The People's Brief With Lynae Vanee

We made it to the season finale and it is a really special one. Lynae sits down with the children of civil rights icons to talk about their parents. They share stories about growing up with legends like Al Sharpton and Dick Gregory. Then we switch gears to chat with some of your favorite internet voices. They discuss how to stay informed and fight misinformation online. Lynae also wraps things up...

Don Lemon joins the show to talk about leaving CNN after 17 years and starting his own platform. He gets real about speaking truth to power and why building your own voice matters. Then we bring together Dustin Ross, Deontay Kyle, Obio Jones, and Steve Sanders for a conversation about black masculinity, mental health, and therapy. They open up about trauma, vulnerability, and what it means to be a...

Lynae Vanee has a packed show this week. First, Angela Rye and Tiffany Cross of Native Land Pod stop by to talk about today's headlines, from Gavin Newsom to the ongoing fight for voting rights. They also get into the conversation around their podcast, Joe Budden, and anti-intellectualism. Then, Dr. Ashley Farmer joins to break down Black nationalism and the history of Queen Mother Audley Moore. F...

Lynae Vanee sits down with Roy Wood Jr. to talk about his career, his new book, and the state of late-night comedy. He gets real about why he actually left The Daily Show. After that, we jump into the world of Afrofuturism with Marina Skye, Dedren Snead, and Marquise Richards. They break down what the term means and how it shows up in tech, art, and community spaces. Comedian Sam Jay also joins th...

Host Lynae Vanee sits down with Dr. Jamal Bryant, Senior Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, to talk about what's really going on with the Black church right now. They get into Christian nationalism, why young people are leaving the church, and the whole "church hurt" conversation happening on TikTok. Dr. Bryant doesn't hold back about the problems in Black churches, from Biblical illit...

Stacey Abrams sits down with host Lynae Vanee to talk about why voting still matters even when it feels like everything is broken. She breaks down what's happening at the federal and state level, from voter roll purges to gerry mandering. Stacey explains the 10 steps to autocracy and why we're in the middle of an authoritarian takeover right now. She talks about her new book Coded Justice and why...

This week, Lynae Vanee is tackling the myth of "black on black crime." She brings on #Chicago historian Shermann "Dilla" Thomas to talk about the long history of criminalization in America. Then, #Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott joins the show to discuss the real solutions his city is using to reduce violence. He explains how they are focusing on community investment and opportunity instead of just...

Host Lynae Vanee sits down with meteorologist Jonathan Stacey to break down exactly what climate change is doing to our weather right now. Hurricane Katrina survivor Timphany Jean shares her story of being abandoned by the government during one of America's worst natural disasters. Then lawyer and activist Elizabeth Booker Houston explains how companies like XAI are targeting black and brown commu...

Lynae Vanee breaks down the real talk about artificial intelligence and how it's affecting Black and brown communities. Guest Esosa Osa from Onyx Impact joins to discuss both the threats and opportunities AI presents. They cover everything from job automation and racial bias to environmental impact and surveillance. But it's not all doom and gloom, they also talk about how we can use AI as a tool...

Host Lynae Vanee wants to know what's really going on with groupthink. This episode explores how hive mindsets and the need to disagree with everything have taken over the internet. Lynae brings in guests Jessie Woo, Deante Kyle, and Justin Scott to unpack it all. They get into why some conspiracy theories feel true, how online arguments can impact the real world, and who benefits when everyone is...

Lynae Vanee breaks down one of the most confusing election results ever, nearly half of Latino voters chose #Trump despite his promises to target their communities. We dive deep into the history that connects Black and #Latino communities, from shared experiences of colonization and slavery to how white supremacy keeps us divided today. Fresco Steez from Dream Defenders explains why immigration is...

Host Lynae Vanee brings together Dawn Montgomery, Dr. Alduan Tartt, Loren LoRosa, Ray Daniels, Detavio Samuels, and historian TL Cross for Part 2 of our talk to speak about something we can't ignore anymore. When Black men get money and power, who really pays the price when things go wrong? We're diving deep into the stories behind the headlines, from music videos to courtrooms, from childhood tra...

Host Lynae Vanee sits down with CEO Detavio Samuels, music exec Ray Daniels, motivational speaker Brandi Davis, and historian TL Cross to unpack the complex relationship Black Americans have with money, power, and respect. They explore how hip hop culture glorified the hustle, why some Black leaders fall into the trap of copying white power structures, and what happens when ambition goes wrong. Fr...

Senator Raphael Warnock joins The People's Brief to discuss the current state of civil unrest and the #Trump administration's impact on working families. As both a senior pastor and Georgia's first Black senator, Warnock breaks down how proposed cuts to healthcare, SNAP benefits, and housing will disproportionately affect Black communities. He explains why he views budgets as moral documents, shar...

Host Lynae Vanee breaks down why July 4th hits different when you're Black in America. She talks with Dr. Nafeesa Muhammad about how Black people fought in the Revolutionary War but didn't get the freedom they were promised. Comedian Zainab Johnson shares why she grew up celebrating Juneteenth instead of July 4th, and Amanda Seals drops some real talk about what it means to be Black and American....

Lynae Vanee sits down with Shari' Nycole, Deanté Kyle, and Codie Oliver to tackle one of the most controversial topics in the Black community, why successful Black athletes often end up with white women. They break down everything from college proximity and beauty standards to the real numbers behind why Black women are exploring interracial dating too. This isn't your typical gender war debates i...

Host Lynae Vanee tackles one of the most complex questions in Black culture: what makes someone "Black enough"? This episode digs into how we protect our culture while also exploring who gets to be part of it. From music industry culture vultures to fashion's influence on Black expression, Lynae sits down with comedian Kyle Santillian, fashion designer Quentin Thrash, and scholar Dr. Yaba Blay. Th...

The education system in America is broken, and COVID made it even worse. In this episode, we're talking to real students and teachers about what's actually happening in classrooms right now. From kids who can't read at grade level to teachers quitting because of terrible pay, the problems run deep. We also break down how politics is making everything worse with book bans and attacks on public scho...

Host Lynae Vanee digs deep into Black food culture with farmer EliYahu Ben Asa from Atlanta Harvest and Chef Deborah VanTrece from Twisted Soul Cookhouse. They talk about how soul food got its name during the civil rights movement and why our ancestors turned scraps into amazing dishes. The conversation covers everything from watermelon being weaponized against Black farmers to food deserts in our...

Host Lynae Vanee explores the journey of building and reclaiming Black communities in America. This episode of The People's Brief features conversations with photographer and mogul #CamKirk, who discusses creating Black creative spaces and his move to Atlanta's Beltline. Lynae also joins the Acre Boyzz to dive into the significance of land ownership, sustainable farming, and building generational...

Join Lynae Vanee on The People's Brief as she honors the 5 year anniversary of George Floyd's murder with guests Garrison Hayes and Angela Rye. They dive into the "awakening" and subsequent "retrenchment" following 2020, discussing the global protests, the corporate response, and the intense political and social backlash against DEI and CRT. The conversation explores the performative nature of som...