Teach the Babies w/ Dr. David J. Johns

This would only be a Dr. David J. Johns production if the perspective and experiences of a student were centered.  This episode features Oceanne–a brilliant non-binary/gender fluid middle school student who talks about the reality of being othered and what it really means to be “normal,” the (un)learning unspoken school and societal rules, and finding your purpose and passion.  Their mother, Chris...

In this bonus episode, we dive into two significant stories that illuminate the complexities of race, identity, and possibilities for Black children. Our journey takes us back to the 1940s and then forward to the present, where we will explore the groundbreaking work of psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark, as well as the narrative of Black Barbie, brought to life by director Ava DuVernay. The ex...

Naomi Shelton is nationally known and respected as a vocal advocate for quality choice options for Black and Brown students and families. She currently serves as CEO of the National Charter Collaborative. Do you know what distinguishes a charter school from other public schools? Do you have questions about whether charter schools are public schools? Tap into this episode to grapple with these ques...

This episode features a book talk conversation where Dr. Johns interviews author Brian Rashad Fuller about his latest publication, Being Black In America’s Schools.  The conversation, which took place on James Baldwin’s Centennial Birthday draws inspiration from the prolific witness and writer, touches on the apologies that educators owe their students, the process of unlearning trauma taught in p...

Maia Blankenship  is a mother, career educator, and proud Spelman University Alumna. She helped found Wildflower Schools in 2021 and is the co-CEO of Black Wildflowers Fund. Have you ever wondered what happens at Montessori schools and if they’re suitable for Black students? This episode answers these questions and more. Parent, family, and community engagement, the enduring legacy of lessons lear...

Bobby Edwards is the director of community inclusion and external relations at the McLean School.  His current role calls for constant engagement with our community to develop and implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts.  This episode describes the role that elite private schools play in preserving privilege, what privileged families seek to buy when playing the real estate for sc...

Judith Browne Dianis is the Executive Director of the Advancement Project National Office. She’s served as a lawyer, professor, and civil rights advocate for the movement for racial justice for decades, including at the NAACP-LDF.  Did you know that for every one white male student suspended or expelled K-12th grades, the rate is three times higher for Black boys? The rate is six times higher when...

Dr. Christina Grant is the DC State Superintendent of Education for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. She is a system leader, researcher, and highly sought-after public speaker with decades of receipts for improving life opportunities and outcomes for children and families across the country. If you’ve ever wondered what a superintendent is responsible for or why it’s important...

Melanie Willingham-Jaggers is the Executive Director at GLSEN, a national nonprofit working to ensure public education is safe and affirming for all students, including those who identify as and are assumed to be queer, trans, or gender expansive.  Our conversation explores why it’s essential to say gay, bi, trans, and other words that have held important meanings before being politicized while en...

I was invited to deliver a keynote address during the Summer Training Institute, and this trip would mark a decade almost to the day that I was last at Knoxville with my CDF family and our ancestors knew that my soul needed the food that could only be prepared by social justice warriors working to defend democracy by supporting students in schools. This special episode of the Teach the Babies Podc...

Damon T. Hewitt is the President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He possesses more than 20 years of civil rights litigation and policy experience, including prior leadership roles in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors. This episode revisits the legal motivations for bringing the Brown V. Board lawsuit, the role of courts and our legal syst...

Bianca Baldridge is a youth worker, scholar, and educator currently serving as an associate professor of education with expertise in community-based education and critical youth work practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This episode explores out-of-school learning spaces and the lessons we can learn from youth workers to support students, improve schools, and strengthen democracy....

Andrea Foggy-Paxton brings a unique perspective to leading change across sectors, drawing from leadership roles in start-up organizations, established organizations, and philanthropic organizations supporting systems transformation.  This episode answers the questions: What is civics, and why should it be taught to all students? Andrea shares lessons from her experience as an industry titan and ap...

Stephanie Allen does God’s work.  A career educator for more than two decades, Ms. Allen currently teaches high school in Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina, the third largest school district in North Carolina. She was recognized as a Teacher of the Year in 2019 and 2024–a recognition she’s earned. This episode features the front-line experiences of a classroom teacher, centers...

Dr. Hunter is a prolific scholar, prodigious author, and lover of Black people and our collective freedom. The inventor of the “Black Lives Matter” hashtag, Dr. Hunter’s latest book Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation (HarperCollins/Amistad 2024), has fueled a federal bi-cameral legislative effort to attain equity. This episode explores the genesis of NBJC's Equity Week, how slavery...

Becky Pringle is an educator with more than thirty years of classroom experience. In 2020, she was duly elected president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union. This episode explores the responsibilities that teachers and leaders have for improving schools and defending democracy, the power and importance of labor unions, and the responsibility that caring and con...

Nancy Hanks of the Management Center joins the pod to discuss building, bonding, and boundary setting as necessary for all educators to #ProtectTheBabies. In addition to offering commentary on the recently fired attention-seeking educator, this episode explores the legacy of Reverend Oliver and Linda Brown and the toll that being a race warrior, challenging segregation, and upending white supremac...

Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, former president of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County. This episode explores the extension of Brown's legacy by serving within the higher education administration, the power of praying, the literacy of Black mothers and mother figures, and the brilliance of our babies. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/pod...

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski is your favorite university leader. He served as President of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, from 1992 to 2022.  This episode explores what it’s like to have lived through the Brown decision, marched and been jailed at the invitation of Dr. King, and extended the legacy of Brown by serving within the higher education administration. Become a supporter of this p...

In the series opener, Dr. David J. Johns sets the stage for the upcoming season with a look back at the historical context of the Brown v. Board decision that transformed education in our country. In addition to important background, the episode offers three vignettes about pivotal figures in the struggles for educational access, equity, and opportunity in the "land of  the free". Become a support...

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