CJ dedicates this episode to Dr. John Fleming, the Godfather of Black Museums. Dr. Fleming is a legend in the museum field who played a leading role in the development of nearly two dozen museums. The opening dedication includes a brief reflection from Dr. Tonya Mathews, President and CEO of the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.

In this episode, Dr. Felicia Bell joins CJ to examine the foundational relationship between African Americans and the U. S. Capitol. Illuminating the truth regarding free and enslaved craftsmen’s contributions towards the construction of the U. S. Capitol reflects how African Americans have played an essential role in the building of the world’s most recognizable structures. This episode will unpack the impact of African Americans on the history of the Capitol from its existence to present day.

LINKS
Standing on Business Ep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3eA3zuLDtM
The White House Was, in Fact, Built by Enslaved Labor: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/white-house-was-fact-built-slaves-180959916/
Landscapes in the Making: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780884025214

In this episode, Taylor Curtis joins CJ at the table to explore philosophies rooted in cultural competency, equity, social healing, and radical justice under the weight of racial trauma. This episode is about unmasking the realities of the social construct of race under the brightness of the American experiment for the sake of healing amid times of incivility and polarizing anti blackness.

Curtis is a brilliant scholar and intellectual who is recognized as the Youngest African American Female to be Tenured at an institution of higher education in U.S. history. She served as a professor of General Psychology, Social Psychology, Black Psychology and Black Studies at her previous institution, and is currently a justice advocate strategically to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace and dignity for all.

In this episode, Councilwoman Victoria Parks joins CJ at the table to explore the legacy of race and law amid a Cincinnati street brawl that went viral. The incident unearths the longstanding issues of behavior and consequences along racial lines where Black behavior is policed and criminalized at a much higher rate than White behavior. There’s a legacy of bad behavior from Black people often being punished accordingly and bad behavior from White people most likely being pardoned and tolerated with impunity. In this episode we unmask the realities reflected in the historical accounts of Ohio’s Black Laws as the anchor for a candid conversation.

RESOURCES:

EJI Senior Writer: Ohio's “Black Laws”

Look Black: An historical look at Ohio’s 'Black Laws' in the US

Ohio Black Laws: https://youtu.be/7m6KOY-Z8Lg

1829 Cincinnati Race Riots: Cincinnati Riots of 1829 | BlackPast.org

In this episode, Tracey Artis, founder of I Hear Music Inc. and the Executive Director of the Midwest Black Family Reunion, joins CJ at the table to explore the legacy of the Black Family Reunion and our need to affirm the values, history, and impact of the Black family. The Midwest Black Family held in Cincinnati, OH continues to be an annual event that celebrates and honors the Black family. Artis continues to carry a legacy that began in 1986 under the love and leadership of Dorothy Height, then the President of National Council of Negro Women.

This episode also features M. Keith Claybrook, Jr., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Africana Studies at CSU, Long Beach where he teaches classes on history and the social sciences. He has also published book reviews, journal articles, encyclopedia entries, and book chapters. His publications include, “Putting Some Soul into Critical Thinking: Toward an African Centered Approach to Critical Thinking,” “Africana Studies, 21st Century Black Student Activism, and High Impact Educational Practices: A Biographical Sketch of David C. Turner, III,” “David L. Horne: A Living Example of a Pan African Leader Scholar- Activist,” and “Black Power, and Black Students, and the Institutionalizing of Change: Loyola Marymount University, 1968- 1978.”

Tracey Artis: https://ihearmusicintheair.com/about-us/

BFR2025: https://myblackfamilyreunion.org/

Black Perspectives: https://www.aaihs.org/dorothy-height-ncnw-and-the-national-black-family-reunion/

1986 Special Report: 1986 SPECIAL REPORT:"THE VANISHING BLACK FAMILY"

#blackhistory #blackfamily #blackperspectives #GTWCJ

In this episode, Dr. Robin Martin joins CJ at the table to explore what it means to lead in today’s political and social climate, particularly as Black people navigating an anti-Blackness, often dehumanizing society. Using bell hooks’ powerful quote, “Rage is a necessary aspect of resistance struggle. Rage can act as a catalyst inspiring courageous action,” as our anchor, Dr. Martin invites us to consider how rage can serve not as a force of destruction, but as a catalyst for transformation, healing, and courageous leadership. Drawing from hooks’ Killing Rage: Ending Racism, this candid conversation illuminates key themes that interrogate the intersections of race, gender, representation, and love.

This episode is about asking the right questions, honoring our rage as righteous and necessary, and using it to reimagine leadership, innovation, and Black community power in the now.