Episodes

  • Race, Science, and the Carceral State with Dr. Brandon Ogbunu

    Race, Science, and the Carceral State with Dr. Brandon Ogbunu
    Apr 30 2023
    • Dr. Brandon Ogbunu's background and journey to becoming an evolutionary biologist and epidemiologist
    • The role of advocacy in the Black Press and its contrast with scientific objectivity
    • How the legacy of Black scientists has approached the expectation of scientific objectivity
    • The importance of data science in uncovering and addressing systemic racism
    • The racial impacts of COVID-19 on the criminal legal system and how it amplified underlying racial disparities
    • Understanding the carceral state as a complex adaptive system and the various actors involved in perpetuating systemic racism
    • The importance of scientific communication in making complex ideas accessible to different audiences
    • The future of data science and the opportunities it presents for Black and brown communities to create change

    We hope you enjoy this episode and gain valuable insights from Dr. Brandon Ogbunu's work and perspectives. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review to help us continue creating content that is of interest to you.
    Show more Show less
    48 mins
  • From the Battlefield to City Council: Johnathan Duncan Talks Horrors of War, Organizing w/ KC Tenants & City Council Race

    From the Battlefield to City Council: Johnathan Duncan Talks Horrors of War, Organizing w/ KC Tenants & City Council Race
    Mar 14 2023
    In this riveting episode of The Kansas City Defender Podcast, we sit down with Johnathan Duncan, a military veteran who bravely served in Iraq at just 17 years old. Join us as we delve into his deeply personal struggles with PTSD, night terrors, depression, and suicidal thoughts, and learn about the transformative journey that led him to seek help and ultimately find his calling in community organizing and politics. Hear how Johnathan overcame immense challenges to access essential services for veterans, and how this experience sparked his passion for advocating for universal healthcare for all. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Johnathan joined forces with KC Tenants, Kansas City's citywide tenant union, and played a pivotal role in preventing evictions during a time of crisis. Inspired by his experiences and determined to create lasting change, Johnathan is now running for City Council in the 6th district. In this exclusive interview, we explore his bold vision for Kansas City, as he seeks to champion policies that uplift poor and working-class communities and ensure the effective implementation of progressive legislation. Don't miss this inspiring story of resilience, advocacy, and hope for a better future for all Kansas City residents.
    Show more Show less
    45 mins
  • The Death of Objectivity & How Solidarity Journalism is Taking Its Place

    The Death of Objectivity & How Solidarity Journalism is Taking Its Place
    Mar 10 2023
    In this riveting and deeply thought-provoking episode, host Ryan Sorrell is joined by Dr. Anita Varma, a leading Journalism scholar renowned for challenging traditional, white supremacist values in media. Currently she is an Assistant Professor at the School of Journalism and Media at UT Austin, and leads the Solidarity Journalism Initiative at the Center for Media Engagement. Dr. Varma shares her journey and what led her to work in journalism, particularly in solidarity work. Her recent, unprecedented paper Solidarity Reporting on Marginalization, challenges the notion of journalistic objectivity and provides a new framework rooted in traditions like the Black Press, ethnic press and labor press. The conversation turns to the history of white American journalism and its role in white supremacy, including how white media enabled and empowered white supremacist fascism and racial terror during slavery and Jim Crow. Dr. Varma discusses how solidarity reporting, such as the Black press, differs from traditional journalism (what she terms “monitorial reporting”) and its importance in centering the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. The podcast also delves into the issue of police departments and their use of state-sanctioned disinformation, particularly in the case of the Kansas City Police Department. Dr. Varma provides insights on how news outlets can cover police departments and hold them accountable. This episode provides an insightful and thought-provoking discussion on the importance of solidarity journalism and its role in addressing systemic issues affecting marginalized communities.
    Show more Show less
    46 mins
  • The Rise & Fall of Twitter, ChatGPT & Black Radical Imagination Featuring Dr. Andre Brock

    The Rise & Fall of Twitter, ChatGPT & Black Radical Imagination Featuring Dr. Andre Brock
    Mar 1 2023
    In this riveting episode, host Ryan Sorrell interviews Dr. André Brock, Associate Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, who is a leading scholar in the field of Black Cyberculture, race and Black people on social platforms. The discussion covers various topics ranging from the rise and fall of twitter, where Black people will go if Twitter collapses, the benefits and also the inherent racism of ChatGPT and more. The conversation begins with Dr. Brock describing his journey as a college dropout, before re-entering university nearly a decade later. He attended Carnegie Mellon and began his research in Black Cyberculture and Internet Studies. He works especially at the intersection of radical Black politics and technology. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the use of technology for radical resistance and joy. Dr. Brock highlights exciting projects that a team of Black women students in his class are working on. The podcast offers a rich and thought-provoking dialogue on the intersection of technology, race, and identity, highlighting the possibilities and challenges that lie ahead.
    Show more Show less
    34 mins
  • Jenay Manley Talks City Council Campaign & the Future of Housing

    Jenay Manley Talks City Council Campaign & the Future of Housing
    Feb 16 2023
    In the latest episode of "The Kansas City Defender" podcast, host Ryan Sorrell sits down with Jenay Manley, a Housing Justice community organizer and candidate for city council in Kansas City. Jenay talks about her upbringing in poverty, raised by a single mother, and how that inspired her to get involved in the fight for housing justice. She emphasizes that housing is a fundamental human right that affects every other aspect of our lives. As a mother of two children, Jenay explains how her own experiences as a mother with housing insecurity and facing discrimination in the rental market forced her to become an organizer and advocate for her community. She also discusses her vision for participatory governance, where community members have a say in the decisions that affect their lives. Jenay delves into her campaign for city council and the changes she hopes to bring about. She emphasizes the need for transparency and accountability, and stresses the importance of building power with the people. Overall, the episode is an inspiring and informative conversation about the crucial role of housing justice in creating a more equitable and just society, and the power of participatory governance to make that vision a reality.
    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • The Defender Podcast is Back!

    The Defender Podcast is Back!
    Sep 3 2022
    The Kansas City Defender podcast is officially back! It has been over a year since we've published our first episode, featuring leader of KC Tenants Jenay Manley. In that time, The Defender has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of news. We've broken national stories and gained critical acclaim from the likes of Harvard University and Mizzou's #1 ranked Reynolds Journalism Institute. Despite our major growth and national recognition, we are clear about our Black radical roots.
    Show more Show less
    17 mins
  • The Future of Radical Black Media, Cyberculture, and the Black Press

    The Future of Radical Black Media, Cyberculture, and the Black Press
    Feb 3 2022

    Defender Major 🔑 : This is a first-of-its-kind conversation bringing together some of the most brilliant Black media thinkers in the world. Never before has such a diverse, inter-disciplinary group come together to discuss not just the future of Black media, but the Future of Radical Black Media.

     

    The Lineup ⭐

    - Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, Publisher of Black Voice News and Founder of Voice Media Ventures

    - Dr. Kim Gallon, Founder of the Black Press Research Collective

    - Toriano Porter, Opinion Writer and member of The Star Editorial Board.

    - Dr. Andre Brock, Black Cyberculture and Black Online Communities at Georgia Tech

    - Cheryl Thompson-Morton, Director of the Black Media Initiative at for the Center for Community Media at the Newmark J-School

    - Dr. Anita Varma, Ethicist and Solidarity Journalism Initiative Lead at UT Austin

    - Dr. E. James West, UK-based historian and writer. He is the author of Ebony Magazine and Lerone Bennett Jr: Popular Black History in Postwar America (Illinois, 2020)
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Budget Talks: Councilwoman Robinson Discusses Reimaginging Public Safety and Kansas City's History of Racist Policing

    Budget Talks: Councilwoman Robinson Discusses Reimaginging Public Safety and Kansas City's History of Racist Policing
    Feb 25 2021
    In this week's show, Councilwoman Robinson and Ryan explore a variety of fascinating subjects from her response to activist calls to Defund, to the history of policing and racial capitalism in the city. Robinson describes her upbringing as a born and raised KC native and how her time at the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime shaped her journey and political thought. Most importantly, they discuss the ongoing budget cycle for the city to determine whether Kansas City will align with national and local calls to reallocate spending away from racist policing and instead towards life-giving institutions and services.
    Show more Show less
    51 mins