Best LDF Thurgood Marshall Institute Podcasts (2025)

1
Reproductive Justice and the Role of Birthing Centers 41:56

19d ago41:56

41:56

This episode of Justice Above All highlights the centrality of birthing centers, which provide historically informed and culturally competent care to Black birthing people, to the realization of reproductive justice. We will discuss a wave of new state-level regulations that are severely impacting the ability of midwives and other birthing center s…

1
The Promises and Threats of Algorithms in Housing 36:02

2M ago36:02

36:02

Algorithms and predictive technologies are being used to an increasing extent in housing (i.e., tenant screening, lending, appraisals, housing advertising). While algorithms have the potential to increase equity by removing human bias from decision-making, there is very little transparency and oversight over these tools and there is a real threat t…

1
Who Holds Sheriffs Accountable? 52:24

2M ago52:24

52:24

Despite being the only elected law enforcement officials, sheriffs operate with impunity. In fact, many people are not aware of the sweeping power that sheriffs hold over law enforcement, jails, and to an increasing extent national politics and election administration. In this episode of Justice Above All, we highlight the role of sheriffs in our l…

1
Democracy at a Crossroads: Voter Challenges and Turnout 55:33

2M ago55:33

55:33

This episode of Justice Above All discusses voter challenges and voter turnout ahead of the November 5, 2024 election. Our guests explain how voter intimidation and voter suppression tactics continue to pose systemic barriers to Black voters. Even while this is occurring, Black voices are not being completely silenced: organizers are building Black…

1
Real Talk: What Project 2025 Means for Your Life 42:35

3M ago42:35

42:35

In 2023, The Heritage Foundation, a think tank focused on promoting conservative public policies, published Project 2025 as a blueprint to consolidate power within the executive, or the office of the president, and weaken democratic structures. In speaking with experts, this episode of Justice Above All breaks down Project 2025 and anticipates how …

1
Brown at 70: Tracing the Legacy and History of Brown v. Board of Education 48:52

1y ago48:52

48:52

May 2024 marks 70 years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education declaring the “separate but equal” doctrine unconstitutional and marking a new standard for American education.This episode is part one of a special three-part arc to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Brown, which dismantled legal racial…

1
What is the state of felony disenfranchisement? 41:50

1y ago41:50

41:50

On the season three opener of Justice Above All, host and Thurgood Marshall Institute Senior Researcher, Dr. Sandhya Kajeepeta explores the state of felony disenfranchisement. Across the country, previously incarcerated individuals are forced to navigate complex, bureaucratic processes in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote. In the…

1
Special Episode: What is Food Apartheid? 32:14

1+ y ago32:14

32:14

On this episode of Justice Above All, Thurgood Marshall Institute summer research fellows explored food apartheid. The fellows investigated the struggle to access quality food in the United States and on this special episode of the show, they're sharing what their research revealed about the deep, systemic legacy of food apartheid in Black communit…

1
How does racism undermine scientific innovation? 34:45

1+ y ago34:45

34:45

Elijah McCoy, Garret Morgan, George Washington Carver, and Madame CJ Walker are names you might recognize. They're Black inventors whose inventions modernized the world. But they may also be the only names you recognize when you think of Black inventors. Due to racism and other discriminatory structural barriers, potential Black inventors have been…

1
LDF's Return to the Supreme Court 47:33

1+ y ago47:33

47:33

In 2022, LDF made its return to the Supreme Court for the first time in seven years. Every year, LDF submits a few amicus briefs in various civil rights cases to the Court, but an LDF attorney had not delivered an oral argument before the Court since Buck v. Davis. But in 2022, Deuel Ross, LDF’s Deputy Director of Litigation, argued before the Supr…

1
How did school board elections become so intense? 52:01

1+ y ago52:01

52:01

On this episode, host Dr. Sandhya Kajeepeta, TMI Senior Researcher, chronicles how school board elections and meetings were once bastions of Black political power but have now become sites of charged debates, takeovers, and infiltrated by groups outside of the actual districts . Using Charleston as a case study, Dr. Kajeepeta illustrates how school…

1
What was Freedom House? 45:19

1+ y ago45:19

45:19

Freedom House was a radical idea that changed emergency response programs and birthed modern-day paramedicine. As we continue to reimagine public safety and confront the role of police in our society, Freedom House's legacy offers a blueprint on what health and safety can look like when people experiencing medical or behavioral distress are met wit…

1
How does criminalizing abortion hurt Black communities? 34:09

2y ago34:09

34:09

In 2022, the Supreme Court reversed decades of precedent in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The decision held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion and that the authority to regulate abortions rests with states. While the long-term ramifications of overturning the right to an abortion are u…

1
How does affirmative action improve democracy? 43:46

2y ago43:46

43:46

For over 40 years, affirmative action was one of the nation's key tools in helping create diverse working and learning environments. The practice of affirmative action in higher education admissions processes has been challenged several times over, and on June 29, 2023 the Supreme Court overturned previous rulings on the practice's legality in thei…

1
Grace Lee Boggs: A Model for Intersectionality? 38:04

2y ago38:04

38:04

It may seem odd that an Asian-American woman became a leader in the Black liberation and Civil Rights Movement, but Dr. Grace Boggs deeply understood that our individual liberation is bound up in the liberation of others. Dr. Grace Boggs was a Detroit-based labor activist and organizer known as the founding mother of intersectionality. She used her…

1
Can voting make us healthier? 36:07

2y ago36:07

36:07

On the opening episode of Season two of Justice Above All, the Thurgood Marshall Institute team explores how access to the ballot can make Black communities healthier. In 2022, the American Medical Association classified voting as a social determinant of health. Equal and fair access is not only the pinnacle of a healthy, functioning democracy, but…

1
Corporate Prey: How Corporate Landlords Destabilize Black Homeownership 34:37

2y ago34:37

34:37

On this episode of Justice Above All, TMI Senior Fellow and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro walks listeners through the rise of the corporate landlord and their preying upon Black neighborhoods, starting with America's history of state-sponsored segregation, exploring the impact of the Great Recession, and ending wit…

1
Access Denied: How Race Shapes the Impacts of Long-Haul COVID 31:20

2+ y ago31:20

31:20

On this episode of Justice Above All, host Dr. Sandhya Kajeepeta walks listeners through how race shapes the experience of contracting and recovering from long-haul COVID. Featuring former Washington D.C. Public Health Commissioner Dr. Reed Tuckson, Yale School of Medicine Assistant Professor and epidemiologist Dr. Carol Oladele, and award-winning …

1
Beyond 911: Alternatives to Policing Behavioral Health Crises 26:31

2+ y ago26:31

26:31

In the U.S., experiencing a behavioral health crisis can mean deadly interaction with the police. Instead of meeting those in need with compassion and care, they’re being met with guns and incarceration. The latest episode of Justice Above All explores alternatives to policing behavorial health crises. Hosted by: Ayobami Laniyonu Produced: Keecee D…

1
NIMBYs: The Geography and Environment of Public Housing 18:50

2+ y ago18:50

18:50

Millions of people live in areas that expose them to hazardous conditions and jeopardize their health. Across the nation, existing and newly built public and subsidized housing is concentrated in low-economic opportunity areas. Disproportionately Black and Brown communities face high levels of poverty and high exposure to environmental dangers. The…

1
Aftershocks: Election Sabotage and January 6th 24:30

3y ago24:30

24:30

During the 2020 Election, targeted difficulties, like voting ID laws, polling place closures, voter roll purges, registration requirements, and limitations on voting times, had a particularly burdensome impact on voters of color. Nevertheless, 2020 saw the highest turnout of voters of color in American history. On this episode, Justice Above All un…

1
Outside Influence: The Origins of Anti-CRT Mania 40:37

3y ago40:37

40:37

On this episode, host Dr. Kesha Moore unpacks the anti-truth movement and the coordinated attempts to censor the accurate teaching of American history. Justice Above All is joined by Katrina Feldkamp, Assistant Counsel for the Legal Defense Fund and Anya and Raven, two student leaders in the Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition. If you enjoyed this epis…

1
Fines, Fees, and Racial Wealth Extraction 31:08

3+ y ago31:08

31:08

On this episode, host Dr. Kesha Moore traces the history of fines and fees and outlines how localities are fining some of their poorest residents as a way to generate revenue for their budgets. Guests: Katurah Topps, LDF Policy Counsel, Emily Harris, Policy Director of the Ella Baker Center, and Cortney Sanders, Senior Manger of State and Policy An…

1
Evictions and Housing Instability During the Pandemic 28:31

3+ y ago28:31

28:31

On this episode of Justice Above All, host and TMI Senior Researcher Dr. Kesha Moore talks with Sarah Saadian, Vice President of Public Policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Sophie House, Law and Policy Director at NYU's Furman Center's Housing Solutions Lab, and Jason Bailey, Assistant Counsel at the Legal Defense Fund about how our…

1
Locking Up the Vote: Prison-Based Gerrymandering and its Impact on the Black Vote 25:38

4y ago25:38

25:38

Later this year, the redistricting process will begin and the states will begin drawing the districts that will determine the allocation of political power and representation for the next ten years. However, a practice known as prison-based gerrymandering threatens the principle of "one person, one vote" and risks unfairly diluting the political po…

1
Preparing for an Unprecedented Election 34:26

4+ y ago34:26

34:26

In this episode, election law expert, Professor Richard L. Hasen speaks with, Thurgood Marshall Institute Senior Researcher, Dr. Algernon Austin about the many obstacles to voting facing African Americans this November. Professor Hasen and Dr. Austin discuss how this election is expected to be different from any other and how voters need to prepare…

1
COVID-19 and Education Equity 57:05

5y ago57:05

57:05

In this episode, the Thurgood Marshall Institute team is joined by Dr. Janise Parker, Dr. Brooke Cunningham, and LDF's Monique Lin-Luse, Esquire to tackle four important questions: how should we reopen schools in a way that addresses the racial inequities and trauma experienced by Black students?; How can school districts better fulfill their respo…

1
Algorithms of Oppression 51:37

5+ y ago51:37

51:37

This episode features a conversation between Dr. Safiya Noble, New York Times Best-Selling Author of Algorithms of Oppression and Associate Professor at UCLA, and Will Searcy, Research and Operations Associate at the Thurgood Marshall Institute. At their most basic, algorithms are just instructions that are given to a computer to perform specific t…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

LDF Thurgood Marshall Institute Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Justice Above All

The Legal Defense Fund

1
Reproductive Justice and the Role of Birthing Centers 41:56

1
The Promises and Threats of Algorithms in Housing 36:02

1
Who Holds Sheriffs Accountable? 52:24

1
Democracy at a Crossroads: Voter Challenges and Turnout 55:33

1
Real Talk: What Project 2025 Means for Your Life 42:35

1
Brown at 70: Tracing the Legacy and History of Brown v. Board of Education 48:52

1
What is the state of felony disenfranchisement? 41:50

1
Special Episode: What is Food Apartheid? 32:14

1
How does racism undermine scientific innovation? 34:45

1
LDF's Return to the Supreme Court 47:33

1
How did school board elections become so intense? 52:01

1
What was Freedom House? 45:19

1
How does criminalizing abortion hurt Black communities? 34:09

1
How does affirmative action improve democracy? 43:46

1
Grace Lee Boggs: A Model for Intersectionality? 38:04

1
Can voting make us healthier? 36:07

1
Corporate Prey: How Corporate Landlords Destabilize Black Homeownership 34:37

1
Access Denied: How Race Shapes the Impacts of Long-Haul COVID 31:20

1
Beyond 911: Alternatives to Policing Behavioral Health Crises 26:31

1
NIMBYs: The Geography and Environment of Public Housing 18:50

1
Aftershocks: Election Sabotage and January 6th 24:30

1
Outside Influence: The Origins of Anti-CRT Mania 40:37

1
Fines, Fees, and Racial Wealth Extraction 31:08

1
Evictions and Housing Instability During the Pandemic 28:31

1
Locking Up the Vote: Prison-Based Gerrymandering and its Impact on the Black Vote 25:38

1
Preparing for an Unprecedented Election 34:26

1
COVID-19 and Education Equity 57:05

1
Algorithms of Oppression 51:37