Just Talks Podcast with Ali M. Collins

The second season of Just Talks Podcast is coming soon, and the stakes have never been higher. I started last season in 2021 by documenting the attacks on our educators and the resulting political fallout. Now, I’m expanding the lens. This season, I’m bringing you exclusive conversations with artists, experts, and influencers who are fighting the good fight across the country.Why tune in? Because the disinformation machine is working overtime, and we need to connect the dots. From the local school board to the national stage, I’ll be breaking down exactly what's happening and giving you the tools to get involved. If you want to understand the real threats to our schools and neighborhoods and learn how to build a more just future, stay tuned! I will be providing early access to the first episode here on Patreon and then posting to YouTube later. If you are a paid supporter, I deeply appreciate your support! Check out a sneak peek from my podcast above. Make sure to become a paid members so you can receive early receive early access to the video next week.Ranier Maningding on Reclaiming Democracy Through Storytelling What happens when the fight for public education becomes the fight for our democracy? For the past several years, I've been tracking the rise of political attacks on our schools. In this new season, we're moving beyond the headlines to speak with the people actually winning the war for our future.   Joining me in the first episode of the season is Rainier Maningding, founder of LLAG Media. He's a master of storytelling and digital strategy who has helped countless BIPOC-led orgs and brands navigate the most treacherous corners of the internet. Today, he's here to teach us how to spot the traps, understand the new era of disinformation, and use the power of storytelling to reclaim our democracy.

In this episodeCarrie Sampson, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University. Many of those most targeted are leading education justice work. In this Interview she shares that the impacts of these attacks is having major impacts on students ultimately the future of public education. Get educated and take action!Carrie talks about the history of parent involvement in our schools and the ways that racial discrimination has informed decision making about our public education system. Join as a Patreon member to engage with other members of the JustTalks Fam to discuss ways to get educated and take action in your community!Let’s talk about it!On Patreon, I have created space for members of the Just Talks Fam to engage with one another and extend our learning. Below, I've posted a few questions to get the dialog going. Feel free to post your responses or share questions or observations of your own:Carrie challenges us to think historically about parent input in our schools. Whose voices have traditionally had the power to determine what curriculum is taught and what programs are resourced?What education leaders have been under attack for several years. How are these attacks impacting public schools in your location? How is this affecting their ability to serve historically marginalized children?

In this episodeErin Jones is a Black mom and DEI educator from Washington with 30 years of experience as an educator. On today’s episode of Just Talks, Erin describes how folks complaining most about public school curriculum are people who aren’t actually aware of what is going on in the classroom. She’ll teach us how to support educators locally, and educate ourselves to be better allies in the fight for racial justice in our public education system. Just Talks is a video podcast on education justice. Join me as I talk with a variety of thought leaders to learn what folks are doing to protect public education and create healing and affirming educational spaces for our kids. In this season, we’ll be discussing what’s going on across the country with attacks on antiracism curriculum and the educators leading the work. Get educated and take actionErin talks about ways communities can work to ensure all students, families and educators feel safe in their schools. Join as a Patreon member to engage with other members of the JustTalks Fam to discuss ways to get educated and take action in your community!Let’s talk about it!Patreon is a safe space for members of the Just Talks Fam to engage with one another and extend our learning. Below, I've posted a few questions to get the dialog going. Feel free to post your responses or share questions or observations of your own:Erin Jones describes the ways that astroturf groups pretend to speak for public education when they are really out to tearing it down. She asks, “Are they lifting up public educators and public schools? Or are they tearing them down?”. What types of advocacy helps support and improve public education? And, which types of advocacy harms public education?Erin says that any group that you are a part of should be representative of the group it’s meant to be serving. Can you think of organizations that are effectively doing this? Are there examples of organizations that don’t do this well?How has the involvement of white Evangelical church impacting conversations about education? What responsibilities do Christians have to work within their communities to heal the harm caused by Christian Nationalist movements?Erin speaks about ways she is working to build safe spaces for communities that are being harmed to support one another. (e.g. Erin’s “Equity Fishbowl”) These include affinity spaces in and outside of schools (e.g. Black Student or Parent Groups, etc.) What groups are you a part of? What ideas do you have on creating similar spaces?Erin talks about simple practicle ways we help support educators on the frontlines? She mentions simple actions like sending teachers notes of love and appreciation. Or, signing up to regularly bring hot meals for teachers. Do you have ideas on ways to support educators in local schools?

In this episodeI spoke with Dr. Isaac Kamola, an associate professor at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Professor Kamola’s teaching and research focus is on understanding the production and consumption of political ideas and the resulting impacts on our democracy. His latest book project, Free Speech and Koch Money: Manufacturing a Campus Culture War, examines the dark money behind the so-called campus free speech crisis. Get educated and take actionProfessor Kamola talks about how the Koch-donor network and right-wing media ecosystem work together to attack educators at all levels and shares what we can do to protect educators against these dark money attacks. Join as a Patreon member to engage with other members of the JustTalks Fam to discuss ways to get educated and take action in your community!Let's talk about it!On Patreon I have created space for members of the Just Talks Fam to engage with one another and extend our learning. Below, I've posted a few questions to get the dialog going. Feel free to post your responses or share questions or observations of your own:Dr. Isaac Kamola discusses Chris Rufo's successful political weaponization of CRT to attack parents' trust in public education. We have since seen him move on to target policies that affirm trans students and DEI initiatives in schools. How are these false narratives showing up in your local community? How are community members fighting back against disinformation and fear?Dr. Kamola describes how the "right-wing media ecosystem" functions to amplify false narratives and drive voting patterns that dismantle progress. What do you think is the best way to counter outrage campaigns generated to disparage dedicated teachers, librarians, and parents fighting for safe, just public education?

Dr. Walter D. Greason connects the dots between the January 6th Insurrection and racial backlash targeting school boards. Let's discuss!In this episodeDr. Walter D. Greason, Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is an interdisciplinary scholar, historian, urbanist, and economist. In the wake of the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, He posted “The Racial Violence Syllabus,” which attracted over 4 million individual uses, was translated into seven languages, and inspired projects like the Oscar-winning film “BlackKklansman.” In this interview, Dr. Greason explains how school board attacks are the result of a new racial backlash movement after January 6th. He shares resources on how we can educate ourselves about racial backlash movements and take action to protect marginalized communities.Get educated and take actionProfessor Walter Greason about how the January 6 attacks laid the groudwork for a silent insurrection of local school boards. Join as a Patreon member to engage with other members of the JustTalks Fam to discuss ways to get educated and take action in your community!Let's talk about it!On Patreon I have created space for members of the Just Talks Fam to engage with one another and extend our learning. Below, I've posted a few questions to get the dialog going. Feel free to post your responses or share questions or observations of your own:In May of 2022, Steve Bannon stated, "The path to save the nation is very simple — it’s going to go through the school boards.” What connections do you see between the January 6th Insurrection and national attacks on school boards across the country?Greason talks about mutual aid as a means of resistance. What does the term "mutual aid" mean to you? How can we leverage relationships and assets within our own communities to protect civil right gains?Get educated and take action:Over the past decade, Dr. Greason has published six books, topics of his books include, race, history, media, urban planning, and comics. In addition to working on a number of community-based programs, he also writes articles about the racial wealth gap and the patterns of economic globalization. Read a recent article, “Opinion: It’s time to break the traditions of white nationalism in our civic institutions.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio... Read a recent article, “Opinion: It’s time to break the traditions of white nationalism in our civic institutions.”https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/04/12/now-is-time-break-traditions-white-nationalism-our-civic-institutions/Encyclopedia of Critical Whiteness Studies in Education, Contributing Author- Chapter 73: https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/cities-imagined-african-diaspora-media-and-historyPath to Freedom, by Walter D Greason, Ph.Dhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10799018-the-path-to-freedomSee more of his books here: https://www.walterdgreason.com/booksRecommended book: How the Suburbs Were Segregated by Paige Glotzerhttp://cup.columbia.edu/book/how-the-suburbs-were-segregated/9780231179980#:~:text=The%20story%20of%20the%20rise,intent%20on%20defending%20racial%20barriers.