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 h...
Aug 18, 2022•45 min•Ep. 76
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 inten...
Aug 11, 2022•43 min•Ep. 75
“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, ...
Aug 04, 2022•49 min•Ep. 74
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 C...
Jul 28, 2022•36 min•Ep. 73
"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. To learn...
Jul 21, 2022•38 min•Ep. 72
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. To learn more about listener d...
Jul 14, 2022•41 min•Ep. 71
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 ...
Jul 12, 2022•4 min
“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. To learn more...
Jul 07, 2022•45 min•Ep. 70
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 land...
Jun 30, 2022•41 min•Ep. 69
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 abor...
Jun 25, 2022•11 min•Ep. 73
You probably know the data about what Black women face when they give birth. But do you know the stories ? Martina Abrahams Ilunga 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 bi...
Jun 23, 2022•38 min•Ep. 67
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Jun 16, 2022•34 min•Ep. 65
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. To lea...
Jun 02, 2022•40 min•Ep. 65
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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more ab...
May 26, 2022•33 min•Ep. 64
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 Broo...
May 19, 2022•31 min•Ep. 63
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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/p...
May 12, 2022•54 min•Ep. 62
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 t...
May 05, 2022•45 min•Ep. 61
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 jo...
Apr 28, 2022•39 min•Ep. 60
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 ...
Apr 21, 2022•43 min•Ep. 59
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. To learn more abo...
Apr 14, 2022•53 min•Ep. 58
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 Un Trending news. To learn more about liste...
Apr 07, 2022•47 min•Ep. 57
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. ...
Mar 31, 2022•41 min•Ep. 61
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...
Mar 24, 2022•45 min•Ep. 60
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 ...
Mar 18, 2022•29 min•Ep. 59
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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn m...
Mar 17, 2022•33 min•Ep. 54
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 B...
Mar 10, 2022•43 min•Ep. 53
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. To learn more about listener data and our ...
Mar 03, 2022•39 min•Ep. 56
“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’ UnTren...
Feb 24, 2022•46 min•Ep. 52
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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy...
Feb 17, 2022•41 min•Ep. 54
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 o...
Feb 10, 2022•48 min•Ep. 49
