Surviving the Educational Assault with Nancy Hanks
In this powerful follow-up conversation, education equity consultant Nancy Hanks returns to discuss how educators, parents, and allies can navigate the dramatically shifted educational landscape under current federal policies.Nancy provides unflinching analysis of the psychosocial toll on educators of color while offering concrete strategies for micro-recovery and sustained resistance. She shares specific questions parents should ask schools to maintain equity pressure using plain language, challenges white educators to step up as agitators, and reminds us all why ancestral wisdom is essential for this moment.From practical advice about red flags in school environments to the profound metaphor of raising a "standard" that lists previous battles won, this episode balances raw honesty about current challenges with actionable hope for protecting and teaching our babies.Key topics include: grief and healing in educational spaces, parent advocacy strategies that transcend academic jargon, the role of privilege in educational resistance, and why remembering that "folks did more with less" is crucial for sustaining the work ahead.Essential listening for educators feeling under attack, parents navigating hostile school environments, and anyone committed to ensuring all children can access their beauty and brilliance despite the current assault on educational equity.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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38:50
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38:50
Arming Our Children: Creativity Over Control
While politicians push federal funding to arm teachers, Chris Chatmon and Kingmakers of Oakland (KOO) are arming Black children with something far more powerful: creativity, culture, and community. In this deeply moving conversation, Chris returns to discuss how creative expression becomes resistance, why drumming circles counter deficit narratives, and how his organization builds what children need while others tear systems down. From table drums made to deepen intersectional connections to animation studios producing counter-narratives, this is education as liberation—and it's happening right now in Oakland.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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42:24
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42:24
Battle for the Black Mind with Dr. Karida Brown
Dr. Karida Brown drops receipts on the 150-year battle for Black educational freedom in America. From the original "diss track" between W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington to today's attacks on the Department of Education, she connects the dots between Jim Crow schools and modern-day educational warfare.Learn why your parents' generation had to desegregate schools as children, how billionaire philanthropists shaped Black education in boardrooms, and why "small acts fall big trees" when it comes to resistance. Dr. Brown's book "Battle for the Black Mind" isn't just history—it's a playbook for fighting educational inequity today.Warning: This episode contains discussion of historical violence, including the execution of 14-year-old George Stinney Jr.Books Referenced:"All Boys Aren't Blue" by George Johnson"Pretty, Powerful: Appearance, Substance and Success" by Ebony K. WilliamsArtist Featured:Charlie Palmer: Fine artist whose painting of George Stinney Jr. appears on the book cover. Palmer's "Divided States of America" series critiques systemic injustice.Connect with Dr. Brown: LinkedIn for daily historical receipts and analysisBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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1:12:35
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1:12:35
Black August: Revolutionary Love and Resistance
Welcome back to class! In this powerful episode of Teach the Babies, Dr. David J. Johns teaches a transformative lesson about Black August—a month of revolutionary love, principled resistance, and the long arc of our freedom struggle.From the prison walls where George Jackson was politicized and assassinated in 1971, to the contemporary attacks on Black mayors like Muriel Bowser and Karen Bass in 2025, Dr. Johns connects the dots between historical resistance and today's freedom fights. This isn't just Black history - it's Black present.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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21:26
Standing On Business In NOLA with Stevie & Drin
What does it mean to stand on business when it comes to our babies' education? Drin Kelly and Stevie Elem-Rogers, co-founders of BE NOLA (Black Education for New Orleans), join Dr. David J. Johns for a powerful conversation about building Black educational excellence in the Crescent City and beyond.From Hurricane Katrina's aftermath to creating "hush harbors" for Black educators, these truth-tellers share why "race-neutral solutions will not transform race-based inequities." Stevie opens up about her "Black Women Are for Grown Ups" platform, while Drin reminds us to "make the community the curriculum."This episode is packed with gems about spirit work, the importance of Black governance in education, and why we must listen to our children more. Plus, they break down what's really happening with Essence Festival and why community accountability matters now more than ever.Connect: Learn more about BE NOLA's Black Is Brilliant Summit (October 2-5) at blackedunola.org.This conversation will feed your soul and challenge you to think differently about education, community, and what our babies truly deserve.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
On Teach the Babies with Dr. David J. Johns, we’re examining the intersection of education, access, race, and how government impacts the teaching of our babies. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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