Prepare yourself. Track 7 of our Revolution Summer Mixtape features the prolific creator Dr. Courthney Russell, former medical doctor, and founder of WeUp and A2H2, which seek to connect BIPOC to entrepreneurial and medical access in these hard times. We have an energetic and inspirational discussion which is one part Tavis Smiley, one part Washington Week and one part Breakfast Club. Listen today if you want inspiration and motivation!

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During our conversation with youth activists from Denver and Flint, recent graduate and youth leader Eeshyia King stated that “I don’t consider myself an activist. I am actiVATED.” This important distinction guided our conversation with youth who are not “waiting their turn” to be seen and heard. Along with the student hosts of the Know Justice, Know Peace video podcast, we had an inspirational and motivational talk with important voices in the movement for educational justice. Amazing stuff!

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We found our long-lost bretheren, Manuel Rustin and Jeff Garrett of the All of the Above video podcast! A fun and energetic conversation, listen today!!

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Our first repeat offender guest is the amazing and brilliant Jessyca Mathews! She chops it up with the fellas, offers humor and heart, and gives us her top 5 MCs. A must-listen if you are down for some critical intellect and optimistic spirit!

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This one is a goody. We sat down with the amazing, brilliant, and powerful Dr. Bettina L. Love for track 3 of the Revolution Summer Mixtape 2020! Author of We Want to do More than Survive, Dr. Love’s Abolitionist teaching manifesto has proven prophetic, instructional, and inspirational. We spoke with her the day after the launch of the Abolitionist Teaching Network, had some laughs and discussed her top five MCs. A memorable conversation, thank you, Dr. Love!

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José Luís Vilson, NYC Math Teacher extraordinaire, wrote his way out, and writes like he’s runnin outta time. His This is Not a Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education (Haymarket Books 2014) remains a staple in the library of any educator who claims to be committed to antiracism and equity, and he shows up as his authentic self on the daily. He generously gave his time to the fellas on July 7, and what ensues is a passionate, engaged and fun conversation that was some combination of the academy, the teacher’s lounge, the front lines of a movement, and the front porch on a sweltering NYC day.

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It’s summer, and though it is a summer unlike any other that most of us can recall, it is still a time for deep reflection about how we can deepen spiritual, intellectual, and most importantly, physical healing to our communities. In the eye of the storm, the nexus of a global pandemic, violent racist oppression, and a schooling system that is fatally flawed, we are thrilled to learn about the incredible work in which educators and activists are engaging. The Mixtape is an institution in Hip Hop. The mixtape was the first way that we, children of the Hip Hop Generation, learned about who the new and rising artists were. The mixtape was how we learned that our favorite, sometimes well-established artists were experimenting with new ideas, methods, and collaboration. The mixtape was an adventure. The mixtape represented not only what WAS in Hip Hop, but what was coming, and what COULD be. Finally, the mixtape was a way to know who you could spend your dollars on.

In the coming weeks, we will drop mixtape tracks to serve as the soundtrack of your Revolution Summer. They will provide a backdrop of what you can be thinking about, incorporating, and implementing. They will be lil teasers to encourage you to consume more content by these creators, these philosophical artists, these spirit healers. Enjoy.

Summer is here, and while temperatures have been moderate, it is still probably going to be the hottest summer on record. The block is hot, but we hope that everyone gets something of a reprieve to recuperate, reflect, recharge, and reload for the work that is to come. We present to you the first track of our summer mixtape. Denver Board of Education Director Tay Anderson has forced conversations that have made some uncomfortable, while inspiring others (most of us, if you look at election results from 2019). He has demanded justice for communities of color with pained relations with law enforcement, LGBTQIA people in our schools, and has demanded change in terms of how we hear youth voice, as well as represent ourselves to the wider community. Tay took the time to sit with us after the rally to change the name of St*pleton, and he takes us all to school about what it means to keep pushin, and to say that we cannot wait any longer. Track 1. Summer Revolutionaries Mixtape.

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As season 4 draws to a close, we find ourselves in a difficult moment. Is this the wholesale failure of education? Was it really COVID-19, or was it our failure to sufficiently show love, care, commitment to justice on a systemic level? Frustration with the current state and anxiety about what comes next, including a looming fight for funding, colors this episode. Yet through it all, we know that we must maintain an optimistic will to engage.

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