A Word … with Jason Johnson

President Biden and Vice President Harris made impassioned speeches in Georgia this week, calling voting rights a top political priority. But the grassroots organizers who helped turn Georgia in 2020 want more than words, and many refused to attend the president’s event. One of those people is Nsé Ufot, the CEO of the New Georgia Project voting rights group. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Joh...

This week, we’re bringing you an episode from another show we think you’ll like.  Slate's history podcast One Year introduces you to people and ideas that changed American history, one year at a time. The new season of One Year covers 1995, a year when homegrown terrorists attacked Oklahoma City, America went online, and the Macarena took over nightclubs. When a serial rapist struck Ann Arbor, Mic...

Should journalists work to end American racism, not just report on it? That’s what the Boston Globe’s new project, The Emancipator , is making its mission. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by its co-editor-in-chief, Amber Payne. They discuss The Emancipator ’s history, and its vision for an anti-racist American future. Guest: Amber Payne , co-editor in chief of The Emancipator...

It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to press play on your favorite Christmas movies. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by essayist and pop culture critic Rebecca Theodore-Vachon to talk about what really makes a Black Christmas movie, and which classics they recommend.  Guest: Rebecca Theodore-Vachon , essayist, pop culture critic, and host of The Spectrum Lounge pod...

It’s already a devastating situation when a loved one goes missing. And if you’re Black, you’ll likely have fewer resources and help to find your family member. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Derrica Wilson. She’s the co-founder and CEO of the Black and Missing Foundation, the group that inspired the HBO documentary Black and Missing. They talk about the disparities in th...

How do you make a struggling public school --with outdated textbooks, a shady principal, and broken everything-- funny? Ask comedian Quinta Brunson, star and creator of the new ABC show Abbott Elementary . Brunson joins Jason Johnson on today’s episode of A Word to discuss the sitcom, her work on HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, and her unconventional path to comedy stardom.   Guest: Quinta Brunson...

With a growing number of Americans vaccinated, many are contemplating traveling for the holidays, despite concerns about a new COVID variant. For Black travelers, navigating an unfamiliar society’s ideas about race adds another complication. On this episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by veteran lifestyle journalist and travel expert Dayvee Sutton to talk about her experience while travelin...

The holidays bring out the chef in many of us. For Vallery Lomas, stress-baking through her final year of law school laid the foundation for a career as a chef, and a victory in the Great American Baking Show. This week, she joins host Jason Johnson this week to talk about her unlikely path to celebrity chef status, and her new book Life is What You Bake It.  Guest: Vallery Lomas , cookbook author...

Zeba Blay popularized the hashtag #carefreeblackgirls, a celebration of positive online representation of Black women and girls. In her book Carefree Black Girls , she reckons with why––even in a pop culture led by people of color––so many critics are white men. Blay joins the show this week to discuss The Harder They Fall, Passing, Dave Chappelle, and where today’s artists are, and aren’t, hittin...

Decades before Moonlight, Black Panther, or anything from Spike Lee, Black film artists worked through and around the studio system to bring their visions to the big screen. Now the Black Film Archive has brought together classics from 1915 to 1979. Its creator Maya Cade joins Jason Johnson on A Word to talk about the importance of African Americans connecting with movies from the past. Guest: May...

It’s been almost 30 years since the Los Angeles riots rocked the nation. Even now, many Americans remember where they were when they heard that four L.A.P.D. officers were acquitted for beating Rodney King. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Joel Anderson, host of Slate’s Slow Burn Season 6: The L.A. Riots. They talk about the roots of the 1992 crisis, and whether it’s better...

School is supposed to be a safe environment for students to thrive. But too many school policies put non-white and disabled students on the path to prison. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with professor and author Lori Martin, about fighting the school-to-prison pipeline, and how parents can protect their children from falling into the criminal justice system. Guest: Lori Martin...

Whether the issue is Covid policy or police violence, Black athletes can’t run, jump, or score their way out of the racial power dynamics of major sports. On today’s episode of A Word, veteran sportswriter and author Howard Bryant joins Jason Johnson to talk about the intersection of sports and race. They discuss the controversy over basketball star Kyrie Irving’s vaccine resistance, former NFL co...

California’s Governor Newsom recently signed legislation to return Bruce’s Beach, beachfront property that had been seized from a Black family after a campaign of racist violence and intimidation. But it’s only one of thousands of cases where African American families lost property to everything from extra legal land seizures, to systematic lending discrimination. Professor Thomas Mitchell, a law...

The Supreme Court is back in session and its public support is in free fall. But the unpopular court seems poised to radically alter the lives of millions of Americans. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by political analyst Elie Mystal to discuss what’s on the docket, and why so many Americans are braced for the Court to shred their rights.   Guest: Elie Mystal , MSNBC politica...

The 2020 Census revealed that a growing number of Latino Americans are acknowledging their Black heritage. But that choice has never been simple. Professor Tanya Hernández of Fordham University School of Law joins Jason Johnson to talk about the bias Afro-Latinos have faced across the Americas, from their governments and even their own families. They also explore how Afro-Latinos pressing for grea...

Recorded as part of the Texas Tribune Festival , this week’s episode is a conversation with brothers US Representative Joaquin Castro and 2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro. The brothers join Jason to discuss how the Biden administration is measuring up on the issues that were important to their own campaigns, the potential ripple effects of Texas’ new extreme abortion legislation, and the...

Your barista, your golf buddy, your ex-college roommate...just because you are friendly with a Black person doesn’t mean you’re friends. And even if you are, you can still be a racist. Scholar Khalil Gibran Muhammad explores the “Black buddy” myth of racial healing this through his podcast “Some of My Best Friends Are…” , which he co-hosts with his white best friend, Ben Austen. On today’s episode...

Black Republican Larry Elder is leading the race to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom. For decades, the GOP was the default choice of millions of Black voters. But that changed during the civil rights era, as that party emerged as the home of segregationists, white supremacists, and their sympathizers. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Michael Steele, Maryland’s forme...

Haiti was already reeling from a presidential assassination when a massive earthquake struck in August. And organizations that have “helped” Haiti in the past have exploited its people, filled their own pockets, and left the country off worse than before. On A Word, Jason Johnson talks about the Haitian crisis with Professor Marlene Daut, a professor of African-American and African Studies at the...

As natural disasters like wildfires and floods ravage the country, a growing chorus of Americans is calling for action now to fight climate change. And Black environmentalists who’ve seen their communities suffer from environmental abuse and neglect for generations are pushing the issue to the top of the civil rights agenda. On today’s episode of A Word, Professor Robert Bullard,  known as the “fa...

At the start of the pandemic, parents across the country became first-time homeschool teachers. Now, as millions of kids head back to classrooms, many Black parents are keeping their children at home to learn. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with Khadijah Ali-Coleman, the co-founder of the Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars group. She explains why more and more Black...

As the Delta variant continues to spread, African American doctors worry that the pandemic will claim thousands more Black lives. Veteran physician Dr. Reed Tuckson, cofounder of the Black Coalition Against COVID, speaks on today’s episode of A Word about increasing access to vaccines in Black communities, and debunking misinformation surrounding the virus and vaccines. Guest: Dr. Reed Tuckson , p...

Millions of Americans have faced eviction during the economic crunch sparked by the COVID crisis. After a high pressure campaign by progressives including former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, the Biden administration extended the eviction moratorium this week. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson talks with Castro about the eviction crisis, and why progressives are demanding stronger preside...

Gun violence kills thousands of Americans every year, and that pain is especially sharp in the nation’s Black communities. And during the last year of the Trump Administration, Black gun purchases surged. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Kenn Blanchard, a minister and gun rights activist who has branded himself as a “Black Man with a Gun.” Blanchard shares how he reconciles...