The man who rose to fame –some would say infamy– as H. Rap Brown has a uniquely American story, inventing and reinventing himself over the course of decades. He turned himself from a teenage tough guy into a civil rights leader. He abandoned the philosophy of non-violence to become a Black Power pioneer. He underwent a jailhouse conversion to Islam, and became Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a guiding force of an insular Black Muslim community. And then, almost 40 years after he stepped into the public consciousness, he was convicted of fatally shooting a cop. 

But was Imam Jamil being punished for his actions, or his past?

In today’s episode of A Word, host Jason Johnson dives into the tangled history of the man once known as H. Rap Brown, and the murder case that landed him in jail for life. His guest is Mosi Secret, journalist and the host of the Radical podcast, which explores the case and the complicated search for justice.

Guest: Mosi Secret, investigative journalist and host of the Radical podcast 

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In September, Brittany Watts had a miscarriage at her home in Ohio. Prosecutors are now charging her with “abuse of a corpse,” a felony that could result in up to a year in prison. 

When does a miscarriage become a felony? And could the anti-abortion movement be using this case as a step towards achieving “fetal personhood”?

Guest: Mary Ziegler, law professor at UC Davis and author of Roe: The History of a National Obsession.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, several states and localities have passed “crown” laws, statutes that keep employers from discriminating against African Amercans for wearing their hair in natural styles. That’s because, historically, having straight hair has often been a requirement for professional advancement for Black women in particular. But there is more science emerging that connects chemical relaxers with cancer. In today’s episode of A Word, reporter and cancer survivor Victoria St. Martin speaks with host Jason Johnson about the dangers of formaldehyde in hair relaxers, the history of marketing toxic cosmetics to African Americans, and consumer efforts to raise awareness.

Guest: Victoria St. Martin, Inside Climate News reporter 

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… cen-suspicions.

We’re a little over six years away from the next national census. It’s understandable that this might not be at the top of your mind, but for a small group of academics and activists, it absolutely is. 

Race isn’t a real thing, scientifically speaking. But we still live in a heavily racialized society, and the Census sets the stage for many, many policy decisions that impact race equity. So, if race isn’t real, why does the Census act like it’s a simple, immutable fact?

Carlos Hoyt, an author and speaker, joins us to propose a more dynamic way of self reporting – and recording – race. 

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: [email protected]

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shanice Stewart was 9 months pregnant when Sacramento police pulled her over, and compelled her to leave her car at gunpoint. The reason? They mistook her 8-year-old son for a hardened criminal. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalist Christina Carrega to discuss “the talk.” Carrega explains why the conversation that many Black parents give to their children about the potential dangers of police interactions may be happening for younger children, and whether it makes them safer, or just more afraid.

Guest: Christina Carrega, criminal justice reporter at Capital B.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode: Elizabeth sits down with Alana Best, travel blogger and author of Around the World in Black and White: Traveling as a Biracial, Blended Family. Together, they talk about how to make ambitious travel plans work, even with the littlest kids — and, how to navigate the lived reality of family members who experience the world differently because of the color of their skin.

Then, Zak, Elizabeth and Jamilah go over their recommendations for the week: 

Elizabeth recommends: Keep Going Small Travel Kit 

Jamilah recommends: Sweet potato honey bun cake 

Zak recommends: Mega Wow on PBS Kids 

Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. 

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, guest-host Keisha “TK” Dutes talks to graphic designer, writer, and educator Gail Anderson, who specializes in the art of typography. In the interview, Gail talks about falling in love with printed lettering and her decision to become a designer in the first place. Then she discusses some of her specific work, including campaign buttons and posters, playbills for Broadway, and her Emancipation Proclamation U.S. postage stamp. 

After the interview, TK and co-host June Thomas talk about collecting inspiration from the outside world. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Gail discusses her position on the Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee, which helps to select and approve official postage stamps. 

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to [email protected] or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The violent January 6th insurrection was a historic threat to American democracy. It led to five deaths, and many more injuries. Several Capitol police were hurt, but still managed to keep congressmembers and staff safe. Veteran officer Harry Dunn was awarded a Presidential Citizens Medal for his service that day, and is now sharing his experience in his new book Standing My Ground: A Capitol Police Officer’s Fight for Accountability and Good Trouble After January 6th. In today’s episode of A Word, Dunn speaks with host Jason Johnson about fighting the insurrectionists, testifying in congressional hearings, and calling for accountability for the attackers.

Guest: Harry Dunn, Capitol Police Officer

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A middle-aged single dad in Chicago was outraged by all the cigarette billboards popping up in Black communities. In 1990, he picked up a paint roller and became an anti-tobacco vigilante. And he did it all under a secret identity.

This episode was written by Josh Levin, One Year’s editorial director. One Year’s senior producer is Evan Chung.

This episode was produced by Kelly Jones, Olivia Briley, and Evan Chung. It was edited by Joel Meyer and Derek John, Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts. 

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. We had mixing help from Kevin Bendis.

Join Slate Plus to get a special behind-the-scenes conversation at the end of our season about how we put together our 1990 stories. Slate Plus members also get to listen to all Slate podcasts without any ads.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Black Friday, prime time for many of us to binge on holiday leftovers and some of our favorite family-friendly shows. One of them is likely to be ABC’s Abbott Elementary. Before the show rewrote the lesson plan for workplace comedies, star and creator Quinta Brunson joined A Word to speak with Jason Johnson to talk about what inspired Abbott, her foundation in sketch comedy, and her unlikely path to showrunner. 

Guest: Quinta Brunson, writer, producer, and star of Abbott Elementary. She’s the author of the memoir “She Memes Well.” 

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis and Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices