Black Like Me

Black resistance to white supremacy is often reduced to a simple binary between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolence and Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary.” Dr. Gee discuss how in her book, We Refuse, historian Kellie Carter Jackson urges us to move past this false choice, offering an unflinching examination of the breadth of Black responses to white oppression, particularly those pioneered by Black women. Dr. Carter Jackson explains the dismissal of “Black violence” as an illegitimate form of resistance is itself a manifestation of white supremacy, a distraction from the insidious, unrelenting violence of structural racism.

Dr. Gee and Dr. Carter Jackson also explore the fact that Black men are being killed in the streets but Black women are being killed in the private space of their own homes. Hear about how “Black flight" is connected to joy in that Black folks needs space to get away from regular white supremacist life. Finally, Dr. Carter Jackson also shows her enthusiasm for dolls, and especially Black dolls with their unique cultural significance.

Kellie Carter Jackson is the Michael and Denise ‘68 Associate Professor of Africana Studies and the Chair of the Africana Studies Department Wellesley College. She is the author We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance (Seal Press) and of the award winning book, Force & Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence . Force and Freedom was a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, a winner of the James H. Broussard Best First Book Prize, and a finalist for the Museum of African American History (MAAH) Stone Book Prize Award for 2019. The Washington Post listed Force and Freedom as one of 13 books to read on African American history. Her interview, “A History of Violent Protest” on Slate’s What’s Next podcast was listed as one of the best of 2020. She has also given a Tedx talk on “Why Black Abolitionists Matter.”

Her essays have been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, the Boston Globe, CNN, and a host of other outlets. She has been featured in numerous documentaries for Netflix (African Queens: Njinga and Stamped From the Beginning), PBS, MSNBC, CNN, and AppleTV’s “Lincoln’s Dilemma.” She has also been interviewed on Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, MSNBC, Democracy Now, SkyNews (UK) Time, Vox, The Huff Post, the BBC, Boston Public Radio, Al Jazeera International, Slate, and countless podcasts.

Carter Jackson loves a good podcast and her Radiotopia family! She is Executive Producer and Host of the award winning “You Get a Podcast! The Study of the Queen of Talk,” formerly known as “Oprahdemics” with co-host Leah Wright Rigueur and a co-host on the podcast, “This Day in Political Esoteric History” with Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer.

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Dr. Alex Gee talks with Joy Bailey-Bryant, Lord Cultural Resources President, about the importance of cultural spaces and innovative museums. Baily-Bryant is involved in supporting the development of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, WI. They connect over shared Black culture and tell stories of the power of preserving culture, demonstrating the resilient power of culture that has space to speak into itself. You won't want to miss a fun new edition of Black Ice Breakers.

As leader of cultural planning at the largest cultural consultancy in the world, Joy works with city officials, institutional leaders, and developers, in global municipalities like Chicago; New York; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Dharan, Saudi Arabia to creatively plan cities and bring people (life!) to public institutions. Joy led the teams for institutional and cultural planning on remarkable projects like the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., reaching more than 1,000 stakeholders across the country to learn their expectations for the new museum; the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, directing citywide engagement in locations as large as Chicago and small as Decatur, Georgia – speaking with thousands of individuals in meetings and on social media – to assess, project, and plan for their cultural needs; and planning and opening the expansion of the Albany Civil Rights Institute in Albany, Georgia—unearthing thousands of untold stories of the Southwest Georgia Civil Rights Movement. A cultural planning specialist, certified interpretive planner, and outreach facilitator, Joy honed her specialized skill working in collaborative roles at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and notable cultural planning projects.

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Because of recent events that are bringing greater attention to issues that impact African Americans, Black Like Me is highlighting past episodes that are relevant to the current national conversation.

Dr. Alex Gee has an honest conversation with Kaleem Caire about his experience and perspective on the education system. Kaleem recently released a statement to the local community with a list of articles documenting the history of disparities for African Americans in Madison, WI. You can find that list here.

Kaleem Caire is the founder and CEO of One City Schools, the operator of two preschools serving ages 1 through kindergarten that are focused on getting young children ready for school success. Prior to One City, Kaleem was the President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison in Madison, WI and chair of the National Urban League’s Education Committee. Prior to the Urban League, Kaleem held other executive leadership positions with Target Corporation, Fight For Children of Washington, DC, Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), American Education Reform Council, Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth (WCATY) and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

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Dr. Gee welcomes his friends and fellow podcast host, Henry Sanders, back to the show for a honest conversation about real leadership. Dr. Gee explores how leadership vision is not a sprint, but a marathon from his own experience. They cover the value of visionary integrity over time, the mentorship of community elders, and investing in new partners. Henry Sanders asks tough questions such as: Is the Black church still the conscious of the Black community? What would be the name of the book written about Dr. Gee’s life?

For nearly twenty years, Henry Sanders Jr. (CEO and Publisher) has been a force for community development, economic development and entrepreneurship in the Madison area, in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest.He worked for the City of Madison and then-Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin before joining the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce as Vice President. In that capacity he started the Small Business Advisory Council, Latino Chamber of Commerce and the African wAmerican Black Business Association. Sanders is also the founder of the young professionals organization Madison Area Growth Network (MAGNET), Madison Network of Black Professionals, and Capacity 360, a government relations firm that brought more than $15 million to Wisconsin businesses.

Henry ran a statewide campaign for Lieutenant Governor in 2010 and in 2011 joined the Obama Administration as the Small Business Administration’s Region V Advocate, speaking up for small businesses across six states. In 2018, Henry was named InBusiness Magazine’s 2018 Startup Company Executive of the Year, was given the Amigo Award by LaMovida Radio and was named Outstanding Experiential Learning Host by the Madison Metropolitan School District for allowing students to attend the Wisconsin Leadership Summit. Henry is currently is Publisher and CEO of Madison365.

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Dr. Alex Gee talks to Jerome Dillard, the State Director of EXPO (EX-Prisoners Organizing). Jerome shares his own amazing story of incarceration and re-entry. Hear about the work he does with EXPO to end mass incarceration, eliminate all forms of structural discrimination against formerly incarcerated people, and restore formerly incarcerated people to full participation in the life of our communities.

Jerome Dillard has more than 20 years of experience working with formerly-incarcerated people, and with people in prison. He is a founder of Voices Beyond Bars in Madison. Jerome has worked for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, and has most recently been the director of re-entry programs for Dane County.

You can find out more information about ending mass incarceration in Wisconsin at ROC Wiscsonsin.