Native Land Pod

It’s in our music, our group chats, and some of our most painful memories. But familiarity hasn’t erased the history of the N-word or the weight it carries. Angela explores how a word used to degrade and terrorize Black people became, for some, an expression of familiarity, identity, and connection. What does reclaiming it actually mean? Does changing the ending change its impact? And why do so many people outside the Black community feel entitled to say it? It’s a conversation about language, power, and why who says it still matters.   Our guest is Dr. Hiram Smith, author of “Wassup, My Nigga Book.”    To get Dr. Hiram Smith's "Wassup, My Nigga Book": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTMVGXP6?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback   Join hosts Angela Rye for a SoloPod episode of Native Land Pod.   Welcome home y’all!    —--------- We want to hear from you! Send us a video @nativelandpod and we may feature you on the podcast.    Instagram  X/Twitter Facebook NativeLandPod.com   Watch full episodes of Native Land Pod here on YouTube. Native Land Pod is brought to you by Reasoned Choice Media.   Thank you to the Native Land Pod team:    Angela Rye as host, executive producer, and cofounder of Reasoned Choice Media; Andrew Gillum as host and producer, Bakari Sellers as host and producer, and Lauren Hansen as executive producer; LoLo Smith is our research producer, and Nikolas Harter is our editor and producer. Special thanks  to Chris Morrow and Lenard McKelvey, co-founders of Reasoned Choice Media.    Theme music created by Daniel Laurent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Republican candidates are backing out of debates and minimizing their facetime with constituents. What’s their play? Do they have something else in mind besides getting votes?? Y’all, we have to be TOO BIG TO RIG.    Join hosts Angela Rye, Andrew Gillum, and Bakari Sellers for this segment from episode #154 that aired on 10-22-26. SUBMIT A QUESTION   If you’d like to submit a question, check out our tutorial video: www.instagram.com/reel/C5j_oBXLIg0/   Welcome home y’all!    —--------- We want to hear from you! Send us a video @nativelandpod and we may feature you on the podcast.    Instagram  X/Twitter Facebook NativeLandPod.com   Watch full episodes of Native Land Pod here on YouTube. Native Land Pod is brought to you by Reasoned Choice Media.   Thank you to the Native Land Pod team:    Angela Rye as host, executive producer, and cofounder of Reasoned Choice Media; Andrew Gillum as host and producer, Bakari Sellers as host and producer, and Lauren Hansen as executive producer; LoLo Mychael is our research producer, and Nikolas Harter is our editor and producer. Special thanks  to Chris Morrow and Lenard McKelvey, co-founders of Reasoned Choice Media.    Theme music created by Daniel Laurent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jay Stanley, an ACLU privacy analyst; Regina Holloway, a racial-equity and oversight advocate; Chief Mitchell R. Davis III, a law-enforcement leader; D’Ixara Batani-Khalfani, a community advocate; and journalist Jerome Richardson examine Flock cameras and ALPRs. They explore COINTELPRO’s legacy, protest surveillance, hit-and-run investigations, racial disparities, police access, constitutional privacy, and the guardrails communities need.

Dr. Chris Jones, an Arkansas physicist, engineer, and congressional candidate, and Scott Colom, a Mississippi attorney and Senate candidate, discuss the South’s emerging Democratic movement. Topics include grassroots organizing, small-dollar campaigns, working-class voters, healthcare, education, voting rights, police accountability, inequality, and turning technical expertise into policy. A conversation about building trust and investing in a new South.

Why are Republican candidates skipping debates and avoiding voters so close to the midterms? The conversation explores election strategies, conspiracy theories, Elon Musk’s influence, and the push to make voting “too big to rig.” Headlines also examine SNAP fraud, ICE detention of a food pantry founder, betting on sexual-violence cases, clemency, NFL accountability, and climate satire.

A one-year-old is fatally shot by police in a Mississippi Walmart parking lot, and the state attorney general calls the use of force justified. Angela Rye examines conflicting accounts, the family’s version of events, withheld body-camera and dash-camera footage, and the unanswered questions surrounding the investigation. She also reflects on the child’s life and the broader fight for accountability.

Bakari Sellers delivers a sports-center-style ranking of the leading Democratic contenders for 2028. He weighs Rahm Emanuel’s fundraising, J.B. Pritzker’s national profile, Raphael Warnock’s faith-based appeal, Wes Moore’s rising influence, and the advantages of Kamala Harris and John Ossoff. Other emerging possibilities round out the political forecast.

Unhinged campaign ads take center stage, from a Kendrick-inspired video and a blunt-smoking spot to profanity-laced political messaging. The discussion also dives into candidates’ viral gaffes, apparent crash-outs, and one Maryland forum meltdown. With Election Day nearing, the conversation closes on voting, volunteering, and getting people to the polls.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, historian and author; Linda Tigani, NYC racial equity leader; Devine Prince, Freedmen Project president; and economist Dr. Darrick Hamilton examine America’s reparations debt. They discuss the racial wealth gap, H.R. 40, HBCU underfunding, eligibility, corporate accountability, and whether repair requires payments, land, education, truth, and structural reform.

A Bronx Target becomes the flashpoint for outrage after ICE uses its property as a staging area before a shooting involving a father and his young son. The discussion examines calls to abolish ICE, the agency’s militarized power, corporate responsibility, and the deep history of racial profiling. It also explores coalition-building, community protection, accountability, and the push for political action.