70. How Anti-Blackness Destroys Democracy

As we slide into autocracy, disparities impacting Black Americans are being ignored while Black excellence is actively erased from our workplaces, museums, and history books. These attacks are no longer cloaked with dog whistles. They're happening in plain sight, and endangering our health, eliminating our jobs, and gutting our civil rights infrastructure. Despite the scale of this attack, the response remains muted—even within our own communities. What must we do to sound the alarm and ensure that others hear it? Where do we go from here? Featuring: Kimberlé Crenshaw, African American Policy Forum Melanie Campbell, Convener of Black Women's Roundtable Evelynn Hammonds, Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and Professor of African and African American Studies Lisa Coleman, President of Adler University Kaye Wise Whitehead, President & CEO National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP)

In part 2 of this series, host Kimberlé Crenshaw, refutes the myth that book and curricula bans seek to restore “parental choice” over what kids are exposed to, linking attacks on school lessons about race, gender and more to a broader attack against public education and democracy itself. Join as she traces the history of today's prominent, pro-censorship parent groups throughout American history, back to the Daughters of the Confederacy.  Featuring: - Karen Cox, professor of History at UNC-Charlotte - David Yacovone, lifetime associate at Harvard University’s Hutchin’s Centre for African and African American Research, and author of author of Teaching White Supremacy This is an Intersectionality Matters! podcast, produced by the African American Policy Forum. Hosted and co-written by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks) Sr Producer and co-writer Nicole Edwards Associate Producers Madison Belo and Sana Hashmi Mixing by Reza Daya with support from Sean Dunnam Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram , or via aapf.org

A special collaboration with Today with Dr. Kaye, this episode was taped live at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. Host Kimberlé Crenshaw, with Kaye Wise Whitehead and guests Time Wise, Karen Attiah, Melanie Campbell, Janel George, Ambassador Elizabeth McKune, and Barbara Arnwine, discuss the importance of protecting Black American history through fighting for the Smithsonian, and why the struggle to protect museums goes hand in hand with the struggle to protect democracy. Learn more about the Freedom to Learn Coalition and the annual National Week of Action at freedomtolearn.net This episode was produced by the team at the African American Policy Forum and the team at Today With Dr. Kaye from WEAA. Music by Blue Dot Sessions

At the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. They explore how museums shape national identity. They also historicize the current political attacks aiming to erase Black narratives, as institutions like the Smithsonian and Whitney Plantation face censorship and defunding because of executive orders. This episode outlines why defending America's memory is essential to defending democracy itself. Dive deeper: Learn more about The Legacy Museum here: https://legacysites.eji.org/about/museum/ Learn about the Freedom to Learn Network's National Week of Action here: https://www.freedomtolearn.net/ This episode used clips from: ABC News 7 WJLA Harvard Historian Responds to Trump’s Order Targeting the Smithsonian | Amanpour and Company WUSA9 Gov. Moore reacts to changes at Smithsonian Hosted and co-written by Kimberlé Crenshaw Sr Producer and co-writer Nicole Edwards Mixing by Sean Dunnam Scripting support from Kevin Minofu, Kristin Penner, Meredith Shiner, and Tim Wise. Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Host Kimberlé Crenshaw takes listeners to Alabama to learn about the contemporary importance of Bloody Sunday and the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Featuring: Cliff Albright, co-founder, Black Voters Matter LaTosha Brown, co-founder, Black Voters Matter Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) 1965 foot soldiers Denise Jaringan-Holt and Alice Moore Click here to listen an uncut conversation about the Selma Jubilee with Kimberlé Crenshaw on the Laura Flanders and Friends podcast. Podcast co-written and produced by Sr. Producer Nicole Edwards Mixing and sound design by Sean Dunnam Podcast art by Ashley Julien Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters (Twitter), @IMKC_podcast (Instagram + Bluesky)

In this episode, host Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by some of the country's brightest legal minds to discuss the Trump administration's executive orders, how they'll affect progressive movements, and what communities can do to defend those affected. Watch the extended version of this episode Learn more about Trump's executive orders and their potential harms Featuring: Damon Hewitt David J. Johns Russel Robinson Nina Turner Podcast mixed and produced by Sr. Producer Nicole Edwards Under the Blacklight is produced by Kevin Minofu Podcast art by Ashley Julien Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters (Twitter), @IMKC_podcast (Instagram + Bluesky)

In the first episode of this limited series, Critical Race Theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw takes listeners on a journey through the origin story of Critical Race Theory (CRT), from her days as a student demanding desegregation at Harvard, to the moment she learned President Trump banned CRT in his 2020 executive order. This episode delves into the hopes and inspiration that birthed the CRT legal movement, and how the current opposition to CRT is history repeating itself. Support our work: https://www.aapf.org/donate Host: Kimberlé Crenshaw Sr. producer/Writer: Nicole Edwards Mixing and Sound Design: Reza Daya Addition mixing support: Sean Dunnam Associate Producers: Madison Bello, Gordon Curry, Sana Hashmi, Kaila Philo, African American Policy Forum team. Art: Work By Index

In a new series, host Kimberlé Crenshaw takes listeners on a journey through the real history of critical race theory (CRT). She explores the "anti-CRT" legislative attacks against public education, and as a founding critical race theorist, Prof. Crenshaw provides a first-hand account of the origin of the theory, from its inception at Harvard Law School to the current backlash against it. Through interviews with thought leaders, activists, academics and the communities affected by anti-CRT and anti-DEI legislation, in this series, Kimberlé Crenshaw uplifts the cycles of history we see repeating before us in the present day, all in the hopes of curing the amnesia that keeps us stuck in the cycles of history.

In the final episode of AAPF's election roundtable podcast series, host Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by Black women advocates, analysts and activists to offer their side of the story about the election and highlight the risks to American democracy if Black women and their experiences continue to be erased. Watch the extended version on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/live/0g8WK8CDS3c?si=nviixofPcmxBcFNd Featuring: Barbara Arnwine, President & Founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition Karen Attiah, Columnist for the Washington Post Kirsten West Savali, Vice President of Content: iOne Digital LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund and the BVM Capacity Building Institute Special thanks to: Melanie Campbell, President & CEO National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Convener of Black Women's Roundtable Fran Phillips-Calhoun, Atlanta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Kaye Wise Whitehead, AAPF Special Projects Manager and founder of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice at Loyola University Produced by Sr. Producer Nicole Edwards Mixing by Sean Dunnam Associate Art by Ashley Julien Follow us at @intersectionalitymatters (Twitter), @IMKC_podcast (Instagram) Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Welcome to AAPF's Election 2024 Round Table, Part 3! There is a lot of noise to cut through right now when it comes to the important issues at stake in the election. To bring nuance to the mainstream media narratives, between now and election day, the African American Policy Forum presents a series of election round table conversations featuring three thinkers who are deeply enmeshed in academia, media, and community activism unpacking what’s at stake on Nov 5th: Kirsten West Savali, Kaye Wise Whitehead, and Tim Wise. The trio will tackle the issues that are likely to make a difference as we come down to the wire: threats to democracy, racial and reproductive justice, policing, Project 2025, and more. Featuring: Kirsten West Savali, VP of Content at Urban One’s iOne Digital, and former Executive Producer of News & Politics Editor for Essence magazine (@KWestSavali) Kaye Wise Whitehead, host of Today with Dr. Kaye on WEAA and founding executive director of The Karson Institute for Race, Peace & Social Justice at Loyola University (@blackmommyactivist) Tim Wise, anti-racist writer, lecturer and African American Policy Forum Senior Fellow (@timjacobwise) Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Read AAPF and HIT Strategies' Race-Forward Messaging Report here.