This week on The Thick, we unpack Nikole Hannah-Jones’ decision to send her daughter to an under-resourced, predominantly Black public school and the complicated decision Black parents face: Is a “good” school worth being racially ostracized? We unpack this discussion, the intense criticism Hannah-Jones received for her decision, and the tradeoffs Black parents navigate with this decision.
In the news, we break down the latest developments in the Nolan Wells case, the Cornell sexual-assault case, Title IX rollbacks, and more.
Then in pop culture: the VMAs, Taylor Swift’s underwhelming new album, and Mariah Carey’s Billboard record somehow being broken by a song we’ve never even heard.
Education, race, parenting, opportunity, justice, and a little pop culture mess—we’re getting into everything!
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Music Credit: CWatt$
Sources
- Nearly half a million deaths projected worldwide due to Super El Niño https://apnews.com/article/el-nino-climate-change-heat-deaths-0a6bb09c708041ec5c705093892443e8
- Mortgage rates increase https://www.npr.org/2026/09/24/nx-s1-5977796/mortgage-rates-freddie-mac-homebuying
- Iran negotiations w/ the US https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-iran-set-hold-separate-talks-with-mediators-monday-or-tuesday-official-says-2026-09-28/?
- Airlines cut back on holiday travel https://travel.yahoo.com/news/articles/flying-home-holidays-3-major-021439505.html
- Dept. of Education rollback Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/ed-dept-officially-kills-biden-rule-that-added-lgbtq-protections-to-title-ix/2026/09
- Grad student loans limited even further https://hechingerreport.org/grad-students-health-care-fields-federal-loan-limits/
- Project 2025 Tracker https://www.project2025.observer/en
- Nolan Wells SnapChat messages https://justicefornolanwells.com/garrett-report?page=9
- Jay Megan’s deep dive https://www.youtube.com/@Nerdypinkpanda/videos
- DA reopens Cornell case + Jane Doe’s original statement https://abcnews.com/US/district-attorney-reopens-case-alleged-cornell-university-gang/story?id=136806149
- Nikole Hannah-Jones original essay on choosing her daughter’s school https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/magazine/choosing-a-school-for-my-daughter-in-a-segregated-city.html
- Nikole Hannah Jones follow-up piece https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/magazine/ny-public-schools-black-students-segregation.html
- This American Life podcast episode w/ Nikole and her daughter https://www.thisamericanlife.org/898/an-argument
Timestamps
00:00:00 Transition lenses
00:06:56 Tabria’s catch up
00:09:40 Models are a blank slate
00:11:52 Mindy’s catch up
00:14:05 Utilities are UP
00:17:01 Super El Niño
00:20:24 West Nile in SoCal
00:22:14 Mortgage rates increase
00:28:15 Iran War & diesel
00:32:11 Title IX rollbacks
00:34:18 Student loans limited
00:36:46 Nolan Wells
00:44:47 Cornell gang rape
00:56:02 Good News
00:57:14 Burps & interview etiquette
00:59:42 Good News cont.
01:01:03 Condolences to Raz-B & Mona
01:02:00 Judge Judy
01:05:56 Celebs & Influencers arrested at UN protest
01:06:52 VMAs came and went
01:08:17 Taylor Swift
01:21:58 Choosin’ Texas beat Mariah’s record
01:26:23 Hannah Gann the new Rachel Dolezal
01:32:17 Nicki Minaj interview w/ Lara Trump
01:33:03 Topic: Nikole Hannah-Jones
01:40:55 As Black parents, would you choose education over culture?
01:46:19 Tabria’s school experience
01:49:37 Mindy’s school experience
01:54:56 Nikole’s intent vs impact
01:58:10 What’s the solution?
02:03:26 Social Media/Phones part of the problem
02:06:32 Tell us about your experiences in school
02:07:40 Rank yourself with boy, girl, man, woman
02:13:28 Which people are the most generous?
02:17:35 Outro
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