Work. We all do it because we have bills to pay. But what happens when an unexpected emergency occurs and you need time away from work-hopefully paid time? To discuss work, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), paid leave, and the possibilities of disconnecting work from benefits, L. Joy brings Executive Director of Family Values @ Work, Josephine Kalepini to the front of the class.

The United Nations is an international organization, but can it be used as a tool on the path to human and civil rights here for Black people in America? To explain if this is possible, L. Joy brings UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent member, Professor Justin Hansford to the front of the class. As a bonus, they discuss Critical Race Theory, answering questions many of us have.

The Constitution, it is said,  is a living, breathing document. L. Joy brings Sherrilyn Ifill to the front of the class to give us a framework to understand the power and obligations of the Constitution, the importance of the Civil War Amendments, and what it means to do the work of citizenship.

L. Joy shares with us tools we can use to follow budget money and elections in our local areas. And she brings Lauren Bealore of Prosperity Now to the front of the class to discuss The Zoning In report on inclusionary zoning and how policy may help with the housing crisis which is leaving many people unable to find decent and safe housing they can afford.

Most people do not want to fall victim to or share misinformation. With so much information out there, how do we make sure what we are engaging with is not just confirming what we already believe but is based on facts and good data? L. Joy brings historians Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer to the front of the class to break down how we can tell fact from fiction, discuss their new book, and explain exactly what the role of a historian is.

There are a lot of things happening during the times that an election is not happening. Why should we care? Because these are the things we should know and engage around before we get to election time. Two court cases- Moore v. Harper which has implications for elections and Justin v. Tingling, around who sits on a jury- are important issues L. Joy is discussing with Ari Savitzky and Perry Grossman.

L. Joy continues to help us build out our agendas and strategies for after the election by discussing how policies and legislation can transform and make concrete changes in people’s lives. For this conversation, she brings Majority Whip James E. Clyburn to the front of the class to break it all down along with discussing the importance of intergenerational relationships for advancing ideas.

What do we do when the sun sets on an election cycle? Organize! It’s time to meet who represents you, whether you voted for them or not. And you should be going with your agenda of what issues are important to you. One of the issues on L. Joy’s organizing agenda is work, and she is bringing Dr. Alex Camardelle to the front of the class to discuss what good paying jobs look like, right to work & unions, and what the ask for a redirection of resources to communities looks like

Since the beginning, L. Joy has stressed the importance of voting, getting together a vote plan, and urging your family, friends, and community to get out and vote. For this lesson Holli Holliday is at the front of the class sharing tips you can use to encourage those you care about to vote as well strategies as how we keep up the momentum beyond election day.

We have discussed the need to get the federal minimum wage of a meager $7.25 per hour raised to lift many Americans out of poverty. Did you know that tipped workers in 43 states earn a subminimum wage that is extremely low at around $2.13 per hour and when you leave a tip, that counts against the person’s wages? L. Joy is bringing Saru Jayaraman to the front of the class to break down the history of subminimum wages, how they are legal, and how we can get civically engaged around one fair wage for all.