It probably won’t surprise you that the death penalty in America is a racist practice, but it's also sloppily applied, expensive, and not actually working to make anyone safer. Many states are already ramping down the use of capital punishment because it doesn’t work. It’s time to stop doubling down on this outdated and racist practice for good. The real question we should be asking is not whether people deserve to die for the crimes they've committed, it's do we deserve to kill. On this episode we talk to Bryan Stevenson, founder of Equal Justice Initiative (EJI.org), about his work with incarcerated people and the new film Just Mercy, which chronicles his fight to save Walter Dee McMillian from execution.

AFROPUNK Solution Sessions

Death To Executions

Black folks get less sleep than white people and this racial sleep gap has physical and mental consequences, but it’s also deeper than that. To challenge oppressive systems like white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy, Black folks need to be able to dream a better world is actually possible. And how can we do that collectively as a people if we’re not sleeping or resting? Featuring an interview with Tricia Hersey - Founder of The Nap Ministry.

Rest As Reparations

Elaine Brown is a legend. Her activism, her art, her music, and her writing speaks for itself. She’s been dedicated to fighting for Black liberation for decades. She’s put in a lot of community work and, as you would imagine, she takes no shit. In this special episode we sit down with her to find out what she thinks are some of the biggest issues we’re currently facing as Black folks and what we can do about them. 

The People's Champ: Elaine Brown

Black people have been making all kinds of art for forever -- for utility, for creative expression, for activism. What does it look like when our art and resistance merge to inspire social and political action? Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Charmaine Minniefield, and Kimberly Drew are artists and activists who use their work to challenge street harassment, Black erasure, white supremacy, and so much more. Art can challenge, and it can change. 

Art In Action

Black folks basically invented the internet. Or at least we made it worth visiting. But just like in real life, Black identity is constantly threatened online. That’s why it’s so important to affirm, celebrate, canonize and respect how Black identity plays on both in real life and in online spaces. We will take a look at the history of Black users online and who profits off of content from Black users/creators. Featuring April Reign & Evelyn From The Internets.

Digital Blackness 2.0

We’re taking it back to the beginning! In this episode Bridget & Yves explore the history of AFROPUNK and discuss the “solutions” that both AFROPUNK the Media Company and Solution Sessions provide. We talk with Co-Founder, Matthew Morgan, and Co-CEO & President, Jocelyn Cooper, as they share their challenges of operating a Black Owned business in a predominantly white space and where they hope to see the platform grow to in the future. Featured interviews include Matthew Morgan and Jocelyn Cooper.

AFROPUNK: Punk By Necessity

Here at AFROPUNK, we say f**k respectability! Expressing ourselves as we are, for who we are, is what we do. Raquel Willis, Michaela Angela Davis, Lonnie Holley and a bunch of other special guests pull no punches in this special season finale.

Identity

To be Black in America is to be constantly reminded of your oppression and Otherness. But that hasn't stopped us from healing and making our own damn lanes. Bridget and Yves talk to poet Sonya Renee Taylor and Dr. Ayanna Abrams about making space for ourselves in a country that gives us no room.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Reclaiming Our Space

From the denial of education for Black people to school segregation, the American education system is rooted in systemic racism. Yet America still places blame on the very children affected by this racism. Bridget and Yves talk about creating purposefully anti-racist schools and curriculum with Matthew Kincaid, the founder of Overcoming Racism. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Bus Stop

The prison system is a well-oiled, oppressive machine that affects Black people disproportionately, continuing America's legacy of slavery and government-backed racism. As Bridget and Yves discuss in this episode, prison reform isn't an option — it's a necessity. Common Justice offers an alternative to locking people in cages.

In a Box

If conversations about reproductive health don't address the needs of Black people, then they're not real conversations. In this episode, Monica Simpson and Michaela Angela Davis drop facts on reproductive justice, and Bridget and Yves get real about perceptions of Black pain. 

Below the Belt

For most kids, having "the talk" means talking about kids' changing bodies as they enter adolescence. But for kids of color, "the talk" is also about how to survive America. Bridget and Yves talk to Andrea Ritchie about gender, race and violence. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

The Talk

Bridget and Yves explore what it means to be an activist and organizer with one of the Black Lives Matter founders, Patrisse Khan-Cullors. 

Activist

For some, U.S. politics might as well be sewage -- they don’t want to touch it and don’t want to play in it. Bridget and Yves look at the limits of a two-party system, the limits of government and the ways we can disrupt, dismantle and remake it.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Skeptic

Today, Bridget and Yves pull up a seat at the table. At this table sit a 19-year-old who ran for city council and Stacey Abrams, who may just become the country's first black female governor. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

A Seat at the Table

AFROPUNK Solution Sessions uses the spirit and power of community to tackle the most important conversations about how culture, activism, and politics impact young folks of color in a way that achieves positive results.