George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Stephon Clark. Tamir Rice. Michael Brown. Philando Castile. John Crawford. Akai Gurley. Freddie Gray. We say their names over and over again. The list never stops. Black and Brown Americans murdered by police at wildly disproportionate rates, and a white America which refuses to surrender our power and privilege to stop this from happening.

And in the middle of the latest national response to the murder of George Floyd comes Juneteenth. It’s a commemoration of the day in June when slaves were freed at the end of the Civil War. To mark this history, and to speak frankly about systemic racism, we have two episodes this week where we look at the history and the future of racism in America.

On this powerful episode, our guest is Blair Imani. Blair is a critically-acclaimed historian, outspoken advocate and activist, and dynamic public speaker. The author of two historical books: Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History and Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and The Black American Dream, she centers women and girls, global Black communities, and the LGBTQ community. She is the co-host of America Did What?!, an educational podcast and anti-racism initiative with Kate Robards.