Dr. Tony Allen is the President of HBCU Delaware State University, as well as Chair of President Biden’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs. 65 HBCU Presidents have sent a letter to the Senate demanding action on President Biden’s historic funding to those universities, and Dr. Allen describes how beneficial that investment is and what needs to be done to make it all happen. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com...
Dec 02, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 460
Do you consider education a human right? Kailee Scales is the CEO of Pencils of Promise and she explains in today’s episode that, as human beings, access to education is our birthright. And with Pencils of Promise, she’s leading an organization that is doing the hard work to expand that access, currently working in Laos, Guatemala and Ghana to build more than 500 schools and serve more than 1,000 students. In addition to that, Pencils of Promise seeks to improve and expand education on hygiene p...
Dec 01, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 459
Ever since Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on charges of murdering two people and injuring another, hostility towards protestors is increasing. Scott Roberts is the Senior Director of Criminal Justice for Color of Change, and in today’s episode he explains that more than 100 bills have popped up in states across the country that seek to strip rights from protestors, and even give more freedom to those who wish to hurt protestors. This response is setting a dangerous precedent, and highlights what...
Nov 30, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 458
Eric Boehlert of Pressrun.media says the media coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris is completely out of hand. In fact, their coverage of Democrats and their alleged troubles with “messaging” is an overall disaster, with seemingly no self-reflection of what role the reporters themselves play in demolishing the aforementioned Democratic messaging. There also wasn’t any reporting on the White House easing the supply chain jam--but at least we’re getting the most important news, which is the ho...
Nov 29, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 457
Mwalim, also known as Dr. Morgan James Peters or even ‘DaPhunkee Professor,’ is a professor of English and Black Studies at UMass Dartmouth and a Mashpee Wampanoag. Wampanoag was the tribe that met with Pilgrims in the story of the “first Thanksgiving,” but that’s about all that traditional American history got right about that first “holiday.” Mwalim gives us the history lesson we should have had in school, starting with the ways colonizers changed tribal affiliations and leading all the way up...
Nov 26, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 456
Jean-Luc Pierite, Director of the North American Indian Center in Boston and member of the United American Indians of New England, shares with us in today’s episode about the National Day of Mourning, which is an annual celebration that seeks to educate people on the myths of Thanksgiving and raise awareness of the ongoing struggles that Native Americans are still facing today. In addition to the day’s details, Jean-Luc talks about fighting back against historicizing Native Americans, because it...
Nov 25, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 455
Protecting yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19 this holiday season goes way beyond good handwashing skills and masking up. Dr. C Debra Furr-Holden, Epidemiologist and Associate Dean for Public Health at Michigan State University and Dr. Shanina Knighton, R.N., Infection Preventionist, Clinical Research Scholar at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, are here to provide the MOST helpful travel tips that you’ve likely never considered, complete with som...
Nov 24, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 454
Closing arguments are happening today in Ahmaud Arbery’s murder trial, as the prosecution seeks justice through the conviction of father-and-son duo Travis and Gregory McMichael, as well as their neighbor William Bryan Jr.. Attorney Barbara Arnwine, who is also the Founder and President of the Transformative Justice Coalition, has been working with Ahmaud’s family and their community since the beginning, and she reports to us about a trial that has been rife with misconduct and failures of the c...
Nov 23, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 453
In 2002, Julius Jones was wrongfully convicted of murdering Paul Howell. Last week, on the day of his scheduled execution for a crime he did not commit, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt commuted the death sentence just four hours before he was set to die. It is a victory that Julius’s life has been saved, but now the work continues to free him from prison. Pastor Mike McBride, Founder of Live Free USA and the Black Church PAC, played a large part in fighting for Julius’s life alongside other faith ...
Nov 22, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 452
Led by the League of Women Voters and People for the American Way, Mark joined forces with protestors in Washington D.C. to demand President Biden FIX OR NIX THE FILIBUSTER. You’ll hear one-on-one conversations with: April Albright, Legal Director and Chief of Staff at Black Voters Matter Fund; Judith Brown Dianis, Executive Director of the Advancement Project; Rev. Tim McDonald, Chair of the Board for People for the American Way; Senator Lena Taylor of Wisconsin; Cliff Albright, Co-Founder of B...
Nov 19, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 451
On Tuesday, Mark spent the day attended the 8th gathering of Black women and allies, brought together by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation's Black Women's Roundtable and the National Council of Negro Women. We'll hear from two movement leaders and speakers to kick things off: Melanie Campbell, President and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of Black Women's Roundtable; and Clayola Brown, Civil, Human and Women's Rights Director for the AFL-...
Nov 18, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 450
Why is the infrastructure bill significant? Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves says it’s a historic long-term investment for the next five years, giving life to projects like fixing bridges and roads and even expanding broadband access. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
Nov 17, 2021•14 min•Season 1Ep. 449
Yesterday, as President Biden signed the infrastructure bill, protestors and organizers gathered on Capitol Hill to point to the crucial legislation that also needs passage: the Build Back Better Act. Mark teamed up with Poor People’s Campaign Co-Chairs Rev. Dr. William Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis to call for immediate action on the Build Back Better legislation. You’ll hear from protestors/organizers from Maine and Montana, Stewart Acuff, formerly of the UWUA and AFL CIO, and the keyno...
Nov 16, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 448
The fact is, we won’t be seeing the last of COVID-19 anytime soon. That’s one of the several truths dropped in today’s episode with Dr. Sandro Galea, epidemiologist and Dean of Boston University’s Robert A. Knox School of Public Health, and author of his new book “The Contagion Next Time.” Not only can we expect to see more of the coronavirus, but we could see stronger, more deadly strains. But this episode is not intended to make you fear what’s ahead! Dr. Galea wants us to prepare accordingly,...
Nov 15, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 447
If you believe in and support reparations: the time is now. Your help is needed in contacting House leadership to let them know. Dreisen Heath is a Researcher with Human Rights Watch and Kennis Henry is Chairperson of NCOBRA Legislative Committee, and in today’s episode, they give us the exact steps you need to take to get involved, including a super easy website that allows you to send an email directly to House leadership (link below). They also give us the background info: who is supporting t...
Nov 12, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 446
Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos and Civiqs, is here for his weekly installment of #ThursdayKos to do a postmortem on the election in Virginia. Markos lays out the questions the election posed: will trump voters turn out if he’s not on the ballot? Will suburban college-educated white women go back to the republican party? Will the Democratic base turn out? And according to Markos, we got our answers--answers that could prove to be an indicator of how things will go in 2022 and 2024. Executi...
Nov 11, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 445
Dr. Ray Winbush is the Director of the Urban Research Institute at Morgan State University and author of the book “Should America Pay?: Slavery and the Raging Debate on Reparations.” He has been working within the reparations movement for decades and in today’s episode, he and Mark discuss the latest in getting H.R. 40 passed, as we are now the closest we’ve ever been in advancing reparations legislation. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment ...
Nov 10, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 444
It's that time again! Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, is back for his monthly installment of breaking down the latest jobs report, giving us way more detail than the top-level numbers, helping us understand the depth of where our economy stands. Chad maps out the recovery we’ve made so far since the COVID-induced recession, and he also gives us a refresher on why the unemployment rate is deceptive on its own, without considering several other factors. H...
Nov 09, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 443
Sheryll Cashin is a Professor of Law at Georgetown University and has committed to writing extensively about inequality and race relations in America, which is currently culminating in her latest book, “White Space: Black Hood: Opportunity Hoarding in America.” She talks with Mark today about the caste system that was created to contain Black and Brown people--though they are not the only ones ensnared. As the government continues to over-invest in affluent white spaces while dis-investing in/co...
Nov 08, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 442
Mark teams up with Danielle Moodie, fellow DCP Entertainment broadcaster and Host of WokeAF, to bring you our first episode of our crossover series “Make It Effing Woke.” On the first Friday of every month, Mark and Danielle will bust open the day’s biggest stories, combining their powerhouse truth-telling to “make it effing woke.” And in our first episode, the question is: why the heck did we try to run Terry McAuliffe in Virginia again? Yes, the question is coming too late, but it’s important ...
Nov 05, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 441
Access to healthcare can be the determining factor in life or death, which is why it is critical to get coverage. Open enrollment has begun at Healthcare.gov and Chiquita Brooks LaSure, Administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, downloads us on the details of how to get signed up and why you can expect more low-cost options than ever before. SIGN UP FOR HEALTH INSURANCE HERE: https://www.healthcare.gov/ Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distribut...
Nov 04, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 440
Students at Howard University are protesting the living conditions in some campus dormitories, saying the mold, mice, flooding, and other subpar conditions are making students sick. So around 150 students have occupied Blackburn University Center on October 12th and have not left, demanding the school’s administration address their concerns. Mark joined up with Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Dr. WIlliam Barber to travel to the campus and speak with the students who have been organizing this protest...
Nov 03, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 439
Gaby Goldstein is Co-Founder of Sister District, an organization with the goal of putting progressive power in state legislatures. Gaby joins today to discuss the governor’s race happening TODAY in Virginia--so if you live in the state, it’s your time to get out and vote! And if you know someone, it’s your job to give them a call to make sure they’re hitting the polls. Gaby acquaints us with the candidates and let’s us know that’s it will be a photo finish, emphasizing the importance of progress...
Nov 02, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 438
What is the connection between the Virginia governor’s race, Toni Morrison, and Mark Twain? Those are the ties made in today’s conversation with James Henry Harris, Distinguished Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology and a research scholar in religion and humanities at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. He’s also author of the book “N: My Encounter with Racism and the Forbidden Word in An American Classic,” a memoir recounting a semester spent in a...
Nov 01, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 437
Dan and Casey Dalton are siblings and co-founders of Evidence and Ocean Grown Extracts, companies committed to raising awareness and funds to free people who are jailed for cannabis-related offenses. Dan joins the show today to discuss the mission and function of Evidence, which is housed in a renovated jail in Coalinga, California. They transformed the 77,000 square foot prison into a full-fledged manufacturing facility that now provides more than 100 jobs to the local community and brought the...
Oct 29, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 436
Yesterday on Capitol Hill, the Poor People’s Campaign, led by Co-Chairs Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, gathered to demand action from the two senators who are now infamous for standing in the way of progress: Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. On this Moral Witness Wednesday, Mark spoke with leaders and constituents on the ground who want to know why Manchin and Sinema are blocking Build Back Better. You’ll hear from the following guests in this order: Congressman Jamie R...
Oct 28, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 435
Eric Boehlert, Writer and Publisher of Pressrun.media, is tired of the media indulging the anti-vaxxer narrative by producing countless stories about people who will “lose” their jobs if they don’t get vaccinated and their employers are now requiring it. Eric sees mainstream media embracing conspiracy and misinformation, choosing to paint these people as rational humans, instead of people who are walking away from steady income. They could also be lifting up the alternative: those who might have...
Oct 27, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 434
Senator Joe Manchin has framed President Biden’s Build Back Better plan as “entitlement;” so this past weekend, Mark joined forces with the Poor People’s Campaign, led by Co-Chairs Rev. Dr. WIlliam J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, to show Joe Manchin exactly how much HE is costing the state he is supposed to represent. In today’s episode you’ll hear from both leaders and residents of the state who speak of struggling to work against poverty and gun violence with no resources at their dis...
Oct 26, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 433
Natalie Cofield is the Assistant Administrator for the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Women’s Business Ownership, and she joins the show with exciting news to share: a new Women’s Business Center has opened in Tulsa, OK, making it the 139th center across the country. These centers seek to provide resources to help women entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. And beyond what it will provide for the community, it’s also a historic beginning, 100 years after the Black communi...
Oct 25, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 432
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg takes time to talk with Mark about the vast benefits of the Build Back Better plan, which stands to create jobs and make lives healthier and more enriched, and also addresses issues of environmental and racial injustice. We then get to hear from leaders of congress who commemorated 10 years since the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. was erected next to the National Mall. He speaks with Speaker Pelosi, Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Congressman Troy Carter,...
Oct 22, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 431
