In this episode, the hosts discuss the history of invoking some form of States’ Rights theory to limit the efforts of the federal government to expand or protect the rights of persons within the United States     Southern Manifesto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Manifesto   Mississippi State Sovereign Commission https://web.archive.org/web/20191205182453/http://mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us/index.php?id=243 https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/nullification/#:~:text=The%20crisis%2C%20which%20began%20as,and%20secede%20from%20the%20Union.   “Calhoun’s justificat ..read more

In this episode, the hosts discuss the controversy concerning the Resignation of Harvard president Claudine Gay.Is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion undermining merit or does it address a history of Discrimination, Exclusion, and Inequality.   Claudine Gay's Resignation The Claudine Gay Debacle Was Never about Merit Claudine Gay and the Limits of Social Engineering at Harvard Biden to Appeal to Black Voters in Campaign Trip to Charleston, SC ..read more

In this episode, the hosts discuss the leading role that Virginia has played in the racial divide in America’s history.  Home to the Founding Fathers and Capital of the Confederacy, the state has been the crucible of the ideals which built this country and the ideas which would tear it apart.   Washington, DC History   https://washington.org/DC-information/washington-dc-history   Virginia 1619   https://time.com/5653369/august-1619-jamestown-history/   https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/02/06/virginia-is-birthplace-american-slavery-segregation-i ..read more

In this episode, the hosts discuss Justice O’Connor’s role as the “swing vote” as the Court addressed major fault lines in our society on issues such as abortion, affirmative action, and gender equality.   Planned Parenthood v. Casey https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/505/833/   Grutter v. Bollinger https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/539/306 ..read more

In this episode, the hosts continue examining how specific states have addressed racial equality, Black history, and White Supremacy. In this episode, they travel outside the Deep South, and focus on the state of Indiana – Klan Capital and home of Sundown Towns.   LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Links for podcast Violence in Jacksonville Florida https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/26/us/jacksonville-florida-shooting-multiple-fatalities/index.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/30/us/politics/jacksonville-desantis-black-community.html Ax Handle Saturday https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ax_Handle_Saturday ..read more

In this episode, the hosts begin a series of episodes examining how specific states have addressed the racial equality, Black history, and White Supremacy.  First stop: Florida.   LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Smithsonian Magazine https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/one-hundred-years-ago-four-day-race-riot-engulfed-washington-dc-180972666/   Florida Academic Standards 2023 https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/20653/urlt/6-4.pdf   Ron DeSantis and the State Where History Goes to Die https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/28/opinion/desantis-slavery-florida-curriculum-history.html?sm ..read more

Photo Credit : Encyclyopedia Britanica   In this program, the hosts discuss the Supreme Court’s decision to forbid race-conscious affirmative action  approaches to achieve diversity n higher education.  The discussion contrasts Justice Roberts’ pronouncement that decisions should be color-blind with Justice Jackson’s reminder that the country has been far from colorblind and the effects are not just historical but real in the present because of the intergenerational transmission of inequality.  Moreover, the “self-evident” truth that all are created equal has not been appli ..read more

Image Credit: Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States In this episode, the hosts discuss the Roberts Court’s failure to adhere to precedent and the effect this is having on the public’s confidence in the Supreme Court.  Respect for precedents and the application of the principle of stare desisis provide constancy and comfort and avoids the appearance that the Court is swayed by political consideration.  Simple assertions that a prior decision was wrongly decided are inadequate to justify undermining the expectations of parties before the Court and the public at large.&nb ..read more

Photo credit: Afro.com EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss Black History and the historical use of book burning, book banning, and other methods to suppress inconvenient truths. False narratives flourish when voices remain silent are have been removed from the discussion. To download the transcript, CLICK HERE A FEW KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE Denying Black people education and banning books is part of historical pattern to control access to information to control the narrative This practice of banning and burning books has been used throughout history by people in pow ..read more

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss why Martin Luther King should not be limited by a selection of words from the “I Have a Dream” speech delivered in 1963, and how he pointed out the failings of America,  confronted those in power, and challenged them to make that dream a reality.  A FEW KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE If you look at the "I Have a Dream "speech, and you don't look at that one line, but you look at what he said about the state of Black America and how black Americans were shackled in their own country, then you get a better sense of how he was confro ..read more