Broke-ish®

In this week's episode, Amber and Erika are joined by a Broke-ish All-Star, Dr. Jared Ball, to discuss the ins and outs of cryptocurrency. Dr. Ball combines his expertise in media literacy with his personal interest in cryptocurrency to show us how savvy messaging creates the illusion of a crypto market that's inoculated from the racism and inequality that plagues traditional financial markets. Bu...

Is it D-E-I? E-I-D? J-E-D-I? Or is this really all just a waste of time and a capitalist guise to positively impact the bottom line? Amber and Erika are joined by Corporate HR Specialist and DEI Guru, Diontha Fancher, to unpack the truth behind America's present obsession with DEI initiatives. Beyond the corny workshops and slogans, we are unpacking DEI's historical roots, who can and should be do...

On this week's episode, Amber and Erika discuss land loss, the coded way that racially motivated land theft is often referred to in this country. Our guests are Kavon Ward and Ashanti Martin of Where Is My Land, a non-profit organization that helps Black families reclaim ownership of land that has unjustly been taken from them. Most notably, Where Is My Land assisted the descendants of Willa and C...

Ready or not, you can't run. You can't hide; America's unjust, racist economics are gonna find you!! In this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Dr. Algernon Austin, the Director of Race and Economic Justice at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, to discuss how capitalism and economics often function as the invisible, undiscussed arm of American racism. Dr. Austin starts with a histori...

Here we go again, Brokers! Amber and Erika are back for the Season 6 opening episode. Not only do we catch up, but we discuss all the new things coming this season. From audio and visual episodes (we fancy now!), to our new membership in the Black Power Media Network, and our expanded platform - we are giving you the scoop on everything you can expect in the upcoming episodes. We can't wait for y'...

They say, "Time flies when you're having fun!", and Season 5 has definitely flown by so quickly. On this Season 5 recap, Amber and Erika take a stroll down memory lane and discuss all the highs and lows of the season, including the takeaways from each episode and the wisdom imparted by our guests. We also spill the tea on what we're working on and the new things you can expect in Season 6. Tune in...

On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Haitian native, Dieula Previlon, to discuss both the beautiful history and present-day environmental and political crises in Haiti. Dieula, who is a trauma counselor, ordained minister, and non-profit executive, offers us unique insight into both the factual occurrences and the real impacts on the hearts and bodies of people living and surviving throu...

On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Dr. Jared Ball, Professor of Communication and Africana Studies at Morgan State University and expert in media literacy. Dr. Ball, an honorary member of the Broke-ish family, helps us to trace the origins of the media's power in our society and the ways that powerful elites profit by curating the messages that they want society to believe and buy into...

On this episode of Broke-ish, Amber and Erika are discussing how not all skinfolk are kinfolk in Black social justice circles. It gets a bit messy as we call out some of your faves and interrogate whether they do more harm than good elevating the stories of victims of police brutality. We question the motives and methods of well-known activists and try to figure out where all the Black Lives Matte...

On this episode, Amber and Erika discuss money, marriage, and the unique ways that systemic and economic inequities burden Black love. The impacts of mass incarceration, wage and education gaps, student loan debt, and gender expectations can combine with other societal and cultural barriers to make building an effective financial partnership within a marriage especially difficult. Tune in to hear...

Broke-ish is officially fifty episodes in, and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than a family reunion! Broke-ish co-founder and former co-host, Delina McPhaull, stopped by to interview Amber and Erika. No topic was off-limits as we strolled down memory lane, discussed current events, and of course, we cut up a little and had some fun! Through our reflections on Broke-ish's past impac...

On this episode of Broke-ish, Amber and Erika are discussing Black Athletes - the challenges faced at the highly competitive collegiate level, the impact on mental and physical wellness, finances, and of course, the increasing social and political activism in and out of the sports arena. Joined by Jarrett Drake and Destanie Sykes, two former NCAA Division I athletes, who provide a firsthand accoun...

In this episode, Amber and Erika debunk the lies surrounding Critical Race Theory and discuss why so many people are invested in disseminating false information and political misstatements around what was, until recently, a relatively unknown interdisciplinary area of study usually reserved for graduate students. Tracing its historical origins to the aftermath of the 1960s Civil Rights Movements,...

On this payday, Amber and Erika are joined by special guest, Jen Kinney, to break down the ins and outs of anti-racism. Jen, our editor, is not only a treasured member of the Broke-ish family; she is also a writer, podcaster, and true ally in the fight against injustice. Through historical references, sociopolitical analysis, and Jen's personal experiences, we lay out what it means to be truly ant...

In a Broke-ish first, Amber and Erika venture beyond the borders of the United States to discuss the current unrest in Israel and Palestine, specifically the unjust displacement and evictions of Palestinians and the Israeli government's discriminatory policies towards Palestinian people. In diving into the creation of the State of Israel, Amber and Erika expose the connections to European imperial...

This week Amber and Erika are joined by Reverend Mia Michelle McClain to discuss how weaponized theology combines with insidious White Supremacy and latent self-hate to render the Black Church socially and politically ineffective while also perpetuating harmful pathologies of pain and spiritual dysfunction. Pastor Mia helps us to challenge many long-standing beliefs held by Black evangelicals, in...

Season Five is here, and Amber and Erika are kicking things off by catching up with the Brokers about what's been going on in both their personal lives and current events. From COVID to the murder of George Floyd, they highlight the broken "ish" around us that continues to disproportionately impact Black America. And finally, the ladies spill the tea about what you can expect from this season's ep...

In this episode, join Amber and Erika as they "look back at it" and discuss the highlights of Broke-ish season 4! If you missed any of this season's episodes, this is the perfect way for you to catch up and get the scoop on the discussions and fabulous guests. We hope you'll tune in to the finale episode and look back at this season with us!

This week, Erika is talking about all things Black History. She explores the history of Black History Month and asks if we still need it, does it benefit us, and is it broken. Pull out your best MLK suit or Rosa Parks dress and listen as we think about the celebration in a new way.

This week, Amber and Erika are joined by Dr. Cindy Ayers Elliott, CEO of Footprint Farms, LLC in Jackson, Mississippi to discuss the substantial, but little known role that Black farmers play in American agribusiness as well as the ways that systemic racism and White Supremacy have undermined Black farmers' industry prominence and financial gain. Using both a historical context plus her own unique...

In a capitalistic world where "the hustle" and "the grind" are consistently glorified, productivity is prized as proof of both inherent value and meaningful ambition. In this week's episode, Amber and Erika discuss the unique ways that we as Black people often feel the pressure to be productive and define ourselves by what we do. Starting with the brutal commodification of chattel slavery, the epi...

In this week's episode, Amber and Erika are joined by former Broke-ish co-host Delina McPhaull and attorney Tiffany Kamuche to have an honest conversation about the intricacies and nuances of Blackness. So often American Blackness is framed against a subtext that assumes we all have the same experiences and beliefs. In this two-part conversation, we first discuss Blackness as an identity - where w...

In this week's episode, Amber and Erika are joined by former Broke-ish co-host Delina McPhaull and attorney Tiffany Kamuche to have an honest conversation about the intricacies and nuances of Blackness. So often American Blackness is framed against a subtext that assumes we all have the same experiences and beliefs. In this two-part conversation, we first discuss Blackness as an identity - where w...

In this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Joshua Poe, an urban planner, community organizer, and geographer from Louisville, Kentucky to discuss gentrification and urban capitalism, and the threat to Black lives resulting from White Supremacist greed. Utilizing Breonna Taylor's tragic murder, Mr. Poe explains how many of the issues in Black communities - such as militarized policing, food des...

In this episode, Amber and Erika discuss the multi-billion dollar dieting industry in America, and how it works in tandem with White Supremacy to push an image of health and wellness that often leaves Black people - particularly Black women - feeling inadequate, insecure, and unable to achieve the "ideal" of healthiness. We discuss how dieting often conflates healthiness with Eurocentric beauty st...