The 80/60/40 Strategy Podcast

This began with a dream.I was watching a group of enslaved people moving through a forest at night. It was completely dark. They could not use light. They could not call out. They were being chased, and fear was beginning to spread. Some of them started running in the wrong direction.Then something changed.Those who had found the right path began tapping on the trunks of trees. The sound was not loud. It was not meant to draw attention. It was simply present. A succession of quiet thumps that could be followed if you were listening closely.From where I stood in the dream, I watched people stop, listen, and change their course. They adjusted their movement based only on sound and trust. I woke up unsettled, with the feeling that I had witnessed something real rather than imagined.In the days that followed, I began writing. I kept asking myself what it would look like for our community to communicate this way again. Quietly. Deliberately. Especially in moments of chaos or danger. I wanted whatever emerged to be as simple and as dependable as those taps on the trees.What emerged now has a name and a purpose.At its core, this new communications architecture is a coordination framework rooted in ancestral wisdom and adapted for present-day conditions. It does not rely on social media or public visibility. It does not require fees, new platforms, applications, or specialized equipment. It works through networks people already trust and relationships that already exist. It is the modern-day epitome of a thump on a tree trunk.And, it takes just minutes of training and from a few hours up to a few days to fully implement—just as fast as you can mobilize your network.The framework is designed to prioritize clarity and discipline. It includes safeguards intended to protect against infiltration and deliberate attempts at misinformation. It is built to function whether it is used by a small group or across wide geographic distances.I am sharing this with a small group of people who have expressed interest in learning more. Not everyone is meant to use this, and that is intentional.If you feel called to explore it further, you may email [email protected]. After a brief vetting process, those who are a good fit will be invited to a private online session to learn more.Some things are meant to move quietly.

Blactivate the Vote is a strategic initiative by the Texas Progressive Policy Institute designed to transform how political campaigns engage with Black voters across twenty states. Moving away from traditional, last-minute turnout tactics, the program focuses on building long-term trust and addressing the "trust debt" created by previous cycles of inconsistent outreach. The framework utilizes specialized tools like Risk Analysis and a Cultural Fluency Lab to help campaigns understand the social and economic costs voters weigh before participating. By treating voter engagement as a continuous relationship rather than a one-time transaction, the initiative aims to stabilize participation for the 2026 and 2028 elections. Ultimately, the program trains organizers to prioritize authentic behavior and visible follow-through over generic messaging to ensure a reliable and respected voting coalition.

The Texas Progressive Policy Institute (TPPI) is a communications and engagement consultancy dedicated to advancing social equity and civic participation within the African American community. Through its BlactivateUSA initiative, the organization coordinates a national network focused on turning policy research into direct community action. The provided documents outline a dual-track model that allows civic organizations to partner through fee-for-service educational agreements while offering individual members the chance to earn income as independent contractors. To protect nonprofit integrity, TPPI maintains a strict separation between institutional partnerships and these private sales roles, which involve promoting membership services. Furthermore, the guidelines establish rigorous ownership and non-solicitation rules to ensure that all data and engagement insights remain the exclusive property of the institute. This framework aims to build economic resilience and political influence without compromising the legal status or mission of collaborating groups.

Jasmine Crockett already has most of the Black community's enthusiastic support, but that does not mean the rest of the Democratic Party automatically will. This is a 4-alarm-fire alert to every candidate running for office this election cycle across the country. Let’s unpack why. Full episode available to paid monthly members of the Texas Progressive Policy Institute for African American Engagement.

Is it structural neglect or the lack of courageous discourse from candidates that's causing the widening chasm between the Democratic Party and its Black base? Listen to this lively debate between our hosts, Queensly Billups and Damon Tucker, who offer differing opinions on what has to be done to re-engage and to rebuild trust with Black voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. (SPOILER ALERT: It's BOTH!)

The provided text is an excerpt from a podcast script for BlactivateTheVote2026, an audio series produced by the Texas Progressive Policy Institute for African American Engagement. This episode, titled "Why Most Candidates Lose Black Voters Early," serves as a guide for political candidates and consultants focusing on the critical role of African American voter engagement in 2026 competitive races. Full episode available FREE to those considering membership.

There are meaningful reasons why Black people move collectively in the ways we do. Here is a glimpse into what the workplace experience looks like for many African Americans. We hope it offers insight and encourages deeper understanding. When we engage each other with authenticity and care, everyone benefits.

The Judicial Leadership & Learning Lab (JL3) is a statewide civic development and judicial innovation program created by the Texas Progressive Policy Institute for African American Engagement (TPPI). Designed for Texans ages 15 and older, JL3 cultivates the next generation of jurists, court administrators, policy thinkers, community advocates, and justice reform innovators. The Lab provides a structured, culturally fluent space where participants learn how the courts work, identify barriers to fairness, and design solutions that strengthen equity and public trust in the Texas judiciary.At its core, JL3 is a training ground for future judicial leadership, especially within communities whose voices are often excluded from decisions that shape daily life. Through justice hack-a-thons, mock judicial review, intergenerational collaboration, and real-world problem solving, JL3 equips participants to think critically, lead ethically, and reimagine the systems that administer justice in Texas.

In this episode, we walk through the Texas Progressive Policy Institute for African American Engagement’s newest policy brief on the unemployment crisis impacting Black communities. Our discussion sounds the alarm on Black joblessness, which has soared to 1.8M jobs lost in just 11 months--more than twice the natinal average of whites--and how this disparity produces concentrated harm in housing, food access, family stability, credit, and mental health. We explain how these outcomes are not the result of individual failures, but of long-standing and newly enacted policy decisions by the current adminstration to intentionally target and to weaken economic security in Black communities.

In this episode: Our hosts introduce listeners to the mission of the Texas Progressive Policy Institute for African American Engagement and explain what makes TPPI different from traditional think tanks or policy organizations. Instead of focusing on white papers or political strategy, TPPI operates as a civic engagement consultancy that helps policymakers, candidates, and civic leaders build the skills needed for genuine, culturally fluent engagement with African American communities.The conversation walks through the purpose behind TPPI’s Cultural Fluency Lab, a dedicated space where members can safely test messaging, ask questions, and practice engagement without fear of judgment or missteps. The hosts discuss how this approach fills a long-standing gap in political outreach and helps leaders show up more confidently and authentically in the communities they serve.Listeners will also hear why TPPI does not endorse candidates and how its mission, vision, and values guide the Institute’s commitment to serving leaders who want to engage responsibly, grow in cultural awareness, and strengthen trust across diverse constituencies.