Make It Plain with Mark Thompson

Last week, Black male leadership gathered on Capitol Hill to protest the largest attack on voting rights since the civil war and reconstruction. An epic lineup delivers inspiration and hard truths about what’s at stake as we look to the next midterm and presidential elections. Speakers: Francys Johnson; Hollis Lewis, Co-Chair of West Virginia Black Caucus; Rep. Troy Carter, LA-02; Rashad Robinson, President of Color of Change; Cornell William Brooks, Harvard Kennedy School; Rep. Hank Johnson, GA-04 Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Last week, Black male leadership gathered on Capitol Hill to protest the largest attack on voting rights since the civil war and reconstruction. An epic lineup delivers inspiration and hard truths about what’s at stake as we look to the next midterm and presidential elections. Speakers: Cliff Albright, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter; Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, MO-5; Wes Bellamy, National Co-Chair of Our Black Party; Rep. Ron Reynolds, TX-27; Rep. Jarvis Johnson, TX-139; Rep. Al Green, TX-9; Rep. Jamal Bowman, NY-16; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. TX-18 Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Grant Stern is the Executive Editor of Occupy Democrats as well as host of the Only In Miami Show on Jolt Radio. He breaks down what’s happening in Cuba where the economic crisis, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in massive electricity outages and food and medicine shortages--and now, people are protesting the communist regime. Grant also gives us the inside scoop on Floridian politics, including why he thinks Rep. Val Demings can win the senate seat she’s running for, and what he thinks about the rumors that Gov. Ron DeSantis will run for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is a summer rerun episode! Mark returns next week, and until then, we're taking a look back at some of the year's best episodes. What would it look like to engage in nonviolent direct action consistently, through strategic organizing? That’s what Kai Newkirk (Founder of For All www.forallorg.us) and Rev. Stephen Green (Pastor, Scholar, and Activist) explain in today’s episode, as they discuss the piece they co-authored, “Why Kingian democratic socialism is the best path forward for the progressive left.” This is especially relevant in the context of our current society where unarmed Black people continue to be murdered by police. They also dig into why we need statehood in D.C. in order to make winning Georgia actually count and see progress on reparations. Read their article here: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2021/04/why-kingian-democratic-socialism-best-path-forward-for-progressive-left/ Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional

This is a summer rerun episode! Mark returns next week, and until then, we're taking a look back at some of the year's best episodes. In today's throwback, Rev. Dr. Willian J. Barber II of the Poor People’s Campaign joined Mark in Selma to draw the startling connection between poverty and voting rights. Rev. Barber reminds us of the racist Southern Strategy from the 1960s and how it played out with not just Trump’s win, but continues to appear in the GOP’s ongoing efforts to suppress the vote of poor people and people of color. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is a summer rerun episode! Mark returns next week, and until then, we're taking a look back at some of last year's best episodes. We start with a tribute to the inimitable John Lewis, who passed one year ago on July 17th. Majority Whip Clyburn met Congressman John Lewis back when they were just John and Jim, marking the beginning of 60 years of friendship and activism that eventually propelled them both to Capitol Hill. Whip Clyburn recalls the day they met in 1960, not surprisingly brought together while organizing for action, as well as "one of the most memorable weekends" of his entire life that happened with John at his side. Hear their stories and Clyburn's dedication of this election year to John in today's episode. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is the third and final part of The Poor People Campaign's “Season of Nonviolent Direct Action,” which calls on congress to end the filibuster, pass all provisions of the For the People Act, restore and expand the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and raise the federal minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour. In this series finale, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Co-Chair of the Poor Peopls’ Campaign, moderates this session that gives specific instructions on how to move forward, organize, and accomplish the goals of this season of action. Get ready to get fired up and call your senator! Speakers: Attorney Shailly Gupta Barnes, Policy Director for the Poor People’s Campaign; Marianne Smith, Oklahoma Poor People’s Campaign Tri-Chair; Michael Marshall, Rochester Poor People’s Campaign; Rev. Carolyn Foster, Alabama Poor People’s Campaign; Rev. Kazimir Brown, Poor People’s Campaign *Producer’s Note: Women’s Moral Monday took place on Monday, July 19th Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: D

This is part two of The Poor People Campaign's “Season of Nonviolent Direct Action,” which calls on congress to end the filibuster, pass all provisions of the For the People Act, restore and expand the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and raise the federal minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour.   Head back to Friday, July 16th for part one of this inspiring event. Speakers: Rev. Leonina Arismendi, Iglesia Del Pueblo; Attorney Barbara Arnwine, Transformative Justice Coalition; Ezra Levin, Indivisible; Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, Presybterian Church USA; Bishop Tavis Grant, Rainbow Push Coalition; Jean Stokan, Sisters of Mercy; Rev. Abhi Janamanchi, Maryland Poor People’s Campaign Faith Leader Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Earlier this week, Bishop William Barber and The Poor People’s Campaign held an event in Washington D.C. to launch a season of nonviolent direct action, supported by a coordinated effort of clergy and moral leaders and organizations, including SEIU, the Sunrise Movement and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. In today’s episode, we listen in on the first portion of that event, with inspiring words and harsh realities from some of the most powerful voices in the movement. National Moral Monday rallys will be held weekly until August 8th in a stern but peaceful attempt to save our democracy--Monday the 19th will be the women’s moral march on Washington. Speakers: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II; Attorney Roz Pelles, Vice President of Repairers of the Breach; Rev. Dr. Alvin O. Jackson, The Poor People’s Campaign; Linnell H. Stokes Fall, Maryland Poor People’s Campaign Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: ht

Dr. Amara Enyia is a strategist, social Innovation and social Impact professional, and public policy expert on city and state policy as well as international affairs/foreign policy with expertise in Central Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. But today, she comes to us as a representative for the Movement for Black Lives, and helps us understand the difference between the BREATHE Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. What she and Mark explore is that there is no justice in policing, and the BREATHE Act seeks to address what’s missing in the George Floyd act: putting resources into the community as opposed to law enforcement. Dr. Enyia also uses her expertise to help us understand what is happening in Haiti right now, following the assassination of the country’s president, Jovenel Moïse. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-O

You know Brittany Temple as the Producer behind the scenes of Make It Plain, but she’s also a writer and publisher of a bi-weekly newsletter, Write All Along. Her most recent issue was inspired by Bill Cosby’s release from jail--she wasn’t surprised it happened, and felt frustrated with the continued fixation on big headline stories, when sexual assault is happening in our communities every day. She chose to share her story in hopes of contributing to the collective strength of survivors who are standing up to say they won’t be silent about sexual abuse any longer. Brittany makes the point that, statistically speaking, we all know someone who has been sexually abused, and in order to create a supportive culture, we have to demand it by speaking up. Read her newsletter here: https://brittanytemple.substack.com/ Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-O

Eric Boehlert, Publisher of Pressrun.media, is back for our monthly dissection of political press coverage, and as usual, things are a sexist mess. Politico is on a mission to push VP Harris’ office as chaotic and inaccessible; whether or not that’s true, Eric can’t find any evidence of male politician’s offices being examined in the same way--and certainly not Pence or any VP before her. Eric also unravels the story surrounding award-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and the anti-Clinton donor and newspaper owner who set out to make sure the university wouldn’t hire her. And Eric also unpacks Tucker Carlson’s claims that the NSA is spying on him; turns out, he was trying to get an interview with Putin, potentially using some shady channels all the way back in 2019, and now his own network won’t even touch the story. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy

It’s time for our monthly analysis of the most recent job report with Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy and Priorities. Chad helps us understand the numbers in the report, as well as what makes the unemployment rate misleading. Chad explains why we are in desperate need of unemployment insurance reform, as Republican Governors across the country prematurely end the fully federally funded unemployment insurance benefits, which are scheduled to run until September.June Jobs Report with Chad StoneAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Depending on where you live in America, it might be hard for you to imagine that some people in this country are without access to high-speed or broadband internet (or in some cases, they can’t afford to buy access). That’s why HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge thinks these guarantees are necessary components of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, which invests $65 billion dollars in expanding broadband access to all Americans, reduce the prices of high-speed internet, and complete overdue expansion of broadband on Tribal lands, in consultation with Tribal Nations. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the heels of Mark’s conversation with Prism’s Editor-in-Chief Ashton Lattimore, we now bring in Reporter and Copy Editor Carolyn Copeland, who recently spearheaded a series on racial reckonings. In the last year, following the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, many statements were made by organizations and individuals that showed support for Black Lives Matter and related causes that seek to end racism in America. But as Carolyn points out, there is statement versus substance--where have those statements transformed into action, and where have they fallen flat? She specifically investigated school boards to see who is following through with a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Carolyn also discusses her reporting for a series focusing on women and marginalized journalists and the type of harassment they receive. Read Carolyn's work here: https://prismreports.org/author/carolyn-copeland/ Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertai

Ashton Lattimore is the Editor-in-Chief at PrismReports.org, a non-profit independent news outlet by and for communities of color. They focus on cutting through disinformation surrounding social justice issues with the hope of empowering readers to solve problems within their communities. In today’s episode, Ashton discusses her piece on the Juneteenth holiday, explaining how the symbolism of the holiday does not mean actual progress has been made for Black Americans. And Republicans continue to exploit those symbolic moves made by congress in order to soothe the white voters who support them and want to avoid feeling racist by proxy. Read Ashton’s piece here: https://prismreports.org/2021/06/16/juneteenth-reminds-us-of-the-gap-between-rhetoric-and-reality-about-whos-actually-free-in-america/ Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcir

Throughout the course of the pandemic, there was a collective cheering for essential workers, but those workers never truly felt essential. April Verrett is the President of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 2015, and in today’s episode, she explains how we’ve heavily relied on workers in the service industry but have not given much in return. Some worked without PPE during the height of coronavirus, had no time off from work, and some were without health insurance. April was hopeful after reviewing President BIden's original infrastructure proposal but the latest compromise's failure to include the investment, shows there is still work to be done. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In observance of the 4th of July, and in honor of Frederick Douglass, Mark Thompson brings you a Make It Plain special segment: The 4th of Their Lie. In today’s episode, Mark passionately recites the beginning of Frederick Douglass’ historic speech, “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” And on this holiday, we especially honor the slaves who did not know of their freedom until June 19th, 1865. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Right now there’s a tense race for the NYC Democratic mayoral primary, with new information seemingly hitting us every hour and still an unclear victor. Joseph Geevarghese is the Executive Director for Our Revolution, the largest national grassroots funded progressive political organization in the country, and he joins today to explain ranked-choice voting, how it preserves the democratic process, and why the organization chose to back candidate Maya Wiley. He also discusses Nina Turner’s run for Ohio’s 11th congressional district and what he thinks of another presidential run for Bernie Sanders. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is of growing concern to the medical community and the country-at-large, as the number of those infected are spiking, mostly in areas where vaccination numbers are low. Dr. Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General of the U.S., joins the show to dispel some myths surrounding the vaccine as well as an update on the potential need for boosters and how long our current vaccines’ protection is lasting. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy