Dr. Anthony Jack -- author of the critically acclaimed, award-winning book The Privileged Poor -- is back with a new book. Class Dismissed is out on Aug. 13, 2024. The follow up to his breakout success first book, he continues to shed light on a subject area that litte research had existed for: how elite colleges, with all their promises of support and their huge endowments, were failing disadvantaged students. He didn't just focus on financial reasons, though; Dr. Jack's work goes deeper, looking at many social, cultural, and structural aspects, some of which, from the perspective of the institutions, are obliviously gatekeeping. This time he discusses matters from a class perspective as well.

"It's like inviting a vegan to a southern BBQ," Dr. Jack said, making an incredibly poignant analogy to illustrate just how welcoming these institutions claim to be, yet just how ill-prepared they actually are for those whom they are welcoming.

If you are:

*Sending a child to college this summer/fall

*Doing DEI work and wondering what can make and not make a sense of BELONGING

*Living life or thinking about life at an elite university or an elite independent/private K-12 school

*A teacher/educator who wants to better know your students

*A education administrator who wants to better lead

*A student yourself entering college who wants to not only survive but thrive

*Someone not filthy rich who wants to learn some tips and advantages

*Someone who IS filthy rich and likes learning about college life for everyone

*A compassionate citizen who seeks to expand knowledge

then this episode is for you!

Reach me at [email protected]

www.SamanthaFletcher.com

Dr. Anthony Jack, professor at Boston University, former Harvard professor

https://anthonyabrahamjack.com/

Final day of Black History Month, phenomenal episode w/ phenomenal guests!!

Black geeks, Blerds, Cosplayers they affectionately & proudly call themselves. Just in time for Black History Month, #28daysofcosplay

Think dressing up in costumes, Marvel, superheroes, TV & movie characters, loving sci-fi, fantasy & space shows, talking science and technology -- think all that is only for white people? THINK AGAIN.

Meet this panel of only a handful of the thousands of Black folks who live this Black geek, blerd, cosplay life.

Who are they? What goes on in this world? Are they regular folks like everyone else...who just happen to become their favorite characters from time to time?

Meet

Biggest misconception about Black geeks/blerds/cosplayers:

"Honestly, one of the biggest misconceptions that I have encountered is because we're fans of certain things that we don’t know how to function in society. There’s a certain level of observed immaturity that goes along with that accusation. On the contrary, we are just as productive and contributed to society as anybody else. The thing that sets us apart from the rest of the crowd is that when the day is done, we don’t have to go to clubs, get drunk and cause any kind of trouble or drama. we hang out with our own tribe and we create things that make ourselves and others happy."

Teresa Kennedy, a Sales Administrator, Geek, blerd & aspiring cosplayer ready to dip her toe and ankle into big time cosplay

Biggest misconception about Black geeks/blerds/cosplayers:

Allison Joyner, Freelance Journalist and Content Strategist for Allison Joyner Enterprises

Channing Scott Sherman, Co-Founder Black Geeks of DragonCon

"We are all the same. There are MANY ways to be a blerd."

Guests: Kendra Shae-Marie Mullings and Victoria Ennis

@blacksaturdayschool on Instagram

We're talking about Black Saturday School. Yep, you heard me right. Saturday School.

Based in Canada, it’s something that Kendra started a few years ago that is still going strong. And you might be thinking “My kids don't want to go to school during the week, no way would they go to school on Saturday!” but as it turns out, the kids who attend can’t wait for Saturdays because they are so in love with what is happening there. They get things they don’t get during typical weekday school at Black Saturday School.

It is open to students of all races and backgrounds ages 9 - 13. Do your children need something like this? Is this a model or perhaps is her specific program something more areas and school districts should be considering?

Daily Border Crossings is hosted and produced by Samantha Fletcher. https://www.samanthafletcher.com/

The new The Color Purple movie is OUT -- and broke box office records on day 1 when it was released on Christmas day 2023!

One of my favorite moves of ALL TIME – we’re talking about THE COLOR PURPLE! Why do you, your grandma, your auntie, cousin, niece and nephew ALL know lines from this movie? Why is it so timeless? What's the magic that makes it connect people across regions, generations, genders, etc.? We laugh, agree, disagree, and connect -- and you will too!

My guests -- aka TCP experts by the sheer experience of being a part of Black culture and loving the book, movie, play or new movie:

Anthony Page, film director & producer, Atlanta

April Dobbins, writer & filmmaker, Iceland (from Alabama then Miami)

Kamille Bostick, PhD student, educator, activist, Charlotte (from SC)

Rosa Clemons, Black history museum board president, historian, activist, Georgia/SC

Terri A. Johnson, acclaimed author, D.C.

Dr. Shahara Jackson, educator, activist, Brooklyn/Boston

Tina Seales, business analyst, Maryland/Boston/NYC

And I get to do so with this whole panel of esteemed intellectual guests who also go by just regular everyday folks who pay attention.

Oprah and the cast of the new TCP have been all over the country and beyond promoting this new version. 

And I got to thinking - why am I excited all over again? Why are so many ppl excited? Wow it’s doing numbers so big it’s breaking box office records! Clearly it is connecting w/ many people – across generations and time. WHY IS THAT? 

And here we are with this wonderful crew and we will talk about past, present, and what TCP meant to us individually, personally, what it means to society, why people can relate and keep coming back. 

We’ll also talk about its cultural significance and Black cinema, Black media, Black folks, current events and much much more.

We’re talking Palestinians, Israel and Gaza on this episode of Daily Border Crossings (DBC) and an expert on the region, author and law professor Khaled Beydoun is here to help us break things down and understand what’s really going on.

Israel, Gaza, Hamas, IDF, genocide, cease fire, occupation...the places, the people, the events, the terminology–

If you’re like many Americans, myself included, you’ve seen the horrific videos and images and heard heart- and gut-wrenching stories of the very real, very current war in the Middle East.

And if you’re like me and many Americans, you’ve wondered just what is going on? 

Khaled, an activist with a very active social media presence (his Instagram) for bringing awareness who’s also very busy traveling, speaking and writing on CNN or in the Washington Post, a frontline humanitarian made time for us to talk on day 69 of the war. Years before writing his 2 books,

He’ll discuss the history, the present and how he thinks this will end. Also, hear his take on famous Palestinian DJ Khaled’s silence, his thoughts on Beyoncé, Taylor Swift & celebs in general in relation to the crisis, and what all of us should know, what we should do. Get ready to sit back, listen and learn. It’s DBC.

DBC is hosted and produced by Samantha Fletcher.

www.samanthafletcher.com

Thrilled and honored to have author, attorney, law professor, public speaker, activist, Harvard scholar, critical race theorist, I’m sure I could go on and on with titles. Khaled Beydoun! His new book, The New Crusades Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims, is a global follow up to his U.S.-centric first book, American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear and has garnered awesome and impressive reviews. In this interview, Khaled's likability easily shines through, as he talks about serious subjects while weaving in wit and humor. We discuss:

Learn more about me -- producer, host, visionary and DEI technologist -- at www.samanthafletcher.com/.

Special guests: AMEER BARAKA and RESHA CONROY on the often not discussed but highly impactful DYSLEXIA. It's more common than you think, and it's impacting adults and our children. NOTE: Their audio is great. My (host) audio is off. DON'T LET THAT MAKE YOU MISS THE MESSAGE!

Welcome to Season 3 of Daily Border Crossings. TRIED UPLOADING ON FEB. 28, 2023. On this last day of Black History Month, I have one of the most powerful, intriguing shows – one you don’t want to miss.

Today I speak with the brilliant Emmy nominated actor and critically acclaimed author AMEER BARAKA (check out his IMDb), with roles in Bronx SIU, Zatima, A House Divided and more.

And the amazing and equally brilliant Resha Conroy, founder and executive director of DABC, the Disability Alliance for Black Children.

Resha has a son with severe dyslexia.

Ameer has dyslexia, which wasn’t discovered until he was frustrated w/ not being able to read at school, no one helping to find out why, his frustration turned into behavior issues, then a life of crime which led him to prison where his D was discovered and it opened up doors that took him to Hollywood and even to Congress.

They complement each other well in this discussion. They both are dropping some SERIOUS knowledge we ALL need and especially if you or someone you know has ever had challenges with reading.

NOTE: MY AUDIO IS MESSED UP!! Please note that. Ameer and Resha – their audio is superb. Mine is echo-y and was not fixable. DON'T LET THAT MAKE YOU MISS THE MESSAGE.

THIS SHOW IS DONE IN CONJUCTION WITH THE SIENA SCHOOL AND AIMS.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE IS OUR UNDIAGNOSED DYSLEXIA EPISODE ON SEASON 3. IT’S DBC

The 1st of 30 episodes in 30 days. 30 shorts, these are highlights of the most thought-provoking, talked-about Daily Border Crossing episodes.

Meet Ian Solomon of Amplify Outside – a Black man who, get this, HIKES & CAMPS & KAYAKS! Gasp! Yep, a popular stereotype and misconception is that Black folks don't really "do" the outdoors, staying away from woods and mountains and stray or woodsy animals. Out to debunk such myths, Ian -- whose motto is "Black Recreation is Black Liberation" -- takes every chance he gets to be outside. He’ll talk about ENVIRONMENTAL HEALING, a topic that is othered, especially one not discussed a lot in the Black community. And what are Sound Baths? How can we get healing from sound? From the night sky? So much to learn! 

While we're outside celebrating Juneteenth, listen up for reasons to keep being out there. It will benefit your overall health more than you might think. When there is so much mental health talk and so many of us are thinking about how to do better, live better, stress less – TRUST ME! You don’t want to miss this episode. Find out some things we've been missing out on! (Some of us, anyway.) 

Find Ian Solomon at @amplifyoutside on all the socials.