In Part 10 of the Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome series, Kaleesha Washington concludes Chapter 2, “Whole to Three-Fifths: Dehumanization,” by examining how false theories about race were used to justify centuries of oppression and why the effects of those ideas are still visible today.

This episode explores the story of Ota Benga, a young man from the Congo who was displayed in the Bronx Zoo in 1906 as part of an exhibit designed to portray Africans as less than fully human. His story serves as one of the most disturbing examples of dehumanization in modern history.

Topics explored in this episode include:

• Ota Benga and the Bronx Zoo
• human zoos in the United States and Europe
• Madison Grant, eugenics, and scientific racism
• phrenology and other discredited theories
• the rise and misuse of intelligence testing
• cultural bias in standardized testing
• Ellis Island and the testing of immigrants
• Alfred Binet's original intentions for educational assessment
• and the difference between measuring knowledge and measuring intelligence

Drawing from history, education, psychology, and personal reflection, Kaleesha examines how theories once promoted as scientific truth were eventually disproven, yet continued to influence institutions, policies, and public attitudes long after their credibility disappeared.

This episode also highlights a sobering reality: many of these events occurred within the lifetimes of our parents and grandparents. The dehumanization discussed throughout this chapter is not ancient history. Its effects remain observable today.

As Chapter 2 comes to a close, Kaleesha reflects on Dr. Joy DeGruy's central argument that centuries of trauma and dehumanization did not disappear when the pseudoscience was debunked. The theories changed. The lies were exposed. But the damage remained.

This is Part 10 of an ongoing series discussing Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Dr. Joy DeGruy.

🎙️ Don't Screw Up Your Kids Podcast
Hosted by Kaleesha Washington

In Part 9 of the Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome series, Kaleesha Washington continues Chapter 2, “Whole to Three-Fifths: Dehumanization,” by examining how ideas about race, beauty, intelligence, morality, and human worth were transformed into a system of white superiority.

This episode explores how some of the most influential racial theories in American history were presented as science, taught as truth, and eventually woven into laws, institutions, and cultural beliefs.

Topics explored in this episode include:

• the power of definition and who gets to determine truth
• the origins of racial hierarchy and white superiority
• science versus pseudoscience in the study of race
• the role of influential writers and thinkers in shaping racial ideology
• Thomas Jefferson's writings about Africans
• beauty standards and the creation of racial preferences
• Virginia's racial laws and restrictions on interracial relationships
• interpretations of the biblical story of Ham and Canaan
• religion, slavery, and the misuse of scripture
• the relationship between law, power, and racial identity
• and how ideas created centuries ago continue to influence society today

Drawing from history, religion, politics, psychology, and personal reflection, Kaleesha examines how opinions became accepted as facts and how unsupported theories were used to justify slavery, segregation, and racial inequality.

This episode also explores an uncomfortable question: If racial superiority had to be invented, promoted, and defended, what does that reveal about the truth behind it?

From the biblical story of Noah and Canaan to Thomas Jefferson, Virginia law, and the rise of racial pseudoscience, this conversation challenges listeners to examine how narratives become accepted as reality and who benefits when they do.

This is Part 9 of an ongoing series discussing Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Dr. Joy DeGruy.

🎙️ Don't Screw Up Your Kids Podcast
Hosted by Kaleesha Washington

One of the biggest lies we've been told is that women are more emotional than men.

The evidence is everywhere, yet most people never stop to question the assumption.

Men get angry. Men get jealous. Men get possessive. Men start wars. Men commit most crimes of passion. Men refuse directions when they're lost. Men punch walls, throw things, and let their emotions make decisions every day.

Yet somehow women got labeled the emotional ones.

In this episode, I react to a video claiming that men are logical while women are emotional. I share a different perspective on emotions, problem-solving, listening, and the role that nature and nurture play in shaping who we become.

What if men and women are not nearly as different as we've been taught?

What if many of the behaviors we associate with masculinity and femininity are learned rather than innate?

Most importantly, what if women are not looking for someone to solve their problems at all?

Let's talk about it.

In Part 8 of the Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome series, Kaleesha Washington continues Chapter 2, “Whole to Three-Fifths: Dehumanization,” by exploring the section titled “Cognitive Dissonance: Easing the Conscience.”

This episode examines the psychology behind oppression and asks a difficult question: How do people see themselves as moral, decent, and religious while participating in systems that harm other human beings?

Topics explored in this episode include:

• cognitive dissonance and moral contradiction
• the psychological need to justify harmful behavior
• how dehumanization makes oppression possible
• slavery, Christianity, and moral inconsistency
• the treatment of Native Americans and the violation of treaties
• the Grimké sisters and their rejection of slavery
• Germany's response to the Holocaust
• South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation process after apartheid
• racism, denial, and historical accountability
• and how societies choose between truth and justification

Drawing from history, psychology, religion, and personal experience, Kaleesha explores how people resolve the tension between their actions and their self-image. When wrongdoing becomes difficult to defend, one response is accountability. The other is to justify the harm and dehumanize those who suffered from it.

This episode also examines how the legacy of those justifications continues today through debates about race, history, education, diversity, and whose stories are remembered.

As a former educator, principal, and historian, Kaleesha reflects on how cognitive dissonance can operate not only in historical systems, but also in modern institutions and everyday decisions.

This is Part 8 of an ongoing series discussing Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Dr. Joy DeGruy.

🎙️ Don't Screw Up Your Kids Podcast
Hosted by Kaleesha Washington

In Part 7 of the Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome series, Kaleesha Washington continues Chapter 2, “Whole to Three-Fifths: Dehumanization,” by examining the Three-Fifths Compromise and the political decisions that allowed slavery to continue in the newly formed United States.

This episode explores the debates of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, including South Carolina's threat to reject the Constitution if slavery were abolished and the compromises that followed. Kaleesha breaks down the arguments made by James Madison and other delegates as they struggled to reconcile the contradiction of treating enslaved Africans as property while simultaneously counting them for political representation.

Topics discussed include:

• the Constitutional Convention of 1787
• South Carolina's role in preserving slavery
• the origins of the Three-Fifths Compromise
• representation, taxation, and political power
• James Madison's arguments regarding slavery
• the relationship between law and morality
• common misunderstandings about the Three-Fifths Compromise
• and the long-term consequences of choosing compromise over justice

Drawing from her experience as a historian and former history teacher, Kaleesha examines how America's founders grappled with slavery and why those decisions still matter today.

This episode also challenges the popular interpretation that enslaved people were simply considered "three-fifths of a person." Instead, it explores the political realities behind the compromise and asks deeper questions about power, representation, and the willingness of a nation to sacrifice principle for unity.

This is Part 7 of an ongoing series discussing Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Dr. Joy DeGruy.

🎙️ Don't Screw Up Your Kids Podcast
Hosted by Kaleesha Washington

In Part 6 of the Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome series, Kaleesha Washington begins Chapter 2, “Whole to Three-Fifths: Dehumanization,” from Dr. Joy DeGruy’s groundbreaking book.

This episode explores how slavery in America evolved into a uniquely brutal system that depended upon the dehumanization of African people and the legal, cultural, and psychological denial of their humanity.

Topics explored in this episode include:
• the origins and evolution of slavery in colonial America
• how American slavery differed from other forms of slavery throughout history
• Bacon’s Rebellion and the rise of race-based lifelong slavery
• the Fugitive Slave Laws and the criminalization of freedom
• biblical discussions surrounding slavery and refuge
• the legal treatment of enslaved Africans as property rather than fully human
• Toni Morrison’s inspiration for Beloved
• and how systems of oppression rely upon dehumanization in order to survive

This episode also examines how America’s racial hierarchy was intentionally constructed through law, economics, religion, and culture — and how the effects of that system continue to shape society today.

Drawing from history, education, literature, politics, and personal reflection, Kaleesha explores why understanding the process of dehumanization is essential to understanding both America’s past and its present.

This is Part 6 of an ongoing series discussing Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Dr. Joy DeGruy.

🎙️ Don’t Screw Up Your Kids Podcast
Hosted by Kaleesha Washington

What if the financial struggles many families face are not just about income—but about inherited patterns, habits, and mindsets?

In this episode of the Don’t Screw Up Your Kids Podcast, Kaleesha Washington sits down with Che Willis of Wealth Is a Journey to talk about breaking generational money cycles and building a healthier financial future for our families.

Che shares how he and his wife paid off their house in seven years, how discipline and budgeting transformed their lives, and why financial conversations inside the home matter so much.

In this conversation, we discuss:
• Breaking unhealthy money habits passed down through generations
• Why budgeting is more emotional than mathematical
• Marriage, money, and financial alignment
• How discipline creates financial freedom
• Teaching children financial literacy early
• Building savings and preparing for future opportunities
• Investing and long-term wealth building
• Balancing enjoying life while preparing for the future
• How small financial wins build confidence over time

Che also shares free budgeting templates, videos, and other financial resources available on his website:
wealthisajourney.com

This episode is not about becoming rich overnight. It is about creating peace, stability, opportunity, and freedom for the next generation.

Connect with Che Willis:
Website: wealthisajourney.com
Podcast: Wealth Is a Journey

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the Don’t Screw Up Your Kids Podcast and share this conversation with someone who needs it.

#CheWillis #GenerationalWealth #FinancialFreedom #MoneyMindset #Budgeting #FinancialLiteracy #MarriageAndMoney #Investing #DebtFreeJourney #FinancialPeace

In Part 5 of the Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome series, Kaleesha Washington continues Chapter 1, “I Don’t Even Notice Race,” by exploring the sections “It’s About Time” and “Learning About the World” from Dr. Joy DeGruy’s groundbreaking book.

This episode examines how culture shapes the way people understand time, relationships, communication, and learning — particularly within African and African-American communities.

Topics explored in this episode include:
• relationship-centered approaches to time and work
• storytelling as a powerful teaching tool
• why meaning and relevance matter in education
• cultural differences in communication and learning styles
• why many students ask, “Why are we learning this?”
• the importance of context, connection, and lived experience in teaching
• and how relationships and storytelling can improve student engagement and academic success

Drawing from her own experiences as a teacher, principal, and historian, Kaleesha reflects on how storytelling transformed her classrooms and helped students connect deeply with academic content in ways traditional instruction often does not.

This episode also explores how culture influences the ways people process information, build trust, understand the world, and pass knowledge from one generation to the next.

This is Part 5 of an ongoing series discussing Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Dr. Joy DeGruy.

🎙️ Don’t Screw Up Your Kids Podcast
Hosted by Kaleesha Washington

In Part 4 of the Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome series, Kaleesha Washington continues Chapter 1, “I Don’t Even Notice Race,” by exploring the section titled “The Preeminence of Relationship” from Dr. Joy DeGruy’s groundbreaking book.

This episode examines the central role relationships play within African and African-American culture and how those relational values influence parenting, education, motivation, trust, discipline, identity, and community.

Topics discussed include:
• the emergence of African-American culture
• relationship-centered cultural values
• authenticity and emotional honesty
• fictive kinship and community bonds
• why relationships often matter more than material rewards
• the importance of trust between students and teachers
• the role of love and emotional safety in education
• and how connection, belonging, and community impact behavior and identity formation

Drawing from her experiences as an educator, principal, historian, and parent, Kaleesha reflects on why many Black students respond more strongly to relationship and affirmation than to traditional reward systems, and why understanding culture matters when working with children and communities.

This episode also explores how historical trauma disrupted family and community structures while simultaneously strengthening the importance of connection, interdependence, and collective survival within African-American culture.

This is Part 4 of an ongoing series discussing Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Dr. Joy DeGruy.

🎙️ Don’t Screw Up Your Kids Podcast
Hosted by Kaleesha Washington

In Part 3 of the Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome series, Kaleesha Washington begins Chapter 1, “I Don’t Even Notice Race,” by exploring the section titled “The Myth of Race” from Dr. Joy DeGruy’s groundbreaking book.

This episode examines the idea of race as a social construct rather than a biological reality and explores how racism continues to shape systems, institutions, opportunities, and lived experiences in America today.

Topics discussed include:
• the myth of biological race
• systemic racism versus individual prejudice
• slavery, segregation, and generational trauma
• institutional power and inequality
• redlining, education disparities, and discriminatory systems
• why acknowledgment matters in healing
• and how denial of historical harm prevents reconciliation and growth

Drawing from history, education, politics, and personal experience, Kaleesha reflects on why America continues to struggle with race relations while other nations have publicly confronted historical atrocities through acknowledgment and reconciliation.

This episode also explores the idea that “not seeing race” can become harmful when race still impacts people’s realities, opportunities, and treatment in society.

This is Part 3 of an ongoing series discussing Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Dr. Joy DeGruy.

🎙️ Don’t Screw Up Your Kids Podcast
Hosted by Kaleesha Washington