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.
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Copyright: © Dr. David J. Johns
In this heartfelt episode of "Teach the Babies," host Dr. David Johns welcomes friends, activists, and thought leaders Brittany Packnett Cunningham and Jovian Zayne Peters for an intimate conversation about Black motherhood, community building, and raising children with purpose.
The conversation delves into Black mothers' challenges in healthcare systems, the importance of partners who show up fully, and the wisdom passed down through generations. Both women offer powerful insights on raising children who are compassionate, confident, and deeply connected to their cultural heritage.
This episode stands as a testament to the strength of Black motherhood and offers lessons for anyone involved in nurturing the next generation. As Jovian beautifully summarizes, the key is "being malleable, being like water, being present and honoring the seasons" of life.
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In this rich conversation, Eboni takes us on her journey from a young girl who was "playing president, not playing with baby dolls," to a woman who discovered that motherhood could be her unexpected mojo pouch – that sacred vessel of African protection and power. She shares how choosing motherhood on her own terms has expanded rather than limited her options, and why she refuses to do anything "by committee" – whether it's integrating the cast of Real Housewives of New York or raising our daughter Liberty Alexandria.
We explore how Eboni draws and respects her boundaries in spaces where she's often the first or the only, her reflections on representation in media, and the ancestral wisdom she's reclaiming. From Fox News to Revolt TV, from courtrooms to television courts – Eboni shares lessons that will challenge you to bet on yourself and honor your own authentic path.
Spoiler Alert: Our conversation includes references to the film "Sinners" – so if you haven't seen Ryan Coogler's masterpiece yet (and seriously, what are you waiting for?), you might want to bookmark this episode and come back after your viewing.
Mocha SMC Podcast
Bet on Black The Good News about Being Black in America Today
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In this soul-nourishing episode of "Teach the Babies," host Dr. David Johns sits down with doula, author, and maternal health advocate Latham Thomas, founder of Mama Glow. Together, they explore the revolutionary act of reclaiming birth as a sacred, communal experience deeply rooted in ancestral wisdom.
Latham shares her journey to becoming a doula after her own transformative birth experience, which led her to create Mama Glow, an organization that has trained over 3,000 doulas nationwide. In a healthcare system where Black women face dramatically higher maternal mortality rates, Latham's work stands as both resistance and restoration.
The conversation delves into how doulas serve as modern-day midwives, holding space for birthing individuals while helping them access their ancestral magic during this powerful transition. Latham illuminates how birth is meant to be experienced in community rather than in isolation, with profound insights on how even non-birthing individuals physically change to support new life.
From the power of language as a tool for healing to the alchemy that transforms trauma into joy, this episode offers wisdom for anyone interested in reproductive justice, community building, and reclaiming African ways of being. As Latham beautifully articulates, "It's not enough to survive—our birthright is transcendence.
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In this profoundly personal season opener, host David Johns sits down with his first teacher—his mother, Edith Johns—to explore the foundations of advocacy, resilience, and love. Mama Johns shares her journey from experiencing childhood trauma to becoming a fierce advocate for her children, fighting educational injustice with lawyers in tow when necessary. With remarkable candor, she discusses her path to acceptance, the challenges of single motherhood, and her recent discovery of peace at age 68.
This conversation starts our season 'Rooted Resistance: Ancestral Wisdom for Revolutionary Times,' centered on lessons from mothers and maternal figures who've shaped us. Through laughter, vulnerability, and generations of wisdom, this episode reminds us that our collective liberation begins with healing our relationships and showing up fully for one another, especially in challenging times.
Whether you're a parent, a child, or both, this episode offers powerful lessons about advocating for the next generation while finding your path to peace. As fascism threatens our communities, Mama Johns reminds us that fierce love is our most powerful weapon.
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In this season finale of Teach The Babies, Dr. David J. Johns welcomes power couple Michelle Molitor and Caroline Hill for a profound conversation about the revolutionary potential of community. These visionary educators and equity champions share their journey from meeting in a principal training program to becoming partners in both purpose and love. Together, they explore how to "flatten hierarchies without flattening people" and remind us that in times of political uncertainty, our collective power remains undiminished.
This capstone conversation weaves together the season's central themes: the courage to dream in Afrofuturistic colors, the necessity of equitable education, and the radical potential of loving community. Listeners will leave inspired by their practical strategies for "seeding disruption" and creating environments where everyone is seen as enough because they exist. Join us for this inspiring finale as we close Season 2 and look ahead to new explorations in Season 3. As Caroline reminds us, "We cannot take our humanity for granted" - a fitting conclusion to a season dedicated to defending democracy and expanding equity through education.
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I bet cash, US dollars, that you’ve heard “Don’t Say Gay,” but have you met the leader behind the truth-anchored reframing of a Florida bill (HB 1577) designed to prevent us from honoring that people be gay (in my Quinta Brunson voice). Civil Rights activist Nadine Smith stops by class to talk about how much we’ve gained in the fights for racial equity and LGBTQ+ equality, why she founded Equality Florida, a statewide advocacy organization she continues to lead, in 1997, and she drops gems to help us all get closer to freedom including the importance of returning home to lead and having a local and state political strategy, looking to history for lessons to win the future, and organizing in community.
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Leave it to the babies to stop by class to teach us the importance of staying woke. Hobbes Chukumba is a STEAM-loving scholar who helped organize the national trans prom when he was sixteen. Hobbes and his father, Stephen, provide a master class on the importance of sacrificing to do our part so that the opposition does not win and the importance of appreciating one another’s humanity. They want us to remember that when we come together, there’s nothing we can’t do and provide tangible strategies to get closer to freedom and center joy in the process.
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Daniel Trujillo is a seventeen-year-old Chicano high school student from Tucson, Arizona, who is most known for being one of the creators and four organizers of Trans Prom. He’s been advocating for trans rights for most of his young life. Daniel and his rockstar momadvocate stop by the class to talk about the toll that forced political interruptions take on a family, the importance of supporting trans joy in action, and what it's like to be required to teach your peers while trying to be educated at school.
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What do you know about trans joy? On this podcast episode, we’re joined by Vanessa Ford, an award-winning educator, author, and parent and Rebecca Kling, an educator, organizer, storyteller, and advocate for social change. The two talk about their collaboration to publish “The Advocate Educator’s Handbook: Creating Schools Where Transgender and Non-Binary Students Thrive” and the lessons they’ve learned working with educators, parents, and adults to encourage expansive resistance, remembering the importance of community and the politics of passing.
Trump Is Rolling Back Protections for Transgender Students. What Educators Can Do https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-trump-is-rolling-back-protections-for-transgender-students-what-educators-can-do/2025/01
www.jrandvanessaford.com
www.theadvocateeducator.com
VanessaFordDC
www.RebeccaKling.com
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Rainbow In Black is a non-profit organization that provides unwavering support, resources, and advocacy for Black families of transgender and gender-diverse youth. Sonia Murphy and Keisha Bell, two of the organization's three founders and operators, join the class to discuss the importance of creating community, advocating and showing up for all the babies, and addressing church hurt and hypocrisy. They remind us that acceptance does not require understanding, break down what “gender diverse” means, and talk about organizations like Gender Cool that work alongside Rainbow In Black and NBJC to ensure that YOU have everything you need so we all get free!
https://www.rainbowinblack.org/
https://gendercool.org/
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