Episodi

  • Racism K*lls: Dr. Chris Pernell on Health, Vaccines, and Guarding Joy

    Racism K*lls: Dr. Chris Pernell on Health, Vaccines, and Guarding Joy
    Jan 27 2026
    Dr. Chris Pernell joins the class for a conversation that is equal parts urgent and tender. As a public health physician, strategist, and NAACP Fellow, Dr. Pernell breaks down the Black maternal health crisis with unflinching clarity: racism kills. She unpacks how the medical industrial complex fails Black mothers, offers practical advocacy tools for birthing people and their loved ones, and navigates the dangerous terrain of vaccine misinformation in the current political climate.

    But this conversation doesn't stop at systems—it goes to the soul. Dr. Pernell shares the lessons her parents taught her: a mother with "a PhD in love" who taught her how to protect her core, and a father who was "a fighter's fighter" who cultivated in her "a sense of self that racism can't touch." This is about survival, yes—but it's also about joy, freedom, and the ancestral wisdom that keeps us fighting.

    IN THIS EPISODE:
    • Why Black women are 3-4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications—and what we can do about it
    • The difference between misinformation and disinformation (and why it matters)
    • Practical advocacy advice: "What else might this be?"
    • How the current administration's attack on vaccines threatens public health for generations
    • Guarding joy in the midst of systemic battles
    • The legacy of love and resistance that fuels the fight for health equity
    RESOURCES SHARED:
    • American Academy of Pediatrics: https://www.aap.org
    • Yale School of Public Health
    • Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
    • Commonwealth Fund
    • The Political Determinants of Health by Daniel Dawes
    • NAACP Center for Health Equity: https://naacp.org
    FOLLOW DR. CHRIS PERNELL:
    • Instagram: @thegooddoctormd
    • LinkedIn: Dr. Chris T. Pernell
    • NAACP.org


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    29 min
  • Preston Mitchum on Revolutionary Love

    Preston Mitchum on Revolutionary Love
    Jan 20 2026
    Preston Mitchum returns fresh from a wedding that was equal parts celebration and declaration. He opens up about the revolutionary act of Black men loving Black men, what it means to center abundance and joy, and how chosen family showed up in full force.

    As a policy advocate working at the intersections of race, sexuality, and gender, Preston also breaks down what's at stake in the 2026 midterms—voting rights, trans liberation, Title IX. He shares where he finds inspiration, how mutual aid sustains the work, and what it means to build a life with his partner that honors both togetherness and individual freedom.

    This is a conversation about love as resistance, joy as defiance, and showing up for our people even when we don't have all the answers.

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    22 min
  • The 4 Cs of Love with Amari Ice

    The 4 Cs of Love with Amari Ice
    Jan 13 2026
    What does healthy love look like for Black people navigating a world that doesn't always welcome our relationships? In this powerful conversation, Prince Amari—the first certified Black gay matchmaker in the love industry—breaks down the four essential components of lasting love and why representation in relationships matters just as much as representation in media. From his journey as a dancer at Howard to becoming a matchmaker, dating coach, and hypnotherapist, Amari shares why community is essential to sustaining love and how queer folks can build relationships that affirm who we are.

    Show Notes:
    • Connect with Prince Amari: Instagram & YouTube @PrinceAmari
    • Take the Dating Skill Quiz: DatingSkillQuiz.com
    • Read: Lasting Love at Last: A Gay Guide to Attracting the Relationship of Your Dreams (International Bestseller)
    • Upcoming: Love Alchemy: The Gay Guide to Transforming Love Blocks into Relationship Gold


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    1 ora e 6 min
  • 2026 New Year, Same Mission

    2026 New Year, Same Mission
    Jan 6 2026
    This isn't just a podcast. This is us doing the work of protecting our babies—their minds, their futures, their right to learn truth and to live free.”The stakes are high. But so is our resolve. We're not done. We're just getting started.

    This year, we're going to keep building. Keep learning. Keep pushing. Keep getting free.

    #TeachTheBabies #TeachTheBabies Podcast. Listen. Like. Subscribe. Share

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    5 min
  • Dr. Raquel Martin on Liberation Psychology

    Dr. Raquel Martin on Liberation Psychology
    Dec 30 2025
    "We Were Short on Cash, Not on Love: Liberation Psychology for the Holidays"Dr. Raquel Martin returns to the class to break down how families can resist capitalism's grip on the holiday season while building real community care. As a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in liberation psychology, Dr. Martin doesn't just help people cope—she helps them fight back.

    In this conversation, she gets brutally honest about raising Black boys in the South, why "I prescribed activism as much as I prescribed coping skills," and the difference between protective versus proactive parenting. She shares how growing up "short on cash, not on love" taught her that traditions don't require money—they require energy and intention. And she explains why there's no such thing as individual wellness when we're all operating in oppressive systems.

    Dr. Martin offers concrete strategies: how to talk to children about why the president is terrorizing communities, how to find your 15 minutes for joy even when exhausted, and why following the right people on social media is a survival tool. She also shares her favorite parenting resources and reminds us that apologizing to our children means changed behavior, not Roblox cards.

    This isn't therapy. This is liberation psychology. This is how we build the communities that will sustain us through whatever comes next.

    Show notes/resources: Books & AuthorsParenting Resources:
    • "Raising Confident Black Kids" by M.J. Fievre
    • "Raising Resilient Black Kids" by Dr. Erlanger Turner
    • "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration" by Isabel Wilkerson
    Digital Activists & Educators to Follow
    • Dr. Lauren C. Mims- @drlaurenmims
    • Garrison Hayes- @garrisonh
    • Blair Imani- @blairimani
    • Mychal Threets- @mychal3ts
    • Brittany Packnett Cunningham- @mspackyetti
    Website: raquelmartinphd.com

    Podcast: Mind Ya Mental Podcast

    Social Media: @RaquelMartinPhDOrganizations & Communities Mentioned
    • Malik and Mamas - Parenting group for community building
    • Burn the Cape Community - Dr. Martin's online community for Black mental health
    • Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts - Suggested for building community around shared interests


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    58 min
  • Accountability Rooted in Love, Not Control

    Accountability Rooted in Love, Not Control
    Dec 23 2025
    Real accountability isn't comfortable—but it's how we all get free. In this powerful third conversation of our Million Man March 30th Anniversary series, Dr. David J. Johns brings together three organizers whose work centers the intersections that harm Black communities the most: Kenya Hutton (CEO of the Center for Black Equity), Oluchi Omeoga (who leads the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project), and Preston Mitchum (Black queer-loving lawyer, strategist, and advocate).

    Together, they name what Black men owe Black women, trans folks, and each other—not through guilt, but through genuine repair. They expose how anti-blackness, misogyny, trans misogynoir, and homophobia work together to reinforce systems that harm us all. They challenge us to move beyond performance to practice: building actual structures of accountability that cross borders, cultures, and comfort zones. From the streets of DC to organizing spaces in South Africa, from the ballroom to the policy room, these three truth-tellers refuse to let us off easy.

    This isn't about shame. It's about safety and solidarity. Protection rooted in love, not control. Refusing to give up on each other even when it's hard. And remembering that real accountability is a required act of love—because liberation requires all of us.

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    43 min
  • Juliette Stanley is Getting into Good Trouble Through Law

    Juliette Stanley is Getting into Good Trouble Through Law
    Dec 16 2025
    Chemistry teacher turned law student. Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Law Journal. Juliette Stanley is getting ready to get into some good, necessary trouble—and she's teaching the babies how to do it too.

    In this powerful conversation, Dr. David J. Johns sits down with Juliette to explore the moment a flying ruler in her classroom changed everything. From teaching 10th graders chemistry in under-resourced Title I schools to leading one of the nation's most prestigious law journals, Juliette's journey is a masterclass in recognizing that sometimes the problem isn't in the building—it's in the law.

    You'll hear about:
    • Why she walked away from the chemistry classroom (and why she misses it)
    • What it means to lead a publication explicitly dedicated to civil and human rights in this political moment
    • How her student called her just to show her he was finally at peace (grab tissues for this one)
    • The dangerous reality of how prior convictions silence Black voices in courtrooms
    • Why grace—especially grace for yourself—is the most important tool for anyone fighting for justice
    This isn't just a story about career development. It's about purpose, power, and what happens when you stop asking permission to disrupt systems that aren't serving the babies. From Alabama classrooms to Howard Law, Juliette Stanley is proof that good trouble comes in many forms—and sometimes it starts with asking: "Why don't we have enough chairs?"

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    34 min
  • Mentoring Into Liberation - Million Man March 2

    Mentoring Into Liberation - Million Man March 2
    Dec 9 2025
    Welcome to Event 2 of our Million Man March 30th Anniversary extended dialogue series: "Mentorship & World-Building."Thirty years after the Million Man March, we're asking: How do we mentor the next generation into liberation rather than conformity? How do we build radical brotherhood that includes ALL Black men across sexuality and gender expression?

    Hosted by Dr. David J. Johns, this conversation brings together Emmy Award winner Dyllon Burnside (Pose, P-Valley, creator of Burnside Artist Retreat), DC organizer Clarence Fluker, and artist Benji Coy.

    They explore what queer eldership offers ALL young people, how to mentor toward freedom instead of survival, and why Black queer men hold the keys to Black men's liberation. From refusing performative masculinity to living outside the binary, from creating brave healing spaces to "gentle parenting the adults," this conversation offers practical wisdom on building the world we need.

    This isn't about charity or saviorism. It's about mutual building, world-making, and teaching the babies how to be free.

    Resources Mentioned:
    • Rashid Newsom - "My Government Means to Kill Me"
    • Keith Boykin's books
    • Burnside Artist Retreat: http://www.burnsideartistretreat.org


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    1 ora e 3 min