Make It Plain MIP with Rev. Mark Thompson

Donna Haskins grew up in poverty in one of the most racially segregated cities in America with seemingly all the odds stacked against her. She was sexually assaulted at 13, and when she had an abortion, she thought she could never fulfill her dream of becoming a nun. Later in life, in a crisis about her identity as a Black woman and on the brink of suicide, she hears a sermon that shook her to her core and permanently changed her course. Dr. Onaje X.O. Woodbine is today’s guest, author of "Take Back What the Devil Stole: An African American Prophet’s Encounters in the Spirit World," where he introduces us to Donna Haskins and her transformed life as a prophet. Dr. Woodbine worked with Donna for four years to document her life’s work, dedicated to helping others without accepting a dime, her Afro-Caribbean roots, and how it all intertwines with her Christianity. And if you want to believe in miracles, listen to the incredible story of Donna’s visions that brought a woman the family she thought she’d never have.

Buy the book here: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/take-back-what-the-devil-stole/9780231197168

Executive Producer: Adell Coleman

Producer: Brittany Temple

Distributor: DCP Entertainment

For additional content: makeitplain.com

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What’s the likelihood of an American experiencing poverty? Turns out, it’s the majority. That’s what Mark Rank covers in his new book (co-authored by Lawrence Eppard and Heather Bullock) out now, “Poorly Understood: What Americans Get Wrong About Poverty.” There’s a common misconception that poverty is an issue of “them” when it’s really about “us” -- not an individual failing, but a structural one. How does that play out in our society and economy? Mark explains that, and what can be done to make systemic changes, in this eye-opening episode. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com 

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What would it look like to engage in nonviolent direct action consistently, through strategic organizing? That’s what Kai Newkirk (Founder of For All www.forallorg.us) and Rev. Stephen Green (Pastor, Scholar, and Activist) explain in today’s episode, as they discuss the piece they co-authored, “Why Kingian democratic socialism is the best path forward for the progressive left.” This is especially relevant in the context of our current society where unarmed Black people continue to be murdered by police. They also dig into why we need statehood in D.C. in order to make winning Georgia actually count and see progress on reparations.

Read their article here: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2021/04/why-kingian-democratic-socialism-best-path-forward-for-progressive-left/

Executive Producer: Adell Coleman

Producer: Brittany Temple

Distributor: DCP Entertainment

For additional content: makeitplain.com

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In 2002, Julius Jones was wrongfully convicted of murdering Paul Howell. Last week, on the day of his scheduled execution for a crime he did not commit, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt commuted the death sentence just four hours before he was set to die. It is a victory that Julius’s life has been saved, but now the work continues to free him from prison. Pastor Mike McBride, Founder of Live Free USA and the Black Church PAC, played a large part in fighting for Julius’s life alongside other faith leaders, and he walks us back through the racism that led to Julius's incarceration, the racism of the death penalty itself, and the juxtaposition of faith leaders assisting in Julius's commutation while simultaneously being scrutinized in the trial of the men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery.

Executive Producer: Adell Coleman

Producer: Brittany Temple

Distributor: DCP Entertainment

For additional content: makeitplain.com

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Happy Holidays MIP family! We're bringing you some of the year's most popular episodes while our team takes a break. Enjoy this throwback episode and a restful, joyful holiday season!

Robert P. Jones is the author of “White Too Long” (which recently received the American Book Award), as well as a leading commentator on the crossroads of politics and religion. He brings us his expertise in data and theology with what he has titled the “racism index,” a scale used to examine the impact religion has had on a person’s potential racism through a series of racial attitude questions. His results were both affirming and surprising, and he explains them in today’s episode, as he and Mark question what a movement to integrate Sunday morning might look like.

Executive Producer: Adell Coleman

Producer: Brittany Temple

Distributor: DCP Entertainment

For additional content: makeitplain.com

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Happy Holidays MIP family! We're bringing you some of the year's most popular episodes while our team takes a break. Enjoy this throwback episode and a restful, joyful holiday season!

America is the wealthiest country in the world and yet our federal paid leave, or rather, lack thereof, comes up way short in comparison to other countries. Carol Joyner is the Director of Labor Project for Working Families and in today’s episode, she explains that we’re at a pivotal moment in our country’s history where we have the potential to pass the first federal paid leave mandate--but how likely is that to actually happen? She fills us in on the challenges the legislation faces, why she’s optimistic, and where there is still room for improvement on the granular details. She also details how Labor Project for Working Families, in conjunction with a nationwide network of unions, partners, and organizations, have worked to pass paid leave legislation in 9 states and Washington D.C. over the last 20 years.

Executive Producer: Adell Coleman

Producer: Brittany Temple

Distributor: DCP Entertainment

For additional content: makeitplain.com

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Happy Holidays MIP family! We're bringing you some of the year's most popular episodes while our team takes a break. Enjoy this throwback episode and a restful, joyful holiday season!

You know Brittany Temple as the Producer behind the scenes of Make It Plain, but she’s also a writer and publisher of a bi-weekly newsletter, Write All Along. Her most recent issue was inspired by Bill Cosby’s release from jail--she wasn’t surprised it happened, and felt frustrated with the continued fixation on big headline stories, when sexual assault is happening in our communities every day. She chose to share her story in hopes of contributing to the collective strength of survivors who are standing up to say they won’t be silent about sexual abuse any longer. Brittany makes the point that, statistically speaking, we all know someone who has been sexually abused, and in order to create a supportive culture, we have to demand it by speaking up.

Read her newsletter here: https://brittanytemple.substack.com/

Executive Producer: Adell Coleman

Producer: Brittany Temple

Distributor: DCP Entertainment

For additional content: makeitplain.com

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Jen Miller is the Executive Director at the League of Women Voters Ohio, and she and her colleagues are working alongside the ACLU of Ohio and the A. Philip Randolph Institute to fight gerrymandering in the state. They recently filed a lawsuit in the Ohio Supreme Court to fight against the state’s new Congressional district map and prove the maps are extreme partisan gerrymandering.

Executive Producer: Adell Coleman

Producer: Brittany Temple

Distributor: DCP Entertainment

For additional content: makeitplain.com

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Eric Boehlert of Pressrun.media is back for his biting analysis of what the mainstream media is flubbing these days: this time, they’re following along with Republicans who invented claims about Critical Race Theory. They’re happy to indulge the fabricated GOP fears but fail to mention that CRT is something that is only taught at the college level and higher, not in elementary school. But the Republicans dictate the public discourse based on what they’re angry about or what controversy they’d like to stir, and the Beltway press is happy to lap it up. On top of CRT, Eric has good news and bad news about the coverage of the January 6th committee.

Executive Producer: Adell Coleman

Producer: Brittany Temple

Distributor: DCP Entertainment

For additional content: makeitplain.com

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On December 1st, the Supreme Court heard Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, one of the more troubling attacks on Roe v. Wade and women’s access to healthcare that is currently unfolding in America right now. Daniela Diaz is the Federal Strategies Manager at All* Above All, and she helps us understand what this case means in the grander scheme of protecting reproductive health care and access. The situation is dire, but she also details creative strategizing happening, including the EACH Act, which seeks to reverse the Hyde Amendment that blocks federal funds from going toward abortion. Daniela is also an abortion storyteller, meaning that she willingly shares her own experience with the medical procedure, and she talks to us about that decision and how it impacted her life for the better.

Executive Producer: Adell Coleman

Producer: Brittany Temple

Distributor: DCP Entertainment

For additional content: makeitplain.com

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