#111 - Clint Smith

Before I introduce today’s guest, a little housekeeping. I’m taking the month of July off. It’s not you, it’s me. But seriously, we have been putting out an episode each week for almost 2 years now. I know we skip a week from time to time but it’s been pretty much been weekly released for almost two years. And don’t take me wrong, I love it! This podcast is one of the best things I’ve ever been part of in my life. But I need and want to take the month of July to regroup and put together a clearer vision for the future of Let’s Give A Damn. Additionally, I’ll be heading to NYC and ATL in July to capture quite a few podcast conversations so we can hit the ground running when we release the next episode on August 6. I may or may not be interviewing a Democratic candidate for President while in New York. We’ll see:) We will still be posting on social media and interacting with you in the comment section and in direct message conversations and stuff like that. We aren’t going anywhere. But we just need the extra space we’ll get from not producing 5 podcast episodes in July in order to really tease out some amazing opportunities we have ahead of us and come back on fire in August.  Now, onto our guest this week!  Today we’re bringing back and oldie but a goodie. A while back, I met Clint Smith in the back room of Busboys & Poets in Washington, D.C. Clint is is a writer, teacher, and doctoral candidate in Education at Harvard University studying incarceration, education, & inequality. His dissertation explores how people sentenced to juvenile life without parole make meaning of the purpose of education while incarcerated.  His two TED talks, The Danger of Silence and How to Raise a Black Son in America, have been viewed more than 6 million times collectively. AND He is a cohost on the podcasts Pod Save the People and Justice in America. In this conversation, we talk about growing up in as a black boy in America, we discuss mass incarceration, and we chat about how we should live, act, and react in this volatile political climate. I really really enjoyed my conversation with Clint. I know you will, too. Just a reminder that we recorded this conversation essentially in the backroom of a coffee shop so you’ll hear some ambient noise. Just a heads up!  This conversation originally aired on September 5, 2017.  ___________________________________ Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with all that is going on. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! And if you want to follow our host Nick Laparra on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. Support Let’s Give A Damn by giving $5 per month on Patreon. 100% of the money you contribute will go to making more podcasts. Not a dime goes into our pockets! Or you can leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Every little bit helps. Thanks for all your help. Have an amazing week, friends! Love y’all!