Make It Plain with Mark Thompson

Plessy vs. Ferguson upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the concept of “separate but equal.” The case is more than 125 years old now, but Dr. Susan T. Gooden and co-contributors have a new report that shows how the landmark case’s ripple effect is still present in today’s society, from criminal justice, to education, and even COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Dr. Gooden is Dean and Professor of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as an internationally recognized expert on social equity, and she joins the show today to dig into how, exactly, Plessy vs. Ferguson’s legacy is playing its part in keeping Black and Brown communities from having greater access to the vaccine, despite the fact that those communities have been hit hardest by coronavirus. Co-Contributors: John A. Powell, University of California, Berkeley, and Samuel L. Myers Jr., University of Minnesota Read the report here: https://www.russellsage.org/news/ples

In the final half of this two-part panel, hosted by the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and moderated by Mark and Nkechi Taifa, panelists dig deeper into the topics President Biden covered in his first formal address to Congress. LaTosha Brown opens with remarks on voter suppression and then participants provide additional analysis and reflection on topics including unemployment, international relations, reparations, and police violence. The panel closes with moving remarks by Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba of Jackson, Mississippi. Moderated by: Mark Thompson and Nkechi Taifa, Esq., President, The Taifa Group, Author, Black Power Lawyer Panelists: Dr. E. Faye Williams, National President/CEO, National Congress of Black Women; LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder, Black Voter Matters; Bill Fletcher, Author, Labor and Social Justice Activist; Tamika Mallory, Co- Founder, Until Freedom; Dr. Greg Carr, Chairman, Africana Studies Department, Howard University; Pastor Michael McBride, Co-Founder, Black Church PAC; A’Do

In this annual panel (and two-part MIP series), hosted by the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and moderated by Mark and Nkechi Taifa, these Black leaders reflect on President Biden’s first 100 days in office and assess what, if anything, has been accomplished that will advance the goals of the Black community-at-large. These leaders also consider what Black voters can and should do to hold the Biden administration accountable. Moderated by: Mark Thompson and Nkechi Taifa, Esq., President, The Taifa Group, Author, Black Power Lawyer Panelists: Dr. E. Faye Williams, National President/CEO, National Congress of Black Women; LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder, Black Voter Matters; Bill Fletcher, Author, Labor and Social Justice Activist; Tamika Mallory, Co- Founder, Until Freedom; Dr. Greg Carr, Chairman, Africana Studies Department, Howard University; Pastor Michael McBride, Co-Founder, Black Church PAC; A’Dorian Murray-Thomas, School Board Member; Kyleesha Wingfield-Hill, Policy Advisor Office of the Mayor,

We’re in the middle of a pandemic, so you’d probably think Florida’s legislative goals include healthcare, education, and employment, for starters. That would be a wrong assumption--instead, they’re pushing through H.B. 1, which focuses on bringing us back to the Jim Crow era by making peaceful protests nearly impossible to participate in without getting arrested. Micah Kubic is the Executive Director at ACLU of Florida and he breaks down all the shady details of the bill, which essentially grants police officers the power to decide if a protest is a “riot” and then arrest and charge any and every person in attendance. Micah also lets us know what the ACLU is doing to fight it, and what you can do on an individual level to protect this basic right. 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

It’s been 100 days of President Biden, and it’s been...quiet--but still productive for progressives, says Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos and Civiqs and Host of podcast “The Brief.” Markos and Mark dissect the Biden administration’s strategies and nominations and put them against the backdrop of American history to see where we’re actually advancing. Markos also shares his thoughts on Derek Chauvin being found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. 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 Supreme Court is set to hear a major NRA-backed gun rights case, which will decide if New Yorkers can carry concealed handguns while in public. Igor Volsky, Executive Director of Guns Down America, is back today to explain how this potentially dangerous ruling could bring us such a great distance from what the 2nd Amendment was intended to do, according to the Founding Fathers. And as Igor reminds us, there are now more guns than people in the United States, and even the “best trained individuals” (a.k.a. the police) prove to misuse their firearms time and time again--so this case could have violent and tragic results. 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

Angelo Carusone, President of Media Matters for America (mediamatters.org) is back for an update on “UnFox My Cable Box” (unfoxmycablebox.com), which seeks to inform consumers on the ways they are (often unknowingly) funding the propaganda machine that is Fox News. Angelo also discusses the network’s massively inaccurate predictions of riots and violence that would follow the verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial. We’re also wondering why Fox is so devoted to Tucker Carlson, and Angelo fills us in on their harsh reality that doubles as motivation to keep him around: they can’t survive without him. 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

Reverend Michael Battle’s latest book, “Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor,” gives an unprecedented closeup of one of the most visible figures of the anti-apartheid movement. Rev. Battle has known Archbishop Tutu for more than 25 years, once living in residence with him in South Africa, serving as his chaplain and eventually getting ordained by him. In that time, he became deeply acquainted with the spirituality that helped Tutu tackle apartheid. In today’s episode, he talks about what he learned from his mentor, how he came to be in that position as his mentee, who Archbishop Tutu was beyond his political work, as well as Rev. Battle’s thoughts on the current reparations movement. Rev. Battle is currently the Herbert Thompson Professor of Church and Society and Director of the Desmond Tutu Center at General Theological Seminary in New York. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertisin

In today’s final episode of “Reparations Are Coming,” we hear the remaining panelists share their final thoughts on witnessing history, and as Mark calls it, the “unfinished business of America.” These panelists are deeply ingrained in the fight for reparations, and they express their gratitude for those who work alongside them, as well as the giants whose shoulders they stand upon, as we watch the bill advance to the House of Representatives. Panelists: Kamm Howard, National Co-Chair of NCOBRA; Kennis Henry, Chairperson of NCOBRA Legislative Committee; Reverend Dr. JoAnn Watson, Senior Pastor of Westside Unity Church; Dr. Raymond Winbush, Director of the Institute for Urban Research; Nkechi Taifa, Founder & Principal CEO of Taifa Group LLC; Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the Institute of the Black World Conference; Dr. Greg Kimathi Carr, Professor of Africana Studies, Howard UniversityAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

History is captured in today’s episode as we hear the Judiciary Committee vote to approve the reparations bill, H.R. 40, advancing it to the floor of the House of Representatives. The panelists discuss the GOP’s strategy to obfuscate the discussion on reparations with a mention of “packing the court,” or more accurately known as expanding the court. You’ll hear the historic vote as well as initial reactions from the panelists as they focus on the next big question: what happens now? Panelists: Kamm Howard, National Co-Chair of NCOBRA; Kennis Henry, Chairperson of NCOBRA Legislative Committee; Reverend Dr. JoAnn Watson, Senior Pastor of Westside Unity Church; Dr. Raymond Winbush, Director of the Institute for Urban Research; Nkechi Taifa, Founder & Principal CEO of Taifa Group LLC; Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the Institute of the Black World Conference; Dr. Greg Kimathi Carr, Professor of Africana Studies, Howard University Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP En

On April 14th, for the first time in history, the House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the reparations bill, H.R. 40, which would establish the commission to study reparations proposals. As the bill was getting marked up on Capitol Hill, Mark moderated a panel of some of the key players in the reparations movement, and we’ll be bringing you that motivating conversation all week long. In today’s discussion, the panelists explain what it means for a bill to get “marked up” and they unravel the complicated process of (hopefully) getting this bill passed. They also explore the misrepresentations of the movement, and parse the relationship between local versus national reparations. Panelists: Kamm Howard, National Co-Chair of NCOBRA; Kennis Henry, Chairperson of NCOBRA Legislative Committee; Reverend Dr. JoAnn Watson, Senior Pastor of Westside Unity Church; Dr. Raymond Winbush, Director of the Institute for Urban Research; Nkechi Taifa, Founder & Principal CEO of Taifa Group LLC; Dr. Ron Daniels, Presi

On April 14th, for the first time in history, the House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the reparations bill, H.R. 40, which would establish the commission to study reparations proposals. As the bill was getting marked up on Capitol Hill, Mark moderated a panel of some of the key players in the reparations movement, and we’ll be bringing you that motivating conversation all week long. Today begins with part one, where the panelists discuss the reasons why reparations are still necessary, how we can get there, what the long-fault battle has been like, and how we can get to the point where we are seeing a range of remedies that would produce healing for Black people.  Panelists: Kamm Howard, National Co-Chair of NCOBRA; Kennis Henry, Chairperson of NCOBRA Legislative Committee; Reverend Dr. JoAnn Watson, Senior Pastor of Westside Unity Church; Dr. Raymond Winbush, Director of the Institute for Urban Research; Nkechi Taifa, Founder & Principal CEO of Taifa Group LLC; Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the

Maggie Haberman had unprecedented access to the Trump family and administration; now that we’re in our new administration, where are all her big scoops on Biden? That’s what Eric Boehlert, writer and publisher of Pressrun.media, wants to know today. He also says that Fox News should not be allowed to participate in White House press briefings after turning a blind eye to the scandal involving Rep. Matt Gaetz (and also, Jen Psaki has no time for their strange and pointless questions). And Eric also has some incredibly important points on how the media botched the news on Johnson & Johnson pausing their vaccine distribution. 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

Arisha Hatch is the Vice President and Chief of Campaigns for Color of Change, and in today’s episode, she and Mark dig into the difficult topic of optimism vs. pessimism regarding the outcome of the Derek Chauvin murder trial, which is incredibly complicated for the Black community. They share their fears and hopes for the outcome, and also explore what police accountability could look like going forward. And, as always with our friends at Color of Change, we get our marching orders on how to get involved in their recent initiatives. 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

President Biden surprised Democrats when he announced a commission to explore expanding the Supreme Court. Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos, Civiqs, and Host of podcast “The Brief,” is back today to explain why Biden might have made that move and what could come of it, in terms of D.C. statehood and reparations. However, aside from the Supreme Court, there’s another issue to overcome: Senator Joe Manchin. 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

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 content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

If you’ve watched the HBO documentary on QAnon (“Q: Into the Storm”), or if you spend any time on the internet, you know it revealed some key details surrounding the group of conspiracy theorists. But what you don’t know is what the filmmaker, Cullen Hoback, chose to leave out, and that crucial information is what Mother Jones reporter Ali Breland is here today to discuss. Ali and his colleague AJ Vicens were able to connect Jim Watkins (founder of 8chan) to countless web domains that allegedly host child pornography (more details on how they can make these connections without viewing the illegal content are in the episode). Ali gives the background on his and AJ’s story, what Hoback said when Ali reached out about the documentary’s misrepresentations, and how he plans to move forward with what he believes is incriminating information on Jim Watkins. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https:/

Glenn Kirscher, Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, is on today to unravel the latest testimonies in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knealed on George Floyd’s next until he was dead. Mark and Glenn examine what was heard from Dr. Tobin, an expert pulmonologist, as well as Dr. Baker, the medical examiner who performed George Floyd’s autopsy, in which Glenn found some unusual details. 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

Racism is harming, if not killing, people of color in America, and there’s a small group that actually profits off it. That’s what Jim Freeman, author of “Rich Thanks to Racism: How the Ultra-Wealthy Profit from Racial Injustice,” unravels in today’s episode. There’s a number of billionaires and multi-millionaires (like the Koch brothers and the people behind ALEC, to name a couple) who invest in legislation that keep things in place like the prison-industrial complex, immigrant detention, and school privatization, but that’s not the only way they turn racism into profits. Jim speaks to the layers that begin with criminalizing young people of color in their schools and continue after people have been released from prison. But you can get involved, and Jim also has some advice on that, too. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson is the Co-Executive Director of the Highlander Research and Education Center (the first Black woman to hold the position), a catalyst for grassroots organizing and movement building in Appalachia and the South. This renowned civil rights center suffered an arson attack in 2019, complete with a “white power” tag found at the scene. Ash-Lee and Mark discuss not just the fire, but the white supremacy that fueled it, and why events like these are “not surprising” to Ash-Lee, her colleagues, or the communities they look to serve. Ash-Lee and Mark discuss white supremacy through the lens of some of the bigger events of the year, including the death of George Floyd and the insurrection on Capitol Hill, and consider what it takes to gain ground for racial justice, equality, and most importantly, sustainability. Ash-Lee also asks us to rethink popular (and stereotypical) definitions of what it means to be from Appalachia, and what her identity as an Afrolachian means to her. Executive Produc