Dear White Women

If you’ve ever watched an episode of Law and Order, you’ll know Jack McCoy, who was the District Attorney (with a capital D and A) in that show. Together with his team, Jack McCoy made decisions about a lot of people’s guilt or innocence and argued that in court. Typically, when we think about a criminal trial, there are two phases: culpability, and sentencing. So in the first phase, either the judge or jury decides if the defendant is guilty or not, and then, if the defendant is found guilty, in that second phase, the judge or jury decides what that sentence should be.  But aside from that, it’s true that a lot of us don’t know what DAs do, or what their role is with regard to mass incarceration. Let’s get a little more analytical than Law and Order, and by the end of this episode, we hope you not only know more about what your DAs do, but have some ideas of how to hold them accountable, just like they hold us accountable.    What to listen for: What the office of the DA actually does The role of the DA in criminal prosecutions, from the crime being committed all the way to sentencing Some typical situations that DAs might face and why some opt for incarceration How we can hold our DAs accountable when it comes to mass incarceration vs. restorative justice, especially in non-election years  

As this is an episode that’s a little bit different from our other episodes (I don’t think to date we’ve interviewed a person who’s currently running for office), we’d like to make sure we are very clear about the following:  We are NOT endorsing any candidates in this episode.  We are grateful that Trinidad Rodriguez, who is running for Mayor of Denver, was willing to connect with us to give us an inside look at what it’s like running for office, to expand on our civics engagement series.  Again, we are NOT endorsing any candidates in this episode.   This episode was also unique in that we got an inside look into what a political campaign looks like, marrying the personal “why” (why we care about certain issues, for example, due to lived experience) with our own individual and collective abilities to make change in the world.   It was also very humanizing about a process that we previously thought was elevated above us, inaccessibly locked away in a black box.  That’s not true.  Any one of us, with enough experience, support, drive, internal strength, and vision, can run for office.  And as you listen, we hope you find your own takeaway - not only about running for civic office but about the power you DO have to make change and shape your own communities on a daily basis.   What to listen for:  Trini’s thoughts on what it takes to actually run for office, and what / who you need to surround yourself with The importance of breaking out of our silos, and asking those affected what they think will be most helpful to them Advice on what we can all do to be more engaged – that is, follow up on our votes.  Know the outcomes of what you voted on, and hold leaders and politicians accountable to implement the policies that were decided upon by the citizens, with integrity. About Trini: Trinidad Rodriguez is bringing a new approach to moving Denver forward. Growing up with a single mom in West Denver, his family had to overcome some challenges like housing insecurity, mental health and addiction issues, and violent crime. The city and its services supported them through the hard times, and that inspired Trinidad to pay it forward and continue to fight for Denver.   Trinidad has spent the last 23 years working in finance and volunteering with various local civic and nonprofit organizations like the Downtown Denver Partnership, Denver Housing Authority, Blueprint Denver, Rose Community Foundation, Metropolitan State University of Denver Foundation, and Urban Peak. He is a public finance expert who knows how to leverage and build public and private networks to create public-serving infrastructure. He has financed schools, affordable housing communities, and health clinics that have served tens of thousands of Denverites. This sets him apart from the other candidates.   Now he’s running for mayor to make sure that Denver is a city where every Denverite can achieve their version of success, regardless of the neighborhood they’re in. He is a proven leader with bold plans to address Denver’s biggest issues. Trini understands that we can’t expect different results if we continue to try the same approaches.   More details about his background and experience can be found here.

When we first released this episode, it was roughly two months after George Floyd had been murdered by the police and it was perhaps the first time that non-Black Americans, and in particular, White Americans, realized that this police violence wasn’t isolated to a few communities, but indeed was a national problem.   And now we’re sitting here, a month after Tyre Nichols was murdered by the police, and thought it was important to revisit this topic based on the discussions that we’ve been hearing, and reading, on the topic of police.  We’re now 2.5 years away from this original recording - how have your own thoughts on the police changed since that point?   In the end: the history of policing in our country is America’s history. If we don’t understand this history, we won’t be able to keep ALL of our communities safe in the future.   What to listen for: The colonial form of policing, and how informal it was at the very beginning. Who funded the police force in 19th century America - and what they wanted the police to focus on protecting? Hint: motivations split between Northern and Southern lines. How the structure and funding of the police had to change as cities, and the country, grew, and yet how they served to reinforce hierarchies in society. Given this, what do YOU think? Can an organization with roots like this be race-blind in its policies and actions? If not, what would it take to change? We offer some personal histories as we reflect on policing, and how ordinary people can make a difference. Relevant episodes: If you want more, we mention this episode of NPR’s THROUGHLINE a lot here.  

If you’re listening to this episode around the time when it’s being released, then you’ll be listening to this right on the last day of Black History Month here in the United States. It should go without saying that Black History is American History, but we’re going to say it anyway, and that it shouldn’t be confined just to the shortest month of the year but instead should be taught to our kids every day of the year, and should be talked about by us as grownups by an equal amount. That said, it’s important also to not just be teaching our kids about the parts of Black history that are full of struggle, and in particular we’re referring to the history of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, which is even being called into question in states like Florida currently.   That’s exactly why we’re bringing you this episode today - where we talk about the the Negro Leagues and the history behind America’s favorite pastime - baseball - that you might not know, and probably weren’t taught in schools - in a way that Misasha’s been talking about this in schools. That’s all to say: you can talk about this with kindergarteners. You can use the materials with older kids as well. But the important takeaway here? Black history is more than just slavery and the struggle to be free. It’s about the everyday moments, the history that encompasses all of us.  If we’re not teaching our kids to see Black people in these moments, then we’re really not teaching them to see Black people at all. So - let’s get into the Negro Leagues, as pitchers and catchers are reporting right now for spring training in Major League Baseball.   What to listen for: The separate (and decidedly not equal) conditions under which Black and White ballplayers had to play Names of some Black superstar baseball players who – if/when integrated into the Hall of Fame – would be as good or better than some of the MLB athletes we celebrate today How to talk with your kids, from kindergarten through high school, about this specific period of baseball in American history Resources:  Episode 50, Why Aren’t Black Kids Playing Baseball?   Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Society for AMerican Baseball Research – statistics We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball A Negro League Scrapbook Mamie On The Mound Who Were The Negro Leagues? Undeniable: Negro League Women Undeniable: International Impact Undeniable: Jackie and Monte  

If you’ve been following us on our journey through (third grade) civics, you’ll know that we’ve covered the federal government/civics on a national level in our Civics 101 episode, which was Episode 203, and then focused on state government in Civics 102, which was Episode 205. We’re now here to round out our basic civics knowledge with Civics 103 - everything - and more, if we’re being honest - that you wanted to know about your local city/county/municipal governments. Let’s jump right into this.   What to listen for: Different structures of local government - like city managers vs strong mayors (which one are you living in!?) - that you can vote for or see appointed All the other roles that make our daily lives happen - from sheriffs and police and fire to coroners, parks and rec, economic development, public works, planning, and more Ways that we discovered we can get more involved in our local governments - and what YOU can do too!  

When people think of the government or they think about elections, they often think about presidential elections, and big federal government. But more often than not, our daily lives are hugely impacted by the decisions made by our state and local governments - and this impacts one very high-profile area in particular. Our children, in our schools. In the news recently was the headline that Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida was banning the Advanced Placement high school course on African American studies - which, incidentally, is the same curriculum that is taught in ALL 50 STATES, because it violated state law and “lacks educational value.”  They were worried about sections on “Intersectionality and Activism,” “Black Feminist Literary Theory” “Black Queer Studies” and Critical Race Theory (which, incidentally, was in the accusations but the theory itself was not going to be taught in the class b/c it’s a college graduate level course that would be too difficult for high school students even in a college-level course - we did a whole episode on this, in case you’re wondering what is the DEAL with CRT?).   What laws are we talking about?  A new one that requires lessons on race be taught in “an objective manner” and “not used to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view” - and ones that have been banning books and discussions about gender and sexuality in the classroom in Florida in the name of “parents rights”.  All of this has been having a chilling effect on the 2.8 million students in the classrooms who are no longer really learning about the full scope of American history, nor are they able to discuss their own gender or sexuality, that of their family, their friends, nor the history of queer folks in America.   Keep in mind, though, AP courses on European history have not been scrutinized by the DeSantis administration. Wonder why….   So yeah.  We’re on our civics kick, and we are bringing you back to the discussion we had in April 2022 on banned books, the role that school boards and states have in banned books, curriculum, and so much more. This is the year of doing - so get out there, and make your voice heard.  What to listen for:  What IS critical race theory, actually?   How CRT been misused to discuss culturally relevant teaching We think anti-CRT should just be called anti-history  The (frightening) increase in book bans recently - even when polls are showing the majority of American voters and parents are opposed to book bans What you can do right now to get loud The petition we mentioned:  https://naacp.org/actions/demand-educational-freedom-florida

We’re back in our Intro to Civics course!  You know, the one you probably took in third grade and maybe, if you were lucky, in some form in middle and high school and didn’t pay enough attention to?  Or maybe you never took it, if you live in the 60% of states that don’t require students to take a civics exam as a graduation requirement - which is something we learned about in Episode 203, “I’m Just A Bill,” where we focused on the federal level.  This episode, is going to focus on the states, get a little deeper into what our own local officials are doing, and how we can all get more involved in our own governance. You're probably with us in being sick and tired of feeling like we can’t make a difference or make positive change.  SO get ready - we think you’ll be blown away when you learn how much local politics affect us on a daily basis.  What to listen for:  All about the 10th Amendment, which is the one that gives states So Much Power separate from the federal government The mandates and grants and structures that give the government the funding to work How you can interact with the state government - even by streaming committee meetings in your living room! - because they shape your communities through schools, taxes, policing, and more. https://ballotpedia.org/Comparison_of_state_legislative_salaries https://votesmart.org/education/states https://static.votesmart.org/static/pdf/govtable.pdf https://leg.colorado.gov/content/citizens-guide-effective-legislative-participation

This is not the episode we wanted to record this week - but it’s the one that we NEEDED to record this week.  Why?  Because just as we’re venturing down the rabbit hole of topics over the next few months that is Civic Engagement and making a difference for 2024, we had blatant scary fearful reminders about why we want you all to know and do more - because people’s lives are at stake. If you want to know how we feel about the latest mass shootings targeting Asian folks and Black folks, why we don’t give a shit that it was an Asian shooter, how to think about hate crimes, and what the larger issues are and what things are that we can each actually DO - listen in. What to listen for:  Our personal reactions and feelings to the horrible mass shootings over the weekend - because they hit close to home What we can do going forward to see the big picture, which centers our communities Specific issues to act on, including gun control, hate crimes, and domestic violence

I’m just a bill, on Capitol Hill… do you remember that song, from Schoolhouse Rock? If that jogs your memory, this is the episode for you. If you’re too young to remember that song, this episode is for you. If you hate that song, this episode is for you.  Why? Because this episode is about civics - in other words, how our government functions. We’re at a pretty critical time in our country’s history.  With all of what’s been in the news, through the disastrous Speaker of the House election in the House of Representatives, and in the discussions we’ve had, and will have, about Supreme Court decisions, and how where we are right now in 2023 is basically setting the stage for the crucial Presidential election of 2024 - this is a topic that we probably all should know a lot more about. Because right now, we don’t.  What to listen for:  The current state of civic education in the US What the three branches of government are, and how each of them work A perspective on the recent Speaker of the House (of Representatives) election - one which went 15 rounds, for the first time in one hundred years Details like the difference between judges and justices, how long Senators and Representatives are in office for, and how a bill becomes a law What YOU can do to be an engaged citizen  Resources to read for more information:  Find your senators: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm Find your representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative More specifics on the data we quoted in the episode:  https://kids-clerk.house.gov/grade-school/lesson.html https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-speaker-of-the-house-and-the-constitution https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-the-speaker-of-the-house-gets-picked https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-10/ https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/questions-and-answers/100q.pdf https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5288/text https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/879/text

We promised to bring you more conversation about civics and engagement - and today we get to bring you a “real talk” episode about one of our favorite topics - civics, engagement, and a White Woman’s Work.  Plus, as a special bonus, we do this in conversation with NYT Bestselling Author Kate Schatz - a queer white woman - who is basically the perfect human being to tackle these topics with.   We talk about what she’d say to white women if she could say absolutely anything, the interconnectedness of oppression while avoiding devolving into the Oppression Olympics, how to figure out what to ask fellow white people about racism instead of asking people of color,  How white women can channel a little more bravery once they know what’s really at risk - which is tied into the mic drop moment when she references Trevor Noah - and really importantly, the folks and civic organizations who are actually making huge differences that we can each get behind. Consider this your “DWW ease in” to our civics focus, but any way you think of this, you should listen, and then get all of your friends to do the same, as we kick off 2023. What to listen for:  How forces of oppression are linked - with a reality check about the importance of checking intersectionality and privilege in these conversations  Hear why White people need to talk amongst themselves about these topics - and how they might think about approaching their Black friends differently The mic-drop moment when Kate puts her views on White women into context about Trevor Noah’s TV farewell thanking black women, who can’t afford to f*ck around and find out … it’s really just social capital that’s at risk for White women, so can’t we get you to do more?! Organizations like the WNBA who’ve made a difference, along with Black Voters Matter, the New Georgia Project, Fair Fight - who we should support all year ‘round and not just before elections About Kate:  KATE SCHATZ is a feminist author, activist, public speaker, and educator. She's the New York Times-bestselling author of the "Rad Women" book series; the 33 ⅓ book Rid of Me: A Story; and Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Activity Book, co-written with “United Shades of America” host W. Kamau Bell.