Episodios

  • Take Up Space, Y'All w/Tess Holliday

    Take Up Space, Y'All w/Tess Holliday
    Mar 17 2026
    When was the last time you gave yourself permission to just exist? Not shrink, not apologize, not mold yourself into what somebody else needs—but to simply take up space?

    Dr. David Johns sits down with trailblazer Tess Holliday—one of the world's most recognized plus-size models, the first of her size to be signed to a major agency, and creator of the viral "Eff Your Beauty Standards" campaign. Today's conversation centers on her latest work: Take Up Space, Y'All: Your Bold and Bright Guide to Self-Love, co-written with Kelly Coon.

    While marketed as a guide for teens navigating social media, body image, and toxic friendships, this book is essential reading for anyone who has ever felt they needed to make themselves smaller. Tess brings her full self—as a mom raising a 20-year-old and a 9-year-old, as someone who grew up in rural Mississippi without the resources she desperately needed, and as a woman who has spent over a decade breaking barriers in the modeling industry. From discussing mutual aid and community care to naming joy as resistance, this conversation reminds us that in a world telling you to shrink, taking up space is the most radical thing you can do.

    SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES:

    Purchase the Book:
    • Take Up Space, Y'All: Your Bold and Bright Guide to Self-Love by Tess Holliday and Kelly Coon
    • Available at independent bookstores nationwide
    • Find your local bookstore: bookshop.org
    Learn More:
    • "Eff Your Beauty Standards" campaign: Search #EffYourBeautyStandards on social media platforms


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    27 m
  • Black Girls Deserve More Than Resilience with Dr. Monique Couvson

    Black Girls Deserve More Than Resilience with Dr. Monique Couvson
    Mar 10 2026
    Dr. David J. Johns sits down with fellow TIME Magazine 2025 "Closer" Dr. Monique Couvson, President and CEO of Grantmakers for Girls of Color. Dr. Couvson has moved over $26 million to more than 400 organizations by putting young people at the decision-making table. She challenges us to transform schools from places that demand endless resilience into locations for healing, and shares why bringing your whole self to inquiry—whether through research, documentary film, graphic novels, or storytelling—is essential to serving Black girls, Indigenous girls, trans girls of color, and gender-expansive youth.

    Dr. Couvson offers a masterclass in participatory worldview, pulling young people in closer when they're struggling, and investing in our daughters with more than money. From the airport encounter that reminds her why she does this work to two critical assignments for parents and educators, this conversation is a call to action: harm festers in isolation, healing happens in community.

    SHOW NOTES & RESOURCESConnect with Dr. Couvson:
    • Website: drmoniquecouvson.com
    • Grantmakers for Girls of Color: g4gc.org
    • 1Billion4BlackGirls Campaign: 1billion4blackgirls.org
    • Social Media: @drmoniquecouvson (Instagram), @MoniqueCouvson (Twitter)
    Books by Dr. Monique Couvson:
    • Girls, Unlimited: How to Invest in Our Daughters with More Than Money (The New Press, 2025) - NOW AVAILABLE
    • Charisma's Turn: A Graphic Novel (The New Press, 2023) - Named one of ALA's Best Graphic Novels for Teens
    • Cultivating Joyful Learning Spaces for Black Girls: Insights into Interrupting School Pushout (ASCD, 2022)
    • Sing A Rhythm, Dance A Blues: Liberatory Education for Black and Brown Girls (The New Press, 2019)
    • Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools (The New Press, 2016)
    • Black Stats: African Americans by the Numbers in the Twenty-First Century (The New Press, 2014)
    • Too Beautiful for Words (MWM Books, 2012)
    • Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story with Kemba Smith (IBJ Book Publishing, 2011)
    Films & Media:
    • Documentary: PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools (NAACP Image Award-nominated, streaming on Amazon Prime)
    • Documentary Short: In Conversation: The Power of Imagination (featuring Dr. Nikki Giovanni)
    • TED Talk: "How to Stop the Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools" (2+ million views, translated into 20 languages) - Watch here
    • Countering PUSHOUT Learning Series for Educators
    Additional Resources Mentioned:
    • National Black Women's Justice Institute: nbwji.org
    • Global Girl Media


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    31 m
  • The Decline of Learning is a National Emergency- w-Dr. Christina Grant

    The Decline of Learning is a National Emergency- w-Dr. Christina Grant
    Mar 3 2026
    Dr. Christina Grant returns to Teach the Babies with an urgent message: the decline of learning in America should be considered a national emergency. From her work leading the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard to serving on the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Dr. Grant breaks down what's actually working in education recovery—and what we're missing in the chaos. She challenges us to rethink everything from AI in the classroom to how we assess our children, and reminds us why her first love has always been teaching. This conversation is about being fearless, being smart, and refusing to let our babies be used by the tools instead of trained to build them. If you missed her first visit (June 23, 2024: "Systems Work Exactly As Designed"), catch up—and then listen to this one twice.

    SHOW NOTES & RESOURCESResources Mentioned:
    • Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR): https://cepr.harvard.edu
    • Education Recovery Scorecard: https://educationrecoveryscorecard.org
    • AI.edu: https://ai.edu (Dr. Grant serves on advisory board)
    • Google for Education: https://edu.google.com
    • ASU+GSV Summit: https://asugsvsummit.com (President: Tiffany Taylor)
    Connect with Dr. Grant:
    • LinkedIn: Christina Grant
    • Email: christina_grant@gse.harvard.edu
    Related Episode: Listen to Dr. Grant's first Teach the Babies appearance: "Systems Work Exactly As Designed" (June 23, 2024)

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    31 m
  • Fighting for Reparations Integrity with Dr. Marcus Hunter

    Fighting for Reparations Integrity with Dr. Marcus Hunter
    Feb 24 2026
    What happens when the process meant to deliver justice becomes part of the problem?

    Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter, author of Radical Reparations and professor at UCLA, was denied even the chance to compete for Washington State's groundbreaking reparations study—not because his proposal wasn't strong enough, but because it allegedly got lost in malware. No portal. No receipt. No accountability. And when he pushed back, he was denied a required debriefing—twice.

    Dr. Hunter breaks down what went wrong in Washington, why it matters for every state considering reparations, and what we all need to do right now. They discuss the Department of Commerce's troubling patterns, the role of Attorney General Nick Brown, and why legendary economist Dr. William Darity was also shut out.

    "Reparations is sacred work," Dr. Hunter reminds us, "and if the process is not governed with integrity, the repair cannot and will not be trusted."

    This episode is a call to action. Not on our watch.

    RESOURCES & TAKE ACTION:Read the Documents:
    • Dr. Hunter's public records and analysis: marcusanthonyhunter.com/rol
    • Extended coverage: AFRO.com article (search: Marcus Hunter Washington reparations)
    • Request Washington State public records: Washington Department of Commerce
    Contact Decision-Makers & Demand oversight of Department of Commerce procurement practices:
    • Attorney General Nick Brown (WA's first Black AG). Email: email via AG website. Phone: (360) 753-6200
    Learn About Reparations:
    • Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation by Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter
    • From Here to Equality by Dr. William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen
    • H.R. 40 – Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals: Congress.gov
    • National Black Justice Coalition reparations resources: NBJC.org/reparations


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    35 m
  • Minneapolis Teaches Us to Fight Back with Robin Wonsley

    Minneapolis Teaches Us to Fight Back with Robin Wonsley
    Feb 17 2026
    What does leadership look like when your city is under federal occupation? When ICE agents are killing civilians in your streets? When thousands of your neighbors are being hunted, arrested, and deported—and you're the one people are looking to for answers?In this urgent conversation, Dr. David Johns sits down with Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley, the council's Minority Leader and the first Democratic Socialist to hold leadership on the council. Robin represents Ward 2, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the country, and she's been on the front lines of what's been called the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history: Operation Metro Surge.

    Robin doesn't just talk about what happened in Minneapolis—she was there. She was at the scene when Renée Good was killed by federal agents. She's been organizing eviction moratoriums, securing rental assistance, calling for ICE to be abolished, and building communities of care in the middle of a crisis designed to break people.

    Most importantly, Robin teaches us about revolutionary love—how Minneapolis chose to lean into care and compassion instead of bitterness when faced with state-sanctioned terror. She shows us what a politics of care looks like: starting with your neighbors, your workplace, your school, your faith community. Building the networks that sustain us when institutions fail us.

    Class is in session. And this lesson is for everyone.

    CONNECT WITH ROBIN WONSLEY:
    • Instagram/Twitter/TikTok/Bluesky: @Robin4MPLS or @RobinForMPLS
    • Email: robin4mpls@gmail.com
    • Website: Robin4MPLS.com


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    44 m
  • Will Democrats Act- With Dr. Jason Johnson

    Will Democrats Act- With Dr. Jason Johnson
    Feb 10 2026
    On January 7, 2026, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother and poet, in Minneapolis. One week earlier, an off-duty ICE agent killed Keith Porter Jr., a Black father of two, on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles. No charges have been filed in either case.

    Dr. Jason Johnson—professor, MSNBC contributor, and political analyst—argues that Democrats should make abolishing ICE central to their 2026 midterm campaigns. His case isn't just moral—it's political. Polling shows 46% of Americans support abolishing ICE, higher than support for abolishing the IRS. Yet Democratic leadership remains silent.

    In this urgent conversation, Jason breaks down why ICE's absence from pop culture creates a unique political opportunity, how ICE spending is an economic justice issue, why this agency operates as a secret police force, and what it means for Democrats to actually be an opposition party. The question now: will Democrats have the courage to act?

    RESOURCES & REFERENCES

    Dr. Jason Johnson's Work:
    • Article: "Democrats need to run against ICE in 2026" (MSNBC) - https://www.ms.now/opinion/abolish-ice-polls-democrats-midterms-2026
    • YouTube Channel: Dr. Jason Johnson (Three Things series)
    Book: Political Consultants & Campaigns: One Day to Sell

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    46 m
  • Know Your Rights with Allen Orr

    Know Your Rights with Allen Orr
    Feb 3 2026
    In this urgent conversation, immigration attorney Allen Orr—the first Black president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and founder of Orr Immigration Law Firm—breaks down what's really happening with ICE enforcement across the country.

    We discuss:
    • The truth behind "Operation Metro Surge" and mass raids
    • Why 75,000 people with NO criminal record were arrested
    • What happened to the 2 US citizens killed in Minneapolis
    • Children are being detained and separated from their families
    • The profit motive behind private detention centers
    • Deaths in ICE custody (32 last year alone)
    • Practical know-your-rights information everyone needs RIGHT NOW
    • What to do if ICE shows up at your door, stops you on the street, or pulls you over
    • Resources for undocumented folks, DACA/TPS holders, green card holders, and US citizens
    • Why this affects ALL Black communities—not just immigrants
    • The connection between immigration enforcement and voting rights
    • What the "self-deportation" program really means
    • The bigger picture: what's the actual endgame?
    This is information your family needs. Your neighbors need. Your congregation needs.

    Listen. Share. Protect each other.

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    43 m
  • 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 m