Drawing on the history of Freedom Summer, the African American Policy Forum launched its Critical Race Theory Summer School in 2020 as a response to the state-sanctioned murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless Black lives that spurred the subsequent summer of racial reckoning. Next week (7/18-22), in the face of a rapidly advancing assault on racial justice, we convene for another edition of Summer School under the theme: “Teaching Truth to Power”. The program will take place over the course of 5 jam-packed days, and will feature 100 instructors, 21 channels and 85+ classes. In anticipation of next week’s gathering, which we encourage all listeners to attend, we’re going to spend today’s episode taking a stroll down memory lane. For the last two years, Intersectionality Matters! has been tracking and analyzing the right wing attacks on CRT and other social justice education. Listen along as Kimberlé revisits our continuing coverage of this backlash- pulling out some of her favorite clips from past episodes to elevate how CRT offers a prism that allows us to see what is truly at stake. In addition to resurfacing highlights from past episodes like Story of Us, The Insurgent Origins of Critical Race Theory, Educators Ungagged, and Having Our Say, this episode also shares information about some of the fascinating classes lined up to be taught next week by a Who’s Who cast of academics, activists and advocates committed to defending and expanding our multiracial democracy. Check out our website to register now! https://www.aapf.org/crtsummerschool. CRT Summer School is running from July 18-22, 2022 and all content for our students will be available on demand until September. There’s a sliding scale for tuition, group rates, and scholarships so everyone can attend. CE/CLE/CTLE credits are available. There is no daylight between democracy and antiracism, and CRT Summer School could not come at a more important or poignant moment than now to show us exactly why that is. Today’s episode features: DAVID BLIGHT - Professor of American History, Yale University; Author, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom SUMI CHO - Director of Strategic Initiatives, AAPF; Former law professor who taught CRT for 25 years ALICIA GARZA - Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter; Principal, Black Futures Lab MATTHEW HAWN - 10-year educator and baseball coach; Former teacher at Sullivan Central High School in Blountville, Tennessee GLORIA LADSON-BILLINGS - Pedagogical theorist & educator; Author, The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children KIRSTEN WEST SAVALI - VP, Content: iOne Digital BRYAN STEVENSON - Founder and Executive Director, Equal Justice Initiative; Author, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks) Produced and edited by Julia Sharpe-Levine Co-produced by Ashley Julien Supported provided by Destiny Spruill, Kevin Minofu, Rebecca Scheckman, and the African American Policy Forum Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters, @IMKC_podcast
In this episode, Kimberlé is joined by W. Kamau Bell, director of the four-part documentary seriesWe Need to Talk About Cosby. Together, the two use an intersectional lens to explore Bill Cosby's descent from his seemingly immovable status as "America's Dad.” Unpacking the complex interactions of race and gender that enabled Cosby's alleged sexual violence, this conversation brings a new dimension to the exploration of the mogul's tarnished legacy and the subsequent range of responses from the Black community and beyond. From respectability politics to the emotional reconciliation needed for processing allegations made against our once-heroes, this episode covers it all and reminds audiences that the denial of and ignorance around gendered abuse come from silence and our nation's great, persisting short-term memory. With: W. KAMAU BELL - Director and Executive Producer,We Need to Talk About Cosby; Host and Executive Producer,United Shades of America, CNN Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks) Produced by Julia Sharpe-Levine and Ashley Julien Edited by Julia Sharpe-Levine Supported provided by Destiny Spruill, Rebecca Scheckman, and the African American Policy Forum Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters, @IMKC_podcast
In this episode, Kimberlé is joined by thought leaders Jelani Cobb, Sherrilyn Ifill, and Cornel West, who share their perspectives on the threats to Black history and realization of Black freedom. The conversation is anchored in the question, "Was 2022 the last Black History Month?” and makes explicit why we must to fight to ensure it was not. Revisiting the crucial insights they raised as part of the MasterClass series, “Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love,” each guest discusses what lessons we can learn from Black history in this renewed period of racial backlash. With anti-Critical Race Theory bills assaulting curricula in classrooms and gagging conversations about racism across the country, this conversation addresses the urgent need to push back against the reconfiguration of right wing organizing. Having endured the first Black history month commemorated under the vice grip of this anti-truth campaign, this episode invites us into a timely conversation about the past, present, and future of our collective struggle. With: JELANI COBB - Professor, Columbia School of Journalism; Staff writer, New Yorker; Author, "The Matter of Black Lives: Writing From The New Yorker" SHERRILYN IFILL - Former President & Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Author, "On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the Twenty-First Century" CORNEL WEST - Professor, Union Theological Seminary; Author, "Race Matters" and "Democracy Matters" Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks) Produced and edited by Julia Sharpe-Levine Co-produced by Ashley Julien Supported provided by Destiny Spruill, Rebecca Scheckman, and the African American Policy Forum Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters, @IMKC_podcast
In this episode, Kimberlé is joined by Bob the Drag Queen for a conversation full of critique and celebration of all things drag. Having once existed at the margins of legality and social acceptability, drag has now moved into the mainstream with the popular success of shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, Dragula and We’re Here. Even with this moment in the limelight, drag’s inherent subversiveness, fearlessness and resilience shine through, posing fundamental questions like: What is gender and how it is performed? How does race interact with the performance of gender? What are the transformative possibilities and the limitations of this as an art form? And ultimately, what can drag do to contend with and push back against social injustice? Through laughter and honest reflection, Kimberlé and Bob answer these questions and more as they explore drag's ability to be a tool for intersectional activism, their favorite figures in Black and queer history, what it was like being a child of the South, and the vital need to protect Black stories. With: BOB THE DRAG QUEEN - Winner of Rupaul's Drag Race Season 8; Star of HBO's Were Here; Drag Queen, Actor, and Comedian Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks) Produced and edited by Julia Sharpe-Levine Co-produced by Ashley Julien Supported provided by Destiny Spruill, Rebecca Scheckman, and the African American Policy Forum Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters, @IMKC_podcast
In this episode, Kimberlé is joined by an all-star panel to examine not merely the details of the shocking January 6th insurrection, but also the key undercurrents of racial resentment and right-wing authoritarianism that fed into the attempted coup. Together, the panelists unpack how the Trump administration’s shocking effort to subvert democracy was made possible by the longstanding dogmas of permanent minority rule that supplied its strategy and tactics. Furthermore, one year out from the terrifying event, the panelists gather their notes and offer practical next steps for contending with our nation’s white supremacist past and present. With: MAXIMILLIAN ALVAREZ - Editor-in-Chief, The Real News Network; Host, “Working People” JEAN GUERRERO - Columnist, Los Angeles Times; Author, “Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump and the White Nationalist Agenda” JARED HOLT - Resident Fellow, Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab OSITA NWANEVU - Contributing Editor, New Republic Moderated by CHRIS LEHMANN - Editor-in-Chief, The Forum, a new publication from AAPF Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks) Produced and edited by Julia Sharpe-Levine Co-produced by Ashley Julien Supported provided by Destiny Spruill, Rebecca Scheckman, and the African American Policy Forum Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters, @IMKC_podcast
For the last year, we have been surrounded by debates on Critical Race Theory spurred by the Right's organized, widespread campaign to stifle anti-racist education. For all of this debate, though, we hardly ever get to hear from the teachers, administrators, and students who are the subjects of these vicious attacks, and who are risking it all in defense of educational integrity and truth-telling. On today’s episode, Kimberlé presents a conversation fromthe African American Policy Forum's Under the Blacklight series, where an incredible line up of brave educators, students, advocates and activists gathered to share their stories from the frontlines. Moderated by Sumi Cho, theroundtable conversation shines a spotlight on the experiences of educators who have been victimized by the draconian legislative campaigns to prevent K-12 teachings about the realities of race and gender based oppression in the United States, past and present. With: LILLY AMECHI - Junior at the University of Oklahoma; Founding member of UO's Black Emergency Response Team; Plaintiffin ACLU lawsuit challenging HB1775 and Oklahoma classroom censorship bill STACEY DAVIS GATES - Vice President of the Chicago Teachers Union; Executive Vice President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers AMY DONOFRIO- 13-year educator; Former teacher at Robert E. Lee high school in Jacksonville, Florida;Co-Founder of the EVAC Movement MATTHEW HAWN- 10-year educator and baseball coach; Former teacher at Sullivan Central High School in Blountville,Tennessee BRITTANY HOGAN - Former Director of Educational Equity and Diversity for the Rockwood School District in St. Louis County, Missouri DR. JAMES WHITFIELD- Former principal of Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas LEAH WATSON- Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU's Racial Justice Program; Co-counsel to ACLU lawsuit challenging HB1775 and Oklahoma classroom censorship bill Moderated by SUMI CHO - Director of Strategic Initiatives, AAPF; Former law professor who taught CRT for 25 years Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks) Produced and edited by Julia Sharpe-Levine Co-produced by Ashley Julien Supported provided by Destiny Spruill, Rebecca Scheckman, and the African American Policy Forum Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters, @IMKC_podcast
Thirty years ago this week, Anita Hill sat across an all-male, all-white Senate Judiciary Committee to testify that her boss, Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas, had sexually harassed her. A historic moment that brought visibility to the issue of sexual harassment, Anita's bravery during the 1991 confirmation hearing set the stage for countless others to better understand and speak out against their own experiences of gender-based violence. Decades later, questions of how gender-based violence intersects with race and power remain as relevant as ever. On this special anniversary episode, Kimberlé and Luke Charles Harris, co-founder of the African American Policy Forum, reflect on their memory of being at the 1991 confirmation hearing and the lessons learned through Clarence Thomas' confirmation that inspired AAPF's birth. With excerpts from a recent conversation between Kimberlé and Anita Hill, this episode examines the legacy of Black women's truth telling, the persistence of gender-based violence, and the intersectional politics needed to pave a new way forward. With: LUKE CHARLES HARRIS - Co-Founder, the African American Policy Forum; Associate Professor of American Politics and Constitutional Law, Vassar College ANITA HILL - Professor of Social Policy, Law, and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University, Lawyer, and Legal Scholar; Author, Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks) Produced and edited by Julia Sharpe-Levine Co-produced by Ashley Julien Supported provided by Destiny Spruill, Rebecca Scheckman, and the African American Policy Forum Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters, @IMKC_podcast
Over the last year, the Right has ignited a widespread disinformation campaign around Critical Race Theory -- and mainstream media is fueling the fire. Mentions of CRT in the news grew exponentially this past year, with journalists often framing the conversation around education censorship as an equal debate between supporters and opponents of anti-equality legislation. And despite CRT’s well-documented history of emerging in 1989 with a clear and fixed definition, the media have decided to play in the Right’s disinformation campaign by allowing a distortion of the concept’s meaning in exchange for views. On this episode, Kimberlé meets with veteran journalist Soledad O’Brien to unpack mass media’s decision to legitimize faux debate, outline the consequences of this debate on racial justice and democracy, and chart a path forward for journalists who aspire to do better. With: SOLEDAD O'BRIEN - CEO of Soledad O’Brien Productions; Anchor and Producer, The Hearst Television poli...
Over the past year, Critical Race Theory has been increasingly misrepresented by the Right in an organized, widespread effort to stifle racial justice and gender equity, and weaken our multiracial democracy. In response to these attacks, AAPF held a 5-day Critical Race Theory Summer School in mid-August to educate participants about the origins, principles, and insights of Critical Race Theory, and to chart a path forward. On this episode, we bring you a conversation that took place on the first day of Summer School, which features some of the leading thinkers in the field of Critical Race Theory. Together, the panelists tell the story of CRT came to be, explore what it teaches us about the world, and discuss it can now help us protect the very existence of critical thinking about race. With: ANTHONY COOK - Professor of Law, Georgetown; Author, The Least of These: Race, Law and Religion in American Culture DANIEL MARTINEZ HOSANG - Associate Professor of Ethnicity, Race & Migration, ...
When we think about the history of Black athletic resistance, we don't tend to think of Black women athletes like Wyomia Tyus, Rose Robinson, or Wilma Rudolph, who have all taken great risks to speak out against racial injustice. On this episode, Kimbelé is joined by Layshia Clarendon and Sydney Colson of the WNBA, Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints, and civil rights icon Dr. Harry Edwards to celebrate the achievements of today’s Black women athletes, reflect on the history of athletic activism, and imagine the power that lies in collective action and athletic solidarity. With: LAYSHIA CLARENDON - WNBA player, leading advocate for trans, non-binary and LGBTQ+ athletes, and the first vice president of the WNBA Players Association SYDNEY COLSON - WNBA player, member of the WNBA’s Social Justice Council, and a leading voice in the WNBA #SayHerName initiative DEMARIO DAVIS - Linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, member of the Players Coalition, recipient of the Bart Starr Award...