Interdependent Study

Fred Hampton’s vision for justice, liberation, revolution, and freedom was powerful and bigger than all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the critically-acclaimed movie "Judas and the Black Messiah", the biographical drama film about the surveillance and untimely assassination of Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party at the hands of the FBI and Chicago P...

Our education on and discussions about police and government surveillance of journalists, activists, and organizers in this country continues. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an article by Wendi C. Thomas called “Police have been spying on Black reporters and activists for years. I know because I’m one of them.” This article reports on both the history and present day efforts of the Memphis Pol...

White supremacy is powerful, pervasive, and affects all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an article by Tema Okun called “White Supremacy Culture - Still Here”, which defines white supremacy and white supremacy culture, and describes the various characteristics of white supremacy culture and the potential antidotes for the characteristics as we all engage in the work to recognize and disma...

One of the many lessons that Ta-Nehisi Coates has given us is the importance of listening with an open mind and an open heart. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss "Between the World and Me", the HBO adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ bestselling book by the same name, and what this dynamic and incredible film teaches us about humanity and the Black experience in this country.  Follow us on social...

We are collectively organizing and building a vision for our North Star. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the Movement for Black Lives' takeover issue of In These Times magazine which chronicles the work currently going on across the movement, and the many lessons we have learned and are taking away from it in our continued pursuit of social justice and collective liberation.  Follow us on...

There is clear evidence and examples of government surveillance of organizers and activists in this country throughout history. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary "MLK/FBI", which exposes new information about the US government and the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s, and the significant campaign they engaged in to discredit him and the wor...

“I think if you care about someone and you got a little love in your heart, there ain’t nothin' you can’t get through together.” Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the television comedy Ted Lasso, which features an American college football coach who is unexpectedly recruited to coach an English Premier League team despite having no experience in association football, and the many themes from the...

#SayHerName is a social movement that highlights the Black Women who have been victims of police brutality and anti-Black violence in the United States. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary "Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland", which shares the story of Sandra Bland’s tragic death in police custody back in July 2015 and the local and national protests and activism that...

It’s important to think about the ways in which our so-called universal rights in this country aren’t distributed equally. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an article by Carol Anderson in The Guardian called "America’s Gun Obsession is Rooted in Slavery" and an interview featuring Carol Anderson on NPR's Fresh Air called "The Racist Roots Of The 2nd Amendment", and examine the connections that e...

The race riots and massacres in the early 20th century did not happen in a vacuum and teach us a lot about our country's history and present day. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary "Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer", which follows Washington Post reporter Deneen Brown and her efforts to investigate the discovery of a mass grave site made after the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, as w...

The rise in conservative attacks on Critical Race Theory in our society is astounding and troubling. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a number of articles and media responding to the mounting attacks and critiques of Critical Race Theory, and the real and present dangers of these misguided efforts to social justice and our collective liberation.  Follow us on social media and visit our webs...

At its core, the nature of modern policing is flawed and not in alignment with social justice and collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss The End of Policing by Alex Vitale, with a focus on how reforms to policing (and law enforcement and the criminal punishment system) are largely ineffective, often serve to continue or expand the reach of policing, and simply do not keep all of...

It's time for part two of our conversation about abolition. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the second half of We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba, and examine the idea of what justice could be beyond our current criminal punishment system, the principles of abolition, harm, and accountability, what should be centered in activism and orga...

While we've discussed abolition many times on the podcast, it's now time to dedicate two episodes to this important topic. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba, and the key takeaways from the first half of this book around prison-industrial complex abolition and a vision for social justice and collective lib...

We've all engaged in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work and trainings, but is it effective? Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss two articles on the DEI industry and its history and effectiveness, and examine a new approach to this work that emphasizes relational and culture change within organizations and may revolutionize this work.  Follow us on social media and visit our website! I...

Voter suppression is a violation of our basic rights and dangerous to our collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary "All In: The Fight for Democracy" featuring Stacey Abrams, which examines the history and present day conditions of voter suppression in this country, current work and activism to combat it, and steps each of us can take to stand against voter suppress...

Maryland has become the first state in the nation to repeal its Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a couple of articles from The Washington Post about the history and recent repeal of the Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights in Maryland, police accountability, and the differences between reform and abolition in the conversation about policing and reima...

HB 1 is now the law of the land in Florida, and it is fundamentally wrong. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a handful of articles and media and react to the recent passing of HB 1, an anti-protest law that criminalizes peaceful protesting, silences dissent, demonstrates how established power structures fight back against movement work, and stands in direct opposition to our collective civil and...

It's been six years since Freddie Gray tragically died in police custody in Baltimore. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the HBO documentary “Baltimore Rising”, which follows activists, police officers, community leaders, and the city of Baltimore in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death, and showcases the peaceful protests and uprising that took place as the city (and the country) awaited the trial v...

Amplifying the stories and humanity of people with disabilities will help to both change hearts, minds, and attitudes and push us along on the path towards liberation for all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary "Crip Camp", which spotlights a groundbreaking and transformative summer camp for teenagers with disabilities and showcases the beginnings of t...

We firmly believe that reform is not enough---abolition is the only way that we will finally have safety and liberation for all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an opinion piece by The Washington Post's editorial board called "Reimagine Safety" and an article on the People’s World website called “Prison and police abolition: Re-imagining public safety and liberation” in a conversation abo...

We need to embrace a culture of healing to help address the crisis of masculinity in our society. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks and their own lived experiences to both address the ways that patriarchal culture harms all of us and examine masculinity and love.  Follow us on social media and visit our website! Instagram , Twitter...

There are many parallels between this country's history and the work for social justice and collective liberation today. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the HBO documentary "The Soul of America". Based on Jon Meacham’s 2018 bestseller of the same name, the documentary examines America’s current political and social circumstances by exploring its past and the many lessons that can be learned fro...

Let's talk about cancel culture. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss adrienne maree brown's book We Will Not Cancel Us, which examines what cancel culture means and how it does and does not align with transformative justice, as well as provides a shared vision for a future beyond our current so-called justice system.  Follow us on social media and visit our website! Instagram , Twitter , Faceb...

Is redemption possible for this country? Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the HBO special "Seeing America", which features a conversation between Megan Rapinoe, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Hasan Minhaj about the challenges we face as a nation, the Black Lives Matter movement, the pandemic, the 2020 election and American politics, and where we are and where they hope we are...