Why Language Matters When Teaching Slavery

Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp https://liberateyourbusiness.com/In this episode, we unpack a real-time messy situation that started with a classroom conversation about language, and quickly spiraled into social media backlash, reflection, and deeper questions about responsibility. We explore the difference between calling in and calling out, why language matters when teaching history, and what it looks like when people respond to feedback with humility. Along the way, we talk about parenting, educator accountability, online criticism, and the ongoing work of holding nuance in public conversations, plus a lighter detour into Olympic drama and what it reveals about pressure, humanity, and expectations.Discussed in this episode:A messy moment: reaching out to a teacher about languageWhen social media amplifies conflictCalling in vs public accountabilityWhy “enslaved people” vs “slaves” mattersBlack history as shared history and responsibilityEducator responses and learning in publicNavigating trolls and criticismEmotional maturity, pressure, and public scrutinyOlympics tangent: performance, humanity, and expectationsInvitation to practice nuance in hard conversations🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE