The Invisible Men

Join Ian and Nique this week for the second half of their two-part discussion with Harvard professor, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, and early-stage investor Roland Fryer. In this episode, Roland shares how, following the murder of Walter Scott, he was inspired to build the best dataset possible to assess how race shapes police interactions in America today. Roland assembled a team to partner with police departments across the U.S. and build a state-of-the-art dataset on policing. His findings shocked many. While large racial gaps persisted on lower-level uses of force during police interactions, even after accounting for potential causal factors apart from race, Roland’s team also found no racial differences in rates of police shootings across race. Roland shares how, in the wake of this research, he encountered resistance within academia as he sought to give an accurate telling of full the story painted by his data analysis, being encouraged by elite economists top exclude unpopular findings from his published papers. Watch the full episode to hear about Roland’s groundbreaking research on the determinates of successful charter schools and how he used that research to launch a new curriculum, “Reconstruction,” which seeks to teach kids a proper understanding of their place and potential in this world.

This week, Ian and Nique launch a two-part discussion with Harvard professor, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, and early-stage investor Roland Fryer on Roland’s journey to academia (part 1) and why his principled approach to research has disrupted long-held assumptions within the social sciences about policing, mobility, and race (part 2). In this first part of the conversation, Roland shares how his exposure to economics in college sparked an academic passion in him that had lay dormant until that point. Roland became enthralled with economics because it empowered him to use the best research tools available to study the most important and difficult social questions — topics such as policing, education, health, and the drug epidemic. Later, Roland shares how a pivotal encounter with one of his economics professors at the University of Chicago, in which he engaged in a “no holds barred” debate on race, inspired the intellectual honesty he approaches his research with today, as well as the teaching methods he has used in his classroom. Watch the full episode to learn more about Roland’s story and to hear his words of advice for “Darryl.

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 neighborhood but attended a majority-Black school, his father modeled a desire to “wrestle” with injustice in the world but his mother emphasized individual kindness and intellect, and his grandparents were sharecroppers in “Jim Crow” era South Carolina and yet they fiercely believed in the promise of the American Dream. This duality inspired Ted to advocate a love for America that, in his words, “chastises and then goes off and dies in wars for her.”Later, Ted shares his concern that, today, terms like “structural racism” and “critical race theory,” which originated in the academy and have very specific meanings, have been weaponized by both sides of the political aisle and used to divide Americans. He also explores why institutions like faith, family, and education have lost the trust of so many vulnerable Americans and how we can restore strong institutions that propel the uplift of a new generation. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Ted’s story and hear his words of advice for “Darryl.”Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

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 contributed toward the passing of the Rumford Fair Housing Act. From there, a career of accomplishment in the private sector, and periodic work with former California Governor Pete Wilson, paved the way for Ward’s appointment to the University of California Board of Regents. It was here that Ward first learned about affirmative action, which he quickly recognized as a violation of the civil rights movement and the constitution. Ward was instrumental in banning several forms of race-based discrimination across the state of California in the 1990s, and he continues to fight for equality under the law today.Ward shares the core principles that led him to fight for equal rights for all Americans, and he shares why he is deeply concerned that affirmative action policies have reinforced the wrongful belief that black Americans’ accomplishments could not have existed outside of preferential treatment under the law. Later, Ward argues that growing conversations centered on “equity” are undermining our nation’s commitment to “equality” as the founders understood it. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Ward’s story and hear his words of advice for “Darryl.”Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

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 realize that many of the policies the left has proposed in response to the civil rights movement actually harm low-income black Americans while benefitting elites. Today, Bob sees the same trend playing out before his eyes — with the message of what “race hustlers” taking the reins of culture and funneling resources toward elites at the expense of the most disadvantaged. Bob’s inspiration for assembling a coalition of black leaders to write essays for “Red, White, and Black” was to restore the promise of the American dream in the public eye and advocate for an approach to American history and contemporary policy that truly uplifts the cause of the most vulnerable. Later, Bob unravels how the G.I. Bill is an example of a successful government effort to empower vulnerable Americans to pursue a better life. The G.I. Bill helped millions of Americans who had failed to access quality education in their youth access much-needed support to build a new, successful life through military service. It offered service men and women a chance to pursue higher education without restrictions on universities or areas of study, which helped usher in a burgeoning black middle class. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Bob’s journey toward founding 1776 Unites.Note: If you would like to see all episodes of The Invisible Men, please go to: www.invisible.men

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 Atlanta, where he was surrounded by countless examples of black men and women who had built meaningful careers by merging a deep desire for progress with a strong moral grounding. After hearing “The Firing Line” mentioned by Michael J. Fox’s character in “Family Ties,” Anthony began watching William F. Buckley’s show regularly. It was watching this show that first introduced Anthony to the work of Thomas Sowell, which would later inspire him to incorporate a data-centered approach in his outlook on human progress. From policing, to the racial wealth gap, to marriage, Anthony walks Ian and Nique through myriad facets of the human experience and explains why a data-centered approach is crucial to the study of human flourishing. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Anthony’s acronym “D.A.V.E.,” and why it holds important encouragement and wisdom for “Darryls” in the 21st century.

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 cultural and behavioral characteristics that can engender the uplift of a new generation of vulnerable Americans. It was encountering Sowell’s work in college that launched Jason on the path toward developing his current framework for understanding issues of economics and race. Jason laments the fact that Sowell’s work has not been celebrated in the public eye as much as scholars who are far his intellectual inferiors, and he notes the importance of ushering in a new generation of young academics to follow in Sowell’s tradition. With conversations on critical race theory, reparations, and affirmative action receiving renewed national attention, Sowell’s framework for understanding the behavioral and cultural determinates of human capital development is more important to our national health than ever. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Jason’s journey toward being Sowell’s biographer and hear his words of advice for “Darryl.”

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 who had thrived socially on Cornell’s campus but was only able to find a job as an Assistant Manager at Burger King because he did not apply himself academically: don’t take a Cornell education for granted. The second was a mentorship with an older student who taught David how to balance academic pursuit with strong social connections. These experiences inspired David to work tirelessly to pursue a path that ultimately led him to Harvard Law School and an early career as an attorney for the Department of Justice. The capstone of David’s career was his recent election to the Washington State House of Representatives — where he currently serves the men and women of south King County.Later, David shares the work he is doing to reform policing in Washington state and his vision for a renewed relationship between police and the communities they serve. David believes that police have lost the trust of communities with high rates of crime. Recognizing that good policing cannot happen without the consent of a community, David believes there are steps policymakers must take to reform their methods of contact with community members and build trusting relationships. However, he also argues that calls to “defund” the police are ineffective and unhelpful. Per David, we need more and better policing, not less. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about David’s story and hear his words of advice for “Darryl.”

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 Bronx gave Jonathan the drive and desire to build a better life. However, it wasn’t until Jonathan completed Army training and reconnected with the church during a brief sabbatical from college that he found the direction to channel his drive and guide him toward a fulfilling career.Later, Jonathan shares what he has learned from his recent battle with a stroke. Jonathan’s journey of recovery over the past few years has inspired him to advocate for greater awareness among black men around the risks of stroke and lifestyle changes that can minimize a person’s risk of stroke. Chief among these lifestyle changes is sleeping more. When Jonathan was a student at Harvard Law School, it seemed perfectly normal to only sleep a few hours each night — but Jonathan has since learned that such a small amount of sleep is not nearly sufficient. Today, Jonathan is a strong believer in getting at least seven hours of sleep a night. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Jonathan’s story and hear his words of advice for “Darryl.”

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 was raised in California, where he was deeply influenced by movements that taught him his “blackness” was the core part of his identity. Later, as he travelled to Zimbabwe and Ghana through his studies, Yaya met many black Americans who had left the US in search of a national home where their “blackness” would be a more central part of their identity. Yet, Yaya found that most of these people had not found peace in their new home. This experience, combined with Yaya’s recent conversion to Islam, caused him to learn that peace cannot be found by a change in external circumstances, but only through internal moral clarity and the embrace of universal principles.Later, Yaya shares his pathway from teaching to studying Al Qaeda’s recruitment techniques as a counterterrorism expert at the CIA, and how the teachings of W. Deen Mohammed helped him develop a proper sense of patriotism. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Yaya’s story and hear his words of advice for “Darryl.”