.
    • Equity Week 2025 - June 10-14, Washington, D.C.

    Books
    • "Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation" by Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter (HarperCollins/Amistad 2024)
    • "Black Citymakers: How The Philadelphia Negro Changed Urban America" by Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter (Oxford University Press)
    • "The Philadelphia Negro" by W.E.B. Du Bois
    People
    • Terrance Crutcher - Tulsa resident killed by police; his death sparked renewed organizing
    • Dr. Tiffany Crutcher - Sister of Terrance Crutcher, civil rights activist
    • Rebecca Brown Crutcher - Escaped the Tulsa Massacre, part of Crutcher family legacy
    • BC Franklin - Renowned lawyer who set up tents after Tulsa Massacre to process insurance claims
    • Tamika Mallory - Co-founder of Women's March, activist
    • Linda Sarsour - Activist and Women's March organizer
    Organizations
    • National Black Justice Collective (NBJC) www.nbjc.org
    • Why We Can't Wait National Reparations Coalition www.reparationscantwait.org
    • United by Equity https://unitedbyequity.com/
    • Black Veterans Project https://www.blackveteransproject.org/
    • Equality Florida https://www.eqfl.org/


    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 14 mins
  • Remembering Tulsa

    Remembering Tulsa
    Jun 3 2025
    Today, we're traveling to Tulsa, Oklahoma - not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually - to commemorate one of the most devastating acts of domestic terrorism in American history: the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. #WordsMatter. I want to be clear about the language we use - this wasn't a "race riot." This was a massacre. This was domestic terrorism. This was a coordinated attack on Black wealth, Black success, and Black lives.

    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