The Justice Briefing with Dr. Jemar Tisby

In this episode I talk with first-time author Ronald Olivier whose life is a movie...or at least a book. He wrote "27 Summers: My Journey to Freedom, Forgiveness, and Redemption During My Time in Angola Prison." As a historian and racial justice advocate, I've made incarceration one of my primary areas of focus in terms of action and raising awareness. That's why I was honored and excited to talk to Ronald about his experiences in Angola Prison and what he has share with us now that he's on the other side. You'll fee like you could listen to Ronald tell stories all day. Especially because of his mellifluous Louisiana accent. You will also be inspired by the depth and richness of his faith. He's sincere when he says he lives by the motto: "Don't tell me what God can't do!" Support Ronald's Work: Get the Book: 27 Summers Follow Ronald on IG: @RonaldSlim75 Follow Ronald on FB: Ronald Olivier Support Jemar's Work Subscribe + Rate + Review the Footnotes podcast Subscribe to my Substack: JemarTisby.Substack.com  Get your merch: JusticeTakesSide.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Racism, white supremacy, and the attempt to control Black bodies didn't go away after the Civil War. As I often say, "Racism never goes away, it adapts." One of the ways racism persists is through our criminal legal system, especially the death penalty.  Joia Erin Thornton is the founder and executive director of the faith leaders of color coalition (flocc). Through her organization she works toward eliminating capital punishment in the carceral system. She talks about her journey into this work and why faith leaders need to be involved.  Episode Highlights:  How growing up in the South (Memphis and New Orleans) influenced her ideas of justice How her parents taught her mother predicted Joia would grow up to be a "changemaker"  Why ending the death penalty is a bipartisan political issue The role of hope in justice work and ending the death penalty  Visit the flocc website ------ Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast.  Get your "Justice Takes Sides" merch: justicetakessides.com  Keep up with my latest work at JemarTisby.Substack.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you keep the flame of justice burning in the midst of so much misery and disappointment? A new book, Heart on Fire: 100 Meditations on Loving Your Neighbor Well, is just what you need.  In this episode I get to interview first-time author and long-time artist, Dani Coke Balfour. We talk about how art relates to activism and how all of us have a role to play in doing "good work."  Be sure to grab your copy of Heart on Fire wherever books are sold!  Buy the Book On Amazon Bookshop Episode Highlights:  The difference between "equity" and "equality"  Why it's better to have "conscious optimism" rather than "cautious optimism" Why imagination is indispensable to justice  Ten Pillars of Good Work  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of Footnotes, join me as I delve into an enlightening conversation with the esteemed author Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley, discussing his highly anticipated new book "How Far to the Promised Land."  Episode Highlights:  We talk about how Black Christians in white evangelical spaces get "pushed out, burned out, or sell out" and how McCaulley has endured in his place of work  How he thinks about his interracial marriage in view of the historic and ongoing Black experience with racism  What he teaches his biracial children about racial identity and the role of police in the midst of anti-Black police brutality  McCaulley gets on his soapbox about an issue that's at the forefront of his attention right now My endorsement: In his latest book, How Far to the Promised Land, Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley says we are people made of "trauma and miracles." In this memoir you will see evidence of both as he relates the difficulties of his childhood alongside the resilient and caring community that ushers him into his destiny. A brisk and engaging narrative full of practical and spiritual wisdom, How Far to the Promised Land is a revelatory look at the U.S. South, race, poverty, and the strength needed not only to live with one's past but make peace with it. Get the book: How Far to the Promised Land Subscribe to my Substack: JemarTisby.Substack.com  Get your merch: JusticeTakesSide.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

According to a Psychology Today article, racial and ethnic minorities represent 30 percent of the population, yet 83.6 percent of mental health professionals identify as non-Hispanic White. And only about 5 percent of students enrolled in graduate level psychology programs are Black.  Adebisi Gbadamosi is a Black woman therapist who specializes in addressing racial and religious trauma. She specializes in working with peo[le of color to process racial trauma, Christians to process faith-related trauma, and women wanting to work through any aspect of life. In this episode she talks about her journey into mental health care, her painful experiences with race and white evangelical churches, and general coping skills for those who have endured trauma of various sorts.  Learn more about "Bisi" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United States has five percent of the world's population but 25 percent of its incarcerated individuals. But the statistics only tell part of the story. Behind the numbers are real people.  Stanley Frankart is someone who made it out of the prison system and is now helping others to do the same.  Through the nonprofit he co-founded, Young Christian Professionals, Frankart and his team offer character education and professional development to reduce rates of recidivism.  Learn More:  -Young Chrisitan Professionals: youngchristianprofessionals.org -Vera Institute: vera.org  -Prison Policy Initiative: prisonpolicy.org -The Witness Foundation: thewitnessfoundation.co  FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Racism is not an ideology invented by people of African descent—people of European descent who are considered white hold that dubious distinction. So what is the role of white people in fighting racism?  In part four of the Fighting Racism series, I talk with Shelley and David Park. They are the transracial adoptive parents of a son who is Black. They also composed a curriculum called “Let's Talk Race: A Beginners Guide to Conversations about Race.” In this 5-week course they talk to other white people about race.  Delve into the definition of an ally and how white people can act in solidarity with Black people and other people of color.  LINKS Let's Talk Race - Shelley and David Park Subscribe to JemarTisby.Substack.com so you'll never miss a new episode. Grab your copy of How to Fight Racism HERE. FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode we are going to talk with someone who knows all too well the challenges of environmental racism externally and the challenges of fighting for racial and ethnic diversity internally at a company.  We are joined by Abigail Oduaol. She works for an organization called Earthjustice which employs more than 500 people. She serves as a senior development office but has also taken it upon herself to spearhead the company's antiracist initiatives and their efforts to make the workplace more responsive to the needs and concerns of its Black employees. This is an informative interview that will challenge and inspire you.  To learn more about Abigail Oduol and her work, click HERE Article: Creating Psychological Safety for Black Women at Your Company Article: Environmental Justice Must Lie at the Heart of Climate Action Article: How St. Louis Churches Are Revealing the Disparities in the Air We Breathe Article: Pew Research, Workplace Diversity 2023 Subscribe to JemarTisby.Substack.com so you'll never miss a new episode. Grab your copy of How to Fight Racism HERE. FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode we hear what one homeschooling parent, Brytni McNeil is doing to create a more racially inclusive and honest culture in homeschooling. Brytni is so graciously vulnerable in sharing her story of coming from a colorblind approach to race to becoming color-conscious. She talks about the challenges of being a Black homeschooling parent and how she is working to make homeschooling families more aware of racial dynamics. Learn more about her work HERE. Subscribe to JemarTisby.Substack.com so you'll never miss a new episode.  Grab your copy of How to Fight Racism HERE. FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Welcome to the FIGHTING RACISM series, a project that explores how real people just like you are fighting racism in their everyday lives. My name is Dr. Jemar Tisby. I'm a historian, an author, a speaker, and a professor of history at Simmons College of Kentucky, and I will be your host and guide throughout this series. In this episode I unpack the ARC of Racial Justice and tell you how this series came about and what to expect. See below for the upcoming episode themes. Fighting Racism Series Real Stories from Real People - Jemar Tisby, PhD Confronting Racism in Homeschooling - Brynti McNeil Racial Justice at Work and in the Environment - Abigail Oduol How White Allies Can Talk to Other White People about Racism - Shelley & David Park Giving the Formerly Incarcerated a Chance at True Freedom - Stanley Frankart Addressing Racial and Religious Trauma through Mental Health Care - Adebisi Gbadamosi Subscribe to JemarTisby.Substack.com so you'll never miss a new episode.  Grab your copy of How to Fight Racism HERE. FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices