The Black Pack with Adrianne Shropshire

Afrofuturist historian Professor Walter Greason joins to discuss community responses amid surging ICE repression and making sure St. Paul isn't left out of the conversation. Later in the show, Adrianne shares four clips from Dr. King's 1967 speech on the three evils impacting the country. Close your eyes, and might think he was referencing 2026, not 1967. 

Rev. Eddie Anderson, senior pastor at Memorial Christian Church and CEO of the Partnership for Growth LA, shares reflections on Dr. King's prophetic wisdom and what it means for clergy to stand firm on behalf of their communities against injustice. He also shares some insights about local organizing efforts as a co-chair of the Empowerment Congress. 

Community Leader and Voice of the Village, Zaire Calvin, reflects on the year since the Eaton fire ravaged Altadena and organizing through grief. James Farr, journalist and host of Conversation Live: Altadena Rising, also joins the conversation to share his thoughts on the past year and lessons learned from documenting the recovery efforts. 

Nekima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney and founder of the Racial Justice Network, joins the show to discuss the community response to an ICE agent killing 37-year-old Renee Good. Later in the hour, The Nation's National Affairs Correspondent Jeet Heer joins to discuss the Trump administration's incursion in Venezuela and what it means for domestic and international affairs. 

Esosa Osa, founder of Onyx Impact, joins to discuss the new report "The Black Out Report" highlighting the Trump administration's erasure, suppression and distortion of Black history and Black existence. Esosa offers some action steps we can all take to combat what's happening and safeguard our collective future. Check out the full report at https://blackoutreport.org/ In the second half of the show, Dr. L Toni Lewis offers some words of wisdom and reflection as we head into a new year. She talks about the importance of finding and holding onto our joy. She offers listeners some simple tips for manifesting and acting with intention instead of the usual resolutions.

Jessica Fulton, economist and senior fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, joins the show to discuss the November jobs report and rising unemployment for Black people. She also shed light on the interventions needed to improve employment opportunity for us all.

Contributor Anoa Changa joins the show to review recent headlines from Senate Republicans shutting down the vote on extended ACA credits to pro-discrimination attitudes across mainstream media and the federal government. 

Madiba Dennie, deputy editor and senior contributor at Balls and Strikes, joins to share updates of all things SCOTUS. She also shares insights into the decades long conservative resegregation plan. 

Jeet Heer, national affairs correspondent at The Nation, joins to discuss the Trump administration's lethal strikes against boats in international waters and the new front of American Imperialism. 

Author and journalist Michael Harriot joins the show to discuss the new documentary High Horse about the overlooked history of Black cowboys. He also helps contextualize the lessons and legacy of the Montgomery Bus Boycott 70 years later. 

Jared Bass, senior vice president of education at the Center for American Progress, joins Adrianne to discuss the hollowing out of the Department of Education. Later in the show, Jamarr Brown, founder and principal of Politically Correct Solutions, joins to discuss a federal judge blocking racist Texas maps. 

Adrianne discusses the new documentary High Horse: The Black Cowboy and the cultural theft and erasure perpetuated against Black communities. 

Mona Shah, senior director of policy and strategy at Community Catalyst breaksdown the stakes in the ACA tax credit fight and other insights on affordable Healthcare. Later, Jennifer Knox, WFP's national director of organizing and tech innovation joins to share lessons from 2025 elections and opportunities for building power in 2026. 

Adrianne and journalist Anoa Changa discuss the news of the week, including the Epstein file dump, the fallout from Shutdown 8 concessions, and the impact on health care affordability. 

In hour one, Laurie Bertram Roberts, co-founder and executive director of the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund, joins to discuss the SNAP crisis and how our understanding of who deserves support needs to change. Social impact strategist Ifeoma Ike, founder of Pink Cornrows, also joins to discuss Trump's pilfering of our resources and money for his own benefit.In hour two, Rebekah Carruthers, president and CEO of the Fair Elections Center joins to discuss the Trump DOJ sending poll monitors to several Dem strongholds and concerns about voter intimidation. NAACP CA/HI State Conference President Rick Callender also joins to talk about the final push for Prop 50 and what it means for Californians to protect democracy.

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) joins the show to share a shutdown update. She also shares insights on Prop 50 and special election with voting already underway. Madiba Dennie, deputy editor of Balls and Strikes joins later in the episode to discuss Louisiana v. Callais, the latest challenge to the Voting Rights Act to go before SCOTUS.

SiriusXM host John Fugelsang joins Adrianne to talk about his new book Separation of Church and Hate and reclaiming faith from the right. 

Nick Pressley, Co-Director of States at All Voting is Local, joins to discuss the DOJ lawsuit targeting several states including California, Michigan, and Pennsylvania and why such heavy handed meddling is bad for democracy. 

Kelly Virella, executive editor at Capital B, joins to discuss major news of the week and the evolving contours of the current media landscape.

Gabby Seay, founder and principal of Seay Strategies, joined to discuss ongoing organizing efforts to reject efforts to crown a king of America and the upcoming No Kings Day Actions. In the second half, Adrianne and friend of the show Anoa Changa talk about the Congress standoff on Healthcare and the ongoing shutdown.

Tiffany Walden, editor-in-chief of The TRiiBE, joins the show to discuss the escalating immigration raids and attacks on Chicago communities, including the trauma inflicted on the city's Black residents. Check out The TRiiBE's coverage at https://thetriibe.com

Adrianne revisits two conversations with California state legislators about the November 4 special election and the importance of Prop 50. Assemblymember Sade Elhawary and State Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas share their reasons for supporting Prop 50 and the role voters can play in safeguarding democracy. 

Madiba Dennie, deputy editor and senior contributor at Balls and Strikes, joins to discuss the increasing use of the SCOTUS shadow docket to further the Trump administration’s agenda. She also breaks down the stakes in the upcoming SCOTUS fall term.  

Tennessee State Rep. Vincent Dixie joins to discuss Trump's latest escalation against Black-led cities by sending in the National Guard under the false premise of "fighting crime." Later in the show, Missouri NAACP State Conference President Nimrod Chapel Jr. joins to discuss the "Show Me" state's fight against rigged maps and the mid-decade power grab. 

Political strategist and commentator Aisha Mills joins the show to discuss the week's news, how to address political violence, and share thoughts on the upcoming budget process. 

California State Sen. Lola Smallood-Cuevas joins to discuss the November Special Election and California Proposition 50. She shares insights from her decision to support the redistricting effort and why it’s important for California to lead the way in leveling the playing field. Later in the episode, Portia Allen-Kyle, interim executive director at Color of Change, discusses the call to action for other Blue states to take action and “fight fire with fire.” 

Vince Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, joins the show to discuss the Trump administration’s escalating rhetoric and attack on Black-led cities. He and Adrianne also discuss the federal courts and whether they offer an effective check on Trump’s growing abuse of power. 

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates joins to discuss Chicagoans collectively standing ground against Trump's threatened military takeover. She also discusses the upcoming Workers Over Billionaire actions taking place over Labor Day weekend. 

Adrianne is joined by New Orleans native and WFP senior digital strategist Aimee Castenell to talk about the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and how we build better as we look forward.

California Assemblymember Sade Elhawary (CA-57) joins Adrianne to discuss the California legislature’s effort to counter the power grab in Texas and the decision before voters in the November special election. Later journalist and political commentator Anoa Changa joins to talk about Trump’s latest attack on the Smithsonian and why we can’t yield to efforts to undermine our ability to learn our history and culture. 

Resha Thomas, project director of the Texas Black Action Fund, joins Adrianne in a conversation about the Texas legislature’s racist gerrymandering scheme and its impact on Black political participation and the country as a whole. 

Attorney Danielle Davis, Director of Technology Policy at The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, joins the show to discuss the need for technology policies, including those related to AI, that consider racial equity and the needs of Black communities. She also debunks the Trump administration's claim of "woke-free" AI policy as being fair and neutral. 

Texas State Representative Charlene Ward Johnson joins to talk about leaving Texas to fight for fair representation and prevent Black communities from being disenfranchised by the mid-decade power grab underway. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson also joins to contextualize the GOP's attempted apartheid policy.

Valencia Richardson, legal counsel for voting rights at Campaign Legal Center, joins Adrianne in conversation about the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and the current voting rights landscape. Later in the hour, movement strategist Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson joins the conversation for a look at the lessons from movement building that led to the historic act’s passage. 

Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, joins the show to discuss the latest job numbers and the impact of Trump’s economic policies on Black workers and communities. 

Rebekah Caruthers, president and CEO of the Fair Elections Center, joins Adrianne in a discussion about what's happening in Texas with the special legislative session and the issues with the attempted power grab via a mid-decade redistricting effort. Russia Chavis Cardenas, deputy director of California Common Cause, later joins to discuss Governor Newsom's response to Texas and why California shouldn't engage in a partisan gerrymandering arms race. 

Adrianne is joined by Leslie Fields-Cruz, executive director of Black Public Media to discuss the impact on Black communities and media makers after the recent removal of federal funding for public media for FY 2026 and 2027. Joseph Torres, senior advisor for reparative policy and programs at Free Press, later joined to discuss the throughline of Trump's attacks on public media, the history of racism impacting Black media makers, and what it will take to transform the field in support of our communities.

April Albright, legal director at Black Voters Matter, joins for a discussion of last week's Good Trouble Lives On actions and what it means to get into good trouble 365 days a year. The episode concludes with an LA organizer check-in with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. 

Adaku Onyeka-Crawford, director of the Advancement Project's Opportunity to Learn, discusses a recent SCOTUS ruling made on its shadow docket, paving the way for the Trump administration to resegregate public schools. 

Tianna Mays, Legal Director for Democracy Defenders Action, joins Adrianne in a conversation about the recent class action defending birthright citizenship and the importance of coalitions protecting our constitutional rights. 

Journalist, advocate, and co-founder of Gender Liberation Movement Raquel Willis joins Adrianne in a conversation contextualizing the real-life impact of the SCOTUS Skrmetti decision, which set the stage for a separate and unequal system of care for Trans youth. The two also engage in a deep discussion of community and connection, and why we need to expand our understanding of identity and reject divisive narratives.  

Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the New York Working Families Party joins the show to talk about Zohran Mamdani's big win in New York City's democratic primary for mayor. And civil rights attorney Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the Advancement Project and the Advancement Project Action Fund, offered timely analysis of the SCOTUS decision Trump v. CASA .

Civil rights attorney Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the Advancement Project and the Advancement Project Action Fund, offers analysis of the SCOTUS term and its impact on the Constituon and the rule of law. Later in the show, Kevin Cosney joins to discuss the recent joint effort of Black led organizers in response to the increasingly chaotic and harmful ICE raids. He also talks directly to the question why should this matter to Black Americans.

Alberto Retanta, president and CEO of the Community Coalition, joins the show to discuss the work beyond the protests and the importance of sustaining cross-community coalitions. 

Erica D. Smith, West Coast politics and policy columnist at Bloomberg Opinion, and Advance Project/AP Action Fund Executive Director Judith Browne Dianis join the show to put the recent protests in Los Angeles in context.

This episode revisits conversations with three Black leaders committed to building Black political power about the current stakes impacting our communities and the path forward. Featured: Kevin Cosney, co-founder and associate director of the California Black Power Network; Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder and director of Black Lives Matter Grassroots; and Rukia Lumumba, director of the electoral justice project at the Movement for Black Lives.

Nana Gyamfi, executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration joins the show to talk about the Los Angeles stop on the State of the People. She also shares some key "know your rights" tips for people across our communities.

Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder and director of Black Lives Matter Grassroots and host of KBLA's "This is Not a Drill!" joins Adrianne in a conversation reflecting on the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder and racial justice uprisings that galvanized a nation. The conversation offers radical reflection while engaging in ongoing work to uplift and support Black communities.

Kevin Cosney, associate director & co-founder for the California Black Power Network, joins Adrianne in discussing the upcoming LA stop on the State of the People Power Tour and how groups are working to build Black economic and political power in California. 

NWLC Action Fund President Fatima Goss Graves joins the show to discuss the big, ugly Republican budget bill and what people are doing to fight back.