The Breakdown with Shaun King

Trump has done so many blatantly racist things, that it probably felt like you couldn’t be shocked ever again. On Sunday morning, he publicly targeted 4 young women of color, Congresswomen, in a Tweet. Shaun is going to break down how we got to this point and will unpack how much danger his words put people of color into.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last 7 days, more than 6000-people have joined The Breakdown Crew. Today, Shaun breaks down what we achieved together and how we're going to keep the momentum going. Thanks to the energy of our listeners, this podcast has grown into a tool for organizing and change in a way we never expected, so we're taking a minute to thank you. At the end of today's episode, Shaun lays out his favorite e...

You have probably seen the horrible video of police brutality that emerged out of Phoenix at the end of May. When demanding justice for these horrible instances of police brutality, it can be easy for our responses to become routine. Today Shaun explains why justice is so hard to come by in cases like this. Because sometimes we need to be reminded of the larger systems that we’re facing, in order...

The North Star has always been about liberation, abolition, and freedom. It was about change when Frederick Douglass and Martin Delaney founded the newspaper in 1847, and it still is. Our listeners on The Breakdown have blown us away with your commitment to fight for change with us. You've inspired us, and this week, we're going all in.  We are getting systems in place to organize at a new and big...

Trump tweeted a dangerous statement last night – one that should have us all alarmed. With Trump’s reelection campaign kicking off tonight, we need to be more alert than ever because if he acts on his threats, the results would be disastrous. Shaun also needs us to know about two new candidates for Congress in 2020 because just as we need to be vigilant, we also need to be hopeful.  Learn more abo...

Sometimes when you want to make change, there comes a moment that you just can’t pass on. It’s too big. Today is one of those days. There is a bill currently in the New York state legislature that needs to pass if we want to dismantle the structures of mass incarceration.  It’s a strong bill that will actively counteract the damage done by the War on Drugs. But it’s about to be watered down. And w...

Every single day of your life, something gets cheated. It could be your health, your relationships, or your work. On this short freestyle episode, Shaun speaks clearly about how you must make the tough choice on what gets cheated - or life will choose for you - and the results can be disastrous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If we want to change the criminal justice system from the inside out, we must elect reform-minded district attorney's. Tiffany Cabán, a public defender, is currently running for district attorney in Queens, NY and she is a game changer. If every county and every city could elect a candidate like her, let alone get people like her to run, our criminal justice system would change overnight. On today...

A revolution is fully underway in Sudan. Protests started in 2018. On April 11th, 2019, the long-standing dictator stepped down due to pressure from protestors. But now the military is slaughtering those protestors. These three sentences sum-up what we know from mainstream media outlets, but it’s not enough! Today’s episode of the Breakdown is dedicated to breaking down the nuanced historical and...

Casual bigotry is on the rise. Civility and kindness toward fellow humans has become less normal. Yesterday NBA fans laughed in the face of Kevin Durant’s injury, and today, Shaun exposes what the casual cruelty of NBA fans says about the times in which we live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are helping to make change every time you take an action step from The Breakdown. Your participation is integral to fulfilling our vision at The North Star — to create news that fits the needs of our times by being more transparent, more action-oriented, and more nuanced. On today’s episode, we’re reporting back on the progress that we have been seeing from the action steps thanks to your work...

We need to fight for the justice we get. Today, Shaun needs us to fight together to hold the corrupt prosecutors in the Central Park Five case accountable. The last two episodes of The Breakdown were dedicated to tackling the injustices of the Central Park Five case because, for our fight to work, we need to be organized and informed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you heard of Imbler v. Pachtman? Most people haven’t. It is a Supreme Court case that gives America’s prosecutors and district attorneys absolute immunity, even for the worst misconduct. Shaun breaks it down for you today, because to get justice in the Central Park Five case, we must first understand that prosecutorial corruption is essentially legal in this country. ***This episode contains...

Ava Duvernay’s new Netflix miniseries “When They See Us” is powerful. It is an example of what strong storytelling is capable of. Because of her work, we now have a unique opportunity to fight for justice in a decades-old case. The next three episodes of The Breakdown will be dedicated to the infamous 1989 case known as the Central Park Five and Shaun will lead us in a renewed fight against old in...

We hear questions from you, our listeners, all the time. Sometimes they get personal, sometimes they are serious, and sometimes they're downright silly. Shaun will answer your questions in a special episode once per month, and here's our June Edition! Today Shaun answers your questions about everything from time management to self-care to whether he has personal beef with Joe Biden. Learn more abo...

Buzzfeed and Injustice Watch just released a study called “Good Day for a Chokehold,” and it is revolutionary. The report gives us quantifiable proof that American police are bigoted by diving into the social media posts of thousands of police officers. Today’s episode is all about the findings of this study, because having hard, quantitative data to prove what we already knew is a big deal.  Lear...

On today’s episode of The Breakdown, Shaun King unpacks the news that Illinois has banned over 200 books in their library – books about race, justice, freedom, and liberation. Shaun needs us to take the action steps that he lays out in this episode to fight back against a decision that furthers the cycle of oppression in our system of mass incarceration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

On today's episode of The Breakdown, Shaun King continues the conversation from episode 25 on how to figure out which candidates to support in the 2020 American presidential election. With the democratic field changing every day, our analysis of candidates has to be ongoing, and Shaun is here to break it down for you.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of The Breakdown, Shaun King tells us two stories. Shaun exposes that the San Antonio Police Department attempted to cover-up the murder of a teenage boy, Charles Roundtree, and gives us some clear action steps. Shaun also reports on the recent election in Europe and unpacks why it matters so much.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instead of a full episode today, Shaun just has a quick message from the Breakdown team wishing everyone a restful, extended weekend. See you back here on Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of The Breakdown, Shaun King tells the story of Michael Thompson who is currently serving a life sentence in Michigan for selling weed. To fully understand the injustice that Michael is experiencing, Shaun needs you to understand the truth about the relationship between profit and oppression in the United States. Let’s #FreeMichaelThompson! Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

On today’s episode of The Breakdown, Shaun King celebrates the election of Rochelle Bilal as Philadelphia’s new sheriff. Philadelphia is doing more to dismantle mass incarceration than any city in the country, and everywhere else needs to follow suit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shaun King dedicates today’s episode of The Breakdown to Muhlaysia Booker. Muhlaysia was a Black transgender woman who was shot and killed this weekend - and this horrible violence against her must push us to action. Shaun pushes all of us to confront the violence toward Black trans women in our country, and breaks down what we must do to intervene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

On today’s episode of The Breakdown, Shaun King celebrates Robert F. Smith’s announcement to forgive the student loan debt of every graduating senior at Morehouse College. Shaun uses the story as a jumping-off point to dig into the student loan crisis in this country and then closes with his thoughts on Grady Wayne Wilkes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of The Breakdown, Shaun digs into the horrible police shooting that happened earlier this week in Baytown, Texas. He lays out an important action step in order to press for justice in this case and then leaves us with a heartwarming story to end the difficult week on a note of hope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices