Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry

Richie Reseda experienced the school to prison pipeline first-hand when he was sentenced to ten years in prison as a teenager. While incarcerated, Richie started Success Stories, a feminist group for prisoners which gained national attention. He’s a wonderful musician, a talented designer, and a leader in the fight for abolition of police and prisons. He has such an inspiring story and gives us so much hope for the future.

In the wake of the police murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many more people, criminal justice reform has surged to the forefront of the national debate. From the racial biases in policing to the criminalization of poverty and for-profit prisons, our criminal justice system is broken. We've asked Alyssa Milano's friend Eliza Orlins on the show this week to talk about these issues and more.

Eliza spent years as a public defender in New York City and is now a candidate for Manhattan District Attorney. You may also recognize her as a two time contestant on Survivor and as a contestant on The Amazing Race.

Today’s episode is a treat. We’ve invited David Litt, one of President Obama’s speechwriters, on to the show. He’s very funny, and we’d be lying if we said it wasn’t a bittersweet interview remembering when we had a president who had a sense of humor and was able to complete a sentence. David’s got a new book out, Democracy in One Book or Less, and we think you’ll find our conversation inspiring. I know we sure did.

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Stephon Clark. Tamir Rice. Michael Brown. Philando Castile. John Crawford. Akai Gurley. Freddie Gray. We say their names over and over again. The list never stops. Black and Brown Americans murdered by police at wildly disproportionate rates, and a white America which refuses to surrender our power and privilege to stop this from happening.

And in the middle of the latest national response to the murder of George Floyd comes Juneteenth. It’s a commemoration of the day in June when slaves were freed at the end of the Civil War. To mark this history, and to speak frankly about systemic racism, we have two episodes this week where we look at the history and the future of racism in America.

On this powerful episode, our guest is Blair Imani. Blair is a critically-acclaimed historian, outspoken advocate and activist, and dynamic public speaker. The author of two historical books: Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History and Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and The Black American Dream, she centers women and girls, global Black communities, and the LGBTQ community. She is the co-host of America Did What?!, an educational podcast and anti-racism initiative with Kate Robards.