Teach the Babies w/ Dr. David J. Johns

What does it actually take to build a democracy that lasts—and who has always done that work? In this class session, Dr. David J. Johns sits down with award-winning political strategist, founder of Omara Strategy Group, and author Atima Omara to dig into her new book, The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy (HarperCollins, May 5, 2026). From the Javits Center to the 107 days of the Harris campaign, from Shirley Chisholm to Sherry Beasley, Atima and Dr. Johns trace the through-line of Black women’s political contributions and what keeps getting in the way of the credit, the resources, and the wins they deserve. They get into the “white voter” trap, what it actually means to follow Black women’s lead, and why the most urgently sleeping-on lesson from history might just save us. Grab your copy at theinstigatorsbook.com—and get one for somebody else while you’re there.

Show Notes:
The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy by Atima Omara — theinstigatorsbook.com
The Real Ones by Maya Rupert — TTB Episode: “A White People Whisperer on Authenticity,” aired March 24th
Support the Book
Pre-order or buy The Instigators at theinstigatorsbook.com
Support your local Black or independent bookseller — National Association of Black Bookstores (shoutout to Kevin Johnson, founder)
Available in hardcover, audio, and e-book
Find Atima: @atima_omara on LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky, and Threads

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What if the technology deciding your housing, your credit, your medical care, and your freedom was never designed with you in mind? Julie Wenah has been inside the rooms where those decisions get made-at NASA, the Obama White House, Airbnb, and Meta-and she's done something rare: she came back to tell us what she saw.

In this conversation, digital civil rights lawyer, tech executive, and Chairwoman of the Digital Civil Rights Coalition Julie Wenah breaks down how AI is already shaping the lives of our elders, our children, and our communities-often without accountability and almost always without our consent. From the Medicare algorithm that denied an 83-year-old rock climber his pain treatment, to the gap between how fast technology moves and how slow the law catches up, Julie makes the stakes plain. She also reminds us that we have more power than we think-if we choose to use it. The technology train is moving. Julie Wenah is here to help us find our seats.

Show Notes & Resources:Digital Civil Rights Coalition: digitalcivilrights.com | @digitalcivilrights
Follow Julie: @juliemwenah (Instagram) | @juliemwenah (some platforms)
Film: Rain to Reign (2022)-Julie's short documentary on Black womanhood, healing & the next generation
Referenced: NCNW (National Council of Negro Women) & the Dorothy Height Foundation
Referenced: The Book of Genesis / Babel Tower-Zeke Ultra's album connecting scripture to tech

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AI is already here. The question is whether it's working for you—or leaving you behind. In this conversation, Dr. David J. Johns sits down with Dee C. Marshall, CEO of AI Training Plus, creator of the Free by 3™ methodology, and founder of the inaugural Global AI Adoption Day—a people-first movement she's building to be for AI literacy what International Women's Day is for gender equity. Dee breaks down the biggest AI myths keeping people stuck, explains why closing the AI divide is one of the most urgent equity issues of our time, and gives the class practical tools to start their AI journey today—no tech background required. This one is for the babies, the parents, the educators, the community leaders, and everyone who has ever felt like AI wasn't made for them. It was. And May 6th is your moment to prove it.

SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

Resources Mentioned:Global AI Adoption Day (May 6): www.aiadoptionday.com
AI Training Plus: www.aitrainingplus.com
Google Gemini: gemini.google.com 
Anthropic (Claude): claude.ai 
Perplexity (research & fact-checking): perplexity.ai 
Microsoft Copilot (enterprise/closed source): copilot.microsoft.com 
Connect with Dee:LinkedIn: Dee C. Marshall
Instagram: @deecmarshall

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Vouchers aren't new—they're the same resistance to integration we've been fighting since 1954.

Fred Jones (Southern Education Foundation) joins the class to trace a direct line from Brown v. Board of Education to today's federal tax credit voucher program. The history is ugly: after Brown, Southern states created 450 laws to block desegregation. They funneled public money to "segregation academies"—and 300 still exist today.

Now it's happening again. The 2026 federal voucher program lets families earning up to $491,700 in some areas access public dollars for private schools that can legally discriminate. Meanwhile, public schools lose $51 billion annually.Fred breaks down what vouchers actually are, who benefits (hint: not Black families), and what the data shows after 50 years of failure. Most importantly, he tells us exactly what to do right now, whether you're a parent, educator, or concerned citizen.

Class, the babies are watching. What are we teaching them?

Read the Full Report:Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program Memo - Southern Education Foundation
Organizations Fighting for Public Education:Southern Education Foundation
Public Funds for Public Schools
Education Law Center
Learning Policy Institute
Take Action:Contact your governor about opting out of the federal voucher program
Attend school board meetings and speak up
Request accountability data from your state on voucher spending

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In this conversation, Dr. David Johns welcomes back a colleague, a co-conspirator, and a genuine friend from their Obama White House days—Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis—for an honest, urgent, and surprisingly joyful conversation about the state of public education in America and what it demands of all of us, in spite of this moment.

Zakiya brings her full toolkit: the policy precision of a former Senior Advisor on the White House Domestic Policy Council and U.S. Department of Education, the grounded clarity of New Jersey's former Secretary of Higher Education, and the voice of a mother who—in spite of best-laid plans—had to pause this very recording to redirect her daughter and close a door. Together, she and David break down the federal push to require all recipients of federal funding to certify they don't operate "illegal DEI" programs, unpacking what those words actually mean, what the courts have repeatedly said, and why the vagueness is entirely the point. They take on the narrative that public schools are failing, the difference between an executive order and the law of the land, and what Black families—and all families invested in democracy—should be asking, demanding, and refusing to be intimidated into silence about.

In spite of what's being torn down, Zakiya insists we are still living in the house. And she wants us to start dreaming about what we're going to build.

SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

Organizations doing critical work right now:
NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) — ldf.org
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law — lawyerscommittee.org
Democracy Forward — democracyforward.org
LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) — lulac.org
EducationCounsel — educationcounsel.com (weekly plain-language updates on the latest policy and legal developments)
Follow Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis:
Substack: zakiyaellis.substack.com
Instagram: @zakiyasmithellis

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.