Interdependent Study

Our collective learning and unlearning work about our history is the only way to one day achieve freedom for all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies, edited by Colin Kaepernick, Robin D.G. Kelley, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, which features excerpts of writings from various scholars, feminists, abolitionists, organi...

There is racism embedded in the most recent climate legislation in this country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Our Green Transition May Leave Black People Behind” by Rhiana Gunn-Wright in Hammer & Hope, which outlines the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and other recent climate legislation, and how these laws exist at and amplify the intersections of racism, white...

The importance and power of unions cannot be overstated. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss “What You Need To Know About Gen Z’s Support for Unions” by Aurelia Glass for the Center for American Progress, and “Why labor’s surging popularity isn’t translating to union membership” by Emily Peck and Nathan Bomey in Axios, which highlight Generation Z’s support of unions, why unions are important, and...

There is much we can continue to learn from James Baldwin and his analysis and perspective of America that remains applicable in our present day. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons For Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., which combines an exploration of Baldwin’s perspective on America with a new analysis of present day America, and...

In so many ways, the U.S. is a morally bankrupt country, and it is important that we recognize and repair this as soon as possible. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Corporate Greed is a Moral Crisis. Working People Are Fighting Back.” by Rosalyn Pelles and William J. Barber II in In These Times, which examines the recent wave of organizing, union work, and strike activity this summer...

It is important to recognize the ways that class is represented in the media and beyond. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the 2005 documentary “Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class” (based on the work of Pepi Leistyna and directed by Loretta Alper), which explores how class is represented in American television and media, as well as the intersections of class with race, gender, and s...

We agree with The Debt Collective that no one should have to go into debt trying to meet their basic needs. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay: The Case for Economic Disobedience and Debt Abolition by The Debt Collective, which outlines a vision and tangible strategies for solidarity and collective action for radical change and debt abolition, and what we learn from t...

The impact of the Supreme Court’s most recent rulings will be felt for years to come. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an interactive piece called “The Major Supreme Court Decisions in 2023” by Adam Liptak and Eli Murray in The New York Times, which outlines the Supreme Court’s most notable decisions this year as well as survey data of the public’s opinion on those rulings, and what the impact o...

We enjoyed this activity the first time so we’re doing it again! Listen as Aaron and Damien engage in a dialogue activity using The Skin Deep ’s {THE AND} On Racism Edition tool and have a candid conversation about their personal thoughts and reflections on a wide range of social justice issues. We hope you enjoy it! Follow us on social media and visit our website! Instagram , Threads ,  Twitter ,...

We need to be radical in our thinking and our work in order to achieve a better and more just world for all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba, which examines some of the lessons learned about organizing from experienced scholars, organizers, and movement leaders on the ground,...

James Baldwin’s work and influence as a writer and activist was profoundly important to the advancement of civil rights in this country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary I Am Not Your Negro (directed by Raoul Peck), which uses James Baldwin’s unfinished book Remember This House to explore the history of racism, race relations, and the civil rights movement in the United States th...

We must do all we can to beat back authoritarianism across the country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an article in The Forge called “What Does It Look Like When We Build Our Power and Fight the Right?” by Sandra Hinson, which summarizes a panel conversation with four leaders and organizers about the efforts of their organizations to fight against authoritarianism and the many lessons learned...

The abolition of all forms of state violence is an imperative we must achieve. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Abolishing State Violence: A World Beyond Bombs, Borders, and Cages by Ray Acheson, which offers a sharp analysis of the connections that exist between policing, prisons, surveillance, borders, war, nuclear weapons, and capitalism, as well as the organizing activism for their...

We’ve got a special episode this week! Listen as Aaron and Damien engage in a dialogue activity using The Skin Deep ’s {THE AND} On Racism Edition tool and have a special conversation about their personal thoughts and reflections on a wide range of social justice issues. Follow us on social media and visit our website! Instagram ,  Twitter ,  Facebook ,  Website ,  Leave us a voice message ,  Merc...

The persistence of police violence in this country necessitates the need for abolition and the fight for real community safety. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a report written by Andrea Ritchie for Interrupting Criminalization called “The Struggle Continues”, which analyzes the state of the organizing work of the #DefundPolice movement in this country, and how we need to fight for and invest i...

The homeless sweeps that are happening around the country are incredibly violent and traumatizing for unhoused people. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss two pieces, including “Homeless ‘Sweeps’ Increase Mortality Rates of Unhoused People, Research Finds” by Zane McNeill in Truthout and a report called “Homelessness and Racial Disparities” by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and what we...

The FBI and U.S. government labeled Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as “the most dangerous man in America”. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book The Radical King by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which is a collection of essays and speeches by Dr. King that showcase his revolutionary and radical vision for social justice in America and around the globe, his beliefs about nonviolent movement and o...

The rise is fascism in the United States will only enable and perpetuate white supremacy and nationalism. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a piece in Truthout called “ US Fascism Is Spreading Under the Guise of ‘Patriotic Education’ ” by Henry A. Giroux, which examines and analyzes the history and connections between the state-sponsored attacks on Black people and marginalized communities and th...

It is vitally important that we have conversations with children and young people to help them learn and unlearn the conditioning of policing and carceral punishment in our society. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the In Our Own Hands toolkit , which is a resource designed by Rania El Mugammar to help people engage in conversations about policing, prisons, and transformative justice in the live...

Across the country, 44 states have proposed over 380 anti-trans bills so far in 2023. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss two articles, including “Florida GOP’s New Anti-Trans Bill Is So Extreme It Could Ban Treatment for Breast Cancer” by Tori Otten in The New Republic and “The anti-drag bills sweeping the U.S. are straight from history's playbook” by Manuela López Restrepo in NPR, and what we...

The Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta is important and necessary social justice work. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss two articles, including “The fight to Stop Cop City has decades-old roots” by Micah Herskind in Prism and “The Forest for the Trees” by David Peisner in The Bitter Southerner, and what we learn and can do about the Stop Cop City movement and its connections to exploitation, raci...

Black radical resistance in response to the prison industrial complex, white supremacy, racism, violence, intolerance, oppression, and more continues to be necessary work for the liberation for all people. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book As Black as Resistance: Finding the Conditions for Liberation by Zoé Samudzi and William C. Anderson, which calls for a new form of transformative pol...

We all deserve to find and move towards our north star. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss The Freedom Papers by The Dream Defenders, which is a tremendous resource and collection of dreams grounded in collective liberation that outlines a vision for a world that we all deserve, and how we can use these papers and wisdom in our daily lives and continued work for social justice. Follow us on social...

We have to be committed to the work and to building movements, strategies, and our capacity in order to achieve our freedom dreams and collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a piece in Hammer & Hope called “After the Uprising, What Is To Be Done?”, featuring a conversation between Derecka Purnell, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor about the legacy of the protests a...

Our freedom dreams for the world we need and want to see are dependent on healthy, strong, and resilient movements and organizations. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an article called Building Resilient Organizations by Maurice Mitchell in The Forge, which identifies and analyzes some of the difficulties faced by social justice organizations and movements, and what organizers (and all of us) ca...