Intersectionality Matters!

Host Kimberlé Crenshaw and celebrated legal professor Cheryl Harris discuss the creative process and anticipated release of Crenshaw's latest book, Backtalker: An American Memoir. Crenshaw’s memoir traces the way her lived experience made her see things others didn’t. It chronicles the earliest moments she starts to talk back, and the journeys that backtalking has taken Crenshaw on throughout her life.  Music courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Connect with us: ⁠⁠⁠Donate to our show⁠⁠ Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠ Order Kimberlé Crenshaw's book, Backtalker: An American Memoir Register for Backtalkers Academy, running throughout Spring/Summer 2026 Check out UCLA Law Review's podcast

V (formerly Eve Ensler), playwright and feminist activist, and Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead, award-winning radio commentator, discuss the 2026 Final Four confrontation. They explore misogynoir in that moment, why apologies fell short, and what genuine accountability and restorative apology practice might require. Short, urgent, and provocative conversation about sports, power, race, and repair.

Kaye Wise Whitehead, award-winning radio host of Today with Dr. K, joins to reflect on community reactions to recent Cesar Chavez revelations. They discuss why survivors delay disclosure. They probe how hero worship erases women and the need to add an asterisk to celebrated legacies. They call for leaderful movements that center collective, multiracial histories.

Jacqueline Stewart, film scholar and museum leader who centers cultural memory; Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer-winning novelist exploring war and migration; Ava DuVernay, filmmaker amplifying Black stories and independent distribution. They discuss museums under political attack, reclaiming blacklisted artists, the power and threat of storytelling, and independent paths for filmmakers. Performances dramatize McCarthyism’s erasures.

Joseph Lowndes, political science professor studying race and populism. Barbara Arnwine, civil rights lawyer focused on voting and transformative justice. Donna Brazile, political strategist and former DNC chair. They revisit Jesse Jackson’s organizing and populist vision. They trace his party reforms, cross-racial coalition-building, grassroots campaigning, and behind-the-scenes diplomacy in short, lively conversations.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, novelist and scholar of war, memory, and diasporic narratives; Ava DuVernay, filmmaker whose work probes race and justice. They trace McCarthy-era erasures of Black and immigrant artists. They debate modern censorship, storytelling pressures around Palestine, and how media power shapes which stories get told.

Join musician and historian Jake Blount, banjo player Amythyst Kiah, luthier Amanda Ewing, and racial justice educator Tim Wise as they explore the hidden contributions of Black artists to country and folk music. They delve into the African roots of the banjo and share personal stories of erasure in the music industry. The guests advocate for creating inclusive spaces for Black instrument makers and discuss how systemic exclusion often undermines rich musical traditions. Afrofuturism, collective action, and reclaiming narratives ignite a vibrant dialogue on heritage and visibility.

It's the 11th anniversary of the #SayHerName Campaign. To commemorate, we're uplifting a favourite #SayHerName episode from our archive. Please join us on Dec 8 in NYC for a staged reading of #SayHerName - The Lives That Should have been, featuring a star-studded cast of performers, a talkback with the mothers of the #SayHerName Mothers Network, and a post-show party with performances by special guests. Get your tickets here. This episode highlights a new milestone for the #SayHerName campaign: a new book, entitled #SayHerName: Black Women’s Stories of Police Violence and Public Silence.  Co-authored by podcast host Kimberlé Crenshaw and the team at the African American Policy Forum, this book helps readers better understand Black women's susceptibility to police brutality and state-sanctioned violence. It explains —through Black feminist storytelling and ritual — how we can effectively mobilize various communities and empower them to advocate for racial justice for Black women, girls, and femmes. In this podcast episode, you'll hear incredible performances from actors at each of our #SayHerName book tour stops in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. You'll also hear from members from the #SayHerName Mothers Network, a sisterhood of women who have lost other women, girls and femmes in their family to police violence. You'll also hear from Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead, Dr. Dorothy Roberts, and Kali Holloway, each of whom served as cohosts at book tour stops in their respective cities. They reflected with Dr. Crenshaw on the power of the tour, the calls to action from the book, and the urgency of the lessons the book contains. Centering Black women’s experiences in police and gender violence discourses sends the powerful message that, in fact, all #BlackLivesMatter, and that the police cannot kill without consequence. Supporting AAPF ensures that this important research and testimony continues to inspire change. To purchase your copy, click ⁠here⁠. Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks), with Dorothy Roberts @DorothyERoberts, Kaye Wise Whitehead @kayewhitehead, and Kali Holloway @kalihollowayftw. Produced by Nicole Edwards and the team at the African American Policy Forum. Mixing by Sean Dunnam Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

This episode features Legal Defense Fund President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson with professors Carol Anderson and Nancy MacLean, in conversation with our host Kimberlé Crenshaw. This riveting and timely conversation shows how anti-Blackness can be weaponized to harm democracy for all through voter suppression, money in politics, and the erosion of democratic safeguards. Clips in this episode from Democracy Forward - How Louisiana v. Callais Could Change Voting Rights and Anti-Discrimination Protections Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us on Instagram, Facecbook, and Bluesky) Learn more about the African American Policy Forum at aapf.org. Donate here.

In this engaging discussion, philosopher Jason Stanley and education advocate Randi Weingarten delve into how authoritarian regimes target education to undermine democracy. They explore the chilling effects of book bans and teacher vilification, linking school closures during COVID to a push for privatization. Using insights from Toni Morrison, they highlight the intertwining of education, citizenship, and critical thought. The duo also discusses the importance of unions and collective action in resisting these threats, offering both an analysis and a call to action.