UNDISTRACTED with Brittany Packnett Cunningham

In this week’s episode, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham honors the victims and the tragedy of the Uvalde, Texas, shooting. Then, the Undistracted team sits down with TV personality and business icon Bevy Smith to talk about women, aging and why she wants to be “one of the old dolls.” Plus, Smith IDs the factors that helped her navigate the predominantly white fashion world. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a long week, y’all—and we’ve been grieving the victims of the Buffalo shooting. On the heels of that violence, we’re bringing you an interview that host Brittany Packnett Cunningham did with Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw last summer, as the anti-CRT laws began to sweep the country. As always, the professor makes it all makes sense, and her discussion of everything from white “insecurity” to the purposes of book-banning hits different in this tragic week. Plus, correspondent Treasure Brooks holds space for the people we lost this week. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens in Texas matters everywhere. As the state becomes a testing ground for extreme policies (abortion! immigration! CRT!) we hear from three people fighting for a better Texas. Congressional candidate Jessica Cisneros, State Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke talk about what's at stake, how we got here—and why they believe in the power of the people to get us out. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the shadow of the leaked SCOTUS decision on Dobbs v. Jackson, we're re-airing this conversation between host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, legendary activist Gloria Steinem and the “Beyonce of Abortion storytelling,” Renee Bracey Sherman. Late last year, the trio sat down to talk about the future of Roe—and how to protect the people behind the politics. The two leaders, separated by a generation, get into everything from their own personal stories to why the movement has sometimes sidelined the populations it serves. There’s laughter, tears—and hope. Plus, Brittany shares some resources to guide us forward.Connect with Renee’s organization at https://www.wetestify.org/. If you have financial resources, give to abortionfunds.org. And if you need an abortion, go to ineedana.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are a lot of closely watched midterm races. But in Ohio, Morgan Harper is making news with her run for U.S. Senate—and her TikToks eviscerating her primary opponent. In this week’s episode, the dynamic attorney tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham about what it means to run as a young woman of color, the nuances of mounting a second campaign after losing her first one, and why she wishes Black women didn’t always have to be so “resilient.” All that, plus correspondent Treasure Brooks joins us with this week’s UNTrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you parent—lovingly and well—in the age of technology and police violence? That question is on host Brittany Packnett Cunningham’s mind as she settles into motherhood—and for this episode, she sits down with Elizabeth Alexander, the inaugural poet at Obama’s 2009 inauguration and now author of The Trayvon Generation. They talk about what it means to raise free Black children in a world that doesn’t see them, and how we build communal futures. Plus, correspondent Treasure Brooks takes on this week’s UnTrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a different kind of episode this week—”our most personal, most gut-wrenching, most triumphant,” says host Brittany Packnett Cunningham. The reason? Four months ago, she became a mother, to a son born at just 24 weeks. Now she sits down to tell that story, with a guest who was there with her the whole time: her husband, Reginald Cunningham. They talk about the long road to parenthood, hospitalized bedrest, becoming NICU parents—and the “free Black child” they hope to raise. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Willow Egerton is 13 years old, an aspiring filmmaker, and a trans girl in Texas in 2022—which means that “people in power want me gone,” she says. This week, Willow and her father Owen Egerton sit down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about how that feels, and about the joy and celebration of being trans. (Says Owen of parenting: “It’s like when you watch a flower bloom.”) All that, plus Oklahoma’s restrictive abortion ban in this week’s UnTrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nearly four million Ukrainians have fled their homeland—and around the world, 21 times that number of people have been displaced from their homes because of war or other disasters. So: What has Ukraine taught us about what all refugees face, and how you can survive when your life changes in an instance? Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Muzoon Almellehan, a young woman who fled Syria in 2013 and serves as as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, about her journey, activism, and emotions. And we hear from Dr. Serena Parekh, author of No Refuge: Ethics and the Global Refugee Crisis, and journalist Caitlin L. Chandler about the global context—and whether Americans could be next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Crimes against AAPI women are in the headlines—and for parents like writer Nicole Chung, the challenges of how to talk to kids about racism, violence and safety are very real. In this episode, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Chung, the author of All You Can Ever Know and a contributing writer at The Atlantic, for a thoughtful discussion that starts there—and roams into transracial adoption, surviving the “colorblind” era, and why her phone starts ringing when things are at their worst. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest UNtrending News, and a remembrance of her friend Cora Faith Walker.Read Nicole’s piece in The Atlantic, here: https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/i-have-notes/62115c1b3a37470020ce1c79/mourning-violence-against-asian-women/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re sharing something special from our friends over at Pushkin. It’s an episode of a new podcast from Anita Hill called Getting Even. On the show, Professor Hill tackles the tough questions about equality; she talks with people on the frontlines of improving our imperfect world—and finding solutions. In this episode, she sits down with Kimberlé Crenshaw, the legal scholar who coined the terms intersectionality and critical race theory, about the battle over curricula, its impact on students and the political co-opting of critical race theory.You can hear more episodes of Getting Even with Anita Hill at https://link.chtbl.com/gettingevencrenshaw To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham is joined by Elizabeth Warren - the senator from Massachusetts and the president we coulda had. They unpack the student debt crisis, the child care crisis, the filibuster crisis—all of it. Plus, Warren breaks down “what really chaps my fanny,” and why she is hopeful for the midterms. And, Brittany breaks down this week’s UnTrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week, the IPCC released a report finding that the planet is getting “clobbered” by climate change. What does that mean? And what should we do? Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Hot Take cohost Mary Annaïse Heglar—who sets the record straight on what’s so alarming, how climate change and white supremacy are connected, being Black in the climate movement, and what Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has to do with fossil fuels. (“I didn’t know climate talk could be this juicy,” says Brittany.) All this, plus the week’s UNtrending news.Follow Mary’s work on climate at https://www.hottakepod.com/. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a historic moment: America has its first-ever Black woman Supreme Court nominee, and host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with a legend, Professor Anita Hill, to talk about the law, and why she’s “elated” at the possibilities ahead. Also on the table: Hill’s new podcast, Getting Even, and her memories of her mother. Plus, journalist Josie Duffy Rice pops in to talk to Brittany about what Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson might bring to the Court. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Mainstream media” (whatever that is) might be struggling, but you know who’s leading the revolution to do better? “Women, and especially women of color,” says host Brittany Packnett Cunningham. She sits down with Sara Lomax-Reese of URL Media and Akoto Ofori-Atta of Capital B, two media organizations run by Black and brown women. They talk about why they do what they do, how to get beyond a “scarcity mentality,” and last week’s “crack pipe” debacle. Plus, Brittany breaks down this weeks’ UnTrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you have parents? Children? Someone who cares for you, or who you care for? With Build Back Better on the line, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Ai-jen Poo of the National Domestic Workers Alliance to talk about what it’ll take for the US to start treating caregiving like the crucial infrastructure it is. Plus, Brittany has thoughts on the Super Bowl, in UnTrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports are beautiful and transformative. Also racist and corrupt! This week, with the Olympics in full swing, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham is joined by journalists Jemele Hill and Cari Champion. They talk about what athletes are going through in China, what it means to represent “America”—and here at home, about discrimination in the NFL and the “reckoning” they see coming for pro sports generally. Plus, Brittany unpacks this week’s UN-TRENDING news; and an announcement about our presence on Spotify. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the two-year anniversary of the pandemic looms, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Dr. Uché Blackstock to discuss all things COVID-19—from why “Omicron is a gift” (she’ll explain) to the “pandemic privilege” that perpetuates the risks Black and brown communities face. Plus, Brittany takes on this week's Un-Trending news…starting with the real history of Black History Month. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does the Great Resignation mean for women of color? Elaine Welteroth—the best-selling author and former Teen Vogue editor who’s built a career out of charting her own path—has a lot of thoughts. She sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about why we’re leaving jobs (or being pushed out of them), and how “times of destruction are opportunities to reinvent.” Plus, she shares wisdom from legendary editor Harriette Cole, and remembers another Ebony alum: the late, great André Leon Talley. Plus, Brittany reviews this week’s UnTrending news, and a SCOTUS surprise. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why doesn’t the US have universal health care, paid leave, or plenty of seemingly basic public services many other countries do? Heather McGhee has an answer: it’s racism, and it hurts all of us. The author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, McGhee sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to explain her research, the “hypnotic racial story” fueling American injustice, and how we can do better. Plus, Brittany takes on this week’s UnTrending news.Support basic income for Black women! In Her Hands (featured in UnTrending this week) is seeking donations here https://community.givedirectly.org/campaigns/cbcb518edbde54f8 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, President Biden and Vice President Harris traveled to Georgia to talk about voting rights—but LaTosha Brown was not celebrating. As co-founder of the Atlanta-based Black Voters Matter Fund, Brown explains to host Brittany Packnett Cunningham why she and other organizers sat out the event, arguing that these dangerous times demand bolder action from the administration. Plus, Brittany brings you your UNtrending News—including the coin that has the internet dragging the U.S. Mint. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been one year since the invasion of the U.S. Capitol—so how are we doing at holding insurrectionists accountable? Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham answers that question, revisiting archival interviews with Representatives Cori Bush and Ayanna Pressley, who lived through the riots, and going deep into the next coup at hand. Plus, a January 6-themed edition of your UnTrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Back in May, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sat down with New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones to talk about how The 1619 Project—which Hannah-Jones created—has both changed this country’s understanding of slavery, and withstood a brutal, ongoing assault from the right. Since then, The 1619 Project has been banned explicitly in some states, and this conversation, about the truth of our past and our present, feels even more relevant. Originally aired May 13, 2021. UNDISTRACTED will return in 2022. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As SCOTUS weighs overturning the legal right to abortion, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down for a moving conversation on what’s most important: the people behind the politics. Her guests are two leaders separated by a generation but determined to put the emphasis on the humanity of people who seek abortions: legendary activist Gloria Steinem and the “Beyoncé of Abortion storytelling” Renee Bracey Sherman. They get into everything from their own personal stories to why the movement has sidelined the populations it serves. There’s laughter, tears—and hope. With a guest introduction by The Meteor’s Rebecca Carroll. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

UNDISTRACTED IS BACK! And so are abortion bans, the white women’s vote, and a whole Greek alphabet of viruses. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham knew exactly who she wanted to unpack it all with: Dr. Brittney Cooper, professor and truth-teller. Together they get into why white women keep upholding white patriarchy (hint: it’s about motherhood), the “nightmarish” rollbacks to all of our rights, and how Dr. Cooper defies respectability politics on a daily basis. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You heard it here first: UNDISTRACTED is back for Season Two on December 2nd. Here’s a sneak peek at what host Brittany Packnett Cunningham has up her sleeve—as she and her newsmaking, rule-breaking guests get ready to delve into everything that’s happening right now, from abortion access to supremacist juries to what each of us can do to make change. Listen in, and let us know @themeteor who you want to hear from next! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Special for UNDISTRACTED listeners…it’s a sneak peek of the new podcast “Because of Anita”—a four-part series about the legacy of Anita Hill’s testimony in the Justice Clarence Thomas hearings exactly 30 years ago this fall. It’s about truth, gender, race, and power, with new insights and on-the-ground stories from guests like Tarana Burke, Kerry Washington and Professor Hill herself, in her first-ever public conversation with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified 27 years after her. From The Meteor and Pineapple Street Studios. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Forty episodes, baby! With our first season under our belt and a mini-hiatus ahead of us, the UNDISTRACTED team is looking back on some highlights from Season One. Featuring Nikole Hannah-Jones, Rep. Cori Bush and more. See you in the fall! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season finale! Fifteen years ago, Tarana Burke started using two simple words to empower young Black and brown girls who had experienced sexual violence. Today, MeToo has exploded into a global movement that is both exactly what its founder imagined—and also, as she tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, often misunderstood. Now, with her debut memoir “Unbound” about to hit shelves, Burke sits down for an intimate, feature-length interview about the origins of the movement—and her own personal path to liberation. Plus, Brittany and our producers share their own highlights of a jam-packed first season. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we head into the last stretch of summer, Brittany catches up with the guru of feeling good, writer adrienne maree brown. Together they get into how the philosophy of Pleasure Activism shaped adrienne’s pandemic experience—and why her new book Holding Change has the conflict-resolution skills we all need right now. It’s a spirit-soothing episode about holding each other in hard times. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh on the heels of Simone Biles’ decision to put her mental health over Olympic gold, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with sportscaster Jemele Hill to ask a key question: Can the Olympics be saved? And should they be? Together they get into everything from harsh penalties handed to Black women athletes to the absence of child care to the reasons the Olympics trails the rest of the sports world on equity issues. Plus, Brittany reflects on good strategies to get more people vaccinated and brings us the latest Olympic Untrending News. Here are some more guidelines on how to talk to unvaccinated loved ones about getting the vaccine: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/talk-about-vaccines.html To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Tuesday, Jeff Bezos became the latest contestant in the “billionaire space race,” prompting a million memes—and serious questions about how exactly this makes life better for those of us here on earth. Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein has thoughts on that—she’s a physicist, Black feminist theorist, and cosmos expert, and she sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to talk about patriarchy in the lab, and how we should be thinking about space. (She also explains dark matter, in case you’ve forgotten—we had.) Plus, Brittany brings the latest Untrending News. To support voting-rights legislation, you can find your Senator’s number on this sheet: https://www.senate.gov/general/resources/pdf/senators_phone_list.pdf Or a U.S. Capitol Switchboard operator can also connect you directly with the Senate office. (202) 224-3121And here’s a script you can use when calling: https://indivisiblesf.org/call-scripts/2021/5/11/senators-support-s1-the-for-the-people-act-in-committee-without-watering-it-down To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mass graves found on the sites of former residential schools in Canada. Disturbingly high rates of murder and disappearance for Indigenous women across North America. These headlines have woken many in the U.S. up to the realities Native communities face—but award-winning Cree journalist Connie Walker (host of the podcast Stolen) has spent decades shedding light on these issues. In this episode, she sits down with Brittany Packnett Cunningham to unpack these crimes, their solutions, and what this long-overdue moment of awareness might mean. Plus, Brittany covers the latest Untrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In recent months, Republican lawmakers in close to a dozen states have been trying to stop schools from teaching Critical Race Theory—or really any examination of America’s history of oppression. So what is CRT, why are legislators obsessed with it, and how worried should we all be about these attacks on teachers? Law professor Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw has the answers—because she helped develop Critical Race Theory to begin with. Listen as host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Crenshaw (whom she calls “the godmother of our show”—she’ll explain) to unpack the whole alarming situation. Plus, Brittany brings us the latest Untrending News. Recorded June 29th To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been speaking up for sexual assault survivors in the military for the better part of a decade. The military currently “addresses” (or fails to address) thousands of assault claims a year against its personnel keeping the cases outside of criminal courts. But now, the legislation Gillibrand is championing may finally be at a tipping point—with unprecedented bipartisan support from her colleagues. She sat down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to explain why the military’s prosecution of assault cases has actually gotten worse over the years, what it’ll take to do better...and whether she’ll ever run for president again. Plus, Brittany brings you the Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Congress voted to designate Juneteenth a federal holiday—something Opal Lee has spent years trying to make happen. The 94-year-old Texas-raised activist and author—known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth”— even walked from Fort Worth to Washington D.C. to raise awareness about the holiday. And now—156 years after slavery was ended in Texas—her dream of “Juneteenth National Indepedence Day” is coming true. Brittany talks to Miss Opal about her tireless quest, and brings us some summer culture recommendations along the way. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2021 has already been declared the worst year in U.S. history for legislative attacks against the LGBTQ community...and we’re not even halfway through! Against that backdrop, ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio—named one of Time’s “most influential people in the world” in 2020—sits down to talk to host Brittany Packnett Cunningham about why the GOP is obsessed with anti-trans legislation, and what we can do in response. Plus, Brittany reflects on the lessons of FX’s Pose and brings us the Untrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After last month’s devastating violence in Palestine and Israel, global public opinion began to shift in support of the Palestinian people. That’s long-overdue, says Amani, the Palestinian-American activist and founder of the online platform Muslim Girl. She tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham exactly why—and what social media and feminism have to do with it. Plus, Brittany reflects on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre and brings us the latest Untrending News, featuring Naomi Osaka. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a week that marks one year since George Floyd's death, there’s no better time to talk about cultivating the world we deserve. Queen Sugar author Natalie Baszile believes that true Black freedom is tied to land ownership, food sovereignty, and a renewed dedication to the soil. She talks to Brittany about her new anthology that’s been making waves, We Are Each Other’s Harvest, and how a new generation of young, Black farmers are returning to the land and building upon the legacy of their ancestors. Plus, Brittany brings us the latest Untrending News. Here’s a list of the resources Natalie mentions in this episode: Soul Fire Farm - Reparations map to donate land to Black farmers (https://www.soulfirefarm.org/get-involved/reparations/) The Tall Grass Food Box - CSA program (https://www.tallgrassnc.com/) Planet FWD - For coordinating organic food supply (https://planetfwd.com/) Jubilee Justice - A Black farmer funding alternative to the USDA (https://www.jubileejustice.org/our-mission) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feminism is not just about changing the ways we raise girls—in the words of host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, “men need to be freed too, y’all!” And Travon Free, the filmmaker who just won an Oscar for his short film, “Two Distant Strangers,” has a lot to say about that. He and Brittany sit down to talk about the prison of masculinity, and what happens when men (especially Black men) dare to question old norms. Plus, Brittany reflects on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and brings us the latest Untrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones is the creator of The 1619 Project, a multimedia effort about the legacy of slavery, and how it still informs American life. It won her a Pulitzer Prize, much praise—and relentless ire from the right, including an ongoing assault from Mitch McConnell, who wants it banned from school curriculums. In today’s episode, Hannah-Jones sets the record straight about the Project, and why Black Americans should feel proud of building this country. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the year of our lord 2021, we need all the faith we can get—so it felt like the perfect time to invite comedian/actress Yvonne Orji (Molly from HBO’s Insecure) onto the show to share her lessons from “Da Good Book” a.k.a. the Bible. Author of the new advice guide, “Bamboozled by Jesus,” Orji joins Brittany Packnett Cunningham for a laugh-out-loud conversation about her rise in comedy, kicking it with God, and Issa and Molly’s big fight. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The state of our blue planet can feel dire—because it is. California wildfires, Midwestern droughts, Southern floods, and global food insecurity. But marine biologist and climate justice expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson believes we can still make a difference—and that women are the reason why. This week, she talks to host Brittany Packnett Cunningham about the need for an intersectional feminist climate movement, President Biden’s plan to get America on renewable energy, and how to center joy in the work. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a week that brought us Derek Chauvin guilty verdicts but also a relentless wave of police killings, it can feel like not much has changed since Billie Holiday sang “Strange Fruit.” Andra Day—up for an Oscar for playing the iconic singer—joins Brittany to talk about how Holiday’s life, as a “great-godmother of the reinvigorated civil rights movement,” provides powerful inspiration today. They get into everything from Day’s whirlwind film education (this is her first major acting gig) to the need for more stories about complex Black women. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sophia Bush ruled the small screen in TV hits like “One Tree Hill” and “Chicago PD”—but on both those sets, the workplace abuse was real, she tells host Brittany Packnett Cunningham. Together, they unpack what three-plus years of #MeToo has and hasn’t changed for working women, and get into Sophia’s activist work—including how white women can better show up for women of color. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Headlines are already calling 2021 “the year of anti-abortion legislation.” State lawmakers have so far introduced more than 500 bills restricting the procedure. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham speaks to Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, who says “abortion access is hanging on by a thread.” Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People may believe that gun violence went away during the pandemic because mass shootings slowed down—but in reality, gun violence overall hit a two-decade high in 2020, killing 20,000 Americans. On the heels of mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham speaks to Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action and self-described “worst nightmare of the NRA.” They shed new light on the crucial questions: Will this moment actually be different? Is gun reform possible? Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amber Ruffin is breaking boundaries in late-night television with her witty and insightful takes on race, politics and history. She’s a writer and performer on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and the star of “The Amber Ruffin Show.” In this laugh-packed conversation, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to the comedian about everything from the rise of Black women in late-night to why racism is actually...funny? Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush made history last fall when she became the first Black woman from Missouri to be elected to Congress. Host Brittany Packnett Cunningham—a St. Louis native—talks to her Congresswoman about the long road to Washington, from Rep. Bush’s roots as a Ferguson activist to her no-holds-barred, wholly authentic approach to governing. Plus, Brittany brings you the latest Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lisa Ling, the award-winning CNN host, was sounding the alarm about anti-Asian threats long before the current rise in violence hit most headlines. Here, she unpacks the troubling issue with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham—from why racism against Asian Americans is so often overlooked to what everyday people can do to take action. Plus, Brittany shares her thoughts on Meghan Markle’s mental-health openness, and brings you the latest Untrending news. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices