Getting Common: Recent Episodes
Carliss Chatman
Getting Common with Professor Carliss Chatman provides a refreshing common sense approach to business, law, women's rights, racial justice, and entrepreneurship. Featuring experts in law, business and entrepreneurship, politics and government, and education, Getting Common educates while exposing you to a fresh and new perspective. Listen live every Wednesday at 8 AM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel.
What happens when 3 native Houstonians get together for a discussion of all things Beyoncé? In this episode Courtney St. Julian and Brendon Bailey join the podcast to discuss what made them fans, the haters and the hive, and why your fave could never.
Do we own our bodies in the same way that we own our possessions? Does this ownership give us autonomy, or the ability to freely commodify ourselves and our bodies products? How has the Dobbs decision changed the ability for all persons to possess and control their bodies? In this episode Professor Meghan Boone of Wake Forest Law will join us to discuss bodily autonomy and whether it create a market for bodies.
The common refrain is that if the poor would simply learn financial responsibility and make smarter choices, then they could work their way out of poverty. This is far from reality, yet when those in poverty fall short and are forced into predatory lending, it is often blamed on their lack of personal responsibility. The same sentiment is present when those who take on student loans, once proclaimed as good debt, to advance themselves and find themselves saddled with lifelong burdens. On this episode, Dr. Frederick “Fred” Wherry, the Townsend Martin, Class of 1917 Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, the Director of the Debt Collection Lab (debtcollectionlab.org), and the Founding Director of the Dignity + Debt Network (a partnership between Princeton and the Social Science Research Council: dignityanddebt.org), and Dr. Fenaba Addo, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, will join the show to discuss the relationship between debt, income inequality and wealth inequality, and the role our culture plays in the cycle of poverty.
Xochitl Gonzalez is novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and executive producer. She is also the author of the New York Times best-seller Olga Dies Dreaming. The novel is groundbreaking in its representation of Puerto Rican history and culture, and also its presentation of a diverse family and its struggles in the face of gentrification and cultural erasure. In this episode we will discuss the importance of diverse voices, her framework for Olga, and the class issues related to quiet.
In the wake of many public tragedies, the focus is often on those who are armed and their willingness to forgive the perpetrator. This is also true when confronting systemic and societal harm--the marginalized are expected to forgive, forget, and move forward. It seems this practice is rooted in Christian sensibilities--but is it really? On this episode Rev. Stan Williams and Rev. Rob Lee will explore the narratives that admonish those who are victims of systemic harms to forgive, forget, and move forward.
The data proves that diverse doctors save lives, but there has not been much progress made at diversifying medicine. However, there are many doing the work it takes to improve the numbers. In this episode, Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP and Chief Health Officer at City Block Health, will provide information on how to get into and get through medical school, details on her non-profit, Tour for Diversity in Medicine (https://linktr.ee/Tour4Diversity), and her vision for equitable and accessible health care in America. Dr, Matthews co-founded the Tour for Diversity in Medicine (www.tour4diversity.org) which seeks to motivate and inspire high school and college students around the nation.
Many of us only think about food safety and our food supply when a foodborne illness is in the headlines. We are often unaware of how various government agencies regulate our food supply or how dietary recommendations are made. For example, how does the government define meat or milk or healthy? How is food inspected when it goes from the farm or the factory to our grocery stores or restaurants? In this episode my guests Emilie Aguirre, Associate Professor of Law at Duke Law, and Tammi Etheridge, Assistant Professor of Law at the Elon University School of Law, join the podcast to discuss the basics of food safety and our food supply.
Dobbs has brought new focus to the Supreme Court. What impact will the new Term have on our rights? There are many cases receiving attention this Term, including those involving affirmative action and voting rights, but what else should we be paying attention to? This week's guests, Alexandra Klein, Assistant Professor at St. Mary's University School of Law, and Brandon Hasbrouck, Associate Professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, will highlight the cases they're focusing on this Term, and share their predictions about the future of the Supreme Court.
Join my guests Professor Wendy Greene, Professor Marissa Jackson Sow, and Rasheedah Thomas of RC Communications as we discuss the movement to #freethehair and the impact of discrimination against Black hair in the classroom and the workplace.
Professor Wendy Greene is a trailblazer in the movement to end hair discrimination. Professor Greene fights for the freedom for all to embrace the natural expression of physical appearance in social, political and corporate arenas in order to ensure all are free from bias based on the body they were born in and the hair they were born with on a global scale. Her groundbreaking work has been the foundation for legislation on hair discrimination across the country and internationally, including the CROWN ACT. Here are some highlights of Professor Greene's work:
*Legal expert for California's Creating Respectful and Open Workplaces for Natural Hair Act (C.R.O.W.N. Act) signed into law on July 3, 2019
*Legal Expert, Drafted and submitted an expert declaration on behalf of African American male students seeking a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of a high school grooming policy prohibiting them from wearing locs in Arnold v. Barbers Hill Independent School District, Civil Action No. 4:20-CV-1802 (May 2020)
*Co-drafter and Legal Advisor, South Carolina House Bill 4692 introduced in January 2020 which clarifies the definition of race, national origin, and color for the purposes of S.C. statutes prohibiting racial discrimination in workplaces, schools, and public accommodations
*Legal Expert and Expert Witness, California's Creating Respectful and Open Workplaces for Natural Hair Act (C.R.O.W.N. Act) signed into law on July 3, 2019
*Legal publications shaped the New York City Commission on Human Rights groundbreaking enforcement guidance issued in February 2019 prohibiting natural hair discrimination in public and private schools, workplaces and public accommodations (which also serves as the primary justification for the NY State C.R.O.W.N. Act signed into law July 2019)
*The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s employed her legal arguments in a seminal natural hair discrimination case arising under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act: EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions, Incorporated (2017)
*Her published legal definition of race to be employed in anti-discrimination laws was adopted by the Ninth Circuit of Appeals, the C.R.O.W.N Acts of California and New York, and pending state laws in Kentucky, Michigan, and New Jersey as well quoted by the 11th Circuit of Appeals as a legal authority on the social construction of race
On this episode we will discuss Professor Greene's contributions, and what she has planned next.
This episode of our Entrepreneurship Series will feature Dawn Dickson, a serial entrepreneur and inventor with over 20 years of experience in technology and business development. She has founded six successful cash flow positive companies since 2001, including Flat Out of Heels (2011) and PopCom (2017) and has successfully exited one company (Lifestyle Cafe, 2021). Dawn is the first female founder globally to raise over $1M secure token offering under a Reg CF of the JOBS Act. She is considered to be a pioneer in Web3 and equity crowdfunding. At the helm of multiple cash flow positive businesses, the Ohio-born entrepreneur, inventor, businesswoman, angel investor, and speaker has made history and emerged as a consumer thought leader in her own right. As the C.E.O. and Founder of PopCom, she pioneers the connection between e-commerce and vending machines, continuing a legacy of innovation and invention. “The common thread throughout my career is the belief in using technology to create generational wealth and empower my community,” she explains. “Whether I’m using technology to help people discover events, raise money, or sell products, I’m leveraging the power of technology. Technology is more inclusive now, but I’ve never been intimated by being the only woman or black person in a room. I was always driven to be exceptional and to set an example for those that proceed me, to keep the bar very high.” She started to raise the bar as a child in Columbus, OH. The daughter of entrepreneurs, she moved from one hustle to the next, selling candy, old toys, and lemonade throughout grade school. She valued the experience, and it ultimately informed her path. “The culture of my neighborhood and family was, ‘If you want money, go out there and make it’,” she explains. “That was always me. I wanted my own money, so I found a way to make it.”
In the summer of 2021, the Trustees of Washington and Lee University voted to retain name of the institution. Throughout the previous year, many Confederate monuments were removed, and the names of other institutions throughout Virginia and the rest of the south were changed. In addition, an overwhelming majority of the faculty voted in support of a name change, and various groups of students circulated petitions and engaged in protest of the name. On this episode, my guests Rev. Robert W. Lee, IV (https://www.roblee4.com/), Ty Seidule (www.tyseidule.com), Professors Nneka Dennie and Brandon Hasbrouck, and Washington and Lee Law alum Adenike Miles-Sorinmade will discuss the efforts to change the name, the aftermath of the Trustee decision, and the meaning of naming and monuments.
In a press release the University stated: Despite these vital contributions, the board acknowledged that the association with its namesakes can be painful to those who continue to experience racism. It repudiated racial injustice in any form and expressed regret for the University’s past veneration of the Confederacy and the fact that the university itself owned human beings and benefited from their forced labor and sale. It also reiterated its ongoing commitment to conducting rigorous and nuanced explorations of W&L’s history with humility and honesty. The board concluded that the university’s name recognizes the connections of its namesakes to the institution, but is also associated with an exceptional liberal arts and legal education and common experiences and values that are independent of the personal histories of the two men. It cited the university’s name and reputation as a source of strength and resources that it may build and draw upon to advance its mission and support the students, staff, programs and facilities to meet its strategic goals.
Many believe that investing in cryptocurrency is a guaranteed road to wealth, and we hear about the NFTs that make people millions. But, what does the law have to say about it? Is the trading in a regulated market? Is it treated like securities, currency, or commodities under the law? What happens when a token is lost or an NFT is stolen? On this episode, Professor Carla Reyes will highlight the basics of the law behind cryptocurrency and NFTs.
There is a lot of data on how race and income impact educational performance, and about how teacher identity and quality influences those gaps. For Black students, having just one Black teacher in early education lowers the high school dropout rate by 50%, and having two Black teachers lowers the rate by 75%. Yet, only 7% of teachers identify as Black--but the percentage of Black students is double that. Also, notably, many Black students report never having a Black teacher. In this episode Professor Constance Lindsay, Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina School of Education and author of Teacher Diversity and Student Success: Why Racial Representation Matters in the Classroom joins the show to discuss these statistics and the policy proposals made in the book.
Business law was foundational to facilitating chattel slavery of African individuals, starting at the Portuguese port of Lagos. Consequently, the Transatlantic Slave Trade revolutionized business law. Yet, few business law scholars address the historic significance, or the present-day legacy of Black captivity embedded into contemporary business law and practice. This episode examines racism as an organizing function of business law by exploring capital formation, risk of loss, and corporate governance, among other business law topics, as integral to the creation and maintenance of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We also discuss how racist foundations of business law contribute to the persistent economic exclusion of Black entrepreneurs in contemporary business sectors, exploitation of racial movements for private profits, and the site of Black-owned businesses as places of white rage and terror. Using a critical lens which understands the role of law in perpetuating subordination, we will also share reflections on how business law scholars can use this information to advance racial and economic justice.
Stock options are considered a perk of working for corporations, especially startups that achieve unicorn status. Employees often take lower compensation in the short term for the potential of one day receiving shares in the next Google or Amazon. But, often, it is difficult for employees to assess the true value of these stock options, and the shareholders' rights plans signed by employees typically require them to waive inspection rights as a condition of receiving the compensation. In this episode, Anat Alon-Beck and John Livingstone will join us to discuss Professor Alon-Beck's groundbreaking article, Bargaining Inequality: Employee Golden Handcuffs and Asymmetric Information, which is forthcoming in the Maryland Law Review (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4037705&download=yes).
The Dobbs decision has combined with a pre-Roe abortion ban and dueling court orders to cause chaos about the right to choose in the state of Michigan. Because many surrounding states have complete or partial abortion bans, the confusion has created a ripple effect. Some pregnant persons crossed state lines to receive care in Michigan only to be turned away, then later told they could receive care. Others simply believe that they cannot receive abortion care in Michigan. On this episode, Senator Adam Hollier, who represents Wayne County (including Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, Highland Park) will join us to discuss abortion access in Michigan and what can be done to protect reproductive rights.
Many viral Tik Tok dance trends, the most popular memes, and viral tweets have Black creators--but often that is not who profits. Outside of social media, many Black cultural trends are co-opted and transformed without acknowledgment of the original source. At what point does an appreciation for a culture turn into appropriation? Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom, associate professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, author of THICK: And Other Essays, and 2020 MacArthur Fellow, and Professor Shontavia Johnson, Clemson University’s associate vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation, will discuss the legacy and sociology of cultural appropriation and what modern creators can do to protect their rights.
Black women have infant and maternal mortality rates that are exponentially worse than women of other races, and are more likely to suffer from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Studies have proven that when Black women engage with the health care system their complaints are disregarded and their pain is ignored, resulting in adverse outcomes. Are there other causes? Are there viable solutions? On this episode, Dr. Richard Jones, Board-Certified Obstetrician Gynecologist, will join the show to discuss the gendered racism in the health care system.
Dobbs has brought all rights based on Roe, including marriage equality, into question. In this episode, Dr. Marie-Amélie George, Associate Professor of Law at Wake Forest University will discuss her forthcoming book, Becoming Equal: American Law and the Rise of the Gay Family, LGBTQ+ rights found in Lawrence v. Texas and Obergerfell, and the impact that the Dobbs decision could have on marriage equality.
Elon Musk and Twitter, WeWork, and Donald Trump have all brought some complex corporate law to the news, including mergers and acquisitions, known as M&A, and Special Purpose Acquisition Companies known as SPACs. In this episode corporate law experts Will Moon, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Maryland, and Andrew Jennings, Assistant Professor at Brooklyn Law School will help to decode these terms while providing commentary on current events.
What is life like for a household of entrepreneurs? On this episode, Chrishon Addison of Bite Club DMV and his wife Nora Piroglu of Native Beauty will provide insight into the life of a two entrepreneur household. Bite Club is an underground speakeasy where curated small plates and craft cocktails are paired together for the enjoyment of guests. It’s a fusion of foods, cocktails, people, music and collaborations. You will find patrons immersed in conversation and laughter lounging on couches or at high top tables with photographers and videographers buzzing to capture the latest event scene. In the backdrop mixologists are shaking, stirring, and mixing the latest cocktail while Chef and visionary Chrishon Addison is center stage creating sensational small plates for guests as they are entertained by eclectic DJ’s . Bite Club features a host of events from 4 coursed themed private food & cocktail pairings, to a conversation over cocktails event, and collaborations with amazing black owned spirit brands. Native Beauty is an eco-skincare boutique located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington DC. Native Beauty uses skincare product lines that are not only natural and/or organic but also environmentally and socially responsible. Their products are made by a diverse group of artisans from the USA that include but are not limited to skincare, bodycare, skincare accessories, haircare and homecare.
The Bar Exam is a rite of passage for every practicing attorney, even though many think it shouldn’t be. The exam tests many concepts most students never see in law school—and that they’ll never see again in practice. To help those sitting for exam, and those considering law school, my guests Fallon Hamilton and Kimber Russell will share their tips for success.
The leaked Dobbs opinion, news on misconduct in judicial chambers with clerks and other employees, and emerging information about Clarence Thomas and Ginny Thomas have brought the lack accountability of judges to the forefront. In this episode Brandon Hasbrouck, Associate Professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, and Aliza Shatzman will discuss legislative efforts to reform the judiciary, and what is required for real change.
In honor of Father's Day this episode features a timely discussion of fatherhood and in particular Black fatherhood. Anthony Holt, Mark Simmons, and Ric Swiner join the podcast to discuss how fatherhood changed their perspectives and what it is like to parent Black girls in these times.
For the next episode in the Entrepreneurship Series we will feature Kandace Walter of Walter Legal, PLLC in Dallas, Texas. Kandace D. Walter, Esq., has almost two decades of relevant and valuable legal experience to satisfy the business and intellectual property needs of her clients. Ms. Walter is known for her candid demeanor. Clients depend on Ms. Walter to dispense comprehensive, straightforward and practical advice as they make critical decisions that impact the livelihood, security and profitability of their business endeavors. Walter Legal provides full scale intellectual property and business services for its clients, as well as litigation services. In addition to running Walter Legal, Ms. Walter is currently the Director of the Southern Methodist University Small Business Trademark Clinic, where she supervises law students as they provide legal services to community members unable to afford private attorneys. Ms. Walter is a native Texan and graduate of Richardson High School. Ms. Walter, a proud graduate of The University of Texas School of Law and Florida A &M University, is licensed to practice law in Texas and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
In our next episode in the Entrepreneurship Series, we will feature Stephanie Wilkinson of the Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia. The Red Hen gained national attention in 2018 when Stephanie asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave the restaurant. In addition to discussing the success of the Red Hen, we will discuss Stephanie's legacy as a successful entrepreneur, and her efforts to support businesses and other entrepreneurs in Rockbridge County. Stephanie has directed the creation of two small-business start up programs, Launch Lex, which led to the opening of eight new businesses in downtown Lexington in 2018, and the Walker Program, a community initiative to train, fund, and support Black-owned businesses in Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County. Begun in late 2020, the Walker Program has trained more than two dozen aspiring entrepreneurs and funded seven businesses.
Race makes a difference in how stories are reported--even when matters are not explicitly about race. Journalists have received criticism for using passive voice to describe white perpetrators of crime, of failing to use proper titles when describing people of color in stories, and of simply failing to cover issues that impact people of color. Would a more diverse press make a difference. In this week's episode Marlon Walker of The Marshall Project will discuss the importance of representation in the newsroom while proposing solutions for more balanced coverage.
In this episode of our Entrepreneurship Series, we will feature Dorian Bolden, CEO and Chief Vision Officer of Beyu Group, which owns and operates several cafes and coffee shops, a locally-roasted e-commerce business of retail coffees, and a prepared-meals and catering division through its commercial kitchen hub.
In 2005, Dorian left a successful career on Wall Street, returning to Durham to launch the Beyu Caffe, making the restaurant a place that fosters culture and community. Through his vision of serving others through food, live music, and community discussions, Dorian has collaborated with dozens of local and national organizations to help create community initiatives that have had a lasting impact. After successfully opening and operating Beyu Caffe in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Dorian decided to take on real-estate development and transition to property ownership in 2016 by undertaking a $1.4 million development project to relocate Beyu’s flagship location due to rising rent costs in downtown Durham. By sharing his knowledge and experience with other local business owners, Dorian assisted several other local restaurants in navigating the purchase of their respective property, maintaining a strong local food culture in Durham.
Dorian is passionate about working with local visionaries and aspiring entrepreneurs on innovative strategies to preserve and strengthen our local community. Dorian’s most recent initiative, the Beyu Food Project, reflects this passion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dorian and his team converted their food operations to serve meals to frontline healthcare workers, school kids, teachers, and food-insecure families and seniors. Over 18 months, the Beyu Food Project secured over 1.5 million dollars to serve over 400,000 individual meals, assisting the local Triangle community in tackling food insecurity.
In this episode of our Entrepreneurship Series, we will feature Mark Simmons, a founder of Mixed Digital. Mixed Digital is an award-winning, full-service marketing and branding agency helping schools and businesses grow revenues by increasing awareness, generating leads, and driving measurable results. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, Mixed Digital Brand Marketing has two additional agency branches in Tampa and Miami, Florida. With clients across the U.S. and abroad, Mixed Digital is a brand marketing agency serving private schools, B2B and B2C clients looking to increase demand and generate revenue for their operations. Mixed Digital achieves real results by providing efficient lead-to-revenue solutions that generate measurable ROI.
The common refrain is that if the poor would simply learn financial responsibility and make smarter choices, then they could work their way out of poverty. This is far from reality, yet when those in poverty fall short and are forced into predatory lending, it is often blamed on their lack of personal responsibility. The same sentiment is present when those who take on student loans, once proclaimed as good debt, to advance themselves and find themselves saddled with lifelong burdens. On this episode, Dr. Frederick “Fred” Wherry, the Townsend Martin, Class of 1917 Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, the Director of the Debt Collection Lab (debtcollectionlab.org), and the Founding Director of the Dignity + Debt Network (a partnership between Princeton and the Social Science Research Council: dignityanddebt.org), and Dr. Fenaba Addo, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, will join the show to discuss the relationship between debt, income inequality and wealth inequality, and the role our culture plays in the cycle of poverty.
Many viral Tik Tok dance trends, the most popular memes, and viral tweets have Black creators--but often that is not who profits. Outside of social media, many Black cultural trends are co-opted and transformed without acknowledgment of the original source. At what point does an appreciation for a culture turn into appropriation? Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom, associate professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, author of THICK: And Other Essays, and 2020 MacArthur Fellow, and Professor Shontavia Johnson, Clemson University’s associate vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation, will discuss the legacy and sociology of cultural appropriation and what modern creators can do to protect their rights.
What happens if you take marijuana to the airport in California, and board a plane bound for another state that has not decriminalized? If you live in Washington, D.C. and were convicted of a crime for possession or distribution of marijuana, is it expunged from your record? What does it mean to be in possession of marijuana in a jurisdiction that no longer arrests for minor possession? How can marijuana be legal in one state and not another? My guests Rafi Crockett, writer and producer of the forthcoming documentary, Higher Power (IG: @higherpowerfilm, FB: @higherpowerdc) , about cannabis legalization in D.C. told through the lens of the fight for statehood, and attorney Kimber A. Russell, a criminal defense attorney and advocate for marijuana legalization, will join the show to answer these questions and discuss the path to marijuana legalization nationwide.
Historically the Black church has been a cornerstone of Black life. Not just for religious centering, but for social activism, educational opportunity, and what it means to be a community. But, generational conflicts, from a reaction to respectability politics to challenges to the church's approach to the rights of LGBTQ+ people and patriarchal traditions have made many turn away. This week, Dr. Monique Moultrie, Reverend Stanley A. Williams, III, and Pastor Cheryl Moore will discuss the way forward for the Black Church.
Elon Musk, Time Person of the Year, has tweeted himself into trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on more than one occasion. Most notably, when he declared he would take Tesla private for $420 a share, and recently when he polled the Twitterverse on whether he should sell some of his Tesla stock and pay taxes. Why is this a problem? Why does the SEC and the stock market care? Because whenever Musk tweets, the market moves.
On this episode my guests Cathy Hwang, Barron F. Black Research Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law, and Benjamin Edwards, Director of the Public Policy Clinic at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law will help break down the stock market, the role of the SEC, and why Musk's tweets matter to Tesla and its investors.
The GameStop saga and meme stock frenzy have shown the pathway to the most disruptive revolution in corporate governance of the millennium. New generations of retail investors use technologies, online forums, and gaming dynamics to coordinate their actions and obtain unprecedented results. Signals indicate that these investors, whom we can dub wireless investors, are currently expanding their actions to corporate governance. Wireless investors’ generational characteristics suggest that they will use corporate governance to pursue social and environmental causes. In fact, wireless investors can set in motion a social movement able to bring business corporations to serve their original partly-private-partly-public purpose. In this episode, Professors Christina Sautter and Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci, authors of Corporate Governance Gaming: The Collective Power of Retail Investors will discuss the premises, architecture, and characteristics of the movement that would cause business corporations to re-marry their partly-private-partly-public purpose.We will discuss how retail investors may have the power to shift the paradigm, making corporations serve the welfare of a broader range of stakeholders.
The failure of American companies to divest fully from Russia has highlighted the role corporations can play in facilitating human rights abuses when seeking to maximize profits globally. Professor Marissa Jackson Sow and Professor Erika George, author of Incorporating Rights: Strategies to Advance Corporate Accountability will discuss existing and emerging advocacy strategies that could conceivably close a global governance gap that puts human rights at risk and places commercial actors at risk of becoming complicit in human rights abuses when conducting business in emerging market economies and complex environments.
Americans examine our dependence on driving primarily when it is inconvenient--when traffic leads to long commutes or when gas prices reach record highs. But our dependence on cars, that leads to these moments of crisis, is by design and supported by infrastructure and the law. Road design that prioritizes cars instead of pedestrians and cyclists, minimum parking and other zoning requirements, and sprawl all lead to a dependence on cars. In this episode Greg Shill and Sara Bronin will discuss their scholarship on urban design, zoning, our dependence on cars, and the role our laws play in the promotion of car culture.
With many issues--from wearing masks, to posting on social media and even using racial slurs in the workplace--people claim their rights are protected by the First Amendment. Sometimes there is no First Amendment protection, sometimes there is protection but from another source in the Constitution or elsewhere in the law, and sometimes the answer lies somewhere in between. On this episode Professor and First Amendment expert Shaakirrah Sanders will join us to discuss the misconceptions about the First Amendment, and to explain exactly what it means to have protected speech. We will discuss the importance of the First Amendment to the Nation’s founding, the incorporation of the First Amendment to apply against state governments, not only the federal government, the historical role of the First Amendment in criminal law and procedure, the First Amendment and social justice movements, and how the First Amendment impacts issues today including corporate personhood, cancel culture, and Critical Race Theory bans.
In the inaugural episode of our Entrepreneurship Series, we will feature Ben Williams of Highway Vodka. Eight years ago, equipped with a 13-gallon still and a head full of knowledge acquired via books and YouTube videos on distillation, Williams took to his garage with grain, sugar, and yeast to make a vodka better than any he’d ever tried before. A Houston, TX native and member of a family with a lasting legacy of entrepreneurship, Ben has transformed his hobby into Highway Vodka, comprised of a mash of a unique strain of hemp, locally sourced corn, and water from their artesian aquifer. Highway Vodka is now sold at bars and liquor stores across the state of Texas, and is expanding nationally. Ben is planning to release a barrel-aged, limited-edition hemp-based whiskey later this year.
We will discuss what motivates Ben Williams, his recipe for success, and what advice he has for those aspiring to start businesses of their own.
Black women have infant and maternal mortality rates that are exponentially worse than women of other races, and are more likely to suffer from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Studies have proven that when Black women engage with the health care system their complaints are disregarded and their pain is ignored, resulting in adverse outcomes. Are there other causes? Are there viable solutions? On this episode, Dr. Richard Jones, Board-Certified Obstetrician Gynecologist, will join the show to discuss the gendered racism in the health care system.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) serve an important role in the Black community, providing many generations with an opportunity for higher education. However, some Black students have always attended Predominantly White Institutions (PWis). Following the racial reckoning in the summer of 2020, many students and their families are giving consideration to the unspoken benefits of attending an HBCU. Others are concerned that while the environment may be more supportive, it may not provide the networking and other opportunities of PWIs. On this week's episode, Fallon Hamilton, a graduate of two HBCUs, will join Shannon Stokes, a graduate of a PWI and an HBCU, will join Carliss Chatman, a graduate of two PWIs to discuss their choices and experiences, and the current campus climate.
In American politics the Black woman voter is both mule and canary. Black women vote at higher rates than most demographics, and overwhelmingly and consistently vote for Democratic candidates—not because there is anything to gain but because doing so is necessary for the survival of the republic. Yet, three years after commentators declared 2018 to be the year Black women saved the Democratic Party, Black women still enjoy very little negotiating power at the polls. Thus, while Black women voters carry the burden of saving the world, their diminished negotiating power signals the end of democracy and the slow creep towards fascism, and continues to remain an afterthought to the powers that be.
On this episode Madiba K. Dennie an attorney, a columnist, and a professor committed to racial and gender justice, and Marissa Jackson Sow, Associate Professor at St. John's University School of Law, will join us in a discussion of the role of Black women voters and their relationship to the Democratic Party.
When mothers are incarcerated and their children are in the family regulation system, the New Jim Crow and New Jane Crow intersect to separate and destroy families. Professor Michelle Alexander uses the term “the New Jim Crow” to explain mass incarcerations racist history and existence. Reverend Pauli Murray coined the term “Jane Crow” to identify the intersectional sexism and gender discrimination she endured in the United States in the 1940s. Like mass incarceration, the family regulation system separates families and destroys parent-child relationships. In addition, New Jane Crow describes the way the government punishes women of color, particularly Black women, for their poverty and parenting by trapping them in the family regulation system and terminating their parental rights. Facing these dual racist and discriminatory systems creates additional and unnecessary anxiety, causes confusion, and destroys families.
On this week's episode, Carla Laroche, Assistant Clinical Professor and Director of the Civil Rights and Racial Justice Clinic at Washington and Lee University School of Law, and Chantal D. Smith Assistant Professor of Economics at Washington and Lee University will engage in a discussion of the rights of an overlooked population--incarcerated mothers.
As the benefits of gender equality for governance become more apparent, boardroom diversity initiatives abound. But, these efforts have not translated to the gains in gender diversity one would expect. Corporations persistently object to state mandates. In the absence of state regulation, how can we make these initiatives translate into measurable outcomes? Can institutional investors play a role in implementing change? In this episode, my guests Professors Darren Rosenblum and Anat Alon-Beck will join us to discuss their work on board diversity, which asks whether fiduciary duties can be used to motivate institutional investors to play a role in ensuring equality.
While sex worker advocacy groups have championed the need to decriminalize sex work, their advocacy has been separated from mainstream feminist organizations’ sexual freedom agenda. The decriminalization of sex work has been treated as niche or counterproductive to the goal of sexual freedom. Historically, feminists have embraced a narrow conception of sexual freedom, which prioritizes women’s ability to control reproduction while ignoring women’s freedom to profit from non-reproductive sex. This choice has contributed to the political embrace of access to abortion as the priority issue for feminist organizing, while women’s groups have openly contested women’s right to be free from criminalization while engaging in commercialized sex. In many respects, this choice reflects a hetereonormative ideal that prioritizes birth and non-birth and centers the family as the site of women’s choice — even as it protects women’s choices to not create a family. This approach to sexual freedom, which is tied to reproduction, is limited and has allowed feminists to see the criminalization of sex work as natural rather than as another way to restrict women’s sexual autonomy.
In this episode, my guests Professor of Law at the University of Indiana and Senior Scientist at the Kinsey Institute India Thusi, author of the groundbreaking book Policing Bodies: Law, Sex Work, and Desire in Johannesburg, and Professor Erika K. Wilson, Wade Edwards Distinguished Scholar, Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy, and Director of Clinical Programs at the University of North Carolina will explain the limits of this approach to women's rights. We will also discuss how the criminalization of sex work serves to re-victimize some of the most vulnerable members of society, and perpetuates the discipline to sex work pipeline for many victims of abuse.
Elon Musk, Time Person of the Year, has tweeted himself into trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on more than one occasion. Most notably, when he declared he would take Tesla private for $420 a share, and recently when he polled the Twitterverse on whether he should sell some of his Tesla stock and pay taxes. Why is this a problem? Why does the SEC and the stock market care? Because whenever Musk tweets, the market moves.
On this episode my guests Cathy Hwang, Barron F. Black Research Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law, and Benjamin Edwards, Director of the Public Policy Clinic at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law will help break down the stock market, the role of the SEC, and why Musk's tweets matter to Tesla and its investors.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is a lawyer, scholar, and mother of 7--including 2 adopted Black children. Transracial adoption falls within a painful legacy for African-Americans--a legacy of paternalism that dates back to slavery. Within that framework is also the belittling of Black women and the dismissal of Black motherhood, and the legacy of intervention in Black maternal-fetal decision making. This week my guests, Professor Eleanor Brown of Penn State Law and Kimberly Mutcherson, Co-Dean and Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School in Camden, will explain this painful legacy, and why Justice Barrett's comments have caused so many Black people harm.
It's that time of year when many of us reflect and set new goals for the new year--that are mostly abandoned by February 1. What does it look like to make lasting life changes and to transform into a better you? Maybe it means doing less and spending more time on self-love and self-care. In this week's episode Dr. Nicole Price Swiner, author of How to Avoid the Superwoman Complex and The Superwoman Complex: A Follow-Up Visit and the organizer of annual domestic and international New Year, New You events will engage in a discussion on meaningful goal setting for the new year, and for a lifetime, that enables one to be successful and fulfilled in all aspects of life.
In the summer of 2021, the Trustees of Washington and Lee University voted to retain name of the institution. Throughout the previous year, many Confederate monuments were removed, and the names of other institutions throughout Virginia and the rest of the south were changed. In addition, an overwhelming majority of the faculty voted in support of a name change, and various groups of students circulated petitions and engaged in protest of the name. On this episode, my guests Rev. Robert W. Lee, IV (https://www.roblee4.com/), Ty Seidule (www.tyseidule.com), Professors Nneka Dennie and Brandon Hasbrouck, and Washington and Lee Law alum Adenike Miles-Sorinmade will discuss the efforts to change the name, the aftermath of the Trustee decision, and the meaning of naming and monuments.
In a press release the University stated: Despite these vital contributions, the board acknowledged that the association with its namesakes can be painful to those who continue to experience racism. It repudiated racial injustice in any form and expressed regret for the University’s past veneration of the Confederacy and the fact that the university itself owned human beings and benefited from their forced labor and sale. It also reiterated its ongoing commitment to conducting rigorous and nuanced explorations of W&L’s history with humility and honesty. The board concluded that the university’s name recognizes the connections of its namesakes to the institution, but is also associated with an exceptional liberal arts and legal education and common experiences and values that are independent of the personal histories of the two men. It cited the university’s name and reputation as a source of strength and resources that it may build and draw upon to advance its mission and support the students, staff, programs and facilities to meet its strategic goals.
During last year's racial reckoning, many corporations came out with solidarity statements, and made very public donations to civil rights organizations. But, often if we look just beyond the surface we will see leadership lacking in diversity and even business practices that violate the core values of the organizations they support with donations. Being publicly progressive is on trend, but that doesn't always translate to actions outside of the public eye. On this episode, Cary Martin Shelby, a law professor who has written about the value of making a profit by publicly showing empathy to the pain and suffering of marginalized groups, and Ron Goines, the Chief Fundraiser and Managing Director at The Movement for Black Lives, will discuss whether it is possible to be anti-racist, capitalist, and corporate sponsored.
Join my guests Professor Wendy Greene, Professor Marissa Jackson Sow, and Rasheedah Thomas of RC Communications as we discuss the movement to #freethehair and the impact of discrimination against Black hair in the classroom and the workplace.
Professor Wendy Greene is a trailblazer in the movement to end hair discrimination. Professor Greene fights for the freedom for all to embrace the natural expression of physical appearance in social, political and corporate arenas in order to ensure all are free from bias based on the body they were born in and the hair they were born with on a global scale. Her groundbreaking work has been the foundation for legislation on hair discrimination across the country and internationally, including the CROWN ACT. Here are some highlights of Professor Greene's work:
*Legal expert for California's Creating Respectful and Open Workplaces for Natural Hair Act (C.R.O.W.N. Act) signed into law on July 3, 2019
*Legal Expert, Drafted and submitted an expert declaration on behalf of African American male students seeking a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of a high school grooming policy prohibiting them from wearing locs in Arnold v. Barbers Hill Independent School District, Civil Action No. 4:20-CV-1802 (May 2020)
*Co-drafter and Legal Advisor, South Carolina House Bill 4692 introduced in January 2020 which clarifies the definition of race, national origin, and color for the purposes of S.C. statutes prohibiting racial discrimination in workplaces, schools, and public accommodations
*Legal Expert and Expert Witness, California's Creating Respectful and Open Workplaces for Natural Hair Act (C.R.O.W.N. Act) signed into law on July 3, 2019
*Legal publications shaped the New York City Commission on Human Rights groundbreaking enforcement guidance issued in February 2019 prohibiting natural hair discrimination in public and private schools, workplaces and public accommodations (which also serves as the primary justification for the NY State C.R.O.W.N. Act signed into law July 2019)
*The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s employed her legal arguments in a seminal natural hair discrimination case arising under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act: EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions, Incorporated (2017)
*Her published legal definition of race to be employed in anti-discrimination laws was adopted by the Ninth Circuit of Appeals, the C.R.O.W.N Acts of California and New York, and pending state laws in Kentucky, Michigan, and New Jersey as well quoted by the 11th Circuit of Appeals as a legal authority on the social construction of race
On this episode we will discuss Professor Greene's contributions, and what she has planned next.
On December 1 the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a case out of Mississippi that could overturn Roe v. Wade. On this episode, Professor Chatman discusses the current status of the right to choose with Professor Anthony Kreis of Georgia State University College of Law, and Galina Varchena, Policy Director, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia and Richard L Jones, M.D. F.A.C.O.G. an OB/GYN he University of Maryland Capital region health system in Prince Georges County, MD.