Teach the Babies w/ Dr. David J. Johns

Dr. Chris Pernell joins the class for a conversation that is equal parts urgent and tender. As a public health physician, strategist, and NAACP Fellow, Dr. Pernell breaks down the Black maternal health crisis with unflinching clarity: racism kills. She unpacks how the medical industrial complex fails Black mothers, offers practical advocacy tools for birthing people and their loved ones, and navigates the dangerous terrain of vaccine misinformation in the current political climate.

But this conversation doesn't stop at systems—it goes to the soul. Dr. Pernell shares the lessons her parents taught her: a mother with "a PhD in love" who taught her how to protect her core, and a father who was "a fighter's fighter" who cultivated in her "a sense of self that racism can't touch." This is about survival, yes—but it's also about joy, freedom, and the ancestral wisdom that keeps us fighting.

IN THIS EPISODE:
Why Black women are 3-4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications—and what we can do about it
The difference between misinformation and disinformation (and why it matters)
Practical advocacy advice: "What else might this be?"
How the current administration's attack on vaccines threatens public health for generations
Guarding joy in the midst of systemic battles
The legacy of love and resistance that fuels the fight for health equity
RESOURCES SHARED:
American Academy of Pediatrics: https://www.aap.org
Yale School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Commonwealth Fund
The Political Determinants of Health by Daniel Dawes
NAACP Center for Health Equity: https://naacp.org
FOLLOW DR. CHRIS PERNELL:
Instagram: @thegooddoctormd
LinkedIn: Dr. Chris T. Pernell
NAACP.org

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Preston Mitchum returns fresh from a wedding that was equal parts celebration and declaration. He opens up about the revolutionary act of Black men loving Black men, what it means to center abundance and joy, and how chosen family showed up in full force.

As a policy advocate working at the intersections of race, sexuality, and gender, Preston also breaks down what's at stake in the 2026 midterms—voting rights, trans liberation, Title IX. He shares where he finds inspiration, how mutual aid sustains the work, and what it means to build a life with his partner that honors both togetherness and individual freedom.

This is a conversation about love as resistance, joy as defiance, and showing up for our people even when we don't have all the answers.

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What does healthy love look like for Black people navigating a world that doesn't always welcome our relationships? In this powerful conversation, Prince Amari—the first certified Black gay matchmaker in the love industry—breaks down the four essential components of lasting love and why representation in relationships matters just as much as representation in media. From his journey as a dancer at Howard to becoming a matchmaker, dating coach, and hypnotherapist, Amari shares why community is essential to sustaining love and how queer folks can build relationships that affirm who we are.

Show Notes:
Connect with Prince Amari: Instagram & YouTube @PrinceAmari
Take the Dating Skill Quiz: DatingSkillQuiz.com
Read: Lasting Love at Last: A Gay Guide to Attracting the Relationship of Your Dreams (International Bestseller)
Upcoming: Love Alchemy: The Gay Guide to Transforming Love Blocks into Relationship Gold

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This isn't just a podcast. This is us doing the work of protecting our babies—their minds, their futures, their right to learn truth and to live free.”The stakes are high. But so is our resolve. We're not done. We're just getting started.

This year, we're going to keep building. Keep learning. Keep pushing. Keep getting free.

#TeachTheBabies #TeachTheBabies Podcast. Listen. Like. Subscribe. Share

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"We Were Short on Cash, Not on Love: Liberation Psychology for the Holidays"Dr. Raquel Martin returns to the class to break down how families can resist capitalism's grip on the holiday season while building real community care. As a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in liberation psychology, Dr. Martin doesn't just help people cope—she helps them fight back.

In this conversation, she gets brutally honest about raising Black boys in the South, why "I prescribed activism as much as I prescribed coping skills," and the difference between protective versus proactive parenting. She shares how growing up "short on cash, not on love" taught her that traditions don't require money—they require energy and intention. And she explains why there's no such thing as individual wellness when we're all operating in oppressive systems.

Dr. Martin offers concrete strategies: how to talk to children about why the president is terrorizing communities, how to find your 15 minutes for joy even when exhausted, and why following the right people on social media is a survival tool. She also shares her favorite parenting resources and reminds us that apologizing to our children means changed behavior, not Roblox cards.

This isn't therapy. This is liberation psychology. This is how we build the communities that will sustain us through whatever comes next.

Show notes/resources: Books & AuthorsParenting Resources:
"Raising Confident Black Kids" by M.J. Fievre
"Raising Resilient Black Kids" by Dr. Erlanger Turner
"The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration" by Isabel Wilkerson
Digital Activists & Educators to Follow
Dr. Lauren C. Mims- @drlaurenmims 
Garrison Hayes- @garrisonh
Blair Imani- @blairimani
Mychal Threets- @mychal3ts
Brittany Packnett Cunningham- @mspackyetti
Website: raquelmartinphd.com

Podcast: Mind Ya Mental Podcast

Social Media: @RaquelMartinPhDOrganizations & Communities Mentioned
Malik and Mamas - Parenting group for community building
Burn the Cape Community - Dr. Martin's online community for Black mental health
Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts - Suggested for building community around shared interests

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