Terrell J Starr Official

Terrell appeared on the excellent show Pod Save the World, a podcast by Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes, two long serving members of the Obama administration. Rhodes introduces Terrell by pointing out that he isn’t just talking about changing policy, he’s helping change the whole mindset of American power. These guys get it.

Rhodes talks about being in rooms where Obama was the only one who isn’t white, and asks Terrell about the importance of diversity in those rooms. Terrell points out that it isn’t just about skin color, it’s also about listening to folks who want to dismantle the whole neo-liberal structure and rethink how we move in the world. The conversation goes from there, into elections, Russia, white supremacy, and how the Black Lives Matter movement has emboldened new voices that deserve to be heard.

This is a powerful episode and a great example of why Terrell’s perspective is having a real impact on the conversation.

Thank you for listening!

This week on Black Diplomats we’re playing a recent episode of the Press the Button podcast from the Ploughshares Fund that features Terrell Starr talking about American nuclear policy, what “healing” means for our politics, and how white supremacy colors our views of our adversaries. It’s a great episode of the PTB podcast, and a fun opportunity to hear Terrell sit on the other side of the table as a guest.

An engaging podcast on nuclear policy and national security, Press the Button is co-hosted by defense experts Tom Collina and Michelle Dover of Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation. This weekly podcast features top officials and experts discussing the latest developments on Iran, North Korea, nuclear weapons, military budgets and foreign policy. Press the Button offers diverse views on one of the most important issues of our time: preventing nuclear war. A new episode of Press the Button is available every Tuesday.

On today’s episode of Black Diplomats, host Terrell Starr is joined by two military vets, Arti Walker-Peddakotla and Shaniyat Chowdhury, to talk about the violent white supremacist insurrection on January 6th, where supporters of disgraced ex-president Donald Trump brutalized Federal employees and vandalized the Capitol. At this point we’ve seen there were a lot of ex-military in the crowd, so Terrell wants to know - did Arti or Shan serve with anyone who supports this movement, and what can the rest of us do to protect ourselves from them?

Intro:

• 00:00 Terell, Arti and Shan talk about the white supremacist insurrection on January 6th, and what they make of the presence of so many military vets in the crowd.
• 20:00 Serving an administration that doesn’t serve you.
• 32:00 The problem with politicians (hint: they’re distracted and lazy).
• 37:00 Running for and serving elected office. Both guests have been through political campaigns, what did that experience teach them about moving policy?

How has 2020 prepared you for 2021?

• 47:00 Defunding neo-liberalism!

Closeout:

• 64:00 What’s everyone looking forward to in 2021?

Thank you for listening!

The high-stakes Senate runoff in Georgia went to the Democrats - both Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won their special election races, defeating Republican incumbents to flip the Senate.

One of the people we have to thank for this outcome is Ms. LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter. Brown is a world traveller who brings a global perspective to American politics. Host Terrell Starr talks to Brown about what worked for Democrats in Georgia, the foundations of America, and what we have to do to make things right.

Brown also talks about their effort to return 198,000 voters to eligibility after the Secretary of State purged them without cause, and why Democrats and Republicans aren’t talking about the same thing when they say an election was stolen.

Thank you for listening!

Happy new year, and welcome back to Black Diplomats! On this episode host Terrell Starr welcomes National Security expert Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, and nuclear policy analyst Lovely Umayam to talk about what safety means in 2021. For all the bluster of the last four years, not even the US nuclear umbrella can protect us from COVID-19.

Intro:

• 00:00: Terell, Asha and Lovely talk about what foreign policy hopes they have for 2020.

In the news:

• 15:02: Mike Pompeo's Swagger tweet about US foreign policy
• 23:14: The deployment of B-52 bombers to the Middle East and to intimidate Iran
• 42: 20: Let's debate an article that more American allies need nukes

How has 2020 prepared you for 2021?

• 55:48: Asha talks about her run for congress
• 62:55: Lovely talks about the Bombshelltoe project and combining the arts with understanding nuclear policy

What can America learn from the world?

• 80:00: Examples of what’s working in other countries (can you say bullet train?!)

Closeout:

• 93:00: What everyone’s looking forward to in 2021

Go to blackdiplomats . net for more information.

Thank you for listening!

Today’s guests on Black Diplomats are Pam Campos-Palma and Melissa Bryant, two women who have complicated relationships with America. Both women are military vets, one the daughter of immigrants, one a fourth-generation service member. Both were taught that the military is a pathway to prosperity. Both experienced the racism and misogyny that are defining parts of living in America, and both persevered. They know what it’s like to love this country, even when it doesn’t love you back.

Host Terrell J. Starr asks Campos-Palma and Bryant what patriotism means to them, and talks about the way that word has been bound up with whiteness in the US. Is it possible for Americans be truly patriotic without also being white?

From our bloated nuclear program to our militarized police departments, the philosophy of safety in the US is not capable of providing protection from the threats of the modern world. Rethinking safety means more than updating weapons systems and technology. Conversations like this one are defining the future, helping America work better for us all.

Jerwayne Cook was an Operations Manager who worked at the CIA for over a decade during the height of the War on Terror. He has seen nations fall into civil war, experienced radical terror first hand, and dismantled networks aiming to destabilize governments. And that’s why he’s worried about America.

Host Terrell Starr talks to Cook about what kind of assessments the Agency would be making if another country had a dictator who wouldn’t recognize the results of a free and fair election. Cook also talks about some of the well known successes and failures of American intelligence, including the decision to go into Iraq and Afghanistan after 9/11, but not Saudi Arabia.

After nearly 13 years in the CIA during the height of the War on Terror, Jerwayne Cook has a remarkable resumé that is very light on detail. Since leaving the Agency in 2016 he has been in demand as an intelligence specialist and operations consultant for clients he lists as “confidential”.

Describing his time in the CIA as “a season in life”, Cook has an expansive mind and keen insight that he’s using to help demystify American foreign policy for the rest of us.

The 2020 election is mostly wrapped up and one of the big takeaways is the profound effect of BIPOC organizers nationwide, from the Stacey Abrams juggernaut in Georgia, to the turnout among Native Americans in Arizona, even as Covid-19 ravages their communities.

Today on Black Diplomats, host Terrell Starr talks to activist Dr. Melina Abdullah and journalist Anoa Changa about what Democrats owe BIPOC voters, how Joe Biden became the nominee in the first place, and what it’s going to take to repair the damage done by the Trump administration.

Dr. Melina Abdullah is a recognized expert on race, gender, class, and social movements. She was among the original group of organizers that convened to form Black Lives Matter and continues to serve as a Los Angeles chapter leader.

She is also Professor and former Chair of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Abdullah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in Political Science and her B.A. from Howard University in African American Studies.

An organizer by nature and a lawyer by trade, Anoa Changa has a deep history of working within the realms of advocacy and justice. Her passion lies in building collaborative political spaces that fundamentally change the way communities and grassroots organizations engage with the social and political systems around us. Expanding on her experience as an attorney, Anoa has been a grassroots digital organizer and strategic advisor to several organizations.

On this episode of Black Diplomats, host Terrell J. Starr is joined by the two people who got him into podcasting: Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela, hosts of the In The Thick podcast.

The 2020 election for President of the United States was this week, and it looks like Joe Biden is going to win the Electoral College count, as well as the popular vote. What happens in the courts is yet to be seen.

All year long people have been predicting a Blue Wave that would result in control of both houses of Congress, and the Executive, but at this point Democrats are barely holding onto a narrow majority in the House and may not win the Senate. What happened to the Wave?

And how did President Trump increase his percentage of the vote among white people?!

As a reporter who was the first Latina in many newsrooms, Maria Hinojosa dreamt of a space where she could create independent, multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diverse American experience. To that end, in 2010, she created Futuro Media, an independent, nonprofit organization based in Harlem, NYC with the mission to create multimedia content for and about the new American mainstream in the service of empowering people to navigate the complexities of an increasingly diverse and connected world.

Julio (Julito) Ricardo Varela is the Founder and Publisher of Latino Rebels. He created this community in 2011, propelling it to a must-visit source in the digital space. In 2018, Latino Rebels was acquired by Maria Hinojosa’s Futuro Media, an award-winning independent nonprofit media company based in Harlem.

As Digital Media Director for Futuro Media, Julio works with the Latino USA team to promote the show’s episodes and expand its digital reach. He is a frequent contributor to the show and the editor of the show’s official site, LatinoUSA.org. He also co-hosts In The Thick with Maria Hinojosa. Recently, he was named by Futuro to focus on the company’s new business opportunities.

Check out www.blackdiplomats.net for more information.

Thank you for listening!

kleptocracy noun klep·toc·ra·cy | \ klep-ˈtä-krə-sē \ plural kleptocracies

: government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed

also : a particular government of this kind

On this episode of Black Diplomats host Terrell J. Starr is joined by Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa, founders of the podcast juggernaut Gaslit Nation. Terrell asks them to define what a kleptocratic government looks like for folks who might not be familiar with the word, and then they cover some of the many examples from the Trump Administration. They talk about the Russian oligarchs and advisors who’ve steered Trump from the start, and what a second term could look like. With friends like Paul Manafort, who has time for enemies?

Gaslit Nation is hosted by writers Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa, experts on authoritarian states who warned America about election hacking before the 2016 election. They take a deep dive on the news, skipping outrage to deliver analysis, history, context, and sharp insight on global affairs. Subscribe today to catch up on previous episodes and get new ones! (also available on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and PocketCasts).