On this episode, Amber and Erika discuss the current war between Israel and Palestine, diving into the complexities on both sides. We explore the creation of modern Israel against the backdrop of historical atrocities committed against the Jews and the Palestinian resistance to apartheid and for self-determination. Like most of the broken “ish” around us, this crisis has everything to do with propping up white supremacy, western influence, and settler colonialism in the Middle East. Looking at e...
Oct 15, 2023•1 hr 4 min
This week Amber and Erika have a personal and heartfelt conversation about how we as Black people have to navigate our relationships with each other against the backdrop of a system that actively conspires to break us down. While we are all in this struggle to varying degrees, some of us are more broken than others - by generational trauma, financial insecurity, mental illness, and all the ish that we confront. How do we do our own work while holding space for our siblings who are more broken? H...
Oct 01, 2023•1 hr 10 min
On this episode of Broke-ish, Erika talks with Dr. Andre Brock about Black people in digital spaces. Dr. Brock helps us to understand some of the history of the internet to help contextualize the current role it and technology play in helping Black people create and curate community in an online world. We talk about everything from ratchetness and respectability, and how Black people reclaim spaces even under the threat of dispossession. Despite all of the reasons to have for defeat, we choose o...
Sep 15, 2023•1 hr 3 min
This payday, Amber and Erika are unpacking the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on affirmative action in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. We discuss the significance of the Court holding that race conscious admissions policies violate the 14th Amendment. But more importantly, we walk through how this ruling highlights America’s historical dishonesty regarding the enduring impact and present perpetuation of systemic racism. Finally, by revealing who the...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 4 min
On this episode, Amber and Erika are unpacking the insidious ways that White Supremacy infiltrates the American adoption system. Lia, co-host of the podcast “Adoptees Crossing Lines” and an adoptee, walks us through the systemic inequities that often lead to adoption. Through both her personal experience and statistics and data, Lia describes how lack of assistance with job security, housing, and food often disproportionately results in Black and Brown children being removed from otherwise lovin...
Aug 15, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Season 8 of Broke-ish is officially back! Amber and Erika couldn’t wait another minute, so we cut our hiatus short to get back to work. Of course, we had to catch up with the Brokers and let y’all know what we’ve been up to and the changes life has brought about. We also know that the “broken ish” didn’t take a break just because we did, so we recapped some of the notable current events that happened while we were on break. Most importantly, we offered a peak into what you can expect this season...
Aug 01, 2023•59 min
On this week’s episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Broke-ish all-star, Dr. Algernon Austin, the Director of Race and Economic Justice at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. We discuss Dr. Austin’s latest article, “Black Women’s Views on Black Men’s High Rate of Joblessness.” Dr. Austin helps us unpack some of the systemic reasons why the Black population is the only demographic where there are fewer employed men than women. From both the relational perspective and the communal impact...
Mar 15, 2023•1 hr 10 min
On this episode of Broke-ish, Amber, and Erika are joined by Tosca Davis and Dr. Cedrick Smith, the co-founders of To Be Us Productions, to discuss their groundbreaking film, “To Be Us: To Work.” The documentary film, which won “Best of Film” at the International Black Film Festival, chronicles a cross-section of working Black people sharing their experiences with racism, micro-aggressions, and the accompanying insidious hostility in their respective industries and workplaces. These heartfelt, p...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 17 min
On this episode, Erika is joined by Fernanda Meier to talk about the similarities between agents of white supremacy in corporations and within police forces. Are they two sides of the same, racist coin? We also discuss the global impacts of colonialism that have so many within our community in a chokehold. We ponder lots of questions in this show: is it possible to join the police force and change it from the inside, how do we hold those who harm us accountable for their misdeeds, are we going t...
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 12 min
This payday, Amber and Erika are joined by Adrienne Fikes, the Soul Power Coach and Founder of the Parent Leadership Training Institute of Alexandria, Virginia. Adrienne helps us unpack the often insidious ways that racism seeps into the pathology of Black people, impacting our family dynamics and parenting choices. It is undeniable that living in a society that denies our full humanity shapes our norms, values, and sense of self - all things that affect how we parent. We examine the increasingl...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr 21 min
On this week’s episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Michael DeLong, Research and Advocacy Associate from the Consumer Research Federation of America, to discuss how racism insidiously and nefariously impacts the American insurance industry. Michael walks us through the factors that are used to calculate the cost of insurance for most people - credit, education, zip code, and job titles, just to name a few. As expected, the racial disparities inherent in those factors naturally spill out into t...
Jan 15, 2023•1 hr
On this week’s episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Fernanda Meier, a photographer, educator, activist, and digital nomad to discuss the unique, subversive ways that Black people - particularly Black women and femmes - have utilized social media to build community and advocate for equity and justice. Fernanda walks us through the value of community in digital spaces and how social media has been a space of togetherness, sharing, and connection. But just like everything built against the backdr...
Jan 01, 2023•1 hr 18 min
On this episode - the last of 2022 - Amber and Erika are looking back at one of the most eventful years in recent history. From Amir Locke’s untimely death by police at the top of the year, to Brittney Griner’s release near the end, we look back over the notable events of 2022. But most importantly, we’re discussing lessons that we can all learn about the broken “ish” that forms the backdrop of our lives. Although there is much to despair, we’ve come too far to give up in our fight for liberatio...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 7 min
On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Broke-ish all-star, Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, to discuss the economic impact of the Great Migration on Black Americans. Post-Reconstruction and against the backdrop of Jim Crow, many Black people fled the South for the North and Midwest in hopes of less oppression and more economic opportunity. But new research on the long-term success of the Great Migration actually casts doubt on whether Black families proved to fare better as a result of the move....
Dec 01, 2022•56 min
This episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Michelle Williams of Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Michelle, an activist, and abolitionist, shares with us the story of Kevin Johnson, a Black man sentenced to death for taking the life of a police officer at 19 years old after witnessing the sudden death of his younger brother. Michelle details the trauma, neglect, and abuse that filled Kevin’s life prior to his conviction. Next, we discuss how the consistent disregard for Kevin’s...
Nov 15, 2022•1 hr 10 min
On this episode of Broke-ish, Amber and Erika are jumping head first into current events by discussing Kanye West’s disastrous interview on the Drink Champs Podcast. We start by breaking down the anti-semitism, misogyny/misogynoir, pro-capitalist delusions, and racist tropes that pervaded the interview. Next, we outline what Kanye’s vapid comments teach us about the ways that Black people can be invested in upholding White Supremacy and oppressive capitalism. Kanye’s statements about Jews and wo...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 6 min
On this episode, Amber and Erika discuss Child Protective Services (CPS) and its often overlooked role as a powerful ally and agent of law enforcement. Along with our guest, Amanda Wallace of Stop CPS, a former CPS investigator in North Carolina with over a decade of experience, we are diving into how CPS is often biased against Black families and disproportionately exercises its power to the detriment of Black children. Amanda walks us through the history of CPS, revealing its racially discrimi...
Oct 15, 2022•59 min
On this week’s episode, Amber and Erika are joined by activist and artist, Leroy Moore, to discuss the often ignored world of Black disabled people. Leroy is a Grammy award-winning poet, speaker, and the founder of Krip Hop Nation, a collective of disabled artists and musicians. Through his own personal experiences combined with his advocacy and activism, Leroy sheds light on how ableism joins with racism to especially impact disabled Black people. He also opens up about the sad reality that Bla...
Oct 01, 2022•43 min
Welcome to Civics 101! Amber and Erika are taking the Brokers back to school with this episode. So many of us have been propagandized in school and through media to believe that our nation is a democracy founded by the people for the people, and that voting and political participation were intended to keep government directly accountable to the people. However, through detailing the circumstances under which our nation was founded and the great distrust that many Founders harbored towards common...
Sep 15, 2022•53 min•Season 7Ep. 69
Here we go again, Brokers! Amber and Erika are back for the Season 6 opening episode. Not only do we catch up, but we discuss all the new things coming this season. From audio and visual episodes (we fancy now!) to our new membership in the Black Power Media Network and our expanded platform - we are giving you the scoop on everything you can expect in the upcoming episodes. We can’t wait for y’all to join us in our new adventures as we try to expand our reach and dive deeper into the broken “is...
Sep 01, 2022•47 min
Can you believe another season of Broke-ish has come to an end?! In this episode, Amber and Erika are running back all the season’s episodes and guests, discussing the highlights of Season 6. Through recapping the takeaways from each episode, we remind the Brokers why we took a broadened approach to discussing the broken ish in America beyond finances and money. Racism is entrenched into every aspect of American life, corrupting all of its systems and institutions. Our goal this season was to us...
Jun 15, 2022•1 hr 6 min
This episode Amber and Erika are discussing the leak of Dobbs, et. al. v. Jackson, et. al., the Supreme Court case which allegedly overturns the landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade protecting the right to access abortion as healthcare. First, we outline the history of Roe and then discuss the potential significance of its holding in other areas of life, including marriage, sexual freedom, and access to contraceptives. Through an intersectional analysis, we also highlight why the debate over abortion ...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 3 min
On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Lawrence Grandpre, co-author of “The Black Book” and Director of Research for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle. Our fellow Black Power Media mate helps us to understand the basics, explaining the difference between hemp, CBD, THC, and marijuana. Next, we dive into this nation’s historically racist and unjust drug laws, which coupled with terrorized policing, has resulted in generations of Black people being criminalized and now shut out of the increa...
May 15, 2022•1 hr 7 min
On this week’s episode, we are celebrating May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day around the world. Amber and Erika are joined by Kim Brown, journalist, veteran activist, and our fellow Black Power Media comrade to discuss the historical significance of May Day and the global fight against capitalist inequities. With a special emphasis on both the contributions of Black people in the pro-labor movement, as well as the challenges to equity and ownership that we still face, this episode...
May 01, 2022•1 hr 4 min
On this week’s episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Whitney McGuire, an attorney, fashion law expert, consultant, strategist, and co-founder of Sustainable Brooklyn. We discuss how some of our favorite fast-fashion brands are rapidly causing environmental havoc by proliferating waste, exploiting BIPOC workers, subjecting employees to hazardous conditions, and depleting natural resources. This phenomenon is part of the vicious cycle of racial capitalism that enables poverty and creates dependen...
Apr 15, 2022•1 hr 4 min
On this episode of Broke-ish, Amber and Erika are discussing a deeply personal, complex topic: Black hair. Specifically, we examine the pressures of respectability, professionalism, and assimilation on our relationship with our hair. Through stories of Black people being banned from graduation ceremonies, losing job opportunities, and facing harassment because of how they choose to wear their hair, this episode dives into both the economic and emotional toll of this especially vicious arm of Whi...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 9 min
On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by Kalonji Changa, one of the founders of Black Power Media, national coordinator of the FTP Movement, and author of “How to Build a People’s Army”. We discuss Black resistance, survival, and holistic self-defense and why America is so antagonistic to Black people asserting agency over our ability to survive in a racist, White supremacist society invested in our destruction. Through both historical and tactical lenses, Kalonji outlines America’s intent...
Mar 15, 2022•57 min
In this week’s episode, Amber and Erika are joined by a Broke-ish All-Star, Dr. Jared Ball, to discuss the ins and outs of cryptocurrency. Dr. Ball combines his expertise in media literacy with his personal interest in cryptocurrency to show us how savvy messaging creates the illusion of a crypto market that’s inoculated from the racism and inequality that plagues traditional financial markets. But a little deep-diving reveals the inescapable reality that racism, sexism, scheming, and wealth dis...
Mar 01, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Is it D-E-I? E-I-D? J-E-D-I? Or is this really all just a waste of time and a capitalist guise to positively impact the bottom line? Amber and Erika are joined by Corporate HR Specialist and DEI Guru, Diontha Fancher, to unpack the truth behind America’s present obsession with DEI initiatives. Beyond the corny workshops and slogans, we are unpacking DEI’s historical roots, who can and should be doing the work, where the money is flowing, and the silver linings of positivity that can encourage us...
Feb 15, 2022•44 min
On this week’s episode, Amber and Erika discuss land loss, the coded way that racially motivated land theft is often referred to in this country. Our guests are Kavon Ward and Ashanti Martin of Where Is My Land, a non-profit organization that helps Black families reclaim ownership of land that has unjustly been taken from them. Most notably, Where Is My Land assisted the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce in regaining ownership of Bruce Beach in 2021 after it was stolen from their family thr...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 5 min
