Native Land Pod

Sherrilyn Ifill, a renowned civil rights lawyer and former head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, joins the discussion to dissect contemporary democracy and its pitfalls. She gives American democracy a dismal grade and traces its issues back long before Trump. The conversation probes how integration drained public funds and questions the courts' role as an equitable branch of government. They also tackle the legacy of slavery, media distortions, and the need for community action in preserving historical truths and democratic values.

Nicole Collier, a Texas State Representative for District 95, joins Angela Rye to discuss the intense political climate in Texas. Collier reveals how she was detained on the House floor for resisting Republican surveillance during a crucial vote on redistricting. The conversation dives into the implications of gerrymandering on marginalized communities, the importance of unity in the Texas Black Caucus, and the critical need for representation. Their dialogue is a powerful reflection on resilience and strategic resistance in the face of political oppression.

Tiffany shares her fiery encounter with a 'Karen' on live TV, sparking a humorous yet profound discussion about societal behavior. The conversation shifts to the essential role of automatic voter registration and the challenges Black voters face today. They dive into the complexities of maintaining composure during politically charged media confrontations, reflecting on representation for Black women in the industry. The urgency of engaging in political dialogues amid ongoing threats to voting rights and fair representation is emphasized.

Mark Veasey, Congressman from Texas's 33rd District, sheds light on the ongoing redistricting efforts and emphasizes the urgency of protecting voting rights. Jalanda Jones, Texas State Representative, shares insights on grassroots movements against redistricting abuses. Emanuel Cleaver, Congressman from Missouri, discusses the pursuit of political power amidst these challenges. Together, they dissect the implications of gerrymandering and the necessity for community engagement to ensure representation for marginalized voters, highlighting a critical moment in American politics.

Angela Rye is joined by leaders and members of the Black community in Washington D.C. to discuss Trump’s takeover of the D.C. police, the deployment of the national guard, and his threats toward Black youths.    Cora Masters is a political scientist and the forever first lady of D.C, where she logged decades of service, including as leader of the Recreation Wish List Committee. She is the widow of the former D.C. mayor Marion Barry.    Tony Lewis Jr. is a D.C. community activist and author of Slugg: A Boy's Life In The Age of Mass Incarceration.    Dionne Bussey-Reeder is the CEO of the non-profit Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative based in D.C.    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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s MiniPod, our hosts Angela Rye and Andrew Gillum gotta talk more about redistricting. Trump is putting pressure on Republican-controlled states to redraw their electoral maps in order to give Republicans more seats in congress, an anti-democratic practice known as gerrymandering. This practice typically undercuts the representation of the Black community and others, reducing political influence on a state and national level.    Our hosts dig into the mechanics of how electoral maps are created, what the rules are now, and what they could be.    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; Tiffany Cross as host and producer, Andrew Gillum as host and producer, and Lauren Hansen as executive producer; Loren 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.

On episode 91, our hosts Angela Rye and Andrew Gillum bring on super-guest and renowned progressive journalist: Mehdi Hasan. Tiffany Cross is away this week but she sent us a report from the ground in the DRC.    Mehdi Hasan was featured on a Jubilee debate where he (a proclaimed progressive) debated 20 “far-right” young people. The debate was shocking, participants called themselves fascists, and told Mehdi, a naturalized citizen, to “get out” of the country. Mehdi reflects on the debate, the surprise and trauma of it, and what it says (and doesn’t say) about modern conservatives. In addition, the hosts chat with him about redistricting (see below).     Follow Mehdi Hassan’s work at https://zeteo.com/   Gerrymandering, the unfair drawing of electoral maps to benefit one’s own party, has been an issue for decades. Egged on by the Trump administration, we are now on the verge of an all-out gerrymandering war. Redistricting (redrawing maps) normally happens at the end of each decade. Trump demanded that Texas redraw their map now to add more Republican seats and the Texas GOP obliged. In response, Democratic state reps have fled Texas to prevent the new maps from being voted on, and governors of blue states like California and New York have threatened to change their state laws to allow more partisan gerrymandering in favor of Democrats.   Tiffany Cross is meeting with the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She’ll talk with him ab0ut the civil conflict in the DRC and foreign exploitation of the country’s mineral resources.   TAKE OUR SURVEY, WIN A PRIZE!      SURVEY: https://ul.ink/2QMCXY?utm_source=YouTube   And of course we’ll hear from you! If you’d like to submit a question, check out our tutorial video: http://www.instagram.com/reel/C5j_oBXLIg0/ and send to @nativelandpod.    We are 467 days away from the midterm elections. 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; Tiffany Cross as host and producer, Andrew Gillum as host and producer, and Lauren Hansen as executive producer; Loren 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.

The Redistricting Showdown You Need to Understand ft. State Rep Jolanda Jones   Texas State Representative Jolanda Jones is one of dozens of Democratic state lawmakers who have had warrants issued for their arrest by Texas Governor Greg Abbot. Angela Rye talks with Rep Jones while she is literally on the run.   Democratic lawmakers have fled the state in a hail-mary bid to prevent their Republican colleagues from redrawing the Texas election maps to give themselves as many as five additional seats in Congress. The Texas GOP’s plan fits nicely into their larger efforts to disenfranchise Black and Brown voters.   Rep Jones: “This map was designed with surgical precision to deny Black and Brown voters the right to elect the representative of their choice. I refuse to legitimize this injustice.”     Want to ask Angela a question? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to participate in the chat.    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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts Angela Rye, Andrew Gillum, and Tiffany ask: Why Do Some Black People Feel Like “White is Right”?   In too many folks' eyes, a thing ain’t good until it’s been adopted by mainstream (white) culture. The same news story that makes waves on CNN falls flat on BET. The same person buying a fancy sweater from Ralph Lauren will scoff at House of Gray. Black folks are not immune to this, those who automatically trust a white doctor (or other specialist) over a Black one, for example.     We have some serious deprogramming to do y’all, start here with us.    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; Tiffany Cross as host and producer, Andrew Gillum as host and producer, and Lauren Hansen as executive producer; Loren 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.

This week hosts Tiffany Cross, Angela Rye, and Andrew Gillum talk about Black elitism and Black owned brands with the owner of Actively Black, Lanny Smith.    You might’ve seen Lanny Smith’s viral posts recently where he addresses the controversy around Ralph Lauren’s new “Oak Bluffs” line of apparel. Oak Bluffs, a town on Martha’s Vineyard, has been a gathering place for the Black community for more than 100 years. Folks have called the clothing line “elitist;” the jackets and blazers cost well over $500. Should we denounce this celebration of Black culture just for being elitist?    Maybe, maybe not. More importantly, we do not need white businesses to validate Black culture. The Black community spends 10’s of billions of dollars on apparel every year, and just a fraction of that goes back to the Black community, even though WE are the source of so much American style. Let’s talk about how we change THAT.    Plus, what is happening in Gaza right now is beyond horrific. We have to spend a little time updating y’all on the situation, Gazans are starving to death.    And of course we’ll hear from you! If you’d like to submit a question, check out our tutorial video: http://www.instagram.com/reel/C5j_oBXLIg0/ and send to @nativelandpod.    We are 467 days away from the midterm elections. 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; Tiffany Cross as host and producer, Andrew Gillum as host and producer, and Lauren Hansen as executive producer; Loren 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.