Unbossed, Unbothered, and Unfiltered

Latest Episodes:

"An Alliance of Resentment"- A Look at the Insurrection on January 6 Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

We're back for Season 2! Now that Trump is gone, I am looking forward to seeing what we can get done. But first, a mea culpa on the damage done by the now former president and his followers. In this first episode of the second season, we're joined by guests Dr. Kristopher Norris and Reverend Elijah Zehyoue who walk us through the various groups that supported Trump and how they fit into the narrative of our nation.
Kristopher Norris is a scholar of Christian ethics and political theology. His research focuses on race, politics, and moral formation in Christian community. He currently serves as the Kreistler Visiting Professor of Ethics at Virginia Theological Seminary and is the author of Witnessing Whiteness: Confronting White Supremacy in America’s Churches, released this past summer with Oxford University Press. He completed his PhD from the University of Virginia in 2017 in Religious Studies, and holds Masters degrees from Candler School of Theology at Emory University and from Duke Divinity School.
Dr. Norris is an ordained Baptist minister and has written two previous books on the relationship of Christianity and politics, Kingdom Politics and Pilgrim Practices, as well as several peer-reviewed and popular articles in publications like the Journal of Religious Ethics, Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, Political Theology, and The Christian Century. Originally from North Carolina, he currently lives in Washington, DC and is a member of Calvary Baptist Church.
Originally from Monrovia Liberia, and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Elijah showed an affinity for history at a young age. He attended Morehouse College where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in History and went on to receive a Masters in Divinity from the University of Chicago. He lives in Washington, D.C. where he is pursuing a PhD in History at Howard University and serves as Associate Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church

Unbossed, Unbothered, and Unfiltered: Season Finale Nov 26, 2020

Show notes

For the past 13 episodes we have talked to real people who are doing the work on this election and the ways that Black people felt the messages that were being sent. I want to thank each and everyone of you for your thoughts and time and energy to take this journey with me. It has been a ride and I am so grateful that you were willing to lend me your ear this season. Since its the finale, I decided to do something a little different. So I hope you don’t mind, but this episode is just me and in an effort to be hopeful or optimistic about the incoming administration, I wanted to offer my final thoughts on different topics that I believe should be top priority of Biden/Harris administration.
So many of you have reached out over these past few months to tell me how much you are enjoying the podcast, whether you watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for your support. What would actually be super helpful is if you told Apple or Spotify of YouTube that. No matter where you watch if you would give me a 5 star rating and a comment how much you’re enjoying the podcast, I would really appreciate it.
Take care of yourselves and each other and I hope to join you all soon.

We're Talking About Issues, When We Need to Talk About Values Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

The election is over and a decision has been made. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are who the people have elected to lead this country for the next 4 years. Unfortunately, down ballot races in the Senate and House of Representatives. In order to talk about what Democrats can and should do moving forward, I talked to Isaac Wright, a veteran communications strategist.
Isaac Wright, a political and public affairs consultant at FSSG and co-founder of the Rural Voter Institute. Specializing in strategic communications, Isaac Wright has spent nearly two decades as a communications operative and strategist in campaigns and public affairs. He has appeared as a political commentator on Fox News Channel, CNN, POTUS Radio, Sky News, and other national and local programs.
Guest Contact Information:
Twitter: @Izac_Wright
FSSG Website: www.forwardssg.com
Rural Voter Institute: www.ruralvoterinstitute

Black Women Bring Themselves Into Spaces And It Changes Things Nov 13, 2020

Show notes

After the historic election of the first woman vice president Kamala Harris, it is clear we are ushering in a new era of politics. This most recent election was the culmination of decades of work put in by Black women across the country and up and down the ballot. In 2018, a record number of Black women were elected to Congress and other down ballot positions, a win for representation at large. In Harris County, 17 Black women were elected to judgeships setting a national record.
Here to talk about the importance of the role of Black women in politics we have Judge Dedra Davis, who was apart of that class of 17. Judge Dedra Davis of the 270th District Court elected as judge on November 6, 2018. Judge Davis received her Bachelor’s Degree from Texas Tech University, and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law. Judge Davis is a member of the Texas Bar College, American Bar Association, Houston Bar Association, Association of Women Attorneys, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., NAACP, ACLU, and a number of other groups and organizations. Judge Davis is the recipient of numerous awards including being formerly named “Legal Executive of the Year,” receiving a “Dedra Davis’ Day” from the mayor of Houston, and a proclamation from a Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

The Tea on Texas Turnout with Chris Hollins Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

When this episode was recorded at 5:08 PM ET on Thursday November 5, polls had been closed for over 24 hours ago across the country and we did not know who will be the president of the United States. Today's conversation is about the record turnout set in Texas, particularly Harris County.
Chris Hollins, an attorney and fourth-generation Houstonian, is serving as the first Black Harris County Clerk. Before taking office, he was the principal attorney at Hollins Law Group PLLC. Chris has stepped away from private practice to dedicate his full attention to the residents of Harris County and the duties of this office. Chris developed a commitment to public service through the selfless example of his parents and their devotion for improving the lives of others. County clerk Chris Hollins has been on the front lines of making sure every vote is counted this election and I’m glad to have him here to talk about it. And without further adieu, I would like to welcome to Unbossed, Unbothered, and Unfiltered Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins.

Election Night 101: What to Watch For on 2020 Election Night Nov 01, 2020

Show notes

This episode was recorded on October 27, 2020 with what to watch out for on Election Night November 3. Our guests are Dorien Paul Blythers and Jessica Taylor, two people who have been working in politics for many years in very different ways. Their insight is crucial to understanding the electorate this election.
Jessica Taylor is the Senate and Governors Editor for the Cook Political Report, the oldest political prediction outlet in Washington, DC. She spent many years as a political reporter with NPR and this cycle you've been most likely to see her on MSNBC, C-SPAN, or CNN.
Dorien Paul Blythers is Political Director for the End Citizens United PAC and Let America Vote, an organization devoted to ending corporate PAC money's influence in elections. He also served as Regional Political Director on Senator Harris' primary race.

Response to the Final Presidential Debate: Travis Randle and Sakeenah Shabazz Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

On Thursday October 22, Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump were onstage together for the final time to make their case to the American voters 10 days before the election. While this cycle has seemed unlike any other, this debate ended up surpassing the abysmal standards set in the first one.

I invited for a conversation policy experts Travis Randle and Sakeenah Shabazz for a discussion on the ups and downs of policy in the debate and what moments voters will use to make their decisions through Election Day.

You Can Pay for School, But You Can't Buy Class Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

Education has been such an important topic as people have been discussing
kids going back to school, but more than that in this episode about what they are
learning when they are there, socially and scholastically. From classroom teaching to
disciplinary measures, our children observe and absorb just as much at school as they do at home. For Black children, some of their first personal encounters with white
supremacy come from teachers, administrators or even their peers. As they age, the way that material is taught has white supremacy baked in in a way that creates and maintains harmful stereotypes about Black people. And even at the policy level we know that K-12 and post secondary education policies can harm Black students and HBCUs. Our guests today have spent time with students in school and extracurricular settings and will be speaking to their experience of what that can look like.
Shanteal Lake is the External Relations Associate at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Prior to joining Equitable Growth, she managed a variety of work streams and policy portfolios focused on eliminating inequities in education with clients such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Collaborative for Student Success, and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Previously, she served on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and the Workforce, where she supported the committee’s messaging, media coverage, and digital presence across a diverse range of public policy issues. Shanteal holds an M.A. in political and strategic communication from American University and a B.A. in political science from Spelman College.
Zuogwi Earl Reeves has spent several years working in the nonprofit and education sector, supporting first-generation students primarily from Ward 7 and 8 in the District of Columbia. He lives by the quote “You should avoid hedging, at least that’s what I think. You should be ashamed to die until you’ve made some contribution to mankind” by Dr. Vernon Johns. While working he has managed a total of 4.2 million dollars in scholarship dollars funded by the Gates Foundation, Ted Leonis, Rupert Murdock, and Don Graham. Zuogw is currently employed in the field of college access and youth development. Zuogwi accepted God’s calling in 2015 and was granted a license to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ on Thursday, April 6, 2017, at Shiloh Baptist Church. Zuogwi (Zuo) Reeves is the first son of Deaconess Myra Sampson Reeves and the late Rev. Justus Y. Reeves. Zuo was born in Washington, DC, and is a first-generation Liberian American.

Hearings, Kidnappings, and the 25th Amendment-- Oh My! Oct 19, 2020

Show notes

I want to acknowledge this conversation to say this conversation was supposed to be responding to the second, town hall style presidential debate between President Trump and Vice President Joe Biden. However, after the president hosted a superspreader COVID-19 event, was diagnosed with COVID-19 himself, and had a healthy amount of his advisors and high ranking members of the administration also be diagnosed with COVID-19, Trump backed out of the debate once it was announced it would be virtual. So instead, we will be having a conversation about the other host of things happening in the world-- including the attempted kidnapping of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Supreme Court hearings, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi hinting around some options with the 25th amendment. I will note that today’s panel is all men, which is by no means intentional or an attempt to limit voices. Chalk it up to the scheduling and be sure I will do my best to make sure it never happens again. All opinions on this episode are a reflection of the individual and not their employer.

AJ Simonton is a graduate of Morehouse College and Notre Dame Law School and an attorney in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Laurence Hull is a native of Great Britain and graduate of Morehouse College and Harvard Law School and a practicing attorney in Washington, DC.
William Brummett is is a graduate of Elon University and received his Masters at Carson Newman University. He serves as the Program Manager for the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service at George Washington University.

You Cannot be the Church and the Empire Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

In response to critique of Amy Coney Barrett's record, her supporters have often cried out that religious freedom Is under attack. However, often the right uses biblical language to cloud views that are ultimately rooted in white supremacy, which can be confusing to navigate politically. Our guests today are well versed in this topic through scholastic and life experience. We will be speaking with three Reverends today who all serve in Washington, DC with social justice and activism as a central part of their ministries.
Rev. Sally Sarratt and Rev. Maria Swearingen share life, love, and ministry together at Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Together, they serve a community of progressive Christian resisters, contemplatives, and dreamers who keep responding to national and global diseases like white supremacy, war, racism, religious bigotry, and homophobia with the good news of a liberating God who dares to call each of us “Beloved.”
When Reverend Alyssa Aldape was fourteen, her family moved from San Antonio to India to do missionary work with the Banjara people. That was when Alyssa saw discrimination in a new light. The Banjara are a nomadic tribe in India and there is a social stigma against them in modern Indian society. Alyssa recalls seeing her parents—practicing Baptists from the other side of the world—motivated to work with this marginalized group. When she turned 18, Alyssa moved back to the United States to attend college in Birmingham, Alabama, where she lived for six years. Now, as an associate pastor at First Baptist Church DC, Rev. Aldape considers advocacy an integral part of her ministry.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Unbossed, Unbothered, and Unfiltered

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected