On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Dr. Calvin Schermerhorn, author of “The Plunder of Black America: How the Racial Wealth Gap Was Made”, to discuss the economic status of Black Americans. Despite the propaganda that Black people have less wealth due to poor choices, laziness, and missed opportunities, Dr. Schermerhorn points us to the historical data that clearly demonstrating that Black Americans have been continuously and systematically exploited and de-capitalized through racist ...
Jul 15, 2025•1 hr 5 min
On this episode, Amber and Erika are discussing Black politics and how the fight for liberation of descendants of enslaved people here in the United States is connected to the fight of other African people in the diaspora. We are joined by journalist and teacher, Salifu Mack, and Broke-ish all-star, Dr. Kehinde Andrews, to examine black liberation politics in America and the degree to which those movements see themselves connected to broader Pan-Africanism. Finally, we look at what we can learn ...
Jul 01, 2025•1 hr 18 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika are joined by Broke-ish all-star, Dr. Kehinde Andrews, to discuss his latest book, “Nobody Can Give You Freedom: The Real Mission of Malcolm X”. Malcolm X, the foundational inspiration of Season 11, articulated a vision of Black radicalism and liberation that informs how we engage the global fight against anti-Blackness and systemic oppression. Dr. Andrews helps us clarify Malcolm’s liberatory strategies and political ethos—compellingly outlining America’s injusti...
Jun 15, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 11Ep. 2
Season 11 of Broke-ish is here! Amber and Erika are back for a new season, and they’re kicking things off by bringing the Brokers up to speed about what went down during the break. After the shenanigans, the duo laid out their vision for Season 11 and how Season 10 inspired its format. Season 10’s episodes were based upon debunking the ever plentiful myths and misstatements of our most infamous guest: John Hope Bryant. Like Season 10, this new season will be centered around a central figure, but...
Jun 01, 2025•55 min•Season 11Ep. 1
Well, it’s over now! Amber and Erika have officially said, “Farewell” to Season 10. What was supposed to be a single episode featuring John Hope Bryant turned into a rundown of financial literacy’s “greatest hits”, which we spent the season debunking one at a time. In this final episode, we recap the season and highlight our motivation behind this strategy and what we hope you learned. As always, we can’t wait to come back and talk about all the “ish”! It’s over now, but we’ll be back soon!...
Mar 01, 2025•52 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika explore the impact of generational poverty on Black communities and the systemic barriers to wealth accumulation. Joined by Taylor Darks, a PhD candidate at Florida State University, who studies reparations policies, we lay out the evidence that poverty is more than a mindset. Dr. Darks highlights the Evanston, Illinois reparations program, which provides $25,000 for homeownership or repairs, and the controversy surrounding cash payments. The discussion also touch...
Feb 15, 2025•54 min
On the first payday of Black History Month 2025, Amber and Erika find themselves yet again debunking John Hope Bryant’s foolish, false assertion that “racism is a barrier that Black people can get over.” The second Trump presidency has people questioning that contention, but this episode demonstrates that racism has been entrenched in every aspect of American life - politically, economically, socially, and culturally - since its inception. Through discussion of three key eras in history, we demo...
Feb 01, 2025•1 hr 12 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika discuss the concept of "model minorities" and how it relates to the expectations placed upon Black descendants of enslaved people to use tools like financial literacy to “pull themselves up by the bootstraps”. They highlight the challenges faced by Black Americans compared to other ethnic minorities and immigrants. Dr. Patrice Sims, a sociologist, joins the discussion to explain her book "The Fallacies of Racism," which addresses the fallacies that perpetuate raci...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 2 min
On this New Year’s Payday, Amber and Erika are busting another myth from our interview with John Hope Bryant. Bryant casually remarked, “If you go to the computer at midnight, the computer doesn’t know what race you are.” The evidence, however, suggests that that is false, and technology and AI is laden with the same biases and racism present within our society. Our guest, Memme Onwudiwe, a Harvard trained space lawyer and EVP of AI company Evisort, breaks down the basics of emerging AI and expl...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 2 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika are continuing the “Myth Busters” series, debunking the erroneous statement that banks are race neutral and “don’t care about color”. Dr. Justene Hill-Edwards, University of Virginia professor and author of “Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman’s Bank”, joins us to discuss the first bank in American history created for Black Americans. Not only does Dr. Hill-Edwards’ book offer insight into the challenges faced by the formerly enslaved during R...
Dec 15, 2024•51 min
Amber and Erika are back on this payday debunking another one of John Hope Bryant’s false statements. During his interview, Bryant contended that slavery as an institution was race neutral and existed long before the colonized iteration primarily rooted in anti-Blackness. Dr. Kehinde Andrews, renowned author, scholar, and historian joins us to unpack why this statement is misleading and erroneously dismissive of the residual impacts of anti-Black colonization and enslavement. Starting with the A...
Dec 01, 2024•55 min
Amber and Erika promised to spend the remainder of Season 10 debunking the financial literacy myths you heard in Episode 1. Well, we’re making good on that promise by interrogating John Hope Bryant’s claim that “financial literacy is the civil rights issue of this generation”…whatever that means. Broke-ish All-Star and our Black Liberation Media comrade, Dr. Jared Ball, joins us to unpack the fallacies and insidious white supremacy underlying the statement. Join us to learn why capitalism and a ...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Whew, chile! Broke-ish is starting Season 10 with a bang - literally and figuratively. John Hope Bryant, chairman and CEO of Operation Hope, the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of financial literacy resources, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of financial literacy. But the conversation gets interesting when Amber and Erika push back on Bryant’s belief in a colorblind and race neutral economic system in which anyone can succeed if they are financially literate. Throughout this interview, ...
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Broke-ish is ten and officially a preteen! And like most prepubescent knuckleheads, we’re still a (mostly) delightful mix of unserious, curious, determined, and ever-evolving. We open Season 10 by recapping some of the notable shenanigans that occurred during our break, including Diddy being remanded without bail, Eric Adams’s indictment, and CBS Morning’s interview of Ta-Nehisi Coates. Then we discuss what the Brokers can expect this season and how you can be apart of what we explore in Season ...
Oct 15, 2024•57 min
And just like that, it’s a wrap on Season 9! Amber and Erika pause to look back on the highs, lows, and in-betweens of Season 9 and muse about what we’ve learned, our hopes for the future, and what you can expect in Season 10! America is still Broke-ish, but we are we resolved, determined, and excited about creating a better future for us and by us. Tune in to hear our reflections on this season!
Aug 16, 2024•50 min
In this episode, Amber and Erika pause to reflect on the horrific murder of Sonya Massey and the ascendance of Kamala Harris to the Democratic presidential nominee - all in the same week. We discuss how both women reflect different, yet ugly truths, about the unjust American police state. And we also reflect on the unique emotional impact of both events on Black women. Can we truly mourn Sonya Massey and simultaneously celebrate Kamala Harris? Is representation still a valuable indicator of prog...
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr
On this payday, Amber and Erika are examining America’s third branch of government, the judiciary, and its often overlooked role in upholding the unjust systems at the base of this country. We examine three recent rulings - the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Chevron Doctrine and expand presidential immunity and the Eleventh Circuit’s ruling dismantling the Fearless Fund - that reveal how judges can wield their power to promote inequitable political agendas. Next, we discuss how nefario...
Jul 15, 2024•1 hr 4 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika are throwing it back to an oldie but goodie: Civics 101! So many of us are disturbed, angered, and concerned about the state of our current political affairs - especially after the first presidential debate. But this episode reminds us that our focus needs to go beyond the pageantry of it all to the structural and systemic ways that our government conspires to disempower the common man. So run this one back to get ready for this crazy election cycle!
Jul 01, 2024•53 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika discuss America’s hijacking of Jesus and the church’s complicity with inequity, exploitative capitalism, and anti-blackness. We are joined by Stephanie M. House-Niamke, a sociologist whose work centers on power, access, and choice, across the areas of race, gender, and religion. Stephanie helps us see how problematic theological frameworks like the prosperity gospel and manifest destiny have resulted in the church being an extension of many of the same exclusionar...
Jun 15, 2024•1 hr 5 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika are talking about the unprecedented attack on America’s public schools by conservative Republicans seeking to ban DEI efforts and replace fact-based curricula with ideological propaganda. Joined by Mike Hixenbaugh, investigative journalist behind the podcast series “Southlake” and author of the New York Times bestselling book “They Came for the Schools.” We look at how one suburban town’s fight against diversity initiatives highlights the role racism plays in shap...
Jun 01, 2024•56 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika deep dive into anti-blackness propagated by other Black people. Although we usually focus on whiteness and white agents of anti-blackness, this episode looks at the unique harms to our community when Black leaders and influencers peddle in anti-blackness. From pathologizing Black people to blaming and shaming us for problems directly caused by white supremacist systems, we unpack how to identify anti-blackness and why white supremacy is invested in amplifying Blac...
May 15, 2024•1 hr 8 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika are debunking millionaire myths. Despite what we see on social media and television, most people will never ascend to the status of millionaire. But even for those who do, it doesn’t always equate to a life flush with cash and no financial worries. And this is, of course, especially true for Black people. We get back to the basics by first explaining how to calculate net worth and then exploring the different asset classes that are included. Next, we discuss who i...
May 01, 2024•1 hr 1 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika are “celebrating” Financial Literacy Awareness Month. We discuss what financial literacy looks like and how it is distinct from and related to financial education. Although, the Brokers know that financial literacy is not the antidote to the racism and inequitable capitalism that conspires against Black people, we look at the role of understanding money and economics as a means of survival. Walk with us as we navigate what it looks like to be financially savvy AND...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 5 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika discuss “Secure DC”, the new crime bill recently enacted in the nation’s capital that harkens back to the “tough on crime” approach of the 80s and 90s. Despite history and data overwhelmingly demonstrating that increased policing and carcareal punishment do not reduce crime, we attempt to unpack the reasons why our policy makers constantly revert to this losing strategy. But most importantly, we highlight the anti-Blackness at the core of over-policing and crimina...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 4 min
On this payday, Amber and Erika are talking housing insecurity, poverty, and how a lack of access to affordable housing disproportionately impacts Black people. Joined by Bill Holston, the Chief Operations Officer of the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, we discuss the nationwide inconsistency in tenants’ rights against landlords, the historical and legal events that created systemic inequity, and why poverty and insufficient resources impact people beyond just where they can afford to live. This...
Mar 15, 2024•59 min
Broke-ish is back for Season 9!! Amber and Erika are so excited to kick off a new season. We start off by catching up and pouring the tea on what we’ve been up to during the break. Next, we recap the hottest current events, a sobering reminder that Earth is still really ghetto and there’s so much broken “ish” that needs fixing. From Donald Trump’s pending civil and criminal cases to morally bankrupt CEOs, we recap the current events that illuminate our need to continue to dismantle the brokennes...
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 9Ep. 92
On the final episode of this season, Amber and Erika grapple with the quandary of Black billionaires. Can we root for those who have found success at the highest levels while still calling out their harm? Is it ever acceptable to publicly call out Black elites in front of the White gaze? Is it “hateration” to not support Black elites on the basis that their actions are harmful to our community by reinforcing inequity? We wrestle with these questions, acknowledging that there is no clear answer o...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 1 min
On this Payday, Amber and Erika are discussing the explosive sexual misconduct lawsuits against some of today’s most iconic celebrities, including Diddy, Jamie Foxx, Jimmy Iovine, Russell Simmons and Aaron Hall. Cassie, a singer and Diddy’s former girlfriend, seemingly opened the floodgates with her lawsuit against Diddy and his related entities, alleging among other things, that she was repeatedly raped, drugged, beaten, and trafficked. We start by looking at the changes in the law that allowed...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 2 min
On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by platinum-selling R&B diva Nicci Gilbert of the iconic trio Brownstone. Nicci is a singer, songwriter, and film and stage producer who created the stage play “Soul Kittens Cabaret” in 2003. Nicci subsequently filed suit against the Starz network and others alleging that the hit show “P-Valley” uses the same plot line and wrongly infringes upon copyrighted elements of Soul Kittens Cabaret. Through her own experience, Nicci explains what intellectu...
Nov 15, 2023•59 min
On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Maggie Parker, the founder and CEO of Innovan Neighborhoods to discuss a new, more equitable way of creating affordable housing: through community development. Maggie walks us through the process, which includes putting the voices of community members at the forefront of the development conversation, empowering marginalized developers committed to equity, and using the right funding partner. We also discuss the historical and present systemic barrie...
Nov 01, 2023•56 min
