Politically Re-Active with W. Kamau Bell & Hari Kondabolu

Latest Episodes:

W. Kamau Bell on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

We're sharing an episode from our friends over at Talk Easy. Kamau sits down with host Sam Fragoso to discuss his four-part docuseries We Need to Talk About Cosby.

They talk about Kamau's reluctance to talk about Bill Cosby, whose legacy became something he decided to publicly grapple with. You'll hear about Kamau's approach to the series, the integral women who helped create it, and a formative United Shades of America moment that transformed the way he encounters and tells painful stories. Plus, how the project permanently altered Kamau’s course.

You can listen to more episodes of Talk Easy at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/politicallyreactivetalkeasy

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Season Finale: MY BAD Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

Hari and Kamau face up to their mistakes before it's too late. And we all learn so much.
Rosa Clemente calls bullshit on Puerto Rican statehood—and gives a crash course on the Puerto Rican people’s historic struggle for self-determination.
Yasmin Benoit unpacks the basics of asexuality and shares asexual perspectives on libido, attraction, romance, and kids.
And Oren Nimni talks Cargill v. Doe and Nestle v. Doe—the Supreme Court cases about cocoa, corporate America, and child slavery we should have asked Neal Katyal about.
Plus: The disturbing revelation that Hari is in fact a "strawberry man".
Find our guests:
Rosa Clemente (@rosaclemente) https://rosaclemente.net
Yasmin Benoit (@theyasminbenoit)
Oren Nimni (@orennimni) https://www.currentaffairs.org/author/oren-nimni
Mentioned on the show:
War Against All Puerto Ricans https://waragainstallpuertoricans.com
Naomi Klein: The Battle for Paradise https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1235-the-battle-for-paradise
Corredor Afro https://corredorafro.org/inicio/
The Asexual Visibility and Education Network https://asexuality.org
Just Security: Nestle/Cargill v. Doe https://www.justsecurity.org/tag/nestle-cargill-v-doe-symposium/

Find us:
Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/
Find the show:
Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
Instagram (@politicallyreactive)
Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
Full credits. www.PoliticallyReActive.com

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Ilana Glazer + Sex Work Without Shame Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

LaLa B Holston-Zannell invites Hari and Kamau to let go of the shame and have a real conversation about sex work, white supremacy, and why decriminalization is a matter of life and death for trans Black women.
Then Ilana Glazer talks about mobilizing young voters during a pandemic, the pros and cons of baby modeling, and how to make a horror movie about fertility treatments. And yeah, "Yas queen."
Find our guests:
LaLa B Holston-Zannell (@LaLaZannell) https://www.aclu.org/news/by/lala-b-holston-zannell/
Ilana Glazer (@ilazer)
ACLU: It's Time to Decriminalize Sex Work https://www.aclu.org/sexwork
Veneno https://www.hbomax.com/veneno
POSE https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/pose
Generator Collective https://www.generatorcollective.com
Indivisible https://indivisible.org
Bessemer Amazon Union https://bamazonunion.org

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Chase Strangio + Dr. Connie Wun + Derek DelGaudio Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

Three powerful, absolutely-nothing-like-one-another conversations on this week's jam-packed mega-episode:
The ACLU's Chase Strangio blows open the absurdity and cruelty of state legislation targeting trans youth who want to play sports—and agrees with Hari about Rodney Dangerfield's relevance to the conversation.
Dr. Connie Wun lifts up the humanity of the victims of the spa killings near Atlanta and connects their murders to America's long history of racist and colonial violence against Asians and Asian-Americans. And she makes the case that cops won't end hate crimes—but organized communities can.
Then Derek DelGaudio, creator of In & Of Itself and author of AMORALMAN, communes with Kamau about magic, identity, performance, and only-childness.
Find our guests:
Chase Strangio (@chasestrangio) https://www.aclu.org/news/by/chase-strangio/
Dr. Connie Wun (@conniewunphd) https://www.conniewunphd.com
Derek DelGaudio (@derek_del)
Trans-led orgs recommended by Chase:
Transformation Project (South Dakota) https://www.transformationprojectsd.org
Transgender Education Network of Texas https://www.transtexas.org
Grassroots orgs highlighted by Connie:
AAPI Women Lead https://www.imreadymovement.org
Advancing Justice https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org
CAAAV https://caaav.org
DRUM: Desis Rising Up and Moving https://www.drumnyc.org
Red Canary Song https://www.redcanarysong.net
VietLead https://www.vietlead.org
VietRISE https://vietrise.org
18 Million Rising https://18millionrising.org
Also mentioned in the show:
Disclosure http://www.disclosurethemovie.com/about

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Soledad O'Brien + Desmond Meade Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

Desmond Meade, who led the campaign to restore voting rights to the formerly incarcerated in Florida, returns to talk about Gov. Ron DeSantis's decision to deny him a pardon and renewed threats to democratic participation in his state. But in spite of it all, Desmond's excitement about people exercising the franchise is infectious.
Then, Emmy-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien is ready to Disrupt & Dismantle structural racism in her new BET series—and to call out cable news for its role in spreading disinformation.
Plus: Hari admits that for him "new music" means Baby Beluga, and Kamau reveals The Goal of Life.
Find our guests:
Desmond Meade (@desmondmeade) https://floridarrc.com/desmond-meade/
Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) https://soledadobrienproductions.com
Mentioned in the show:
Silk Sonic, "Leave the Door Open" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adLGHcj_fmA
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition https://floridarrc.com
ACLU of Florida https://www.aclufl.org
Disrupt & Dismantle https://www.bet.com/shows/disrupt-and-dismantle.html
Comedian and Filmmaker Hari Kondabolu on Comedy, Culture and Maintaining Your Integrity https://www.culturedmag.com/comedian-and-filmmaker-hari-kondabolu-on-comedy-culture-and-maintaining-your-integrity/
Brontez Purnell Explores Intimacy and Longing in New Book 100 Boyfriends https://www.culturedmag.com/brontez-purnell-100-boyfriends/

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Dr. Rhea Boyd + The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

Do Black people have an attitude problem about the COVID-19 vaccine? Dr. Rhea Boyd says absolutely not—the problem is lack of access to the vaccine and to real information. So she's launched BetweenUsAboutUs, a national campaign with Black doctors, scientists, and health care professionals (and a certain podcast host), to give Black communities the resources they need to make informed choices and get vaccinated.
Then Kamau and Hari have the conversation that every politically engaged basketball fan dreams of with Marc J. Spears, Senior NBA writer for The Undefeated. Hear the full story of how the league shut down after the police killing of Jacob Blake, the underappreciated impact NBA players had on the 2020 election, and what it will take for Becky Hammon to get a real shot as the league's first female head coach. Marc also attempts to convert our resident Knicks fan to the Nets. It doesn't work.
Plus: Hari's anticolonialist recap of Oprah's takedown of the British royal family.
Find our guests:
Dr. Rhea Boyd (@RheaBoydMD) https://rheaboyd.com
Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) https://theundefeated.com
Mentioned in the show:
BetweenUsAboutUs https://www.betweenusaboutus.org
NYT Opinion: Black People Need Better Vaccine Access, Not Better Vaccine Attitudes https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/opinion/us-covid-black-people.html

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Neal Katyal + Amber Ruffin + Lacey Lamar Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

Amber Ruffin's career is really taking off (FYI, The Amber Ruffin Show is now on NBC), and she and her sister Lacey Lamar are as close as ever, trading stories about the crazy everyday racist behavior Lacey encounters in their hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Their book You Won't Believe What Happened to Lacey is necessary reading for anyone who doesn't understand how enough microagressions and you'll want to flip a table.
Hari and Kamau also talk to top litigator and former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal about facing the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland vs. the insurrectionists, and how the right uses affirmative action to divide Asian Americans from Black and Latino Americans.
Plus: Arjun unbound!
Find our guests:
Neal Katyal @neal_katyal https://www.nealkatyal.com
Amber Ruffin @ambermruffin https://youllneverbelievelacey.com
Mentioned in the show:
Billie Joe Armstrong on Brontez Purnell’s ‘White Boy Music’: ‘Blast This On a Big-Ass Speaker' https://bit.ly/3sKHFZA
How to win an argument (at the US Supreme Court, or anywhere) | Neal Katyal https://bit.ly/30b8MRu

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Marc Lamont Hill + Kamau's Mom Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

Can we talk about Palestine? Dr. Marc Lamont Hill (who, admittedly, calls himself "a prisoner of hope") says we can, and that Americans are ready to even if our government isn't. He joins Hari and Kamau for a conversation that encompasses Michael Che, Bill Clinton, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the Columbia House record club. Then Kamau's Mom, Janet Cheatham Bell, talks about structural racism in healthcare and her distrust of the pharmaceutical industry—and why none of that stopped her from getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Plus: a surprisingly-detailed analysis of the NBA MVP race.
Find our guests:
Dr. Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) https://www.marclamonthill.com
Janet Cheatham Bell (@CheathamBell) https://www.janetcheathambell.com
Mentioned in the show:
Marc Lamont Hill + Mitchell Plitnick Except for Palestine https://thenewpress.com/books/except-for-palestine
Playgrounds for Palestine https://playgroundsforpalestine.org
Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books https://www.unclebobbies.com

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Vijay Prashad + The Lucas Brothers Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

Historian, journalist and hero-of-Hari Vijay Prashad analyzes the Farmers' Protest in India and makes a powerful case for why their struggle is our struggle. And while he's at it, he salutes Rihanna, defines Marxism, and makes quick work of Dinesh D'Souza. Comic duo The Lucas Brothers give the backstory for the new film Judas and the Black Messiah and their 15-year journey to making a movie about Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. Plus: How Kenny and Keith's stoner nihilism withered in the face of Fred Hampton's love for the people.
Find our guests:
Vijay Prashad (@vijayprashad) https://www.thetricontinental.org
The Lucas Bros (@lucasbros) https://thelucasbros.com
Resources mentioned in the show:
We Stand With Farmers https://farmersprotest.carrd.co
Judas and the Black Messiah Podcast https://www.radiotopia.fm/podcasts/judas-and-the-black-messiah-podcast
Eyes on the Prize II: Interview with William O'Neal: https://vimeo.com/512709094

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adrienne maree brown + F the Filibuster Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

What does cancel culture have to do with defunding the police? How do we liberate our attention? Can better orgasms improve public policy? Hari and Kamau get answers—and Valentine's Day advice—from pleasure activist and abolitionist adrienne maree brown, author of We Will Not Cancel Us. Plus: Adam Jentleson lays out the Jim Crow roots of the filibuster and gives a Senate insider's view on why even Joe Manchin might be convinced to abandon it. His new book is Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy.
Find our guests:
Adam Jentleson (@AJentleson)
adrienne maree brown (@adriennemaree) http://adriennemareebrown.net
Resources mentioned in the show:
We Stand With Farmers https://farmersprotest.carrd.co
Movement for Black Lives https://m4bl.org
The Frontline: #postcardstobiden https://demand.thefrontline.org
Generation Five http://www.generationfive.org