What's In It For Us?

Episode Description from Show Bible

What’s In It For Us, theGrio’s weekly political podcast hosted by Dr. Christina Greer Ph.D., welcomes special guest Educator, Teacher, Speaker and Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition, David Johns! 

 

This week on the show: We want that old thing back! The Verzuz series has been a much-needed celebration during the pandemic, but now some are criticizing and alleging that what once was a celebration of Black excellence has become nothing more than a platform for noted abusers. We weigh on the controversy!

Plus, Georgia is still on the frontlines in the war against Black voter suppression and now the nation’s top lawyer says he plans to sue the state over its racist voting laws. Our guest David Johns breaks down the impact Georgia’s battles could have on the rest of the country and we take a look at the states that are trying to copy/paste Georgia’s harmful laws. 

 

Last but not least: an alarming new trend emerging from the pandemic. New research suggests that Black folks are among those suffering from pandemic-related overdoses. What we know about a new study from the CDC and what the findings could mean post-pandemic.

What’s In It For Us, theGrio’s weekly political podcast hosted by Dr. Christina Greer Ph.D., welcomes special guest Educator, Comedian and Founder of The Black Teacher Project, (www.blackteacherproject.org) Dr. Micia Mosely, Ph.D. 

This week on the show: It’s official! Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, but what are we actually celebrating? Dr. Greer and Dr. Mosely breakdown how the new holiday still misses the mark.

Plus, as Pride Month continues we talk about the unique obstacles facing folks who Black and queer and what NFL Defensive End, Carl Nassib, coming out as gay says about the current discourse around queerness in our country. 

Lastly, a Hollywood hottie finds himself in hot water. We talk why Michael B. Jordan is getting called out for cultural appropriation and how the misstep might actually lead to an important discussion about how we connect across the diaspora. 

With so much going on, we have to stop and take a minute to ask: What’s In It for us?

What’s In It For Us, theGrio’s weekly political podcast hosted by Dr. Christina Greer Ph.D., welcomes special guest, Comedian and Writer, Pat Brown.

It looks like Hot Girl Summer is about to get even hotter! Rapper Megan Thee Stallion made herself at home on everyone’s timeline last week after racking up more than six million views of her new single, “Thot Sh*t.” We unpack some of the larger messages in the racy new video. 

Plus, Darnella Frazier, the teenager who captured the murder of George Floyd on camera and launched a summer of global unrest is awarded with an honorary Pulitzer prize. We talk the impact of citizen journalism and the burden of bearing witness to brutality.

Finally, all GPAs matter? Two Mississippi high schoolers are named valedictorian and salutatorian only to find out they have to share the honor with two white classmates after complaints from parents pile in. Dr. Greer and our guest, Pat Brown, breakdown how the controversy all went down. 

With so much going on, we have to stop and take a moment to ask, “What’s In It For Us?”

What’s In It For Us, theGrio’s weekly political podcast hosted by Dr. Christina Greer, PhD., welcomes special guest, Richard Brookshire, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Black Veterans Project. 

This week on the show: Pride Month and the Pentagon. The Biden Administration is keeping a Trump-era policy which bans the flying of unofficial flags including LGBTQ flags at U.S. military installations. Our guest, Richard Brookshire, says that while of queer representation is important, there is a larger battle to be had with what currently on display at military stations across the country. 

Plus, an uproar in Ohio as a U.S. veteran is literally silenced as he tries to share the true history of Memorial Day. We talk the erasure of Black American veterans and the impact of their service. 

Finally, we take a look at the Black veteran facing criminal charges and up to 25 years in prison for trying to cope with his PTSD.  We break down how the U.S. military sometimes fails the very people who risk their lives to secure liberty and justice for all. 

With so much going on, we have to stop and take a moment to ask, “What’s In It For Us?”

What’s In It For us, theGrio’s weekly political podcast hosted by Christina Greer, PhD., welcomes special guest, Boston Globe Associate Editor and Columnist, Renée Graham. 

This week: the steep price of protecting your peace. We talk tennis superstar Naomi Osaka and the $15,000 fine she was charged for not talking with the press at the French Open after citing the need to protect her mental health. We break down the ongoing uproar around her decision, and the pressure and expectations placed on Black athletes.

Plus, who do you call if you can’t trust the police? The nation’s top lawyer, Merrick Garland, hopes to topple the staggering number of hate crimes by urging district attorney’s throughout the country to create coordinator positions to improve communication between local and state authorities. We unpack what the move could mean for the marginalized communities who tend to not report crimes committed against them to the police.

Lastly, an interruption in the school-to-prison pipeline? Somerville recently became the second city in Massachusetts to remove policing from schools, but Dr. Greer and Ms. Graham say taking officers out of school is just one of many steps needed to see true, meaningful change.

With so much going on, we have to stop and take a moment to ask, “What’s In It For Us?”

What’s In It For Us, theGrio’s weekly political podcast hosted by Christina Greer, PhD.,  welcomes special guest, Comedian, Actress and Host of the Friends Like Us Podcast, Marina Franklin.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd. We reflect on how his death sparked global cries for justice, protests and unrest. Franklin talks about how she tackles Black trauma and inequality on the stage. 

Also, how do we laugh to keep from crying? Legendary Comedian Paul Mooney definitely showed us the way. The comic passed away recently from a heart attack. We talk his massive impact on comedy and the political power of radical and unyielding honesty and humor.

With so much going on we have to stop and ask: What’s In It For Us?

What’s In It For Us, theGrio’s weekly political podcast hosted by Christina Greer, PhD.,  welcomes special guest Historian and Author, Leah Wright Rigueur, Ph.D.

This week on the show: a troubling new connection between police-custody deaths and sickle cell anemia. A New York Times investigation uncovered the sickle cell trait in 47 cases of Black folks killed in police custody over the past 25 years.  Dr. Rigueur and Dr. Greer unpack how this new finding could move us even further away from justice in police-related killings. 

Plus, is there a plan for solving racial injustice and inequity in America? Dr. Rigueur says history has already provided us with a blueprint and the path to forward is getting an update. 

And we take a look back on the life and legacy of Kobe Bryant who was just inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame—why Dr. Rigueur says so Black Americans have yet to be able properly mourn the tragic loss of the NBA legend. 

With so much going on, we have to stop and take a moment to ask, “What’s In It For Us?”

What’s In It For Us, theGrio’s weekly political podcast hosted by Christina Greer, PhD., welcomes special guest, Journalist, Photographer and Founder of Black Women Photographers, Polly Irungu. 

This week, Georgia is on our mind as all eyes on the Peach state and an anti-voting rights bill that has made its way through the state’s legislature. Not to be outdone, Florida, Arizona and Texas have introduced bills which would effectively make it harder for folks to vote and it’s all being done under the guise of eliminating voter fraud. Deep sigh. 

Georgia’s also making headlines this week as Atlanta Mayor, Keshia Lance Bottoms announces she won’t be seeking reelection even after she raised more than $500,000 during a virtual fundraising event with President Biden back in March. Polly and Dr. Greer talk the grueling pressures that face the mayors of some of the nation's largest cities and what Mayor Bottoms’ announcement means for the politically embattled Georgia as well as the rest of the nation. 

And finally: bad lighting, where? Our guest, Polly Irungu, talks about her initiative to promote the work of Black women photographers around the globe with her Black Women Photo project. The project took off during the pandemic as a global community of photographers showed up to support the Black women changing how we see the world one image at a time. 

With so much going on, we have to stop and take a moment to ask, “What’s In It For Us?”

What’s In It For Us, theGrio’s weekly political podcast hosted by Christina Greer, PhD., welcomes special guest, Political Scientist and University of Washington Professor, Megan M. Francis. PhD. 

In today’s episode, Dr. Greer and Dr. Francis unpack President Biden’s first congressional speech since taking office in January. The speech also marked the first time in history that two women, Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, sat behind the podium during a joint address. However, Dr. Francis says while the Biden Administration’s outlook is promising, true progress is made in the streets. 

Plus, GOP Senator Tim Scott delivered the rebuttal from the right, but it’s not the clapback Republicans hoped it would be. We break down what was missing and why the response fell short. 

And…Oscars who? Twitter was ablaze after beloved actor Chadwick Boseman was posthumously snubbed for his final performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, but should we even be checking for recognition from the institution? 

With so much going on, we have to stop and take a moment to ask, “What’s In It For Us?”