Black vs The Board of Education Podcast

This week, BVBOE examines how race, accountability, media coverage, and public perception shape the way we talk about young people involved in high-profile incidents. Why do some young people receive empathy while others receive judgment? How do racism, bias, and optics influence public opinion before all the facts are known? And what responsibility do we have to separate accountability from dehum...

A graduation stage. A diploma. One viral moment that turned into a national conversation. This week on BVBOE, our Summer Fellows join the discussion to unpack the graduation moment that had everyone talking. What some saw as a harmless celebration, others viewed as disrespect—and the debate quickly became bigger than the moment itself. Together, we explore the questions beneath the headlines: What...

“Give us time.” “Trust the process.” “We’re working on it.” These are phrases families hear all the time. But what happens when the process moves slower than the harm? In this unapologetic episode, the BVBOE team examines the language schools and institutions often use when concerns are raised—and why those responses can feel more like delay than accountability. While systems ask for patience, stu...

This week on Black v. The Board of Education, the BVBOE team steps back from the noise to unpack the headlines you may have missed—and the stories sitting just beneath them. From overlooked developments to underreported narratives, the conversation centers what often gets left out of mainstream coverage and why those gaps matter. This episode challenges listeners to think beyond the surface and co...

This race isn’t just about a seat—it’s about breaking ceilings and shifting power. If elected, Dr. Flojaune Cofer would become the first Black woman to serve as a Sacramento County Supervisor. But BVBOE is asking the bigger question: what does it take to not only make history—but move systems? From public health to equity to community voice, this conversation goes beyond the milestone. We’re diggi...

Compton is no stranger to transformation—but leadership determines direction. With the mayor’s seat in play, the question isn’t just who can win—it’s who can lead. BVBOE pulls up with Councilman Andre Spicer to talk vision, community trust, and the realities of governing a city with history, pride, and pressure. What does accountability look like when you’re already inside the system? And how do y...

Episode 1 This week on Black v. the Board of Education, we sit down with Councilwoman Mai Vang as she steps into a congressional race that’s about more than just a seat—it’s about how power actually works. Challenging a long-standing incumbent, Mai Vang’s campaign raises deeper questions: Who decides when you’re “ready”? Who gets support—and who gets left navigating barriers alone? In this episode...

BVBOE shifts the conversation to the earliest years where independence, confidence, and identity begin to take shape. This week, we sit down with author Angel Boone, whose new book series focuses on helping young children build independence before they ever step into a classroom. From daily routines to decision-making, we explore what it means to prepare children not just academically but emotiona...

This week on Black v. The Board of Education, we dive into a raw, freeform conversation unpacking a difficult question: Why do families and educators sometimes defend systems they know are harming students? From fear and job security to access, survival, and complicity, this episode explores the complex realities that keep broken systems in place. This isn’t about blaming individuals—it’s about un...

This week on Black v. The Board of Education , we’re joined by Dr. Charles Bell to discuss his book No Restraint: Disabled Children and Institutionalized Violence in America’s Schools . He breaks down how restraint policies—often framed as safety measures—can become harmful, disproportionately impacting disabled students. We explore who these policies protect, how families are silenced, and what r...

This episode tackles a question nobody likes to say out loud. As schools struggle under increasing demands, the BVBOE team engages in a raw discussion about responsibility, boundaries, and expectations. Where does the school’s role end, and where does family and community responsibility begin? This is not about blame. It’s about honesty, tension, and what we’re really asking schools to carry.

BVBOE continues the conversation with Sacramento County Office of Education District 1 candidate Dominique Donette . This isn’t a campaign stop — it’s a conversation rooted in accountability. We’re asking the questions families live with every day: What happens when systems fail students? How should discipline actually be handled? What does real leadership look like when trust is broken? Because t...

PART 1 This week, BVBOE switches gears for a special remix episode as we sit down with Sacramento County Office of Education District 1 candidate Davon Thomas . This isn’t a campaign stop—it's a conversation. We’re asking the questions families actually care about: accountability, discipline, equity, student voice, and what leadership looks like when systems fall short. Because elections have cons...

Testing season comes with pressure, fear, and consequences—but not for everyone equally. The BVBOE team questions who standardized testing actually holds accountable and whether the fallout lands disproportionately on certain students while systems remain protected.

Emails unanswered. Calls ignored. Meetings postponed. Is school silence incompetence—or a deliberate tactic? This episode explores how disengagement is sometimes used to wear families down and how power shows up in who gets responses and who doesn’t.

This episode is a temperature check—and a truth check. The BVBOE team digs into what families are experiencing right now versus what schools are publicly claiming. From discipline patterns to special education delays and communication breakdowns, this freeform conversation challenges the gap between policy language and lived reality.

School records don’t always reflect the full story. In this episode, BVBOE takes a closer look at how incident reports, behavior logs, and cumulative files are written—and how the language used in those documents can shape a student’s academic journey for years. Families will learn how records are created, where bias and inaccuracies can appear, and what steps parents can take to challenge and cor...

Advocacy comes with a cost—and too often, families carry that weight alone. In this episode, the BVBOE team holds an honest conversation about the emotional labor behind showing up for your child in school systems that can be challenging to navigate. From exhaustion to burnout, we name the toll advocacy takes—and the resilience it requires. More importantly, we explore what it means to sustain you...

This episode exists because the truth was almost erased. A child was harmed in a classroom. Multiple adults witnessed it. Instead of intervening, they laughed. Instead of reporting it, they lied. The official story only collapsed because surveillance footage contradicted the adults’ version of events. In this episode, we examine what it means when accountability only appears after proof, when mand...

Why does speaking up for your child suddenly make you the problem? In this episode, BVBOE examines how parents—especially Black parents—are often tone-policed, labeled as “difficult,” or subtly retaliated against for advocating in school spaces. The team breaks down the patterns behind these responses and shares practical strategies to stay focused, protect your child, and advocate effectively wit...

Some families advocate loudly. Others trust the system. Some educators push back; others comply. This episode is a candid, unscripted conversation about what happens when not everyone in the room believes advocacy is necessary—or effective. BVBOE explores whether advocacy is a privilege, a burden, or a responsibility, and who pays the price when families stay quiet.

Every January, schools quote Dr. King—but rarely follow him. In this unapologetic MLK Week episode, the BVBOE team challenges how MLK’s legacy has been sanitized, softened, and weaponized against the very communities he fought for. From discipline policies to “order over justice,” this conversation asks a hard question: Would MLK be welcomed in today’s schools—or written up, removed, and labeled d...

Season 8 opens with ASK BVBOE , and nothing is off limits. This isn’t just about schools—it’s about systems, parenting, power, identity, advocacy, exhaustion, and survival. From classrooms to courtrooms, discipline to dignity, and policies to personal boundaries—if it’s been sitting heavy on your chest, it belongs in this conversation. Comfort is optional. Honesty is required.

This week on Black v. The Board of Education , we are sitting down with the author of He Is Not a Gladiator: The 4 Shifts to Dismantle the Arena and Transform the Academic Experience for Boys . This conversation hits home because too often, Black boys are pushed into educational “arenas”—spaces where they are expected to perform, fight, survive, or shrink. We’re talking about what it looks like to...

Special Guests: Patrice Hill and Coco Bland The conversation didn’t end last week—because the learning didn’t stop when systems failed. In Part 3 of Black v. Board of Education (BVBOE): When the Community Becomes the Curriculum , we continue alongside Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS) to examine what happens after DEI programs are cut—and how communities step in to teach what institutions refuse...