ellisconversations's podcast

Photo by Nadine Shaabana Repost of our episode on Stolen History EPISODE SUMMARY America has historically had a short attention span when it comes to racial inequality.  There has been a tendency to get riled up over episodes of intolerable racism, but (1) allowing the righteous indignation to fade over time, and (2) ignoring the everyday denials of human dignity and equality.  Jim Crow and white...

Photo by Obi - @pixel6propix on Unsplash In this episode, the hosts discuss the nation's history of medical experimentation, false beliefs about racial differences, and racial disparities in health care which have negatively impacted Black communities and led to significant gaps in life outcomes. Incorporating algorithms into the equation would insure that past inequalities persist into our future...

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash In this episode, the hosts continue their discussion on the pitfalls at the intersection of technology and justice, including the use of facial recognition software which doesn't recognize Black faces and the story of a teacher lauded by human observers but targeted for termination by a still undisclosed algorithm. To download the transcript, CLICK HERE LINKS IN...

In this episode, the hosts begin the discussion on the increasing use of mathematical algorithms to crunch Big Data to predict future outcomes. This data, however, includes societal biases and embed our flawed past into our future lives. Today: Criminal Justice and the self-fulfilling prophecy of who is a risk to society. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Follow Ellis Conversations on Twitter Follow Judge Ron...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss the HR 1: For the People Act of 2021 and its provisions to make voting safe , simple, and secure for all citizens. At the same time, efforts in more than forty states to place even more roadblocks on exercising the franchise highlight the need for Congressional action. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Follow Ellis Conversations on Twitter Follow Judge Ronald...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss philosophies about the interplay of loyalty to "constituents" and  the role of conscience for elected officials. In the context of impeachment, they ask whether senators appropriately followed their oaths both as senators and as impeachment jurors to support and defend the Constitution – and the Nation. A FEW KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE To dow...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss the stark contrast between the preparation for the Black Lives Matter protest in June 2020 and that for the Insurrection on January 6, 2021. This difference has its historical roots in unfounded racial fears about Black anger and demands for equal justice. Challenges to the presumed social order are cause for alarm and justification for forceful r...

EPISODE SUMMARY A short discussion on debate around upcoming COVID release bill LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Follow Ellis Conversations on Twitter Follow Judge Ronald Ellis on Twitter Follow Jamil Ellis on Twitter Follow Jamil Ellis on LinkedIn Check out  Unified Ground Check out BlackHistoryChatGPT https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2019/06/20/471209/1-9-trillion/ https://ellisconversa...

EPISODE SUMMARY Retired Federal Magistrate Judge the Honorable Ronald Ellis on President Biden's executive orders this week. Tune into Ellis Conversations to hear more conversation on the intersection of law, history, and race. Next episode we tackle the capital riots and their historical context with other flash points in history. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Follow Ellis Conversations on Twitter Follow...

Photo Credit: Getty Images There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem. And we're here tonight, as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans were met here as Americans to solve that problem. -Lyndon B. Johnson EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss the imperative to move quickly on the proposed John Lewis Vot...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss the divergent realities that challenge the Biden administration. Alternate "facts" and false equivalents create a toxic atmosphere of "us versus them" which imperils any attempt to find common ground. The process of change requires an embrace of a more selfless approach and a rejection of transactional analyses which focus on personal gain. LINKS...

EPISODE SUMMARY After completing one year of discussions about history, societal realities, and legal frameworks, the hosts reflect on next steps. Pack the Court?  End the filibuster? If you get the power to establish reforms without the need for the other side, is there reason to be cautious when the changes are beneficial to the whole? Majority rule sounds a lot better when you're not in the min...

EPISODE SUMMARY In 2016, Donald Trump promised to cede his Constitutional duty to appoint Supreme Court justices to the Federalist Society.  In this episode, the hosts discuss the influence and motivation of this organization, whose origin and rise is explored in the 2019 PBS Frontline episode "Supreme Revenge." A FEW KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE Knowing the background of The Federalist Society...

EPISODE SUMMARY "I like to think most of my dissents will be the law someday," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told a lecture audience in 2015. In this episode, the hosts discuss the important role of reasoned dissents at the Supreme Court. Justice Ginsburg continued and refined a tradition championed by Justices Thurgood Marshall and John Marshall Harlan of pointing out the failure of majority opinio...

Photo Credit: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, public domain EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss how parties misuse power to pervert the mechanism of compromise. Rather than reaching a result that is in the best interests of the persons affected, one side chooses to capitulate to unreasonable or immoral demands. The true tragedy of Congress is not simply that it of...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss how Black women face dual challenges at the intersection of race and gender bias in our society, particularly when they seek positions of power and influence. In politics, the opponent often foregoes the complexity of actual issues in favor of the simplicity of caricatures, buzz-words, or one-dimensional labels. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Follow Ellis...

Photo by AP Photo EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss ideas attributed to Clarence Thomas in a recent book. The topics run the gamut from the efficacy of affirmative action and voting rights to the possibility of capitalism and the Second Amendment being the keys to Black liberation and empowerment. Does Thomas have an unrecognized Black nationalist plan to overcome white supremacy?...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts explore the dynamics of narrative control, how forces within our system use power and influence to redirect discussions about social issues. We wind up talking more about how we protest than why we're protesting. This process limits our ability to effect change and allows injustice and intolerance to persist in the chaos created. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Fol...

EPISODE SUMMARY La MaMa presents La MaMa LiveTalks, conversations with artists, activists and thought leaders from around the country and around the world who join in discussions about art and life in times of crisis.  The hosts of  Ellis Conversations ,  Jamil  Ellis and his father, retired Federal Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis, discuss their podcast on the historical role of law in shaping the s...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this  episode , the hosts discuss the role of protest in fostering change and the limits of using courts to address systemic problems. They also explore how the success of protests often depends on the ability to rally popular support for the cause while avoiding attempts to redirect the narrative. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Letter from Birmingham Jail https://kinginstitute.stanford....

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts are joined by Debra Cleaver, Founder and CEO of VoteAmerica. The conversation includes a discussion of efforts to remove barriers to voting  in  America , ranging from the recent Wisconsin primary to the district court decision in the Florida felon enfranchisement case to the importance of vote by mail programs for the 2020 Elections. LINKS IN THIS EPISOD...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss the efforts in Florida to restore the right to vote for more than one million former felons even after the citizens there voted to amend the state's constitution to achieve that result. They also explore other collateral effects of having a felony record, including the inability to serve on juries or in the military, get licensed for certain jobs,...

Photo by  Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss the perils of exercising the right to trial. Public defenders don't exist everywhere, and where they do, they are overworked and underfunded. Prosecutors fail to disclose evidence helpful to defendants and use peremptory challenges to affect jury composition. Jury verdicts are rarely overturned. Ninety-...

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss the country's legacy of racial terror as embodied in lynchings of Blacks by white supremacist groups such as the KKK; how these efforts were designed to maintain racial apartheid by force and intimidation; and how they are related to the use of the criminal justice system and capital punishment statutes in eff...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, the hosts discuss the perils of a monetary bail system in a society where as many as three-fourths of families are living paycheck-to-paycheck. The lack of accumulated wealth exacerbates the racial disparities in the criminal legal system and impairs the ability of accused persons to defend themselves when charged with crimes. Recent efforts by New York and other s...