Whatsjust presents Critical Conversations

Send a text This episode features Michael A., a teaching assistant at the University of Kent in England and motivational speaker. Michael was incarcerated at the age of 16 and spent 12 years in the UK prison system and was released in the summer of 2020. In this episode, we speak on how police action can instigate criminal engagement, what it was like to be incarcerated and released during a globa...

Send a text This critical conversation features Dr. Rashawn Ray, a fellow at The Brookings Institution, and a Sociology Professor and the Executive Director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research at the University of Maryland .  In this episode, we discuss some of the public health issues stemming from racism. Dr. Ray also presents some tangible solutions to America’s policing crisis, incl...

Send a text This episode features Kamilah Newton, a writer, advocate, and previous participant of Justice Home, an alternative to incarceration program hosted by the Women’s Prison Association. This episode exposes the unique gendered experience of the criminal justice system, highlighting the cycle of victimization and the pervasiveness of trauma that the majority of justice-involved women experi...

Send a text This week's critical conversation features Michael Fischer, a writer , activist, and advocate. Michael was incarcerated for 2 years in upstate New York and in this conversation, we speak about how social connections significantly impacted his opportunities upon re-entry, how his whiteness and the location of his arrest impacted his experiences with the criminal justice system,  ho...

Send a text This episode features a critical conversation with Dr. Monica Bell. Dr. Bell is an Associate Professor of Law as well as an Associate Professor of Sociology at Yale University. In our conversation, we speak about some of Dr. Bell's proposals for reducing harm until we abolish racist systems, including anti-segregation policing and community racism response funds.  Our discussion h...

Send a text This episode features Carl Williams, a man who, at the age of 17,  was arrested for a murder he did not commit. After waiting in jail for 3 years pre-trial, Carl was ultimately sentenced to life without parole. For 23 years, Carl maintained his innocence in prison and fought for his life. Finally, in August of 2020 , Carl was released...into a global pandemic. This conversation touches...

Send a text This episode features a critical conversation with Dr. Reuben Jonathan Miller, assistant professor in the Crown Family School of Social Work,  Policy and Practice at the University of Chicago and author of the new book, Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration . Dr. Miller’s book tells the story of prison release and community reentry through the experien...

Send a text There has been A LOT of critical content delivered over these last 10 episodes- here is your cheat sheet. In this episode, Abbie highlights the main takeaways and over-arching themes throughout and draws attention to possible solutions for a more just society.  Support the show

Send a text In this episode, I speak with Maleek Jackson, owner of Maleek Jackson Fitness Boxing Gym in Philadelphia. Maleek spent 10 years in prison from ages 16-26 and in our conversation, we contextualize criminal behavior, interrogating how, for those in the streets, it is not about “right” or “wrong” but about doing what you need to do to survive with the limited opportunities available. We d...

Send a text This episode challenges pretty much everything we know and think about the concept of resilience. Dr. Payne explains how resilience is traditionally a value-laden construct that is seen as synonymous with “goodness” or “morality.” Dr. Payne makes the argument that resilience is simply action that serves to perpetuate an individuals survivability, and cites gun violence, drug dealing, p...

Send a text This episode features a critical conversation with Dr. Andrea Boyles, visiting professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at Tulane University. Dr. Boyles is also the author of two books: You Can’t Stop the Revolution:  Community Disorder and Social Ties in Post-Ferguson America   and Race, Place, and Suburban Policing: Too Close for Comfort . In today’s episode, Andrea speaks about h...

Send a text In this episode, I am joined by Gregrory Coachman , a Philadelphia-based social entrepreneur and the founder of the lifestyle brand, Urban Recreation . The original audio draws from a webinar that took place during the height of the summer 2020 protests and highlights how the kinds of contentious interactions with police that we saw during the protests are a part of everyday life for m...

Send a text In this episode, I speak with Laiken Jordahl , a Borderlands Campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity. In our conversation, Laiken describes the devastation that the border wall is wreaking on the land, wildlife, and indigenous communities. We speak about how, like prisons, the border wall serves as a false symbol of safety that is touted to make "America" secure b...

Send a text During his 10 years in prison, Dawan Williams was able to meet some of society's "Missing Men." These men served as mentors and guided Dawan into a process of change. Since returning home 6 years ago, Dawan has dedicated his life to mentorship and serves as the coordinator for Mural Art's Restorative Justice Guild program and as the program director for No'Mo ....

Send a text Dr. Nikki Jones is a professor in the Department of African American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of two books, Between Good and Ghetto: African American Girls and Inner-City Violence   and The Chosen Ones: Black Men and the Politics of Redemption .  In this episode, we speak about the differences between internal and external motivations and expect...

Send a text In this episode, I am joined by co-creator of Whatsjust, co-founder of the Urban Youth Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, and Criminal Justice Ph. D. candidate, Juwan Bennett. Juwan and I attended graduate school together and were both mentored by a pioneering prison abolitionist, Kay Harris. Together, we unpack the concept of abolition and provide a brief history of police and prison...

Send a text We’re back with the next Critical Conversation! In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Whitney Hollins, educator, advocate, researcher, and justice-impacted individual. Dr. Hollins’s father was in prison for 25 years of her life. According to the common narratives about children of incarcerated parents, Dr. Hollins was *at-risk* for being incarcerated herself. However, she went on to rece...

Send us Fan Mail Chris is a social entrepreneur, storyteller, artist, social justice advocate, and author of The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life with Purpose. After spending 16 years in prison, Chris has spent the last 8 years in the Baltimore community dedicated to easing the reentry process for others and immersing himself in the arts. I have had many people reach out to me...