

The Justice Briefing with Dr. Jemar Tisby
Dr. Jemar Tisby
The Justice Briefing is your weekly guide to understanding current events through a historically grounded, theologically rooted, justice-centered lens. Instead of framing the world through fear or culture-war panic, we draw from the spirit of justice—from the biblical prophets to the Civil Rights Movement. This isn't just commentary; it’s discipleship for truth and justice.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 21, 2023 • 55min
Heart on Fire an Interview with Dani Coke Balfour
How do you keep the flame of justice burning in the midst of so much misery and disappointment? A new book, Heart on Fire: 100 Meditations on Loving Your Neighbor Well, is just what you need.
In this episode I get to interview first-time author and long-time artist, Dani Coke Balfour. We talk about how art relates to activism and how all of us have a role to play in doing "good work."
Be sure to grab your copy of Heart on Fire wherever books are sold!
Buy the Book On
Amazon
Bookshop
Episode Highlights:
The difference between "equity" and "equality"
Why it's better to have "conscious optimism" rather than "cautious optimism"
Why imagination is indispensable to justice
Ten Pillars of Good Work
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Nov 8, 2023 • 58min
How Far to the Promised Land with Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley
On this episode of Footnotes, join me as I delve into an enlightening conversation with the esteemed author Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley, discussing his highly anticipated new book "How Far to the Promised Land."
Episode Highlights:
We talk about how Black Christians in white evangelical spaces get "pushed out, burned out, or sell out" and how McCaulley has endured in his place of work
How he thinks about his interracial marriage in view of the historic and ongoing Black experience with racism
What he teaches his biracial children about racial identity and the role of police in the midst of anti-Black police brutality
McCaulley gets on his soapbox about an issue that's at the forefront of his attention right now
My endorsement: In his latest book, How Far to the Promised Land, Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley says we are people made of "trauma and miracles." In this memoir you will see evidence of both as he relates the difficulties of his childhood alongside the resilient and caring community that ushers him into his destiny. A brisk and engaging narrative full of practical and spiritual wisdom, How Far to the Promised Land is a revelatory look at the U.S. South, race, poverty, and the strength needed not only to live with one's past but make peace with it.
Get the book: How Far to the Promised Land
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Aug 2, 2023 • 1h 4min
Fighting Racism: Addressing Racial and Religious Trauma through Mental Health Care with Adebisi Gbadamosi
According to a Psychology Today article, racial and ethnic minorities represent 30 percent of the population, yet 83.6 percent of mental health professionals identify as non-Hispanic White. And only about 5 percent of students enrolled in graduate level psychology programs are Black.
Adebisi Gbadamosi is a Black woman therapist who specializes in addressing racial and religious trauma. She specializes in working with peo[le of color to process racial trauma, Christians to process faith-related trauma, and women wanting to work through any aspect of life.
In this episode she talks about her journey into mental health care, her painful experiences with race and white evangelical churches, and general coping skills for those who have endured trauma of various sorts.
Learn more about "Bisi"
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Jul 26, 2023 • 1h 19min
Fighting Racism: Giving the Formerly Incarcerated a Chance at True Freedom with Stanley Frankart
The United States has five percent of the world's population but 25 percent of its incarcerated individuals. But the statistics only tell part of the story. Behind the numbers are real people.
Stanley Frankart is someone who made it out of the prison system and is now helping others to do the same.
Through the nonprofit he co-founded, Young Christian Professionals, Frankart and his team offer character education and professional development to reduce rates of recidivism.
Learn More:
-Young Chrisitan Professionals: youngchristianprofessionals.org
-Vera Institute: vera.org
-Prison Policy Initiative: prisonpolicy.org
-The Witness Foundation: thewitnessfoundation.co
FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism.
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Jul 19, 2023 • 52min
Fighting Racism: Fighting Racism as a White Ally
Racism is not an ideology invented by people of African descent—people of European descent who are considered white hold that dubious distinction. So what is the role of white people in fighting racism?
In part four of the Fighting Racism series, I talk with Shelley and David Park. They are the transracial adoptive parents of a son who is Black. They also composed a curriculum called “Let's Talk Race: A Beginners Guide to Conversations about Race.” In this 5-week course they talk to other white people about race.
Delve into the definition of an ally and how white people can act in solidarity with Black people and other people of color.
LINKS
Let's Talk Race - Shelley and David Park
Subscribe to JemarTisby.Substack.com so you'll never miss a new episode.
Grab your copy of How to Fight Racism HERE.
FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism.
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Jul 12, 2023 • 58min
Fighting Racism: Racial Justice at Work and in the Environment with Abigail Oduol
In this episode we are going to talk with someone who knows all too well the challenges of environmental racism externally and the challenges of fighting for racial and ethnic diversity internally at a company.
We are joined by Abigail Oduaol. She works for an organization called Earthjustice which employs more than 500 people. She serves as a senior development office but has also taken it upon herself to spearhead the company's antiracist initiatives and their efforts to make the workplace more responsive to the needs and concerns of its Black employees. This is an informative interview that will challenge and inspire you.
To learn more about Abigail Oduol and her work, click HERE
Article: Creating Psychological Safety for Black Women at Your Company
Article: Environmental Justice Must Lie at the Heart of Climate Action
Article: How St. Louis Churches Are Revealing the Disparities in the Air We Breathe
Article: Pew Research, Workplace Diversity 2023
Subscribe to JemarTisby.Substack.com so you'll never miss a new episode.
Grab your copy of How to Fight Racism HERE.
FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Jul 5, 2023 • 56min
Fighting Racism: Confronting Racism in Homeschooling with Brytni McNeil
In this episode we hear what one homeschooling parent, Brytni McNeil is doing to create a more racially inclusive and honest culture in homeschooling. Brytni is so graciously vulnerable in sharing her story of coming from a colorblind approach to race to becoming color-conscious. She talks about the challenges of being a Black homeschooling parent and how she is working to make homeschooling families more aware of racial dynamics. Learn more about her work HERE.
Subscribe to JemarTisby.Substack.com so you'll never miss a new episode.
Grab your copy of How to Fight Racism HERE.
FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism.
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Jul 1, 2023 • 18min
Fighting Racism: Real Stories from Real People
“Welcome to the FIGHTING RACISM series, a project that explores how real people just like you are fighting racism in their everyday lives. My name is Dr. Jemar Tisby. I'm a historian, an author, a speaker, and a professor of history at Simmons College of Kentucky, and I will be your host and guide throughout this series. In this episode I unpack the ARC of Racial Justice and tell you how this series came about and what to expect. See below for the upcoming episode themes.
Fighting Racism Series
Real Stories from Real People - Jemar Tisby, PhD
Confronting Racism in Homeschooling - Brynti McNeil
Racial Justice at Work and in the Environment - Abigail Oduol
How White Allies Can Talk to Other White People about Racism - Shelley & David Park
Giving the Formerly Incarcerated a Chance at True Freedom - Stanley Frankart
Addressing Racial and Religious Trauma through Mental Health Care - Adebisi Gbadamosi
Subscribe to JemarTisby.Substack.com so you'll never miss a new episode.
Grab your copy of How to Fight Racism HERE.
FIGHTING RACISM is a miniseries powered by FOOTNOTES WITH JEMAR TISBY and is made in collaboration with the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE. Our producer for the show is Beau York with special thanks to Kathryn Post, Paul O'Donnell, Roxanne Stone, and Adelle Banks. Our sponsor for the series is Zondervan Reflective, publishers of How to Fight Racism.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 30, 2023 • 50min
Christianity and Critical Race Theory
"Critical Race Theory has become a lightning rod in contemporary American politics and evangelical Christianity. This irenic book offers a critical but constructive and sympathetic introduction written from a perspective rooted in Scripture and Christian Theology."
I sit down with the co-authors Dr. Robert Chao Romero and Dr. Jeff Liou to talk about the need for this book and the intersection between Christianity and Critical Race Theory.
Buy the book "Christianity and Critical Race Theory HERE.
Subscribe to my Substack and never miss an episode: JemarTisby.Substack.com
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May 11, 2023 • 56min
More Than I Imagined- An Interview with CNN Journalist John Blake
In his new book, "More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew", CNN journalist John Blake shares an intimate story of his journey with race, faith, and forgiveness.
In this interview we talk about racial identity, the usefulness of the term "racial reconciliation," and a bit about The Wire.
John's book is now AVAILABLE!
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