The Black Pack with Adrianne Shropshire

California State Sen. Lola Smallood-Cuevas joins to discuss the November Special Election and California Proposition 50. She shares insights from her decision to support the redistricting effort and why it’s important for California to lead the way in leveling the playing field. Later in the episode, Portia Allen-Kyle, interim executive director at Color of Change, discusses the call to action for...

Vince Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, joins the show to discuss the Trump administration’s escalating rhetoric and attack on Black-led cities. He and Adrianne also discuss the federal courts and whether they offer an effective check on Trump’s growing abuse of power. 

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates joins to discuss Chicagoans collectively standing ground against Trump's threatened military takeover. She also discusses the upcoming Workers Over Billionaire actions taking place over Labor Day weekend. 

Adrianne is joined by New Orleans native and WFP senior digital strategist Aimee Castenell to talk about the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and how we build better as we look forward.

California Assemblymember Sade Elhawary (CA-57) joins Adrianne to discuss the California legislature’s effort to counter the power grab in Texas and the decision before voters in the November special election. Later journalist and political commentator Anoa Changa joins to talk about Trump’s latest attack on the Smithsonian and why we can’t yield to efforts to undermine our ability to learn our hi...

Resha Thomas, project director of the Texas Black Action Fund, joins Adrianne in a conversation about the Texas legislature’s racist gerrymandering scheme and its impact on Black political participation and the country as a whole. 

Attorney Danielle Davis, Director of Technology Policy at The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, joins the show to discuss the need for technology policies, including those related to AI, that consider racial equity and the needs of Black communities. She also debunks the Trump administration's claim of "woke-free" AI policy as being fair and neutral. 

Texas State Representative Charlene Ward Johnson joins to talk about leaving Texas to fight for fair representation and prevent Black communities from being disenfranchised by the mid-decade power grab underway. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson also joins to contextualize the GOP's attempted apartheid policy.

Valencia Richardson, legal counsel for voting rights at Campaign Legal Center, joins Adrianne in conversation about the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and the current voting rights landscape. Later in the hour, movement strategist Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson joins the conversation for a look at the lessons from movement building that led to the historic act’s passage. 

Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, joins the show to discuss the latest job numbers and the impact of Trump’s economic policies on Black workers and communities. 

Rebekah Caruthers, president and CEO of the Fair Elections Center, joins Adrianne in a discussion about what's happening in Texas with the special legislative session and the issues with the attempted power grab via a mid-decade redistricting effort. Russia Chavis Cardenas, deputy director of California Common Cause, later joins to discuss Governor Newsom's response to Texas and why California sho...

Adrianne is joined by Leslie Fields-Cruz, executive director of Black Public Media to discuss the impact on Black communities and media makers after the recent removal of federal funding for public media for FY 2026 and 2027. Joseph Torres, senior advisor for reparative policy and programs at Free Press, later joined to discuss the throughline of Trump's attacks on public media, the history of rac...

April Albright, legal director at Black Voters Matter, joins for a discussion of last week's Good Trouble Lives On actions and what it means to get into good trouble 365 days a year. The episode concludes with an LA organizer check-in with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. 

Adaku Onyeka-Crawford, director of the Advancement Project's Opportunity to Learn, discusses a recent SCOTUS ruling made on its shadow docket, paving the way for the Trump administration to resegregate public schools. 

Tianna Mays, Legal Director for Democracy Defenders Action, joins Adrianne in a conversation about the recent class action defending birthright citizenship and the importance of coalitions protecting our constitutional rights. 

Journalist, advocate, and co-founder of Gender Liberation Movement Raquel Willis joins Adrianne in a conversation contextualizing the real-life impact of the SCOTUS Skrmetti decision, which set the stage for a separate and unequal system of care for Trans youth. The two also engage in a deep discussion of community and connection, and why we need to expand our understanding of identity and reject ...

Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the New York Working Families Party joins the show to talk about Zohran Mamdani's big win in New York City's democratic primary for mayor. And civil rights attorney Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the Advancement Project and the Advancement Project Action Fund, offered timely analysis of the SCOTUS decision Trump v. CASA .

Civil rights attorney Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the Advancement Project and the Advancement Project Action Fund, offers analysis of the SCOTUS term and its impact on the Constituon and the rule of law. Later in the show, Kevin Cosney joins to discuss the recent joint effort of Black led organizers in response to the increasingly chaotic and harmful ICE raids. He also talks direct...

Alberto Retanta, president and CEO of the Community Coalition, joins the show to discuss the work beyond the protests and the importance of sustaining cross-community coalitions. 

Erica D. Smith, West Coast politics and policy columnist at Bloomberg Opinion, and Advance Project/AP Action Fund Executive Director Judith Browne Dianis join the show to put the recent protests in Los Angeles in context.

This episode revisits conversations with three Black leaders committed to building Black political power about the current stakes impacting our communities and the path forward. Featured: Kevin Cosney, co-founder and associate director of the California Black Power Network; Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder and director of Black Lives Matter Grassroots; and Rukia Lumumba, director of the electoral j...

Nana Gyamfi, executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration joins the show to talk about the Los Angeles stop on the State of the People. She also shares some key "know your rights" tips for people across our communities.

Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder and director of Black Lives Matter Grassroots and host of KBLA's "This is Not a Drill!" joins Adrianne in a conversation reflecting on the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder and racial justice uprisings that galvanized a nation. The conversation offers radical reflection while engaging in ongoing work to uplift and support Black communities.

Kevin Cosney, associate director & co-founder for the California Black Power Network, joins Adrianne in discussing the upcoming LA stop on the State of the People Power Tour and how groups are working to build Black economic and political power in California. 

NWLC Action Fund President Fatima Goss Graves joins the show to discuss the big, ugly Republican budget bill and what people are doing to fight back.