Make It Plain MIP with Rev. Mark Thompson

On the heels of Mark’s conversation with Prism’s Editor-in-Chief Ashton Lattimore, we now bring in Reporter and Copy Editor Carolyn Copeland, who recently spearheaded a series on racial reckonings. In the last year, following the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, many statements were made by organizations and individuals that showed support for Black Lives Matter and rela...

Ashton Lattimore is the Editor-in-Chief at PrismReports.org, a non-profit independent news outlet by and for communities of color. They focus on cutting through disinformation surrounding social justice issues with the hope of empowering readers to solve problems within their communities. In today’s episode, Ashton discusses her piece on the Juneteenth holiday, explaining how the symbolism of the...

Throughout the course of the pandemic, there was a collective cheering for essential workers, but those workers never truly felt essential. April Verrett is the President of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 2015, and in today’s episode, she explains how we’ve heavily relied on workers in the service industry but have not given much in return. Some worked without PPE during the h...

In observance of the 4th of July, and in honor of Frederick Douglass, Mark Thompson brings you a Make It Plain special segment: The 4th of Their Lie. In today’s episode, Mark passionately recites the beginning of Frederick Douglass’ historic speech, “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” And on this holiday, we especially honor the slaves who did not know of their freedom until June 19th, 1865. E...

Right now there’s a tense race for the NYC Democratic mayoral primary, with new information seemingly hitting us every hour and still an unclear victor. Joseph Geevarghese is the Executive Director for Our Revolution, the largest national grassroots funded progressive political organization in the country, and he joins today to explain ranked-choice voting, how it preserves the democratic process,...

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is of growing concern to the medical community and the country-at-large, as the number of those infected are spiking, mostly in areas where vaccination numbers are low. Dr. Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General of the U.S., joins the show to dispel some myths surrounding the vaccine as well as an update on the potential need for boosters and how long our current vaccines’ pro...

Arena’s mission is to convene, train, and support the next generation of candidates and campaign staff. The organization rose up after Donald Trump was elected in 2016, in an effort to put their frustration to good use, and they’ve now trained 5,500 people since the beginning of 2019. Lauren Baer is a Managing Partner with Arena, and today she explains how getting involved in local races is a game...

During the final stretch of the Black Voters Matter Freedom Ride, Mark checks in with LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright, Co-Founders of Black Voters Matter. The co-founders look back on their historic journey to do the hard work on the ground to fight voter suppression through strategic organization and awareness. They also look ahead, knowing the work is far from done but the network is expanding...

New movie “In the Heights” was initially considered an important step for more Latino representation in movies, but a controversy has risen regarding colorism and the film’s cast. The movie takes place in a New York neighborhood, Washington Heights, which is predominantly Afro-Dominican. But, as our guests explain today, the cast does not include dark-skinned Latinos. Yvette Modestin is a writer,...

It’s the last leg of the Freedom Ride on the Black Voters Matter bus, and in today’s episode, we hear from constituents and politicians from North and South Carolina. Are they happy with their leaders? How have their local industries been impacted? The people have hit the streets to spill the tea while standing up for voting rights. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distr...

As the journey continues on the Black Voters Matter Freedom Ride, Mark talks to one of the original Freedom Riders, Dr. Mary Jean Smith. She shares the story of her early days of activism, joining up with John Lewis from Nashville, which led to her eventual arrest. These courageous humans risked their lives on a daily basis in the name of racial justice, and we must do our part to preserve their n...

What would this country look like without racism? That's what LaTosha Brown wants you to envision today, as we hear from her and Cliff Albright, Co-Founders of Black Voters Matter, speaking to a crowd in Georgia about voting rights and fighting against racism, oppression, and suppression. Mark is participating in the Freedom Ride with Black Voters Matter, and he also lets us know where the bus...

Mark is on the road with Black Voters Matter, as they recreate the historic 1961 Freedom Rides and to fight for voting rights and against voter suppression. In today’s travels, Mark talks with Tennessee State Senator Brenda Gilmore on what they are doing in the state to protect voting rights, including restoring that right for convicted felons. But before we hear from Mark on the bus, we first get...

It took 2 years and six months for slaves to learn of their freedom--because what we know all too well in this moment, is that passing legislation is often more symbolic than it is transformative. As Juneteenth is now recognized as a federal holiday, we must be reminded that actual justice does not come with the signing of a bill, it comes with persistent and strategic action by the people. In tod...

21 House Republicans voted against awarding Congressional Gold Medal to all police officers who responded at the Capitol on January 6th, and Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett knows they did that because it would force them to admit there was an insurrection. Since they’re still denying that truth, Rep. Plaskett explains how things have changed on the hill between colleagues. She also discusses her leg...

It’s #ThursdayKos and Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos and Civiqs, is back with a discussion on the takeaways from Biden’s meeting with Putin. On the topic of Senator Joe Manchin, Mark shares some of what he learned on the ground from locals while attending the March on Manchin, and voting rights are on their minds. Markos fills us in on the key details from Manchin’s proposed legislation on...

Today you’ll hear a compilation of interviews Mark collected on the ground at the March on Manchin, led by the Poor People’s Campaign with Rev. Dr. William Barber and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis at the helm. He speaks with lifelong residents of the state who voted for Senator Joe Manchin and has left them angry and disappointed. And now, they’re on his doorstep, asking for answers. Executive Producer:...

Yesterday, Mark was on the ground in West Virginia, led by Rev. Dr. William Barber and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis of the Poor People’s Campaign, to march on the office of Senator Joe Manchin following his hypocrisy and lack of support for voting rights and access. Mark speaks with his constituents who are angry with the man they elected for failing to follow through on promises and support their basic...

The press coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris’s first trip overseas has been largely negative, which comes as no surprise to Eric Boehlert, Writer and Publisher of Pressrun.media. Not surprising but no less disappointing that they’re framing it as a failure without considering the larger picture, which he explains in today’s episode, and notes that it’s largely based on racism and sexism. Thi...

DeRay McKesson is an activist, organizer, former teacher, podcast host (Pod Save the People) and leading voice in the Black Lives Matter movement. In today’s episode, DeRay hits us with the data on police murdering civilians, and helps us understand what is actually collected and tracked--and, perhaps more importantly, what isn’t. DeRay also draws an undeniable connection between police and prison...

Senator Joe Manchin met with civil rights leaders to discuss the voting rights bill, but he remains opposed (despite the fact that he initially co-signed it). Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos and Civiqs and host of podcast “The Brief,” attempts to unpack Manchin’s recent hypocrisies. Markos also gets into the Wuhan lab leak and Biden’s call for an investigation, but ultimately points out how...

Randi Weingarten is President of the American Federation of Teachers, and she recently made an appearance on Fox News that got quite a bit of buzz. Fox News Host Martha MacCallum pressed Randi on the legitimacy of the 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Randi responded by saying she believes in the 1619 Project and also suggested that Fox has some reckoning to do with the legitimacy on their...

June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, and we’ve got our resident expert back on the show to honor the month and discuss where we’re at with congress and gun safety laws. Igor Volsky is Executive Director of Guns Down America and author of “Guns Down: How to Defeat the NRA and Build a Safer Future with Fewer Guns,” and he has a very specific challenge for Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who thinks she can...

The May jobs report is here and Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, is back for our monthly chat where he breaks it all down and explains exactly where we stand in our recovery since slipping into a recession in 2020. Chad says we are definitely heading in the right direction, but it’s not going to simply be a steady incline, and he explains that and more, in...

The May jobs report is out today, and Mark is joined by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to reflect on the disappointments from April and discuss where we stand now over a year since the pandemic began and our economy fell into recession. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redc...