The Invisible Men

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Theodore (Ted) Johnson  — director of the fellows program at the Brennan Center for Justice, White House Fellow, and author of “ When the Stars Begin to Fall: Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America .” Ted’s upbringing mirrored the duality that animates the discussion in his new book: Ted was raised in a majority-White neighborh...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined for a second time by  Bob Woodson  — president of the Woodson Center and most recently, founder of  1776 Unites  — to discuss his new, best-selling volume of essays “ Red, White, and Black: Rescuing American History from Revisionists and Race Hustlers .” Bob shares how his involvement early in the civil rights movement caused him to rea...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Ward Connerly  — a former member of the Board of Regents at the University of California, owner of a family business, and a self-described “child of the color-blind God.” Ward began his work in the public square early as the student body president of California State University in Sacramento, where he fought against housing discrimination and...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Jason Riley  — a prolific columnist at the Wall Street Journal, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and author of the forthcoming book “ Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell ,” which is now available on Amazon. Jason discusses the work and legacy of Thomas Sowell, an economist and public intellectual whose research has unearthed the c...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Anthony Bradley  — a Research Fellow at the Acton Institute and professor of religious studies at the King’s College, where he directs the Center for the Study of Human Flourishing. Anthony discusses the importance of developing a data-centered outlook on black success in America. Anthony grew up in the well-off black suburbs of southwest Atl...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Jonathan Newton  — the pastor at Jordan River Ministries, an attorney for the federal government, and an adjunct professor at Howard University. Jonathan discusses his journey from the Bronx to Harvard Law School, and ultimately the Environmental Protection Agency, where he served as an attorney for nearly twenty years. An upbringing in the B...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Yaya Fanusie  — a former CIA agent and a national security expert in finance technology. Yaya discusses how his education, international travel, spiritual journey grew him from a teenager with a distrust of America and a race-centric view of the world to an advocate for the advancement of core American principles at the CIA and beyond. Yaya w...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by David Hackney — a Washington State Representative, Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School graduate, and former attorney for the Department of Justice. Two pivotal moments during David’s freshman year at Cornell changed his outlook on education inspired him to steward the opportunities in front of him. The first was advice from a recent graduate w...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Charles Love  — Assistant Executive Director of Seeking Educational Excellence and author of the forthcoming book,  Race Crazy .  Charles discusses how his upbringing and adult life in Gary, Indiana shaped his view of the greatest challenges facing black Americans. Charles did not pay much attention to politics as a young adult. But...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  David Mahan  — Policy Director at the Center for Christian Virtue and founder of Frontline Youth Communications. David shares how “God’s people, God’s power, and God’s principles” helped him and his wife build a life of success and community impact after a difficult start as teenage parents living in poverty. As David and his wife connected w...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Delano Squires  — an Author at the Federalist and a long-time public servant. Delano shares how his growing faith journey and upbringing in an interconnected family from the West Indies have been center points of his journey as a writer. A computer engineering major in college, Delano was inspired to begin his writing career as the tragic mur...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  James Stovall , the co-founder and former CEO of Little Bird HR. James founded Little Bird in 2016 to provide software, employee benefits, and HR support to New York City charter schools. After five years of empowering charter schools in the city, Little Bird was bought in 2020 by one of the largest firms in the industry. Essential to James Stoval...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by one of America’s greatest wrestlers —  Lee Kemp  — who reflects on a life of challenges and achievement both inside and outside wrestling. According to Lee, “I was given up for adoption at birth and was institutionalized until the age of five,” when he was adopted. Lee shares that his adopted father, who left the south for Cleveland in search...

In this episode,  Eugene S. Robinson  joins Ian and Nique to discuss his multifaceted career as a journalist, author, musician, editor of OZY Media, and MMA Connoisseur. As a child, Eugene was driven by the New York “hustle” culture to pave a path to a better life for himself and his family. From Brooklyn to Stanford University, Eugene’s intellect and zeal propelled him into a plethora o...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Myron White  — an original member of the cast for “The Invisible Men” who has built a distinguished career in finance, entrepreneurship, and corporate leadership while serving in the Army Reserves for more than two and a half decades. Myron shares how one third-grade teacher at his Catholic school in New Orleans played an especially important...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Andy McGadney  — the newly announced President of Knox College and a long-time leader in higher education. Andy speaks of the critical role of education in the paving pathways to opportunity for black Americans today. As a child, Andy was raised in Connecticut but his family had deep roots in the south. Andy’s parents — both graduates of HBCU...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  John McWhorter  — public intellectual, Professor of Linguistics at Columbia University, and author of two forthcoming books,  9 Nasty Words  and  The Elect . Much like Ian and Nique, John was a graduate student at Stanford University as news of the Rodney King assault swept the nation in the early 1990s. John shares how he grew...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Chris Campbell  — world champion wrestler, Olympic bronze medalist, and a practicing attorney. Chris shares how a deeply-engrained sense of intestinal fortitude empowered him to push through academic and athletic barriers and carve a pathway to success in wrestling and law. For example, Chris was unable to compete in high-school wrestling his...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Barry Lawson Williams  to discuss the importance of building black representation on corporate boards across the United States. When it comes to corporate America, Barry’s life exemplifies the vision, character, and insight worthy of a career business executive who has served on 14 public company boards. A few years ago, Barry conducted a&nbs...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Cliff Barber  — Chief Strategy Officer of the Archdiocese of Chicago and a former investment fund manager. Combining knowledge from his impressive corporate background and extensive experience in ministry, Cliff discusses the centrality of faith in shaping his upbringing, and he shares his passion for addressing “spiritual poverty” in vulnera...

Are business leaders in today’s climate naturally drawn to a “cutthroat” approach to management and growth, or do the concerning behaviors often seen in large corporations stem from a misunderstanding about what is necessary to survive in the business world? In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Gervase Warner, the President and CEO of the Massy Group — one of the largest conglomerates in t...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Vernon Lee  to discuss the role of entrepreneurship as a catalyst for the uplift of black Americans. Vernon is a partner at the  Marathon Fund , an organization dedicated to supporting a new generation of underrepresented entrepreneurs with high potential for growth. Vernon argues that we need stronger institutions to act as a “pipeline”...

Many scholars, public figures, and activists have noted the striking divide between the economic outcomes of black and white Americans. But what lies at the root of these differences is a difficult question. In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Dr. Wilfred Reilly , an Associate Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University, to discuss how ideological uniformity in acade...

With the job market fundamentally changing, how can we build pathways for a new generation of black men and women to unleash their passion and build a successful career? In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by  Troy Stovall , the CEO of Maryland TEDCO — an organization founded by the state of Maryland in 1998 to fund early stage tech companies. They discuss the evolving skills marketplac...

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by someone who is actively modelling a path of excellence for young men in the 21 st  century.  Rav Arora  — a current student at University of the Fraser Valley and an up and coming writer whose work has been published in leading outlets such as City Journal and the New York Post — joins the show to discuss his intellectual development and...