Interdependent Study

We must do all we can to organize and fight against racism and fascism in our society. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an op-ed piece called “Ron DeSantis’ Attack on Black Studies Is Textbook Proto-Fascism” by Barbara Ransby in Truthout, which calls out and examines Governor DeSantis’ recent and ongoing racist and fascist efforts, and what we should do in Florida and beyond to combat these dang...

We should all be free to imagine, dream, and build the kind of world we deserve. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination (Twentieth Anniversary Edition) by Robin D.G. Kelley, and what we learn from this brilliant, wide-ranging exploration of the history of Black radicalism and movements around the world that we can apply to our continued work for s...

Police violence in this country is out of control and a real danger to all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a piece called “There Were Only 12 Days Last Year When Police Didn’t Kill Someone” by Sharon Zhang and another piece titled “After a Record Year for Police Violence, Is It Finally Time to Defund the Police?” by Sonali Kolhatkar in In These Times magazine, and what we need to do as a...

There are so many incredible lessons to learn from the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a documentary called “King in the Wilderness”, which features interviews of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s friends, family, and comrades and explores the final years of his life and work, and the impact that Dr. King’s life and legacy continue to have on our prese...

The criminalization of people of color and the prevalence of anti-Blackness in this country have deep roots. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a report called “Criminalizing Blackness: An analysis of the impacts of the 1994 Crime Bill and 1996 Immigration Bill on Black people and Policy Recommendations to Address the Harms Caused” produced by the Movement for Black Lives alongside UndocuBlack, th...

2022 is coming to a close and it’s our last episode of the year! Listen as Aaron and Damien reflect on the past year of our podcast, and each of us share our top 5 moments from the show. Thank you for listening to Interdependent Study! We’ll see you in 2023!  Follow us on social media and visit our website! Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , Website , Leave us a voice message , Merch store

With the World Cup now over, the story of wealth, power, and corruption in soccer is worth knowing and understanding. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a piece called “How the Story of Soccer Became the Story of Everything” by Tim Murphy in Mother Jones, which explores how extreme wealth, power, and corruption have played a role in soccer and had significant economic, social, and political implic...

There is still much work to be done post midterm elections to secure the best possible future for our democracy and society. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an article titled “Democrats Can’t Be Counted On to Stop the MAGA Right, So Socialists Are Stepping Up” by Kristian Hernandez in In These Times magazine, which explores some of the victories during the midterm elections by Democrats and soc...

It is vitally important to continue to learn about and reckon with our history. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an essay titled “Monuments to the Unthinkable” by Clint Smith in The Atlantic, which explores how Germany has accounted for and memorialized the history and horrors of the Holocaust, and what lessons America can learn from this example of responsible public memory to reckon with its h...

The rise in the use of anti-transgender rhetoric in our society is troubling and dangerous to all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an article called “Republicans in midterm races are embracing anti-trans rhetoric like never before” by Orion Rummler in The 19th*, which examines how Republicans and Republican candidates used this incendiary and dangerous language during the 2022 midterm ele...

There is so much to learn from the life, work, and legacy of Rosa Parks beyond her involvement in that historic bus boycott. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the new documentary “The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks'', which explores her incredible life, work, radical politics, and activism efforts, and the impact that Rosa Parks’ legacy continues to have on organizers today and our present day fig...

Young voters—especially young voters of color—have undeniable power in upcoming midterm elections (and beyond) in this country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an article titled “What Will Happen in Georgia? Millennial and Gen Z voters have serious power in the South” by Ronald Brownstein in The Atlantic, and what we learn and take away from how crucial these populations are to our elections, o...

The history and evolution of socialism in this country is connected to the history of social injustices and Black radicalism. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a lecture by Robin D.G. Kelley at Haymarket Books’ Socialism 2022 Conference titled “Freedom Dreams and the Socialist Project”, and what we learn about the history, power, and impact of socialism as a philosophy and movement that can help...

There is no doubt that politics exists in and gets used by the NFL in both powerful and harmful ways. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the new documentary “Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL'', which explores the role that politics plays in the NFL and the history, power, and impact of the NFL on our society, and share what we learn and take away from this incredible film that...

The notion of whether or not prisons and the criminal punishment system should be radically reformed or completely abolished is worthy of rich and critical discussion. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book The Idea of Prison Abolition by Tommie Shelby, and consider what we might take away from this wide-ranging exploration of the movement for abolition in the United States, as well as where...

The climate crisis is a social justice issue and one that will require education and action by all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss Part One of the anthology book All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson, and what we learn about the ongoing climate crisis, climate movement work, and environmental po...

White supremacy and racism are dangerous to all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien read and discuss “From Scarcity to Solidarity”, a new toolkit by Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ), which is designed to help white people learn about the Great Replacement Theory and other racist, scarcity-based ideologies and what they can do to engage in and with campaigns for social justice and collective libe...

We must imagine and create conditions and a society that reduces and prevents harm and violence and advances true safety for everyone—a society that doesn’t include the prison industrial complex. Listen as Aaron and Damien explore and discuss “Beyond Criminal Courts: Divest and Defund”, a new digital collaborative project from Community Justice Exchange, Interrupting Criminalization, and Critical...

The role and purpose of public education is under attack in this country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an opinion piece called “School Is for Making Citizens” by Heather C. McGhee and Victor Ray in The New York Times, and what recent attacks on public education have reminded us about the broad purpose of education on our democracy and society, and the need to continue to invest in education...

We shouldn’t be afraid to name and call out fascism when we see it. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss two articles, including “Maybe US mainstream media should begin using the term ‘fascism’” by Robert Reich in The Guardian and “Fear of Fascism” by Tom Nichols in The Atlantic, and what we learn and take away from the calls to understand the various elements of fascism, as well as the impact of da...

We’re ready for part two of this conversation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the second half of the documentary series “Exterminate All the Brutes”, which explores and analyzes the troubling history and tremendous impact of European colonialism throughout the world, and what the implications of this history are for our present day and for our learning and unlearning work for social justice an...

The origins, history, and evolution of colonization, forced migration, genocide, slavery, war, and white supremacy shape our collective history and experiences to this day. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the first half of the documentary series “Exterminate All the Brutes”, which explores and analyzes the troubling history and tremendous impact of European colonialism throughout the world, and...

The term “identity politics” has been co-opted and weaponized and is a victim of elite capture. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else) by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, and what we learn about the concept of elite capture, its impact on society, and what we should consider as we fight against it to build the world that we d...

It’s time for part two of our conversation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the second half of a new resource binder called “So is this Actually an Abolitionist Proposal or Strategy?: A collection of resources to aid in evaluation and reflection” by Interrupting Criminalization, Project NIA, and Critical Resistance, which offers a variety of tools from a range of sources across the scope of mov...

Our learning and unlearning work on abolition and abolitionist organizing continues in this two-episode series. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the first half of a new resource binder called “So is this Actually an Abolitionist Proposal or Strategy?: A collection of resources to aid in evaluation and reflection” by Interrupting Criminalization, Project NIA, and Critical Resistance, which offers...