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Civic Cipher

News EN ↓ 583 episodes

Civic Cipher is a weekly radio show created to foster allyship for social justice. Hosted by Ramses Ja and Q. Ward, this show is dedicated to empowering Black and Brown voices, allowing them to engage directly with diverse populations across the country. Self-determination is critical to securing a future free of oppressive systems, and Civic Cipher exists to facilitate discussions toward this end. Furthermore, Civic Cipher seeks to inform non-POC allies who may not be privy to these types of discussions and optics. Finally, Civic Cipher seeks to provide long-form conversations in spaces where...

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iHeartPodcasts

Category

News

Podcast website

www.civiccipher.com

Latest episode

Jul 4, 2026

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Episodes

Civic Cipher 041622 Are Black People Overcharged for Housing? (Part 2) 16.04.2022

Send us a Text Message. The second part of today's program deals with housing discrimination and the numerous challenges Black and Brown people face when seeking shelter. Our Way Black History Fact is dedicated to Ruby Bridges...a child that had to be escorted to school by U.S. Marshalls to desegregate a school in the deep south. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @...

Civic Cipher 041622 Following Up On Injustices (Part 1) 16.04.2022

Send us a Text Message. The first part of this week's show follows up with a few stories that we told in the past year. One is of a Karen that assaulted a 14-year-old Black child in a hotel lobby falsely believing that he had stolen her phone. The second is of officers in Buffalo, NY pushing an elderly man to the ground fracturing his skull, and the third is a story about a police tactic that...

Civic Cipher 040922 Black Florida Hotel Clerk Arrested After Calling Police (Part 2) 09.04.2022

Send us a Text Message. The second part of today's program peels back some of the layers from a viral video of a Black Ft. Lauderdale hotel clerk who called the police on one of his drunken guests...only to be arrested himself by the very police he thought would come to help. Our Way Black History Fact is about the Harlem Hellfighters...a story you don't want to miss! Support the Show. w...

Civic Cipher 040922 No Charges Brought to Officers in Amir Locke Death (Part 1) 09.04.2022

Send us a Text Message. The first part of this week's show deals with the lack of charges brought against the officers responsible for killing Amir Locke. Locke was killed in a no-knock raid earlier this year, and many were hoping that his death would be answered for...we provide our reaction to his and other deaths from no-knock raids. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicC...

Civic Cipher 040222 How Viral Fight Videos Reflect on Us (Part 2) 02.04.2022

Send us a Text Message. The second part of today's 'Entertainment Episode' focuses on similar incidents of conflict in the Black community when it is on display for the world to see. We discuss rap beefs, viral fight videos, and even a bit more about Chris Rock and Will Smith. Our Way Black History Fact is dedicated to Hattie McDaniel...the first Black person to win an Oscar. Suppor...

Civic Cipher 040222 A Decidedly Black Reaction to Will Smith and Chris Rock (Part 1) 02.04.2022

Send us a Text Message. The first half of this week's 'Entertainment Episode' is dedicated to our reactions to the assault on Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars by Will Smith. We use this segment to explain the weight this moment has on Black people which we believe to be heavier than for non-Black people. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramsesja...

Civic Cipher 032622 Protecting Black Hair from Discrimination Part 2 26.03.2022

Send us a Text Message. The second part of the show focuses on the passing of the CROWN Act by the House of Representatives. This bill protects traditionally Black hairstyles from discrimination...we discuss how important it is and what it means to us personally. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramsesja Consideration for today's show was provided by: M...

Civic Cipher 032622 Driving While Black Part 1 26.03.2022

Send us a Text Message. The first half of this week's show focuses on Driving While Black. We use statistics that suggest that Black motorists are more likely to get pulled over by police and exactly what that means to Black individuals as well as Black communities. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramsesja Consideration for today's show was provid...

Civic Cipher 031922 The U.S. Gun Problem 19.03.2022

Send us a Text Message. The second part of the show is where we discuss the idea that the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. We discuss the gun problem in this country and why/how we should rethink what policing means. Our Way Black History Fact discusses the Floating Freedom School from 1847. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqw...

Civic Cipher 031922 Judge Rules Against Police and in Favor of BLM Mural 19.03.2022

Send us a Text Message. In today's show, we discussed a court case in California where police officers sued the city because a Black Lives Matter mural caused them "distress." We discuss the origins of the phrase "Black Lives Matter" and give credit to the judge for handing out a fair decision.  Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramse...

Civic Cipher 031222 The Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022 12.03.2022

Send us a Text Message. The second part of the show holds the discussion surrounding the passing of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022. This is a more positive discussion and we take the time to celebrate the passing of this piece of legislation--even if it's about 100 years late! Happy Women's History Month...our Way Black History Fact highlights Mary McLeod Bethune! Support the S...

Civic Cipher 031222 Ryan Coogler Detained at Bank 12.03.2022

Send us a Text Message. In today's show, we start off by discussing the apprehension of Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler at the bank while attempting to withdraw cash. Him being mistaken for a criminal bank robber is something that hits home for us and it was necessary to discuss it. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramsesja Consideration for today&a...

Civic Cipher 030522 Ways Police Can Justify Shootings 05.03.2022

Send us a Text Message. The second part of the show deals with the ways police can justify the discharge of their weapons resulting in the loss of life...in many cases Black life. We discuss the feeling behind the lack of accountability and share what it feels like to live in a society that can blame us for our own deaths when our reality suggests that we are targets. Support the Show. www.civicci...

Civic Cipher 030522 The Increasing Suicide Rates Among Black People 05.03.2022

Send us a Text Message. The first part of today's show speaks to the increasing rates of suicide in the Black community. We discuss the potential sources and highlight some higher profile instances of suicide in the media. We feel this is something we need to discuss as a community so that we can provide better support to and for each other. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @C...

Civic Cipher 022622 Did Ahmaud Arbery's Murderers Get What They Deserved? 26.02.2022

Send us a Text Message. The second half of the show takes a similar look at a different trial--that of the killers of Ahmaud Arbery. We hold a critical examination of the verdict and sentencing of this trial as well as discuss our Way Black History Fact--Thomas Fuller AKA the "Virginia Calculator"--a slave named  with marvelous mathematical abilities. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.co...

Civic Cipher 022622 Did Officer Kim Potter Get What She Deserved? 26.02.2022

Send us a Text Message. The first part of today's show focuses on the verdict and sentencing of Kim Potter...The officer who killed a young Black man named Daunte Wright at a traffic stop. We examine parts of her trial and sentencing that stand out and warrant discussion. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramsesja Consideration for today's show was...

Civic Cipher 021922 Is Melanin a Threat? (Part 2) 19.02.2022

Send us a Text Message. The second half of the show asks a question that comes up frequently in our show in different ways. In our estimation, melanin is seen as violent, criminal, threatening...especially by police. We cite recent examples of this and offer our thoughts on how things are unfolding around us. We also finally get the chance to discuss Amir Locke who was killed during a no-knock rai...

Civic Cipher 021922 A Defense for the Dr. Dre Super Bowl Halftime Show (Part 1) 19.02.2022

Send us a Text Message. In the first half of today's show, we challenge the attacks that many right-wing pundits launched toward the decidedly Hip-Hop Super Bowl halftime show. From their cries that the show was overly sexualized to calls to ban Hip Hop outright, we felt that it was necessary to challenge these unfair, unfounded, and unwarranted claims that we percieve to be an attack on Blac...

Civic Cipher 021222 Let's Improve Race Relations with Asian People ft. Pineapple Lawyer Amy Owen Part 2 12.02.2022

Send us a Text Message. In the second half of today's show, Pineapple Lawyer AKA Amy Owen sits in with us as we discuss the controversy around Awkwafina's "Blaccent" as well as an instance of Actual racist behavior from a Black rapper and the double standard and lack of accountability. We challenge ourselves and our people to give what we expect to get in return. Our Way Black...

Civic Cipher 021222 Let's Improve Race Relations with Asian People ft. Pineapple Lawyer Amy Owen Part 1 12.02.2022

Send us a Text Message. In the first part of today's episode, we discuss several recent instances of Black-on-Asian attacks and reestablish our responsibility to our AAPI brothers and sisters. We deal with the fact that a failure to challenge racist anti-Asian behavior could potentially result in the perception of Black people having a double-standard. We take a hard look in the mirror and re...

Civic Cipher 020522 A Numbers-Based Understanding of the Black Experience (Part 2) 05.02.2022

Send us a Text Message. In the second part of the show, we discuss a few things including CRT, White Saviors, and more tweets from our new favorite social justice warrior, Dan Price. Our Way Black History Fact tells the story of the recently departed actor Sidney Portier. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramsesja Consideration for today's show was provi...

Civic Cipher 020522 A Numbers-Based Understanding of the Black Experience (Part 1) 05.02.2022

Send us a Text Message. In the first part of today's episode, we borrow from a social media influencer and businessperson named Dan Price. Recently a series of tweets from his account gave a numerical account of the Black experience in America. We thought it was worth examining and hopefully bringing it to life for you. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @...

Civic Cipher 012922 The Reality of Black Wealth Inequality / The New Wave of Attacks on Black America (Part 2) 29.01.2022

Send us a Text Message. In the second part of the show, we discuss a new wave of attacks on the plight of Black America. These include legislation that was born out of the response of people filming police encounters, the banning of Critical Race Theory in many states, and companies limiting the free speech of their employees when they choose to support Black lives. Support the Show. www.civicciph...

Civic Cipher 012922 The Reality of Black Wealth Inequality / The New Wave of Attacks on Black America (Part 1) 29.01.2022

Send us a Text Message. In the first part of today’s episode, we discuss Black wealth. There are many ways that income, wealth, and access to capital can shape the outcomes of societies and communities and we pay particular attention to the Black community and the disparities that are present when comparing to White Americans. We spend some time discussing how the myth of ‘trickle-down economics’...

Civic Cipher 012222 How do I Become a Politician? ft. Leezah Sun (Part B) 22.01.2022

Send us a Text Message. In the second half of the show, we discuss how elections are funded, salaries, and the influence of corporate donors over political candidates. We take a look at an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail for our Way Black History Fact. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramsesja Consideration for today&ap...

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