UNDISTRACTED with Brittany Packnett Cunningham: Recent Episodes
The Meteor, Pineapple Street Studios
Brittany Packnett Cunningham is an activist, educator, and popular TV commentator—and a trusted voice for millions of people interested in social justice. Now, with UNDISTRACTED—an original podcast from The Meteor and Pineapple Street Studios—she aims her focus on the most pressing issues of our time through the lens of intersectional feminism. From the latest headlines to deep-dives with today’s most fascinating changemakers, UNDISTRACTED is your weekly guide to the revolution.
It’s been five years exactly since millions of people, most of them women, stepped forward to say #MeToo. What have we learned since then? In our season finale, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Tarana Burke, the woman who started the movement back in 2006, along with playwright/attorney Mary Kathryn Nagle, and organizer/attorney Monica Ramirez. Their conversation is a reflection on our post-#MeToo world—and what we actually owe survivors. But first, as always, your UNtrending news.
Note: For more information on how to help the fight in Iran, visit Iran Human Rights
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The floods, the hurricanes, the wildfires…if you feel like you’re living through a climate apocalypse, you’re not wrong. But it’s not all hellfire, says marine biologist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson—there are signs of progress if you know where to look. In this episode, the “climate futurist” sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to give our planet a report card from the point of view of science, policy and climate action. The results? Not what we expected. But first, this week’s UNtrending news.
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Congresswoman Cori Bush doesn’t have the usual political resume: no Ivy League alma mater, no law degree, no generational wealth––but she’s an organizer, a mother, a pastor and a survivor, and she’s brought all those pieces of herself with her to Washington. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Rep. Bush to talk about her brand-new memoir, her harrowing journey to the Capitol, and what it’s really like to survive in politics as a Black woman. But first, this week’s UNtrending news.
Note: For resources on how you can help asylum seekers in New York, see here. For more information on upcoming SCOTUS cases, see here and here.
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What do Stranger Things, social media and sexual violence all have in common? They all figure into Derecka Purnell’s brilliant world philosophy about abolition—the effort to move beyond police, and the violence too often associated with them. In this episode, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with her friend, the writer and professor, to hear more. This is a conversation about scaling big ideas down to day-to-day practice. But first, this week’s UNtrending News. For more information on abolitionist books resources, visit here or here. To sign up for The Meteor's newsletter, click here.
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The funeral is over. The pomp has died down. But the conversations—not just around the monarchy, but around the legacy of imperialism—continue around the world. So host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with three women with different perspectives on the empire: writer Luvvie Ajayi Jones, professor and scholar Caroline Elkins, and the Meteor’s Shannon Melero. Together they get into what the queen represented, what people still don’t understand about colonialism, and their own families and experiences. But first, this week’s UNtrending news.
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It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! And Julissa Natzely Arce Raya has complicated feelings. The author of You Sound Like a White Girl sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about why some stories get told so much more than others—and what that costs us. You’ll hear about rebel cheerleaders, solidarity between activists, the pressure to assimilate, and what Julissa learned from her journey through Wall Street. Plus, of course, this week’s UNtrending news.
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It’s all about the young folk this week: We’ve got Gen Z protestors disrupting anti-abortion galas…a student reporter holding colleges to task…and clever TikTokers lobbying for debt relief. And that’s just in the first ten minutes! Then, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to school librarian Jennisen Lucas and author George M. Johnson about the new wave of book banning, who’s really behind it, and the lifelong damage it does– to students, and to all of us.
Note: Read Talia’s Kantor Lieber's story about how colleges in hostile states are responding to the end of Roe: https://themeteor.us/iKxc5z. AND, to donate relief aid to Pakistan, here are some useful resources: Pakistan Red Crescent Society, Muslim Aid, and International Medical Corps.
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COVID taught us a lot of lessons—or did it? With MPV (aka monkeypox) here in its wake, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Dr. Monica Gandhi and Dr. David Johns to talk about what we’re getting wrong, the rise of homophobic disinformation, and why it’s still so hard for us to care for our neighbors. But first, this week’s UNtrending news.
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The headlines say crime is up. And our politicians say more police are the answer. What’s the truth? And what happened to all those abolitionist promises made in the summer of 2020? Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down to answer those questions with two brilliant guests: Pulitzer-winning journalist Wesley Lowery, who explains what the media’s getting wrong about crime, and activist, writer and attorney Andrea Ritchie, who walks us through once and for all what abolition really means—and how we can take steps, big and little, to get there.
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On this week’s episode, Undistracted host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to journalist Caitlin Dickerson about one of the darkest policy moments in American history: the “Zero Tolerance” family separation initiative. Caitlin spent 18 months investigating family separation for The Atlantic. She conducted over 150 interviews in order to unpack the administrative decisions that led us here, as well as the collateral trauma still playing out today. In this conversation, we learn about the intentionality behind “Zero Tolerance,” the families that are still separated, and how actions like this can cause intergenerational wounds. But first, this week’s UNtrending news.
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“This started off as a conversation about Beyoncé,” says host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, “but like her music, it became about so many other things: the evolution of womanhood, our queer siblings, spiritual sexuality and giving Black women their things.” So settle in and listen to legendary music writer Danyel Smith, NPR reporter Ayesha Rascoe, and theologian Candice Benbow talk about it all—from the politics of Beyoncé to why her music means so much right now. There are belly laughs, tears, and moments of deep acknowledgment. But first, this week’s UNtrending news.
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The majority of Americans didn’t want to see Roe v. Wade overturned—but it was. Most Americans want gun reform—but it doesn’t happen. So the big question is: What’s going on here? Maria Teresa Kumar, cofounder of Voto Latino, understands the answers, and she lays them out here, in conversation with correspondent Treasure Brooks. They talk gerrymandering, voter suppression and the very specific races we need to win this fall in order to make things better. And of course, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham breaks down this week’s UNtrending news.
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"The media has such a limited understanding about Black femaleness,” says Phoebe Robinson, the actress, comedian, writer, podcast host and producer. “But the complexity is always more interesting!” So she and Brittany Packnett Cunningham go complex (and hilarious) in this episode, talking about Robinson’s new show, “Everything’s Trash”; the prospect of a Black Carrie Bradshaw; and also our trash world, beginning but not ending with Clarence Thomas. And first–this week’s UNtrending news.
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You know gun violence is an American epidemic. But…why? And how do we get out of this mess? Jennifer Mascia understands those answers better than almost anyone. As a reporter with The Trace, her entire beat is gun violence. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with her to talk about the highs and lows of the last few weeks, the threat of civil conflict, and exactly what’s wrong with the “good guy with a gun” theory. All that, and this week’s UNtrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Written and narrated by award-winning author and Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, “History is US” is a 6-part audio documentary produced and developed by C13Originals that asks questions about who we are as a nation, and what race might reveal about our current crisis. Through the voices of distinguished historians and scholars, this limited series gives listeners the background and education to understand how we got here and how we can all use history to clarify the choices before us. There will always be something distinct about our present day, yet history haunts. “History is US” is a presentation of Shining City Audio, a C13Originals and Jon Meacham Studio.
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“I would rather be a voice and an advocate for my people than sit and smile in the face of bullshit.” That’s host Tiffany Cross’ philosophy—and the reason she consistently centers BIPOC voices on her MSNBC show. In this episode, recorded live in Washington, D.C., she and Brittany (colleagues and friends) get real about everything from the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade to what exactly is lighting up the group chat these days. All that, plus your UNtrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s been six days since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. But activist and “abortion freedom fighter” Michelle Colón has been defending pregnant people and providers in Mississippi for years—and she’s not going to stop now. She tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham exactly what a post-Roe future looks like, and why her only words to people who doubt her is, “You know what? Dare us.” Plus, public defender Rhiannon Hamam of the podcast 5-4 walks us through the new legal landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the shadow of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, what do hope and faith mean? In this bonus episode, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham joins journalist Phillip Picardi, Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, and Jamie L. Manson, president of Catholics for Choice, to talk about religion, and the revolution ahead. This conversation originally aired on Twitter—follow us @TheMeteor for more. If you can, please support abortion funds at: https://abortionfunds.org, check in with your local abortion fund, or support a fund in the trigger states: https://wearethemeteor.com/people-are-trying-to-get-abortions-today/ We're following organizations like We Testify (https://www.wetestify.org) and I Need An A (https://www.ineedana.com/) to stay connected, and to stay in the fight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
You probably know the data about what Black women face when they give birth. But do you know the stories? Martina Abraham and Gabrielle Horton are committed to telling them, through their podcast Natal. Brittany Packnett Cunningham sat down with the journalists to talk about what they’ve learned, what they advise, and her own journey to motherhood. Together, they get into the importance of community, and how to navigate a healthcare system that has systematically overlooked the Black birthing experience. It’s a rich episode—and Treasure Brooks has your UNTrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What does having faith mean in 2022? Candice Benbow has become an icon for answering that question—especially for those of us who’ve fallen off the prayer wagon somewhere along the way. This week, the writer/theologian/educator and author of Red Lip Theology sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about her rituals (some of them happen at the beauty supply store), her mother, her Beyonce connection, and healing from assault. Plus, we bring you this week’s UNtrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this week’s episode, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham honors the victims and the tragedy of the Uvalde, Texas, shooting. Then, the Undistracted team sits down with TV personality and business icon Bevy Smith to talk about women, aging and why she wants to be “one of the old dolls.” Plus, Smith IDs the factors that helped her navigate the predominantly white fashion world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s been a long week, y’all—and we’ve been grieving the victims of the Buffalo shooting. On the heels of that violence, we’re bringing you an interview that host Brittany Packnett Cunningham did with Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw last summer, as the anti-CRT laws began to sweep the country. As always, the professor makes it all makes sense, and her discussion of everything from white “insecurity” to the purposes of book-banning hits different in this tragic week. Plus, correspondent Treasure Brooks holds space for the people we lost this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What happens in Texas matters everywhere. As the state becomes a testing ground for extreme policies (abortion! immigration! CRT!) we hear from three people fighting for a better Texas. Congressional candidate Jessica Cisneros, State Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke talk about what's at stake, how we got here—and why they believe in the power of the people to get us out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the shadow of the leaked SCOTUS decision on Dobbs v. Jackson, we're re-airing this conversation between host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, legendary activist Gloria Steinem and the “Beyonce of Abortion storytelling,” Renee Bracey Sherman. Late last year, the trio sat down to talk about the future of Roe—and how to protect the people behind the politics. The two leaders, separated by a generation, get into everything from their own personal stories to why the movement has sometimes sidelined the populations it serves. There’s laughter, tears—and hope. Plus, Brittany shares some resources to guide us forward. Connect with Renee’s organization at https://www.wetestify.org/. If you have financial resources, give to abortionfunds.org. And if you need an abortion, go to ineedana.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
There are a lot of closely watched midterm races. But in Ohio, Morgan Harper is making news with her run for U.S. Senate—and her TikToks eviscerating her primary opponent. In this week’s episode, the dynamic attorney tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham about what it means to run as a young woman of color, the nuances of mounting a second campaign after losing her first one, and why she wishes Black women didn’t always have to be so “resilient.” All that, plus correspondent Treasure Brooks joins us with this week’s UNTrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How do you parent—lovingly and well—in the age of technology and police violence? That question is on host Brittany Packnett Cunningham’s mind as she settles into motherhood—and for this episode, she sits down with Elizabeth Alexander, the inaugural poet at Obama’s 2009 inauguration and now author of The Trayvon Generation. They talk about what it means to raise free Black children in a world that doesn’t see them, and how we build communal futures. Plus, correspondent Treasure Brooks takes on this week’s UnTrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s a different kind of episode this week—”our most personal, most gut-wrenching, most triumphant,” says host Brittany Packnett Cunningham. The reason? Four months ago, she became a mother, to a son born at just 24 weeks. Now she sits down to tell that story, with a guest who was there with her the whole time: her husband, Reginald Cunningham. They talk about the long road to parenthood, hospitalized bedrest, becoming NICU parents—and the “free Black child” they hope to raise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Willow Egerton is 13 years old, an aspiring filmmaker, and a trans girl in Texas in 2022—which means that “people in power want me gone,” she says. This week, Willow and her father Owen Egerton sit down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about how that feels, and about the joy and celebration of being trans. (Says Owen of parenting: “It’s like when you watch a flower bloom.”) All that, plus Oklahoma’s restrictive abortion ban in this week’s UnTrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nearly four million Ukrainians have fled their homeland—and around the world, 21 times that number of people have been displaced from their homes because of war or other disasters. So: What has Ukraine taught us about what all refugees face, and how you can survive when your life changes in an instance? Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Muzoon Almellehan, a young woman who fled Syria in 2013 and serves as as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, about her journey, activism, and emotions. And we hear from Dr. Serena Parekh, author of No Refuge: Ethics and the Global Refugee Crisis, and journalist Caitlin L. Chandler about the global context—and whether Americans could be next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Crimes against AAPI women are in the headlines—and for parents like writer Nicole Chung, the challenges of how to talk to kids about racism, violence and safety are very real. In this episode, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Chung, the author of All You Can Ever Know and a contributing writer at The Atlantic, for a thoughtful discussion that starts there—and roams into transracial adoption, surviving the “colorblind” era, and why her phone starts ringing when things are at their worst. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest UNtrending News, and a remembrance of her friend Cora Faith Walker. Read Nicole’s piece in The Atlantic, here: https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/i-have-notes/62115c1b3a37470020ce1c79/mourning-violence-against-asian-women/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week, we’re sharing something special from our friends over at Pushkin. It’s an episode of a new podcast from Anita Hill called Getting Even. On the show, Professor Hill tackles the tough questions about equality; she talks with people on the frontlines of improving our imperfect world—and finding solutions. In this episode, she sits down with Kimberlé Crenshaw, the legal scholar who coined the terms intersectionality and critical race theory, about the battle over curricula, its impact on students and the political co-opting of critical race theory. You can hear more episodes of Getting Even with Anita Hill at https://link.chtbl.com/gettingevencrenshaw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham is joined by Elizabeth Warren - the senator from Massachusetts and the president we coulda had. They unpack the student debt crisis, the child care crisis, the filibuster crisis—all of it. Plus, Warren breaks down “what really chaps my fanny,” and why she is hopeful for the midterms. And, Brittany breaks down this week’s UnTrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last week, the IPCC released a report finding that the planet is getting “clobbered” by climate change. What does that mean? And what should we do? Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Hot Take cohost Mary Annaïse Heglar—who sets the record straight on what’s so alarming, how climate change and white supremacy are connected, being Black in the climate movement, and what Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has to do with fossil fuels. (“I didn’t know climate talk could be this juicy,” says Brittany.) All this, plus the week’s UNtrending news. Follow Mary’s work on climate at https://www.hottakepod.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s a historic moment: America has its first-ever Black woman Supreme Court nominee, and host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with a legend, Professor Anita Hill, to talk about the law, and why she’s “elated” at the possibilities ahead. Also on the table: Hill’s new podcast, Getting Even, and her memories of her mother. Plus, journalist Josie Duffy Rice pops in to talk to Brittany about what Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson might bring to the Court. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“Mainstream media” (whatever that is) might be struggling, but you know who’s leading the revolution to do better? “Women, and especially women of color,” says host Brittany Packnett Cunningham. She sits down with Sara Lomax-Reese of URL Media and Akoto Ofori-Atta of Capital B, two media organizations run by Black and brown women. They talk about why they do what they do, how to get beyond a “scarcity mentality,” and last week’s “crack pipe” debacle. Plus, Brittany breaks down this weeks’ UnTrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Do you have parents? Children? Someone who cares for you, or who you care for? With Build Back Better on the line, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Ai-jen Poo of the National Domestic Workers Alliance to talk about what it’ll take for the US to start treating caregiving like the crucial infrastructure it is. Plus, Brittany has thoughts on the Super Bowl, in UnTrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sports are beautiful and transformative. Also racist and corrupt! This week, with the Olympics in full swing, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham is joined by journalists Jemele Hill and Cari Champion. They talk about what athletes are going through in China, what it means to represent “America”—and here at home, about discrimination in the NFL and the “reckoning” they see coming for pro sports generally. Plus, Brittany unpacks this week’s UN-TRENDING news; and an announcement about our presence on Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As the two-year anniversary of the pandemic looms, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Dr. Uché Blackstock to discuss all things COVID-19—from why “Omicron is a gift” (she’ll explain) to the “pandemic privilege” that perpetuates the risks Black and brown communities face. Plus, Brittany takes on this week's Un-Trending news…starting with the real history of Black History Month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What does the Great Resignation mean for women of color? Elaine Welteroth—the best-selling author and former Teen Vogue editor who’s built a career out of charting her own path—has a lot of thoughts. She sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about why we’re leaving jobs (or being pushed out of them), and how “times of destruction are opportunities to reinvent.” Plus, she shares wisdom from legendary editor Harriette Cole, and remembers another Ebony alum: the late, great André Leon Talley. Plus, Brittany reviews this week’s UnTrending news, and a SCOTUS surprise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why doesn’t the US have universal health care, paid leave, or plenty of seemingly basic public services many other countries do? Heather McGhee has an answer: it’s racism, and it hurts all of us. The author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, McGhee sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to explain her research, the “hypnotic racial story” fueling American injustice, and how we can do better. Plus, Brittany takes on this week’s UnTrending news.
Support basic income for Black women! In Her Hands (featured in UnTrending this week) is seeking donations here https://community.givedirectly.org/campaigns/cbcb518edbde54f8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week, President Biden and Vice President Harris traveled to Georgia to talk about voting rights—but LaTosha Brown was not celebrating. As co-founder of the Atlanta-based Black Voters Matter Fund, Brown explains to host Brittany Packnett Cunningham why she and other organizers sat out the event, arguing that these dangerous times demand bolder action from the administration. Plus, Brittany brings you your UNtrending News—including the coin that has the internet dragging the U.S. Mint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s been one year since the invasion of the U.S. Capitol—so how are we doing at holding insurrectionists accountable? Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham answers that question, revisiting archival interviews with Representatives Cori Bush and Ayanna Pressley, who lived through the riots, and going deep into the next coup at hand. Plus, a January 6-themed edition of your UnTrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Back in May, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sat down with New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones to talk about how The 1619 Project—which Hannah-Jones created—has both changed this country’s understanding of slavery, and withstood a brutal, ongoing assault from the right. Since then, The 1619 Project has been banned explicitly in some states, and this conversation, about the truth of our past and our present, feels even more relevant. Originally aired May 13, 2021. UNDISTRACTED will return in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As SCOTUS weighs overturning the legal right to abortion, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down for a moving conversation on what’s most important: the people behind the politics. Her guests are two leaders separated by a generation but determined to put the emphasis on the humanity of people who seek abortions: legendary activist Gloria Steinem and the “Beyoncé of Abortion storytelling” Renee Bracey Sherman. They get into everything from their own personal stories to why the movement has sidelined the populations it serves. There’s laughter, tears—and hope. With a guest introduction by The Meteor’s Rebecca Carroll. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
UNDISTRACTED IS BACK! And so are abortion bans, the white women’s vote, and a whole Greek alphabet of viruses. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham knew exactly who she wanted to unpack it all with: Dr. Brittney Cooper, professor and truth-teller. Together they get into why white women keep upholding white patriarchy (hint: it’s about motherhood), the “nightmarish” rollbacks to all of our rights, and how Dr. Cooper defies respectability politics on a daily basis. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
You heard it here first: UNDISTRACTED is back for Season Two on December 2nd. Here’s a sneak peek at what host Brittany Packnett Cunningham has up her sleeve—as she and her newsmaking, rule-breaking guests get ready to delve into everything that’s happening right now, from abortion access to supremacist juries to what each of us can do to make change. Listen in, and let us know @themeteor who you want to hear from next! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Special for UNDISTRACTED listeners…it’s a sneak peek of the new podcast “Because of Anita”—a four-part series about the legacy of Anita Hill’s testimony in the Justice Clarence Thomas hearings exactly 30 years ago this fall. It’s about truth, gender, race, and power, with new insights and on-the-ground stories from guests like Tarana Burke, Kerry Washington and Professor Hill herself, in her first-ever public conversation with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified 27 years after her. From The Meteor and Pineapple Street Studios. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Forty episodes, baby! With our first season under our belt and a mini-hiatus ahead of us, the UNDISTRACTED team is looking back on some highlights from Season One. Featuring Nikole Hannah-Jones, Rep. Cori Bush and more. See you in the fall! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Season finale! Fifteen years ago, Tarana Burke started using two simple words to empower young Black and brown girls who had experienced sexual violence. Today, MeToo has exploded into a global movement that is both exactly what its founder imagined—and also, as she tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, often misunderstood. Now, with her debut memoir “Unbound” about to hit shelves, Burke sits down for an intimate, feature-length interview about the origins of the movement—and her own personal path to liberation. Plus, Brittany and our producers share their own highlights of a jam-packed first season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As we head into the last stretch of summer, Brittany catches up with the guru of feeling good, writer adrienne maree brown. Together they get into how the philosophy of Pleasure Activism shaped adrienne’s pandemic experience—and why her new book Holding Change has the conflict-resolution skills we all need right now. It’s a spirit-soothing episode about holding each other in hard times. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fresh on the heels of Simone Biles’ decision to put her mental health over Olympic gold, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with sportscaster Jemele Hill to ask a key question: Can the Olympics be saved? And should they be? Together they get into everything from harsh penalties handed to Black women athletes to the absence of child care to the reasons the Olympics trails the rest of the sports world on equity issues. Plus, Brittany reflects on good strategies to get more people vaccinated and brings us the latest Olympic Untrending News.
Here are some more guidelines on how to talk to unvaccinated loved ones about getting the vaccine: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/talk-about-vaccines.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On Tuesday, Jeff Bezos became the latest contestant in the “billionaire space race,” prompting a million memes—and serious questions about how exactly this makes life better for those of us here on earth. Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein has thoughts on that—she’s a physicist, Black feminist theorist, and cosmos expert, and she sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about patriarchy in the lab, and how we should be thinking about space. (She also explains dark matter, in case you’ve forgotten—we had.) Plus, Brittany brings the latest Untrending News.
To support voting-rights legislation, you can find your Senator’s number on this sheet: https://www.senate.gov/general/resources/pdf/senators_phone_list.pdf
Or a U.S. Capitol Switchboard operator can also connect you directly with the Senate office. (202) 224-3121
And here’s a script you can use when calling: https://indivisiblesf.org/call-scripts/2021/5/11/senators-support-s1-the-for-the-people-act-in-committee-without-watering-it-down Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mass graves found on the sites of former residential schools in Canada. Disturbingly high rates of murder and disappearance for Indigenous women across North America. These headlines have woken many in the U.S. up to the realities Native communities face—but award-winning Cree journalist Connie Walker (host of the podcast Stolen) has spent decades shedding light on these issues. In this episode, she sits down with Brittany Packnett Cunningham to unpack these crimes, their solutions, and what this long-overdue moment of awareness might mean. Plus, Brittany covers the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In recent months, Republican lawmakers in close to a dozen states have been trying to stop schools from teaching Critical Race Theory—or really any examination of America’s history of oppression. So what is CRT, why are legislators obsessed with it, and how worried should we all be about these attacks on teachers? Law professor Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw has the answers—because she helped develop Critical Race Theory to begin with. Listen as host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Crenshaw (whom she calls “the godmother of our show”—she’ll explain) to unpack the whole alarming situation. Plus, Brittany brings us the latest Untrending News.
Recorded June 29th Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been speaking up for sexual assault survivors in the military for the better part of a decade. The military currently “addresses” (or fails to address) thousands of assault claims a year against its personnel keeping the cases outside of criminal courts. But now, the legislation Gillibrand is championing may finally be at a tipping point—with unprecedented bipartisan support from her colleagues. She sat down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to explain why the military’s prosecution of assault cases has actually gotten worse over the years, what it’ll take to do better...and whether she’ll ever run for president again. Plus, Brittany brings you the Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week, Congress voted to designate Juneteenth a federal holiday—something Opal Lee has spent years trying to make happen. The 94-year-old Texas-raised activist and author—known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth”— even walked from Fort Worth to Washington D.C. to raise awareness about the holiday. And now—156 years after slavery was ended in Texas—her dream of “Juneteenth National Indepedence Day” is coming true. Brittany talks to Miss Opal about her tireless quest, and brings us some summer culture recommendations along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2021 has already been declared the worst year in U.S. history for legislative attacks against the LGBTQ community...and we’re not even halfway through! Against that backdrop, ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio—named one of Time’s “most influential people in the world” in 2020—sits down to talk to host Brittany Packnett Cunningham about why the GOP is obsessed with anti-trans legislation, and what we can do in response. Plus, Brittany reflects on the lessons of FX’s Pose and brings us the Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After last month’s devastating violence in Palestine and Israel, global public opinion began to shift in support of the Palestinian people. That’s long-overdue, says Amani, the Palestinian-American activist and founder of the online platform Muslim Girl. She tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham exactly why—and what social media and feminism have to do with it. Plus, Brittany reflects on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre and brings us the latest Untrending News, featuring Naomi Osaka. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In a week that marks one year since George Floyd's death, there’s no better time to talk about cultivating the world we deserve. Queen Sugar author Natalie Baszile believes that true Black freedom is tied to land ownership, food sovereignty, and a renewed dedication to the soil. She talks to Brittany about her new anthology that’s been making waves, We Are Each Other’s Harvest, and how a new generation of young, Black farmers are returning to the land and building upon the legacy of their ancestors. Plus, Brittany brings us the latest Untrending News.
Here’s a list of the resources Natalie mentions in this episode:
Soul Fire Farm - Reparations map to donate land to Black farmers (https://www.soulfirefarm.org/get-involved/reparations/)
The Tall Grass Food Box - CSA program (https://www.tallgrassnc.com/)
Planet FWD - For coordinating organic food supply (https://planetfwd.com/)
Jubilee Justice - A Black farmer funding alternative to the USDA (https://www.jubileejustice.org/our-mission)
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Feminism is not just about changing the ways we raise girls—in the words of host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, “men need to be freed too, y’all!” And Travon Free, the filmmaker who just won an Oscar for his short film, “Two Distant Strangers,” has a lot to say about that. He and Brittany sit down to talk about the prison of masculinity, and what happens when men (especially Black men) dare to question old norms. Plus, Brittany reflects on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and brings us the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones is the creator of The 1619 Project, a multimedia effort about the legacy of slavery, and how it still informs American life. It won her a Pulitzer Prize, much praise—and relentless ire from the right, including an ongoing assault from Mitch McConnell, who wants it banned from school curriculums. In today’s episode, Hannah-Jones sets the record straight about the Project, and why Black Americans should feel proud of building this country. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the year of our lord 2021, we need all the faith we can get—so it felt like the perfect time to invite comedian/actress Yvonne Orji (Molly from HBO’s Insecure) onto the show to share her lessons from “Da Good Book” a.k.a. the Bible. Author of the new advice guide, “Bamboozled by Jesus,” Orji joins Brittany Packnett Cunningham for a laugh-out-loud conversation about her rise in comedy, kicking it with God, and Issa and Molly’s big fight. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The state of our blue planet can feel dire—because it is. California wildfires, Midwestern droughts, Southern floods, and global food insecurity. But marine biologist and climate justice expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson believes we can still make a difference—and that women are the reason why. This week, she talks to host Brittany Packnett Cunningham about the need for an intersectional feminist climate movement, President Biden’s plan to get America on renewable energy, and how to center joy in the work. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In a week that brought us Derek Chauvin guilty verdicts but also a relentless wave of police killings, it can feel like not much has changed since Billie Holiday sang “Strange Fruit.” Andra Day—up for an Oscar for playing the iconic singer—joins Brittany to talk about how Holiday’s life, as a “great-godmother of the reinvigorated civil rights movement,” provides powerful inspiration today. They get into everything from Day’s whirlwind film education (this is her first major acting gig) to the need for more stories about complex Black women. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sophia Bush ruled the small screen in TV hits like “One Tree Hill” and “Chicago PD”—but on both those sets, the workplace abuse was real, she tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham. Together, they unpack what three-plus years of #MeToo has and hasn’t changed for working women, and get into Sophia’s activist work—including how white women can better show up for women of color. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Headlines are already calling 2021 “the year of anti-abortion legislation.” State lawmakers have so far introduced more than 500 bills restricting the procedure. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham speaks to Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, who says “abortion access is hanging on by a thread.” Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People may believe that gun violence went away during the pandemic because mass shootings slowed down—but in reality, gun violence overall hit a two-decade high in 2020, killing 20,000 Americans. On the heels of mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham speaks to Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action and self-described “worst nightmare of the NRA.” They shed new light on the crucial questions: Will this moment actually be different? Is gun reform possible? Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amber Ruffin is breaking boundaries in late-night television with her witty and insightful takes on race, politics and history. She’s a writer and performer on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and the star of “The Amber Ruffin Show.” In this laugh-packed conversation, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to the comedian about everything from the rise of Black women in late-night to why racism is actually...funny? Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
U.S. Rep. Cori Bush made history last fall when she became the first Black woman from Missouri to be elected to Congress. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham—a St. Louis native—talks to her Congresswoman about the long road to Washington, from Rep. Bush’s roots as a Ferguson activist to her no-holds-barred, wholly authentic approach to governing. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Lisa Ling, the award-winning CNN host, was sounding the alarm about anti-Asian threats long before the current rise in violence hit most headlines. Here, she unpacks the troubling issue with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham—from why racism against Asian Americans is so often overlooked to what everyday people can do to take action. Plus, Brittany shares her thoughts on Meghan Markle’s mental-health openness, and brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
With International Women’s Day coming up, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to Padma Lakshmi, the “Top Chef” host and advocate for immigrants’ and women’s rights. And they go deep on the politics of food, from why home cooking is so often overlooked to what Lakshmi would cook for dinner with new V.P. Kamala Harris. (There’s “nothing more political than the food we eat and the bread we break together,” says Lakshmi.) Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
To round out Black History Month, we turn to a woman making history of her own: U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley, who’s holding Congress’s feet to the fire on issues from student-loan forgiveness to vaccine equity. (She says policy is her love language.) The Congresswoman sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about her political and her personal journey—in a talk that ranges from racial justice to her own evolving sense of beauty, as a Black woman leader living with alopecia. Plus, Brittany pays homage to the 500,000+ people lost to Covid–19, and brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Calls for criminal-justice reform have built over the last year—and this week, with jail uprisings in St. Louis, the focus is on prison abolition. That’s personal for both host Brittany Packnett Cunningham and her guest, organizer Kayla Reed, who break down what’s happening in their mutual hometown, and take on common myths about abolition. It’s a revealing discussion—and required listening for anyone trying to understand prison issues now. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Black Lives Matter was just nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize—so this week, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with co-founder of the Black Lives Matter organization Opal Tometi. How did the movement go from being seen as radical to more widely accepted? And what’s next in the fight for racial justice? They cover it all—plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
President Biden signed new protections for LGBTQ people on Day One of his presidency—but new anti-trans legislation is cropping up everywhere, and violence against gender-nonconforming folks, especially Black trans women, remains high. How can we fix this? Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with activist and writer Raquel Willis to talk about everything from the new administration to the trans ancestors you never heard about. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news.
Here are the legendary trans ancestors Raquel mentions in the episode:
Mary Jones: A Black trans sex worker living in New York in the 1830s.
Frances Thompson: A formerly enslaved Black trans woman who fought in the Memphis Riots and later testified before Congress.
Marsha P. Johnson: A Black trans woman who was among the first to resist police raiding Stonewall, sparking the LGBTQ Rights Movement.
Sylvia Rivera: A trans Latina activist and veteran of the 1969 Stonewall uprising
Crystal LaBeija: The legendary founder of The House of LaBeija.
And some of her trans “siblings” leading the fight today:
Ceyenne Doroshow: Founder and Executive Director of GLITS Inc
Ianne Fields Stewart: Founder of The Okra Project
C. Riley Snorton: Professor of English Language and Literature, archiving Black trans history
Tourmaline: Activist, photographer, filmmaker
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The Capitol attacks were shocking...but, to many Black women, who had been sounding the alarm on online hate and disinformation for years, not wholly surprising. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham tells her own story of being targeted on Facebook—and sits down with media justice expert Brandi Collins-Dexter of Color of Change for a conversation about everything from foreign agents impersonating Black women to how we can all hold social media companies accountable. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We’ve got a new president. A new, historic vice president. And so much work to be done! But in order to truly change the world, says Tricia Hersey, founder of the Nap Ministry, we’re going to have to stop running ourselves ragged. Rest isn’t just a wellness fad, she tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham—it’s a deep racial justice issue and the only path to freedom. Plus, Brittany talks inauguration highlights, remembers Maya Angelou, and brings you the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
With Inauguration Day only a week away—and impeachment proceedings raging around us—host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to a woman who’s seen it all: Valerie Jarrett, the longtime Obama advisor now consulting for the Biden-Harris transition team. They talk insurrection, justice, what needs to happen in the first 100 days—and what Jarrett herself has learned about being a woman at work. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This was a rollercoaster of a week—but before there was a white nationalist coup, there was a major, momentous Senate victory in Georgia. How did it happen? And how can we do it again, and again? Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham unpacks those questions with writer, producer and activist America Ferrera, who helped rally the Latinx vote with her new organization She Se Puede. They get into everything from “the Black-Brown alliance” to how the former Ugly Betty star is helping to bring through other creative Latinx voices. And of course, Brittany brings us the latest Untrending news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Reflections on a day of white supremacy run rampant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Who do you call for perspective on the craziest year in recent memory? Two expert dreamers—New York Times critic Jenna Wortham and curator Kimberly Drew, co-editors of the ambitious new book Black Futures. They talk to host Brittany Packnett Cunningham about why it’s important to write our stories (and not just on social media), and what they expect 2021 to hold. Plus, we hear about the lessons of the year from members of The Meteor collective—like Raquel Willis, Liz Plank, Treasure Brooks, and Rebecca Carroll—and, most importantly, from you, our listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Vaccines are here. We can almost, kind of, sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel. But what world will we be coming out into? That’s what we’re exploring this week—from an intersectional feminist point of view. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham hears from Dr. Esther Choo, a professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, about our medical futures; Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, about building a better working world for women; and Imani Barbarin, a disability activist who writes at CrutchesAndSpice.com, about the future of accessibility. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fresh off her fourth WNBA championship and newly engaged to soccer star Megan Rapinoe, basketball phenom Sue Bird sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about her own leadership on social justice—and the path it took her to get there. They discuss Breonna Taylor, Black Lives Matter, the Georgia Senate races...plus Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News.
Check out the links below to get involved with organizations mobilizing Georgia voters for the upcoming Senate runoffs.
Black Voters Matter https://blackvotersmatterfund.org
Fair Fight https://fairfight.com
New Georgia Project https://newgeorgiaproject.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How do the roles we see influence our own choices in life? That’s a subject Tracee Ellis Ross has thought a LOT about. As the 7th season of “Black-ish” returns to TV—and early-2000s fan favorite “Girlfriends” hits Netflix—host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to the actress, producer and activist about her political (and quite personal) evolution, and why she’s on a mission to expand the humanity of Black women—on and off-screen. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Living legend alert: On this Thanksgiving—or "Friends and Family Day,” as we call it around here—host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to much-celebrated poet Nikki Giovanni. And Giovanni brings all her warmth, wit and, yes, poetry, to a discussion about everything from VP-elect Kamala Harris to the global Black Lives Matter movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Yes, we just had an election that promises to make life better for many women. But our guest this week—New York Magazine writer-at-large Rebecca Traister—is “wary of the feel-good narrative.” She tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham why we all should be, and gets into what the framing of Kamala Harris's win says about our continued fear of full-grown women. Plus, they discuss whether the activism of 2020 will stick for the long haul—and Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
With the election of a lifetime just days behind us, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to one of the organizers who made the Biden-Harris victory happen—Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown. They get real about everything from the past and present power of Black women to the runoff races coming up in Georgia. Plus, LaTosha sings—and Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News.
Check out the links below to get involved with organizations mobilizing Georgia voters for the upcoming Senate runoffs.
Black Voters Matter https://blackvotersmatterfund.org
Fair Fight https://fairfight.com
New Georgia Project https://newgeorgiaproject.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In our election special—recorded the day after election day—host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien about the big question this week: How did this election get so close? They go deep into the underpinnings of media racism, O’Brien tells a few tales from her own career—and we share an all-election edition of Untrending news.
You can learn more about the organizations Brittany shouts out below: NAACP legal defense fund https://www.naacpldf.org/
The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law https://lawyerscommittee.org/
Fair Fight https://fairfight.com/
Black Voters Matter https://blackvotersmatterfund.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We are UNDISTRACTED! In our debut episode, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham gets real with Supermajority co-founder Cecile Richards, who’s been working for over a year to mobilize a historic number of women voters. They get into that, the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett, what Jared Kushner has to do with abortion, and lots more—plus Brittany brings you up-to-date on the latest Untrending News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Brittany Packnett Cunningham is an activist, educator, and popular TV commentator—and a trusted voice for millions of people interested in social justice. Now, with UNDISTRACTED—an original podcast from The Meteor and Pineapple Street Studios—she aims her focus on the most pressing issues of our time through the lens of intersectional feminism. From the latest headlines to deep-dives with today’s most fascinating changemakers, UNDISTRACTED is your weekly guide to the revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices