Happy Birthday James Baldwin!  Born August 2, 1924. We discuss his most inspiring words, and the documentary "I Am Not Your Negro" directed by Raoul Peck.  Next,  we discuss the fantastic APM Reports podcast "Remembering Jim Crow".  A fantastic episode with great questions, anecdotes and and ideas from all participants. Enjoy!

Maryland educators and community members discuss important issues with Cheryl Bost, a true warrior and champion for Maryland teachers and students. Fantastic episode that is full of great information.

This episode was inspired by the incredible presentation "Building Culturally Relevant Schools Post Pandemic" by an anti-racist educator, researcher, and equity in education pioneer Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings. Fantastic episode for all educators.

Veteran police officers and NASRO (National Association of School Resource officers) members Don Bridges and Mo Canady join us to discuss with us the SRO program, training mandates, and share their thoughts on police reform and how to partner with communities and school leaders. 

This is a special episode featuring my smart and athletic nephew, Javi! He introduces himself, and discusses with us important topics such as Sports, Covid-19 in schools, and WWE/NXT! Check out this awesome episode and we will check in with Javi every month. Thanks for listening! Enjoy!

Bettina L. Love is an award-winning author and the Athletic Association Endowed Professor at University of Georgia. She is the author of We Want To Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom and Hip Hop’s Li’l Sistas Speak: Negotiating Hip Hop Identities and Politics in the New South.

Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad is an Associate Professor of Language and Literacy at Georgia State University. She also serves as the director of the GSU Urban Literacy Clinic. Dr. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading educational journals and books. Some of her recognitions include the 2014 recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English, Promising New Researcher Award, the 2016 NCTE Janet Emig Award, the 2017 GSU Urban Education Research Award and the 2018 UIC College of Education Researcher of the Year. She is the author of Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy.

Dena Simmons, Ed.D., is an activist, educator, and student of life from the Bronx, New York. She is the Assistant Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and an Associate Research Scientist at the Yale Child Study Center. She writes and speaks nationally about social justice and culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy as well as creating emotionally intelligent and safe classrooms within the context of equity and liberation. She is the author of the forthcoming book, White Rules for Black People (St. Martin’s Press, 2021). Brian Jones is the Associate Director of Education at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He writes about black education history and politics.

Maryland Senator Shelly Hettleman from District 11 in Baltimore County joins us this week to talk about her work in Maryland politics. She shares her political history and inspiration. We discussed tough issues like upcoming police reform, back to school concerns w/ recent proposed budget cuts in Maryland, and how can we combat the deadly virus COVID-19 as a community. Fantastic, must-listen episode! Enjoy!