All Rev'd Up

Kamala Harris makes history as the first Black woman on a presidential ticket.  As we pay homage to Shirley Chisolm, Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III take a look at how Harris' selection is being received from the Black community.

After a brief (or not-so-brief) hiatus, Irene and Emmett – also known as “The Revs” are back and ready to be bold, and also broaden the podcast amid changes in the world. The Revs introduce the second season of “All Rev’d Up” in this trailer in preparation of the August 26 season premiere.

On their final episode of All Rev’d Up’s premier season, Irene and Emmett talk about Tyler Perry, the multi-talented actor, producer, writer and director, and his new production and studio complex in Atlanta. The new Tyler Perry Studios opened, to much fanfare, on the site of a former US military complex and is now the largest film studio in the country.  It has established Perry as the first African-American to outright own a major film and production studio in the United States.

On today’s show, The Revs sit down with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District. They talk about her role in the current impeachment proceedings and her belief in due process of the law, her faith as a foundation for her work in government and civic life, her thoughts on reparations and how we arrive at fair compensation, income inequality, and her efforts on criminal justice reform.

On today’s show, Emmett and Irene examine Rapper Kanye West’s newest venture, his Sunday “pop-up” services at various churches and venues around the country. Is this a new hustle for Kanye? Another form of self-promotion?  Or is he on a redemption journey, reclaiming his Christian identity? Rebranding and reinventing himself?

On today’s episode, The Revs ask: is there a proper use of the N-word? They dissect the word’s usage from historical figures like James Baldwin and Muhammad Ali to the hip hop generation, leading up to the country’s current political climate, asking: with its legacy of oppression and hate, can you ever reclaim the n-word?

Are we losing the Jeffersonian ideal of “the separation of church and state”? Or did we ever have it to begin with? Emmett and Irene look at how church leaders choose to insert themselves, and their congregations, into the political debate.

Spurred by a statement by Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude, Jr. that “we are in a cold civil war,”the Revs ask: Are we engaged in new civil war, or did the war never really end for Black Americans? Who is engaged in this contemporary fight and have the weapons changed?

In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans in Jamestown, setting the stage for slavery and it’s legacy in the United States, The Revs talk reparations: What should they look like, and who should get them?

The Revs discuss forgiveness as it relates to two notable incidents of violence on the African-American community: The death of Eric Garner on Staten Island at the hands of the New York Police Department, and the mass shooting of congregants and clergy at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. Is it OK to forgive in the wake of such unspeakable acts? Is there healing after forgiveness?