Civic Cipher

Send us a Text Message. In the first half of today’s show, Leezah Sun stops by to discuss why it’s important to engage in the political process. We take a few moments to discuss some of the barriers she has encountered from her opposition as well as political party gatekeeping. Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramsesja Consideration for today's show was...

Send us a Text Message. In the second part of the show, we discuss the phrase, “I’m not racist…I have a Black friend!” We peel away some of the layers to this often surface-level argument and try to encourage searching for deeper truths that have more to do with a whole race of people rather than just one Black friend. We also use our Way Black History Fact segment to discuss Yoga’s roots in Afric...

Send us a Text Message. The first part of today’s episode is dedicated to examining the so-called ‘progress reports’ from the cities who have defunded their police. We look at some of the misinformation, fear-mongering, and half truths that make for sensational headlines but fail to tell the full story.  Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Follow us: @CivicCipher @iamqward @ramsesja Consideratio...

Send us a Text Message. For the second half, we examine unfair prison sentencing for Black and Brown people in this country. We have some recent examples of judges showing extreme biases or outright racism, as well as other recent examples of how wildly the justice system can swing…and just how unfair it is. Later in the program, we discuss the origins of Black History Month in our Way Black Histo...

Send us a Text Message. The first half of today’s episode focuses on a question posed to writer Ke’Aun Charles; “Could you tell me anything whatsoever that the Democratic party has done for Black people in the last 20 years?” We take inspiration from his response to offer some insight into why Black people largely vote Democratic in this country…it’s not really that complicated especially once the...

Send us a Text Message. In the second part of our New Year's Day episode, we continue the theme of looking at some of the positive outcomes from 2021! In this half, we discuss the outcomes or progress of discussions surrounding CRT, voting rights initiatives, the Stop Asian Hate movement, and the results of the incident on ASU's campus and their multicultural center. Our Way Black Histor...

Send us a Text Message. In today's episode, we discuss some of the progress we have seen over the past calendar year. In the first half of the show, we discuss the many high-profile trials and the favorable outcomes we have seen. We also discuss Juneteenth becoming a national holiday as well as some unlikely fans we seem to have gotten! Our Ebony Excellence goes out to a young man named Chidi...

Send us a Text Message. In the second half of our Christmas show, we discuss Culture Vultures. We recognize that there is a lot of shared culture in this country, and we simply try to give some guidelines so that lines aren’t so easily crossed and that we are more often honoring parts of each other’s cultures rather than simply taking from them. Our Way Black History Fact discusses the ethnic orig...

Send us a Text Message. Merry Christmas! Today, we decided to use the first half of the show to discuss the history of Blackface and why it is offensive to Black people. There is a lot tied up in the legacy of Black characters in show business that we spend a good amount of time addressing and unpacking. We also dedicate our Ebony Excellence segment to the life of Bell Hooks. Support the Show. www...

Send us a Text Message. In the second half of today's show, we peel back some of the layers that led to the death of Daunte Wright as well as the demise of Officer Kim Potter. After a brief debate as to whether or not culpability or negligence will affect the outcome, of the trial we examine the system beyond the officer and make connections to the loss of Daunte Wright's life. We also t...

Send us a Text Message. In the first half of today's show, we examine some of the points made by popular stand-up comedian Michael Che. From his feelings upon seeing the American flag, to only loving certain parts of the country,  he gives a humorous and somewhat accurate look into the Black experience in this country. We naturally felt like some of his topics could stand to be fleshed out a...

Send us a Text Message. In the second half of today's show, we discuss several examples of police bullying or otherwise failing to meet the callings of their oaths. We had many examples to choose from this week and all of them felt important, but bullying underscored them all. With qualified immunity, the blue wall of silence, and no real repercussions for abuse, examples like these are innum...

Send us a Text Message. In the first half of today's episode, we discuss a national story about a Black couple who received an appraisal on their home...only to have it increased by nearly a half-million dollars when they got a White couple to stand in for them. We also discuss how this and other things affect Black wealth or lack thereof. Furthermore, we share examples of our own where white...

Send us a Text Message. In the second part of today's episode, we revisit last week's topic about the Rittenhouse verdict to make sure we acknowledge a few minor things that we missed. We also took the time to acknowledge that the world is changing and how alarming that must be for White folks...men in particular. We also make it a point to hold our ground with respect to the stance the...

Send us a Text Message. In the first half of today's show, we discuss Islamophobic comments made by Lauren Boebert which have been deemed offensive by Muslim-Americans. We also make the connection from trumpism to behaviors like this which have become more commonplace in recent years. In this segment, we also recognize Barbados and Rihanna for our Ebony Excellence. Support the Show. www.civic...

Send us a Text Message. In the second half of today's show, we discuss the verdict handed down in the trial of the killers of Ahmaud Arbery. We make several comparisons to the trail of Kyle Rittenhouse and how loosely "self-defense" was used in the trial. We also examine the legacy of policing in this country with our Way Black History Fact.  Support the Show. www.civiccipher.com Fo...

Send us a Text Message. In the first part of today's episode, we discuss the Rittenhouse verdict and what it means for the allies of Black and Brown people. We hold a critical examination of the judge in the trial as well as the optics from conservatives. We try to make sense of the inconsistencies in the logic behind the "self-defense" cry from 2nd amendment supporters as well.  Su...

Send us a Text Message. In the second half of the show, we revisit a story about some recent guests (Sarra, Mimi, and Mastaani) and their current standing with ASU. We also discuss the eroding support for the BLM movement and what it means to really keep that energy. Alexandre Dumas is the person we highlight for our Way Black History Fact considering that while he is well known for his works such...

Send us a Text Message. The first half of today’s show we discuss an incident where an officer shot some dogs and (because of a court order) was subsequently unable to hide behind Qualified Immunity. Naturally we make comparisons to Black and Brown people who are seldom afforded such consideration. We also take a moment to give Erin Jackson who took first place in the women’s 500m speed skating ra...

Send us a Text Message. Philadelphia passed a bill banning minor traffic stops and we examine the optics and potential outcomes of dialing back what has historically been categorized as harassment against Black and Brown communities. Our Way Black History Fact focuses on the first systematic attempt to provide a form of reparations to newly-freed slaves--40 Acres and a Mule. Support the Show. www....

Send us a Text Message. In the first half of today's show, we discuss some foods typically associated with Black Americans--specifically watermelon. There is a sad and well-documented history of prejudice and anti-Black sentiment associated with the food that still finds its way into Black life today. We share some examples of this in hopes of preventing some social faux pas! Support the Show...

Send us a Text Message. In the second half of this week's show, we talk about the significant divide that exists where theoretically none should. We discuss the history of the Black church and the historical desire of some White churches to remain segregated in the Lord's house. Our Way Black History Fact we discuss the first African American female pilot Bessie Coleman and her inspiring...

Send us a Text Message. In the first installment of this week's episode, we take some Ebony Excellence time to honor Maya Angelou and several other influential women who will be appearing on the Quarter starting next year. We then take some time to discuss how some Black people are still hesitant to get vaccinated, how the overall numbers for Black people getting vaccinated have improved, and...

Send us a Text Message. Today's episode is about race relations--specifically between Asian Americans and African Americans. Our guest, Leezah Sun is a politician of Chinese descent who is passionate about building stronger community ties between these groups. In our discussions, we broach the subject of the Model Minority Myth, factors that contributed to the degradation of these two communi...

Send us a Text Message. In today's episode, we are joined by former educator Dr. Camilla Westenberg whose claim to fame is being the first person to create an accredited Hip Hop literature class at the community college level. With so much being said about Critical Race Theory being taught in schools, it felt right to have a decades-long educator with us for this deep dive into CRT. We discus...