Ayana Explains It All

Ayana Explains It All

By Ayana R. FakhirSociety & Culture
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Ayana Explains It All episodes

  • Tori Bowie and The Epidemic of US Black Maternal Mortality and Morbidity

    US Olympic Gold Medalist Tori Bowie died during childbirth but what is not talked about is the epidemic that consumed her and her fetus--the epidemic of Black maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States. What killed her is killing more Black pregnant women than any other women in this country. It is a complex problem that requires all hands on deck to solve.


    Sources used in the making of this episode:

    1. "Olympian Tori Bowie's Death Reflects The Black Maternal Mortality Crisis." Sareen Habeshian, Axios.com. June 15, 2023. Available at: https://www.axios.com/2023/06/15/black-maternal-mortality-death-tori-bowie.
    2. Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2021. Available at:
      3. Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2021 (cdc.gov)
    3. "Allyson Felix: Tori Bowie Can't Die in Vain." By Allyson Felix, for Time Magazine. June 15, 2023. Available at: https://time.com/6287392/tori-bowie-allyson-felix-black-maternal-health/.
    4. "Health Equity Among Black Women in the United States." By Juanita J. Chinn, PhD, Iman K. Martin, PhD, MPH, MSc, and Nicole Redmond, MD, PhD, MPH, FACP. Published at J Womens Health (Larchmt). February 2021; 30(2): 212–219. Published online 2021 Feb 2. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8020496/.
    5. "Closing The Coverage Gap Would Improve Black Maternal Health." By Judith Solomon, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. July 26, 2021. Available at: https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/closing-the-coverage-gap-would-improve-black-maternal-health.
    6. "Booker, Underwood, Adams Reintroduce the Bicameral Momnibus Act to End America’s Maternal Health Crisis." May 15, 2023. Available at: https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-underwood-adams-reintroduce-the-bicameral-momnibus-act-to-end-americas-maternal-health-crisis#:~:text=The%20Momnibus%20is%20made%20up,housing%2C%20transportation%2C%20and%20nutrition.
      7. 45 min
    7. Freshman Diaries

      On this very special episode of Ayana Explains It All, we hear from my favorite former high school freshman, my daughter. She regales us with stories of life in the 9th grade spot, feeling sometimes confident, and other times freshie. The transformative years of high school are not wasted on this one.

      54 min
    8. Ayana Explains Florida's Race Problem

      Summertime, summertime, sum-sum-sum of the time you should skip traveling to places where your race is an indignity to the state. I'm talking about Florida, a usual suspect in the denial of basic human rights, but the entire United States is guilty of denying that there's a "race problem" in the country of Washington and Lincoln, and then with a stubborn attitude, refusing to ameliorate the societal ills created by our "race problem." If there's one thing we're gonna do, it's get in our own way.


      The sources used in this episode:

      1. "NAACP Issues Travel Advisory for Florida." May 20, 2023. Available at: https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-issues-travel-advisory-florida.
      2. Wikipedia entries on Sundown Towns, The Green Book, Rosewood Massacre, and Ocoee Massacre.
      3. "Driving Scared: Is your town a Sundown Town?" By Sheila Lettsome, The Center for Community Solutions. July 25, 2022. Available at: https://www.communitysolutions.com/driving-scared-is-your-town-a-sundown-town/.
      4. Historical Database of Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen available at https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundown-towns/using-the-sundown-towns-database/state-map/.
      5. "Southern Pinellas 'Sundown Towns.'" By James Schnur, The Gabber. March 23, 2023. Available at: https://thegabber.com/southern-pinellas-sundown-towns/.
      6. Soul of Athens. "Sundown Towns: East Jackson." Nate Smallwood, story producer. Available at: https://2016.soulofathens.com/sundowntowns.html.
      7. "They Look White but Say They're Black: A Tiny Town in Ohio Wrestles with Race." By Khushbuh Shah, The Guardian.com. July 25, 2019. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/25/race-east-jackson-ohio-appalachia-white-black.
      8. "Were There Sundown Towns in Central Ohio?" By Michael De Bonis, WOSU, NPR News. April 3, 2023. Available at: https://news.wosu.org/2023-04-03/were-there-sundown-towns-in-central-ohio.
      9. "Sundown Towns: A Look at South Florida's Legacy of Segregation." By Phil Prazan, NBCMiami.com. February 18, 2021. Available at: https://www.nbcmiami.com/investigations/sundown-towns-a-look-at-south-floridas-legacy-of-segregation/2386799/.
      10. "Racial Tensions in America's Sundown Towns." By Tim Sullivan and Noreen Nasir, Associated Press. October 14, 2020. Available at: https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/state/2020/10/14/racial-tensions-americas-sundown-towns/3656681001/.
      11. "Sundown Town." By Adam Poulisse, et. al., WFTV.com. Available at: https://www.wftv.com/ocoee/sundown-town/.
        12. 55 min
      12. Ayana Explains Asylum in the Post-Title 42 Era

        Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers sang "everybody's had to fight to be free, you see. You don't have to live like a refugee," that is, unless, you landed at the Southern US border and you had to use an smartphone/computer app to apply for asylum, and unless you schedule an appointment provided you found some free WiFi, then you don't even get to be a refugee.


        Sources used in this episode:

        1. "US unveils rule that rights groups say stifles access to asylum." Al Jazeera. May 10, 2023. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/10/us-unveils-rule-rights-groups-say-stifles-right-to-seek-asylum.
        2. "Asylum Seekers Told to Use a Mobile App to Enter US as Title 42 Expires. Here's How the CBP App Works." Gerardo Pons, NBCMiami.com. May 10, 2023. Available at: https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/national-international/asylum-seekers-told-to-use-a-mobile-app-to-enter-us-as-title-42-expires-heres-how-the-cbp-app-works/3032118/#:~:text=What%20is%20CBP%20One%20App,available%20in%20English%20and%20Spanish.
        3. "Migrant Crossing Surges Aren’t New. Why Is the Border Overwhelmed?" Eileen Sullivan, The New York Times. May 10, 2023. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/us/politics/title-42-border-history-immigration.html.
        4. "Hoover on Immigration." Spencer Howard. August 14, 2016. Available at: https://hoover.blogs.archives.gov/2016/08/04/hoover-on-immigration/.
        5. "Covid-Era Border Policy Expires." Miriam Jordan, Eileen Sullivan, Michael D. Shear and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, The New York Times. May 11, 2023. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/05/11/us/title-42-immigration.

          6. 1 hr 5 min
        6. Ayana Explains Freshman Year

          It's that time of year, the kids are back from college and looking at the world through an adult lens, but their cerebral prefrontal cortex is still forming so maybe they're kids after all. Join me as I query my own son about being a college freshman, the challenges and rewards, and what it means to be a student athlete going from the "big man on campus" in high school, to a "little fish in a big pond" in college.

          50 min
        7. Ayana Explains Health Inequity in the US
          Happy Hollandaise! It's Minority Health Month, that special time of year again when families gather round the fireplace, embrace, sing songs, and compare A1C numbers. Sugar, we are not well. Health inequities in the United States work hard to keep racial minorities from achieving wellness, harder than we do at losing those stubborn 100 pounds. Can we fix the problem before this country runs out of people who look like me?
          Anything is possible.
          Sources used in this episode:
          “How Insurers Can Advance Health Equity Under the Affordable Care Act,” Katie Keith, To the Point (blog), The Commonwealth Fund.  August 10, 2021. Available at: https://doi.org/10.26099/818t-pz60.  Also available at: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2021/how-insurers-can-advance-health-equity-under-affordable-care-act.
          “Hospitals, Insurers Invest Big Dollars to Tackle Patients’ Social Needs.”  Phil Galewitz, KFF Health News.  June 22, 2021.  Available at:  www.kffhealthnews.org/news/article/social-determinants-health-care-vulnerable-populations-hospitals-insurers-patient-assistance/. 
          “Strengthening Marketplace Network Rules for Essential Community Providers Is a Matter of Health Equity.” Sara Rosenbaum, Caitlin Murphy, and Rebecca Morris.  To the Point (blog), The Commonwealth Fund.  January 25, 2023. Available at: https://doi.org/10.26099/rgsv-4523.  Also available at: www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2023/strengthening-marketplace-network-rules-community-providers-health-equity. 
          “How the Affordable Care Act Narrowed Racial Ethnic Disparities.” Jesse C. Baumgartner, Sara R. Collins, David C. Radley, Susan L. Hayes. The Commonwealth Fund. January 16, 2020.  Available at: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2020/jan/how-ACA-narrowed-racial-ethnic-disparities-access#:~:text=Research%20also%20indicates%20that%20the,%2C%20Hispanic%2C%20and%20white%20adults.
          “The Affordable Care Act 13th Anniversary Marks Advancement in Health Equity.”  Irv Randolph, The Philadelphia Tribune.  March 16, 2023.  Available at: www.phillytrib.com/commentary/editorial-the-affordable-care-act-13th-anniversary-marks-advancement-in-health-equity/article_e3af65b4cd7a-53d8-b7bc-29e9850dc592.html.
          “Health Disparities Stem from Racism in Medicaid and Society: Color of Health Panel Discusses Inequities in Healthcare.”  Julie Washington, Cleveland.com.  Originally published on February 25, 2021; updated March 7, 2023.  Available at: www.cleveland.com/coronavirus/2021/02/health-disparities-stem-from-racism-in-medicine-and-society-color-of-health-panel-discusses-inequities-in-health-care.html.
          “What is Health Equity?”  CDC.gov. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/whatis/index.html#:~:text=Across%20the%20country%2C%20people%20in,compared%20to%20their%20White%20counterparts.
          “Health in the Segregated City.” Mariana C. Arcaya and Alina Schnake-Mahl. October 2017. NYU Furman Center.  Available at: https://furmancenter.org/research/iri/essay/health-in-the-segregated-city.
          1 hr 14 min
        8. Ayana Explains the Decline of the East Cleveland, Ohio Police Department

          East Cleveland, Ohio is a city of a bygone era. The stretch of city along Euclid Avenue reveals dilapidated 19th Century mansions, hallmarks of a town with a storied past, but now desperate and dreary future from decades of fiscal mismanagement and feckless law enforcement. Teeming with civic corruption and a police force that can't make roll call, what once was will never be.


          The following sources were used in the making of this episode:

          1.   “Some attorneys refuse to sue cash-strapped city because it can’t pay damages to victims: East Cleveland police chases.” John Caniglia, Cleveland.com.  March 7, 2023.  Available at: https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2021/09/cut-to-the-chase-some-attorneys-refuse-to-sue-cash-strapped-east-cleveland-because-it-cant-pay-out-damages.html.

          2.   NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet.  Available at: https://naacp.org/resources/criminal-justice-fact-sheet

          3.   “11 E.C. police officers indicted on civil rights violations after video captures shocking brutality.” John H. Tucker, Cleveland.com.  March 10, 2023.  Available at: https://www.cleveland.com/crime/2023/03/11-east-cleveland-police-officers-indicted-on-civil-rights-violations-after-video-captures-shocking-brutality.html.

          4.  “In E.C., history of police officer wrongdoing raises questions about the department’s culture, experts say.” Cory Shaffer, Cleveland.com.  09/26/2022.  Available at: https://www.cleveland.com/crime/2022/09/in-east-cleveland-history-of-police-officer-wrongdoing-raises-questions-about-the-departments-culture-experts-say.html&subscribed=google-oauth2%7C104906410223504022205.

          5.   “Six Cleveland officers sacked after 137 shots killed two unarmed black people.”  The Guardian.com.  January 26, 2016.  Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/27/cleveland-fatal-shooting-timothy-russell-malissa-williams-officers-fired.

          6.  Quick Facts East Cleveland, Ohio.  US Census. Available at: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/eastclevelandcityohio

          7.   “East Cleveland, Ohio” entry on Wikipedia.

          8.  “Tamia Chappman Law sought to limit police pursuits. Instead, it did nothing: East Cleveland police chases.”  John Caniglia, Cleveland.com.  October 1, 2021.  Available at: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2021/10/tamia-chappman-law-sought-to-limit-police-chases-through-east-cleveland-instead-it-did-nothing-east-cleveland-police-chases.html.

          9.  “Former East Cleveland police officer sentenced to nearly four years in prison.” Press Release, US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio.  04/12/2016.  Available at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/former-east-cleveland-police-officer-sentenced-nearly-four-years-prison. 

          10. “Former East Cleveland detective sentenced to nearly six years in prison, last of three corrupt officers sent to prison.”  Press Release, US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio.  04/19/2016.  Available at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/former-east-cleveland-detective-sentenced-nearly-six-years-prison-last-three-corrupt.

          11. “Three Former E.C. Police Officers Charged with Fabricating Evidence, Stealing Cash.” Press Release, US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio.  10/8/2015.  Available at: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/cleveland/news/press-releases/three-former-east-cleveland-police-officers-charged-with-fabricating-evidence-stealing-cash.

          12. “Former E.C. police sergeant sentenced to nine years in prison.”  Press Release, US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio.  04/5/2016.  Available at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/former-east-cleveland-police-sergeant-sentenced-nine-years-prison.

          13. “11 E.C. police officers indicted on civil rights violations after video captures shocking brutality.”  John H. Tucker, Cleveland.com.  March 10,

          2023.  Available at: https://www.cleveland.com/crime/2023/03/11-east-cleveland-police-officers-indicted-on-civil-rights-violations-after-video-captures-shocking-brutality.html.

          1 hr 3 min
        9. Ayana Explains Ramadan: The Re-Explained and Reuploaded

          Ramadan Mubarak! Sit back, stand up, run, walk to this re-examined, re-explained, reuploaded episode from Season 1 all about Ramadan. It is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, and when the new moon drops on the 9th month, every bodily desire and distraction decreases but the spiritual duties increase.

          Don't mind the audio, this episode pre-dated my fine tuned era.

          1 hr 42 min
        10. Ayana Explains the Culture War over Wokeness
          This one is for the social justice warriors and their foes, for the abelists/racists/sexist/bigots and their antagonists--the marginalized groups. We, the lesser people, rub the chinless Fox News hosts, the Archie Bunkers and Al Bundys of the world the wrong way and they don't like it, but for our good health and preservation we must persist.
          Sources used in the making of this podcast:
          "Here's Where Woke Comes From." Arkansas Democrat Gazette. 01/08/2023. Available at: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/jan/08/heres-where-woke-comes-from/.
          "School Daze Ending Explained: What is the meaning of Dap's Last Dialogue. Know More." RepublicWorld.com. Shruti Mukherjee. 09/21/2020. Available at: https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/hollywood-news/school-daze-ending-explained-who-were-the-gamma-rays-in-school-daze.html.
          1 hr 5 min

        About Ayana Explains It All

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        A sharp, insightful podcast where host Ayana tackles life’s complexities with humor, honesty, and intelligence. From societal norms and politics to relationships and mental health, Ayana breaks down…