We lost another giant of human and civil rights.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. died on February 17 at the age of 84.

His passing gives us occasion to reflect on his life, his faith, and his moral imagination.

What stands out to me about Jesse Jackson’s death in this moment is how he practiced politics.

He wanted to form a 🌈 Rainbow Coalition that would be participatory and inclusive.

Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition stands in stark contrast to what this regime is attempting to implement--a narrow, exclusionary politics. In other words, white Christian nationalism.

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For decades, the dominant interpretation of Reconstruction came from something called the Dunning School.

Named after William Archibald Dunning (1857-1922), an influential Columbia University historian who taught for more than forty years and served as president of the American Historical Association in 1913.

This school of thought helped shape the modern historical profession in its infancy—and it whitewashed history.

That’s why Black history is not optional. It is corrective.

Learn more about this history in this episode.

Read more about acts of resistance in my latest book, The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance.

During Black History Month, support a Black historian researching Black history.

JemarTisby.Substack.com

And your pastor probably doesn't know it.

The FBI seized 700 boxes of ballots in an attempt to further investigate the discredited like that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from DJT.

This isn't about the past, it's about the future--the 2026 midterms.

In this episode, Dr. Jemar talks about the implications of this act and the imperative of pastors, church leaders, and Christian influencers to use the pulpit and their platforms to speak up about what's happening in politics.

This moment doesn't need timid steps, it needs moral clarity.

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We have the words of King but not his walk.

We quote King, but we do not live like him. We celebrate him but we don’t imitate him. We love King’s wisdom, but not King’s way.

In this podcast, I talk about what makes King’s way so hard, and why we need to take up the mission despite the difficulty.

What part of King’s vision and legacy do you find most inspiring? What part are we most in need of today? Let us know in the comments!

The best way to support The Justice Briefing is by becoming a paid subscriber to my Substack.

About three dozen protestors entered the sanctuary of Cities Church in St. Paul and staged a protest so disruptive that they halted the service.

They were there protesting the fact that one of the church’s leaders, David Easterwood, serves as the leader of the local ICE field office.

They were there protesting the murder of Renee Good and the tyranny of ICE in their communities.

But their protest invites the question: Should we disrupt church services?

Change must come to the U.S. church. It is up to Christians who comprise the church to end compromise with injustice within the church.

The best way to support this podcast and never miss an episode is to become a paid subscriber at JemarTisby.Substack.com

In this episode, Dr. Jemar Tisby emphasize the importance of understanding Martin Luther King Jr. beyond his most famous quotes, especially as MLLK Day approaches.

Dr. Tisby argue that King has too often been reduced to a symbol rather than remembered as a complex, challenging figure—and that this reduction has led to widespread misunderstandings of what he actually believed.

In particular, he pushes back against the notion that King advocated for a colorblind society, highlighting instead his clear race consciousness and his support for policies like affirmative action, which are frequently ignored in sanitized retellings of his legacy.

Dr. Tisby also call for a deeper engagement with King’s life and work, emphasizing that his activism was deeply rooted in his Christian faith and that his commitment to nonviolence was not a mere tactic, but a way of life.

Invest in truth-telling at the intersection of faith, history, and justice.

Get "The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance"

ICE is what happens when Americans refuse to learn from Black history.

In this episode, I respond to the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother of three, shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

I draw on the Black history, specifically the example of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.

Finally, I turn to Venezuela.

I connect domestic repression to international aggression and argue that the same ideology animating ICE and CBP also fuels an imperial “crusader mentality” is visible in rhetoric about the Western Hemisphere and Venezuela and the theological justifications of power.

In this episode:

* The human stakes: who Renee Good was—and how quickly propaganda rewrites a life

* The hypocrisy of “Christian persecution” narratives under a regime that kills a “devoted Christian” at home

* Why Black communities have long warned that policing protects power, not people

* The Black Panthers, the Mulford Bill, and what armed Black self-defense revealed about American “law and order”

* ICE as a “personal army”: law enforcement powers without meaningful restraint

* Why learning only from Europe’s fascism archives narrows our survival toolkit

* Venezuela, Project 2025’s worldview, and the imperial logic of the “Western Hemisphere”

* Closing with The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance

Mentioned / recommended

* Jemar Tisby’s Substack: Footnotes (subscribe free or paid)

* The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance

* The Justice Journey: cornerstone course (registration opening soon)

* Data + reporting sources: Brennan Center for Justice and The Marshall Project

Who are the Black historians, activists, thinkers, and historical figures you return to when things get dark, and who should others follow? Let us know in the comments.

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On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, but it did not “free the slaves.”

In truth, the Emancipation Proclamation was extremely limited, provisional, and conditional.

That does not mean it was not important, meaningful, or didn't matter.

Historical accuracy is important, and by the end of this episode you will be able to name precisely what the Emancipation Proclamation did and didn’t do as well as its connection to the Black Christian community.

• Compensated Emancipation Act (1862)
• Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
• 13th Amendment (1865)
• Watch Night Service 

The White House is in all-out propaganda mode with its America 250 campaign. This Footnotes Substack won’t let them co-opt the truth. You can help. Become a paid subscriber today. JemarTisby.Substack.com

Cultural Artifacts is our version of a Top Ten list for the year.

My former podcast co-host G. Tyler Burns and I are back for part two.

This time we’ve got a few albums, some books, and a variety of movies and television shows you’ll want to check out right away!

As always, the rules remain the same: these artifacts don’t have to be new.

They just have to be consumed this year. The things that steadied us. Challenged us. Made us feel more human in a year that demanded a lot.

Listen to PART 1.

Follow TJB on YouTube.

You get an alert for every new episode when you subscribe to my Substack.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

No. I’m not talking about Christmas (that’s wonderful, too).

But if you know me and my former podcast, Pass The Mic, you already know what I mean.

Cultural Artifacts!!!

This is the first Cultural Artifacts episode since PTM ended, so it is only right and fitting that my very first official guest on The Justice Briefing is none other than Rev. G. Tyler Burns!

I honestly can’t imagine a better way to mark this moment.

For longtime PTM listeners, this will feel like slipping into a familiar groove.

As always, the rules remain the same: these artifacts don’t have to be new.

They just have to be consumed this year. The things that steadied us. Challenged us. Made us feel more human in a year that demanded a lot.

This is Part 1 of 2, so consider this your invitation to settle in—and start making your own list.

We’ll be back next Thursday (12/18) for part 2 of Cultural Artifacts.

Catch us right here on Substack Live or on my YouTube page.

What’s on your cultural artifacts list this year? Let us know in the comments.

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