Stay ConnectedOn Teach the Babies with Dr. David J. Johns, we’re examining the intersection of education, access, race, and how government impacts the teaching of our babies.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns–6173854/support.
Copyright: © Dr. David J. Johns
Today, sitting with us in the class of someone who's been in the thick of every significant social justice movement for the past 40 years, Reverend Mark Thompson.A political, civil rights and human rights activist who's organized everything from the 1993 DC Statehood civil disobedience campaign, where he spent 20 days in jail to the upcoming 30th anniversary of The Million Man March. He's also the host of Make It Plain, a brilliant podcast, breaking Down Politics and Human Rights, and he recently authored the lead paper on DC Statehood for the State of the People Black Paper Project.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
Political strategist, journalist, and co-anchor of The Signal LIVE Karen Finney joins the class fresh from co-anchoring the launch of State of the People TV with Dr. David J. Johns. Karen reveals the origin story that drives her work—carrying incarcerated teenage girls who couldn't envision a future into every room of power—and why this moment required something different: a movement disguised as media, where the answers are within our community
This conversation explores what it means to be impeccable with your word, why the fourth estate matters for democracy, and what makes this moment different. Karen breaks down journalism versus propaganda, shares lessons from crisis communications and surviving brain surgery, and offers a message: your voice matters, we need you—but take a breath first.The answers are within our community. Be impeccable with your word. Remember who we are.
Watch The Signal LIVE every Thursday at 9pm ET/8pm CT at stateoftheppl.com/tv
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
Host, Dr. David J. Johns sits down with Jada Capri Ward—social justice advocate, performer, and co-host of the Relentless Love Podcast—to explore what activism looks and feels like for millennials and Gen Z. This is a conversation about being a "Zillennial" straddling two worlds, living with chronic illness while doing the work, and why our generation's digital organizing connects back to ancestral ways of resistance. Jada opens up about the fear, the fatigue, and why sometimes the most radical thing we can do is be still. Plus, she shares why leaders like Angela Rye, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, and Tamika Mallory are the "Angela Davis and Malcolm X" of this generation. Jada brings raw honesty about the gaps between policy and people's needs.
@jadaacapri on Instagram
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
In this essential episode of Teach The Babies, Dr. David Johns sits down with theGrio's White House Correspondent and Managing Editor Gerren Keith Gaynor for a masterclass in journalism, media literacy, and democracy protection. From becoming the first Black-owned digital news correspondent in the White House briefing room to breaking down the critical difference between journalists and influencers, Gerren shares invaluable insights on navigating our current "infodemic." This conversation explores how disinformation campaigns target Black communities, the vital role of Black-owned media in countering false narratives, and practical media literacy skills every person needs in 2025. A must-listen for educators, advocates, and anyone committed to informed civic engagement.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
In this powerful follow-up conversation, education equity consultant Nancy Hanks returns to discuss how educators, parents, and allies can navigate the dramatically shifted educational landscape under current federal policies.
Nancy provides unflinching analysis of the psychosocial toll on educators of color while offering concrete strategies for micro-recovery and sustained resistance. She shares specific questions parents should ask schools to maintain equity pressure using plain language, challenges white educators to step up as agitators, and reminds us all why ancestral wisdom is essential for this moment.
From practical advice about red flags in school environments to the profound metaphor of raising a "standard" that lists previous battles won, this episode balances raw honesty about current challenges with actionable hope for protecting and teaching our babies.
Key topics include: grief and healing in educational spaces, parent advocacy strategies that transcend academic jargon, the role of privilege in educational resistance, and why remembering that "folks did more with less" is crucial for sustaining the work ahead.
Essential listening for educators feeling under attack, parents navigating hostile school environments, and anyone committed to ensuring all children can access their beauty and brilliance despite the current assault on educational equity.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
While politicians push federal funding to arm teachers, Chris Chatmon and Kingmakers of Oakland (KOO) are arming Black children with something far more powerful: creativity, culture, and community. In this deeply moving conversation, Chris returns to discuss how creative expression becomes resistance, why drumming circles counter deficit narratives, and how his organization builds what children need while others tear systems down. From table drums made to deepen intersectional connections to animation studios producing counter-narratives, this is education as liberation—and it's happening right now in Oakland.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
Dr. Karida Brown drops receipts on the 150-year battle for Black educational freedom in America. From the original "diss track" between W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington to today's attacks on the Department of Education, she connects the dots between Jim Crow schools and modern-day educational warfare.
Learn why your parents' generation had to desegregate schools as children, how billionaire philanthropists shaped Black education in boardrooms, and why "small acts fall big trees" when it comes to resistance. Dr. Brown's book "Battle for the Black Mind" isn't just history—it's a playbook for fighting educational inequity today.Warning: This episode contains discussion of historical violence, including the execution of 14-year-old George Stinney Jr.
Books Referenced:
Welcome back to class! In this powerful episode of Teach the Babies, Dr. David J. Johns teaches a transformative lesson about Black August—a month of revolutionary love, principled resistance, and the long arc of our freedom struggle.
From the prison walls where George Jackson was politicized and assassinated in 1971, to the contemporary attacks on Black mayors like Muriel Bowser and Karen Bass in 2025, Dr. Johns connects the dots between historical resistance and today's freedom fights. This isn't just Black history - it's Black present.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
What does it mean to stand on business when it comes to our babies' education? Drin Kelly and Stevie Elem-Rogers, co-founders of BE NOLA (Black Education for New Orleans), join Dr. David J. Johns for a powerful conversation about building Black educational excellence in the Crescent City and beyond.From Hurricane Katrina's aftermath to creating "hush harbors" for Black educators, these truth-tellers share why "race-neutral solutions will not transform race-based inequities." Stevie opens up about her "Black Women Are for Grown Ups" platform, while Drin reminds us to "make the community the curriculum."This episode is packed with gems about spirit work, the importance of Black governance in education, and why we must listen to our children more. Plus, they break down what's really happening with Essence Festival and why community accountability matters now more than ever.
Connect: Learn more about BE NOLA's Black Is Brilliant Summit (October 2-5) at blackedunola.org.
This conversation will feed your soul and challenge you to think differently about education, community, and what our babies truly deserve.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
Today we're diving deep into a conversation that has been decades in the making. You know, sometimes the universe brings people together at precisely the right moment, and today feels like one of those moments. I'm here with Tourmaline. An Artivist, an activist, a filmmaker, and now the author of what I can only describe as a groundbreaking biography, Marsha, the Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson.
Tourmaline reminds us that Marsha P. Johnson didn't wait for permission to exist—and neither should we. If you've ever wondered what real Pride looks like beyond corporate rainbow flags—start by pressing play.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
