Justice Above All

Today, cities such as Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City are under heightened scrutiny, with political narratives around “crime” fueling discussions of potential federal or state intervention. These dynamics echo a long history of power struggles—from Reconstruction, when the federal government deployed forces to protect Black citizens, to the Civil Rights Movement, when federal oversight was critical in advancing desegregation and voting rights. This episode explores the ongoing and historical dynamics of federal and state intervention in cities with large Black populations—particularly when those cities are led by Black mayors. 

Today's host is Karla McKanders, Director of the Thurgood Marshall Institute. She is in conversation with the following guests: 

• Louis A. Bedford IV: Policy Counsel, Legal Defense Fund 
• Lee Harris: Mayor, Shelby County, Tennessee

This episode was recorded on September 26th at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 85th Annual Legislative Conference. Jakiyah Bradley, In Rare Events, and Resonate Recording provided production support.

You can learn more about this episode by visiting our landing page.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf. 

Every day, transportation is an essential thread woven into the fabric of our lives. Public transportation systems have silently shaped the landscapes of communities, perpetuating disparities and reshaping urban environments in ways that often go unnoticed. Historically, accessible and equitable public transportation infrastructure has been crucial for low-income communities. However, systemic disinvestment and car-centric transportation policy has consistently and disproportionately impacted marginalized communities, exacerbating economic and social gaps. Guests on this episode describe how addressing longstanding neglect and discriminatory practices in transportation planning is crucial to supporting marginalized communities in the fight for economic justice.

For more information on this episode, please visit: https://tminstituteldf.org/justice-above-all/. 

This episode was research and produced by the TMI 2024 Summer Research Fellows (Oreoluwa Ale, Wisdom Chandler, Shaleyah Carter, Aliyah Davenport, Loren Floyd, Chelsea Mendes, Mardet Mulugeta, and Priyanka Mukhara) with assistance from Lauren O’Neil. It is hosted by Priyanka Mukhara. Resonate Recordings edited the episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and helping others to find it! To keep up with the work of LDF, please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf. 

Local officials have a great deal of power and authority over both our access to water and our water quality. For that reason, water is frequently on the ballot in local elections. Currently, Black communities are not being well served by water utilities, including water infrastructure and billing policies. The guests on this episode will walk listeners through the water justice crisis as it relates to Black people’s health and wealth. They also encourage listeners to hold their locally elected leaders accountable for delivering safe and affordable water to all.

This episode was produced by Lauren O'Neil. It is hosted by Sandhya Kajeepeta, PhD. Resonate Recordings edited the episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and helping others to find it! To keep up with the work of LDF, please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf. 

Police departments claim that gang policing is a crucial, precise crime prevention strategy. In reality, gang policing operates as a racially discriminatory police practice, targeting thousands of Black and Latinx boys and young men and labeling them as “gang members” without justification. In this episode, the Justice Above All team will demystify gang policing and describe the real harm it brings to marginalized communities. 

For more information on this episode, please visit: tminstituteldf.org/justice-above-all.
This episode was produced by Lauren O'Neil. It is hosted by Sandhya Kajeepeta, PhD. Resonate Recordings edited the episode.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf. 

Content Warning: Themes of racism, violence, and police brutality are discussed throughout this episode. Please proceed with caution and care. 

The U.S. has persistently relied on armed law enforcement to enforce traffic laws. However, existing evidence does not support the notion that police traffic enforcement improves public safety. In fact, police traffic enforcement has serious adverse consequences for community health and well-being, with disproportionate impacts on Black communities. Last year, the Thurgood Marshall Institute published a research brief, Safe Roads for All, which found that police traffic enforcement is not associated with safer roads. This episode of Justice Above All builds upon what is discussed in that brief and presents a community-centered public health approach to traffic safety. Our guests come from the transit safety and police reform worlds. Together, they agree that we can reimagine traffic safety in a way that prioritizes public health and eliminates our heavy reliance on policing. 

Today's host is Dr. Sandhya Kajeepeta, Senior Researcher and Statistician at the Thurgood Marshall Institute. She is in conversation with the following guests: 

• Kim Saltz: Justice in Public Safety Project Legal Fellow, Legal Defense Fund 
• Amber Sherman: Policy Organizer, Decarcerate Memphis 
• Tiffany Smith: Program Manager, Vision Zero Network 

For more information on this episode, visit https://tminstituteldf.org/driving-while-black. 

This episode was written and produced by Jakiyah Bradley and Dr. Sandhya Kajeepeta. Resonate Recording provided production support.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf. 

In 1955, the Supreme Court instructed the states to begin desegregation plans with "all deliberate speed." This episode of Justice Above All highlights the complexities of realizing equal educational opportunities through desegregation. We explore how even decades after Brown, schools in America today are deeply segregated and unequally funded by race and class. We discuss what is truly needed to achieve the goal of desegregation, promoting equitable educational opportunities for America’s students. For more information on this episode, please visit: tminstituteldf.org/justice-above-all. This episode was produced by Lauren O'Neil. It is hosted by Dr. Kesha Moore. Resonate Recordings edited the episode. If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf. 

This episode of Justice Above All examines how the Supreme Court interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and how today’s legal arguments decontextualize the Amendment’s historical context in which it was ratified—during Reconstruction, to secure full citizenship and legal equality for formerly enslaved Black people.  Today, multiple Supreme Court decisions reflect an inaccurate and ahistorical reading of the Reconstruction Amendments—the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth—which were enacted to dismantle the legacy of slavery and secure full citizenship and equal protection under the law for all people of African descent.

Today's host is Karla McKanders, Director of the Thurgood Marshall Institute. She is in conversation with the following guests: 

• Lynne Adrine: Alumna, Ludlow Elementary School and President, LKA Strategies
• Joel Motley: Civil and human rights advocate, filmmaker, and the son of Constance Baker Motley
• Kenji Yoshino: Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law, NYU School of Law and Faculty Director, Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

For more information on this episode, please visit https://tminstituteldf.org/brown-v-board-ii-fourteenth-amendment-myth-of-neutrality/.

This episode was produced by Jakiyah Bradley and Lauren O'Neil. It was hosted by Karla McKanders. Resonate Recordings edited the episode.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf. 

This episode of Justice Above All highlights the centrality of birthing centers, which provide historically informed and culturally competent care to Black birthing people, to the realization of reproductive justice. We will discuss a wave of new state-level regulations that are severely impacting the ability of midwives and other birthing center staff to provide their services. We will also explore how these attacks on birthing centers relate to historic efforts to unwind progress towards reproductive justice.  

Today's host is Karla McKanders, Director of the Thurgood Marshall Institute. She is in conversation with the following guests: 
- Dr. Michele Goodwin, Linda D. & Timothy J. O’Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy, Georgetown University Law Center and Co-Faculty Director, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law  
- Jennie Joseph, Founder and President, Commonsense Childbirth Inc., and midwife 
- Lindsey Kaley, Staff Attorney, Reproductive Freedom Project, ACLU 
- Ashton Wingate, Digital Archives Manager, Thurgood Marshall Institute 

For more information on this episode, visit https://tminstituteldf.org/reproductive-justice-and-black-birthing-centers/.

This episode was produced by Jakiyah Bradley, Keecee DeVenny, Ananya Karthik, and Lauren O'Neil. It is hosted by Karla McKanders. Resonate Recordings edited the episode.  

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf. 

Algorithms and predictive technologies are being used to an increasing extent in housing (i.e., tenant screening, lending, appraisals, housing advertising). While algorithms have the potential to increase equity by removing human bias from decision-making, there is very little transparency and oversight over these tools and there is a real threat that these technologies are in fact replicating and amplifying existing bias and discrimination. In this episode of Justice Above All, Thurgood Marshall Institute researchers speak with three experts on the risks and promise of algorithms in the housing sector.

For more information on this episode, please visit: tminstituteldf.org/justice-above-all.

This episode was produced by Lauren O'Neil. It is hosted by Sandhya Kajeepeta. Resonate Recordings edited the episode.
If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf. 

Despite being the only elected law enforcement officials, sheriffs operate with impunity. In fact, many people are not aware of the sweeping power that sheriffs hold over law enforcement, jails, and to an increasing extent national politics and election administration. In this episode of Justice Above All, we highlight the role of sheriffs in our law enforcement systems and discuss how sheriffs are breaking into national politics. It is well past time to hold sheriffs accountable and rein in their unchecked powers.

For more information on this episode, please visit: tminstituteldf.org/justice-above-all.
This episode was produced by Lauren O'Neil and Ananya Karthik. It is hosted by Sandhya Kajeepeta. Resonate Recordings edited the episode.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf.

If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf.