Battletested with Tanya Acker

Tanya talks to the member of the House Armed Services Committee about Russia’s war on Ukraine; the price of gas; and his new book, Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us.

Tanya talks to Dr. Quintard Taylor, founder of BlackPast.org, about filling in the gaps of history.

Tanya talks to the 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist about Olympic tragedy and triumph; the 2021 Games; and mental and physical wellness.

Tanya talks to the Kansas City police captain (her cousin!) about training officers and the importance of deescalation; building trust in communities and her own reactions when that trust is breached; and what life is sometimes like for African-American women in law enforcement. 

Tanya talks to Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian, Jon Meacham, about the rise of misinformation in the American political mainstream and his new podcast, Fate of Fact.

Tanya talks to Tricia Martineau Wagner, author of various works about African-Americans in the American West, about some of the country’s unsung western heroes. (Did you know Biddy Mason was born enslaved before she won her freedom in court and then became one of L.A.’s largest landowners? More in the episode!)

Yoruba Richen, whose movie “How It Feels To Be Free” (PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel) tells the story of six African-American icons: Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier, all of whom insisted on owning their artistic spaces on their own terms, and who are the forerunners for the opportunities that so many of us have today.

Tanya talks to Russ Feingold, President of the American Constitution Society and former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, about picking Supreme Court justices, why ACS believes the Court should be reformed, and the high dramedy that has replaced political decision making.

Tanya talks to the first African-American woman to command a Navy ship and the highest ranked woman in Naval history about her passion for service; rescuing a U.S. captain from Somali pirates; her advice to young people who feel disaffected and disengaged; and renaming Confederate monuments.

At 15, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He wrote a brief that helped overturn his conviction and win his release, and now serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the Minnesota State Board of Public Defense. She is a social worker who treats victims of trauma, and who advocates a more nuanced approach to public safety.

Tanya talks to Elizer Darris, Co-Executive Director of the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Marika Reese, Executive Director of Ubuntu Care Services.