Make it Plain

Welcome to this week's episode of Make it Plain. Kehinde opens up with an update about the Black Studies situation at Birmingham City University. Unfortunately, the university has ignored almost 10,000 signatories to the petition and the public backlash against their decision to cut the course and get rid of Black members of staff. Please do continue to support the campaign. He then reflects on An...

The racist myth that police aren't inherently institutionally racist is finally debunked—yet the denial persists, this time being spread by Labour politician David Lammy. Kehinde exposes the shocking reality behind police practices, racism in politics, and how the narratives we've been fed are designed to keep systemic injustice intact. Why do policymakers and even some Black leaders deny the deep...

We share what may have been the last ever event at Birmingham City University for Black Studies, a conversation between Kehinde and, Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw on her ground breaking new book 'Backtalker'. More than 400 people came out to celebrate the work. The fight to preserve Black Studies is more urgent than ever—and it's rooted in a history of erasure, resistance, and unwavering community s...

Happy Malcolm X Day. On Malcolm 101st Birthday Kehinde reflects on what Malcolm would say if he were alive today. Rest assured he would have been angry about the state of things. After providing a brief update about the Black Studies situation at Birmingham City University, Kehinde reflects on the Unite the Kingdom rally and the fresh bunch of English flags popping up around the UK. We are joined...

Welcome to this week's episode of "Make It Plain." Kehinde reveals what has getting him stressed and tired...the troubling news that management at Birmingham City University have decided to close the Black Studies program, putting five Black staff members, including himself at risk of redundancy. This decision comes despite promises to the contrary and highlights a attack on Black intellectual tho...

For the first time in his life a politician canvassed Kehinde for a vote, for the upcoming local elections on May 7th. This is lead to reflection on the the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act and allowing the Louisiana Republicans to draw racist maps for the US midterms. As with most things America is Europe on steroids, where you can see the racism more clearly, but it is no better the U...

Kehinde returns to vividly recounts his 2-week journey through West Africa's complex landscape from the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora in Accra, Ghana to the Convention for Afrikan People in Banjul, Gambia. Friend of the pod, newly minted Dr Erika Brown, joins to discuss the 3,000km trip. From harrowing slave castles in Ghana to border crossings that can take hours Kehinde's personal r...

Following on from last week's episode about reparation Kehinde breaks his usual rules and opens up the Twitter comments. As expected there was some backlash from the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) and Foundational Black Americans (FBA) to the notion that Africa has a reparations claim due to the damage done to the continent due to slavery. While he would usually avoid the 'White noise' in...

With Ghana's successful UN resolution declaring slavery a ''crime against humanity' Kehinde reflects on the current state of the reparations movement. Unfortunately, most of the world's efforts for reparations are nothing but a fancy disguise for ongoing exploitation and empty promises. From CARICOM to ADOS, to disgraceful attempts like Lloyds of London, join us for this fiery episode, we cut thro...

Happy Eid to everyone who is celebrating. It shouldn't be a political statement but given Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch's racism it needs to be said. Kehinde opens by explaining that Black people need to avoid falling into the anti-Muslim trap, not least because being Black and Muslim is a feature of our communities. We then share a talk given by Bernard Coard about his work racism and education...

Kehinde opens up with a rant about David Lammy's ending of jury trials for the majority of cases in England and Wales. Lammy chaired a review into the criminal injustice system in 2017 that highlighted judges as one of the most prejudiced aspects of the system…and now wants to put our fate in their hands. Judges deciding cases will mean more Black people in prison and Lammy knows this all too well...

The latest episode of Make it Plain opens with Kehinde reassuring his children that World War 3 won't start over Iran. All the bombings and the news has people scared (and yes it is terrible what the US and Israel are doing) but he explains why China and Russia won't be going to war over Iran. Then an interview with Moses McKenzie we discuss topics such as masculinity, feminism, and Black British...

Reflecting on the flooding of the timeline with Bafta's N-word coverage Kehinde opens by saying that we've missed the point. We focus on the spectacle and not the real issue. Of course the BBC shouldn't have aired the N-word and the Bafta's should have showed more care... but we expect too much from a racist system.  Speaking of a racist system, Kehinde addresses the Green Party's win in the Gorto...

Make it Plain returns for a new series on the 61st anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X. For this first episode we are featuring Malcolm's speech in 1962 in LA to rally protest the police killing of Nation of Islam member Ronald Stokes. We always say to listen to Malcolm, so we are running the speech in full (all proceeds to the Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Education Center in Harlem, from...

Final episode in a special series of the Make it Plain podcast, 'What Would Malcolm Say?' where Kehinde Andrews explains what Malcolm's body of work tells us about what is going on in the present. Each episode will also feature a full interview with someone featured in the documentary 'Nobody Can Give You Freedom', which was independently made by Make it Plain. You can watch the entire documentary...

Fifth episode in a special series of the Make it Plain podcast, 'What Would Malcolm Say?' where Kehinde Andrews explains what Malcolm's body of work tells us about what is going on in the present. Each episode will also feature a full interview with someone featured in the documentary 'Nobody Can Give You Freedom', which was independently made by Make it Plain. You can watch the entire documentary...

Fourth episode in a special series of the Make it Plain podcast, 'What Would Malcolm Say?' where Kehinde Andrews explains what Malcolm's body of work tells us about what is going on in the present. Each episode will also feature a full interview with someone featured in the documentary 'Nobody Can Give You Freedom', which was independently made by Make it Plain. You can watch the entire documentar...

Third episode in a special series of the Make it Plain podcast, 'What Would Malcolm Say?' where Kehinde Andrews explains what Malcolm's body of work tells us about what is going on in the present. Each episode will also feature a full interview with someone featured in the documentary 'Nobody Can Give You Freedom', which was independently made by Make it Plain. You can watch the entire documentary...

Second episode in a special series of the Make it Plain podcast, 'What Would Malcolm Say?' where Kehinde Andrews explains what Malcolm's body of work tells us about what is going on in the present. Each episode will also feature a full interview with someone featured in the documentary 'Nobody Can Give You Freedom', which was independently made by Make it Plain. You can watch the entire documentar...

First episode in a special series of the Make it Plain podcast, 'What Would Malcolm Say?' where Kehinde Andrews explains what Malcolm's body of work tells us about what is going on in the present. Each episode will also feature a full interview with some featured in the documentary Nobody Can Give You Freedom, which was independently made by Make it Plain. You can watch the entire documentary for...

👉🏿 WATCH THE FULL VIDEO OF THE EPISODE:  This week Kehinde answers some mailbag questions from our listeners. Topics included the Jay-Z news, Lammy's response to the arrest of Marcus Fakana in Dubai, the role of Black academics and how we build Black solidarity. We also pay tribute to Nikki Giovanni This is our final episode for 2024 and also the last episode in season 2 (S2) of the Make It Plai...

👉🏿 WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW: https://youtu.be/bdhvMOBaq6c?si=t3iBJjVuo6fUaO7q As we wrap up 2024, Kehinde Andrews links up with co-host Busayo Twins to share their views of this year's headline events and stories as they relate to us. For this special feature, Busayo will be a regular cohost with Kehinde, where they chop it up about the politics of the day, highlighting the news of the day...

👉🏿 WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC8g-wk0RIg&t=1s In this week's Black World News Kai discusses the news of Paul Stephenson's passing earlier this month. Paul was a civil rights legend in the UK and a great example of a Black historical figure who should to be on the curriculum. Talking of the curriculum, this week's official guest interview is with Lavinya Sten...

👉🏿 WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y34bkZeNBQg "There's No Such Thing as a Racist, There is Racism" - Kehinde Andrews No guest this week, instead listen in for a Political Education feature from Kehinde Andrews (@Kehinde_Andrews). He highlights the difference between racially prejudiced people and racism, between individual racists and structural racism. "Racism i...

➡️WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_GTfGBU7Y0&t=3s After Haiti got pawned in the US election Kehinde Andrews interviews Haitian-American filmmaker, Etant Dupain, about his new doc (film) "The Fight For Haiti." It tells the truth about the historical and current story around the Venezuelan PetriCaribe Oil Alliance scandal in Haiti. PetriCaribe was set up by former Ve...