#TalkRadio – April 29: We Will Not Be Moved: Freedom to Learn and Celebrate Our History

SPEAKERS:

Shavon Airline Bradley,: 12:00 PM – 12:15 PM ET
Shavon Arline-Bradley is the President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). She brings over 21 years of experience in healthcare, diversity, equity, inclusion, government affairs, and executive leadership. She is also the founding principal and CEO of R.E.A.C.H. Beyond Solutions, a firm focused on public health, advocacy, and executive leadership. Before leading NCNW, she served as senior advisor and director of external engagement during the Obama Administration in the Department of Health & Human Services for the 19th U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy. She also held key roles at the NAACP, including executive vice president of strategic planning and partnerships. A southern New Jersey native, Shavon earned her undergraduate degree in exercise science and a master’s in public health from Tulane University. She also holds a Master of Divinity from Virginia Union University and has completed executive certificates in business management and diversity & inclusion from Howard University and Cornell University. Her leadership extends to various organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the NAACP Board of Directors Health Committee, and the Oprah Winfrey Network initiative “OWN Your Health.” She is also an ordained minister and an advocate for health equity and social justice.

Carl Snowden: 12:00 PM – 12:57 PM ET
Carl Snowden is the originator and Convenor of the Caucus of African American Leaders (CAAL). CAAL’s purpose is to fight for the human rights of African Americans and to create a just society. Mr. Snowden is a noted Civil Rights Activist, Author, Frequent Newspaper Guest Columnist, Former Elected Official, and Former Director for Civil Rights at the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland.

Prof. Kimberlé Crenshaw, Esq.: 12:20 PM – 12:57 PM ET
Co-founder and Executive Director of the African American Policy Forum; Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia Law School; Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor at Columbia Law School and the Promise Institute Professor at UCLA Law School; A leading authority on civil rights, Black feminist legal theory, and race, racism and the law, popularly known for her development of “intersectionality”,  “Critical Race Theory” and the #SayHerName campaign; Personal Twitter: @sandylocks; Organization Twitter: @AAPolicyForum

INTRODUCTION:

Hi Igniters For Change! The Igniting Change Radio Show on Tuesday, April 29th, 2025, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time, entitled “We Will Not Be Moved: Freedom to Learn and Celebrate Our History”, with Radio Show Co-Hosts and Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Co-Leaders Attorneys Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. will feature special guests Shavon Airline Bradley, Prof. Kimberlé Crenshaw, Esq., and Carl Snowden.

On Sunday, April 27th, the African-American Policy Forum (AAPF) kicked off the National Week of Action with faith leaders nationwide speaking out about the attacks on Black History across the country, as well as a powerful op-ed from AAPF executive director Kimberlé Crenshaw calling for collective resistance! Your organization can show support or you can join us individually in the fight! 

Throughout this week, we want to know how you will show up for Black history! Check out five ways to get involved in detail at www.freedomtolearn.net and register to attend the May 3 National Day of Action here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/f2l-national-week-of-action-dc-activation-tickets-1331013530299?aff=oddtdtcreator 

On Wednesday, April 30th at 7pm ET, join AAPF for Beyond the First 100 Days: Centering Racial Justice and Black History in Our Fight for Democracy. AAPF, in partnership with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), will host a virtual webinar featuring Shavon Arline-Bradley, Barbara Arnwine, Melanie Campbell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Marc Morial, and Kaye Wise Whitehead. The conversation will also feature excerpts and poems performed by our artivists throughout the program. Find out more information and RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/under-the-blacklight-wasalh-beyond-the-first-100-days-tickets-1325849173569?aff=oddtdtcreator 

There will be a weeklong campaign led by civil rights leaders to protect the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. This campaign, called #HandsOffOurHistory/Freedom to Learn National Week of Action, aims to counter efforts by the Trump administration to diminish diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and to challenge the teaching of Black history. The museum, described as the “crown jewel” of the Smithsonian system, has faced criticism and executive orders targeting its narratives.

The campaign includes a march on May 3 and calls for community support for Black museums and libraries. Organizers emphasize the importance of preserving Black history as a vital part of American history and democracy. Activists are urging communities to raise funds, visit institutions, and lobby Congress for support. The museum has been a significant cultural site since its opening in 2016, attracting millions of visitors annually. (Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/28/civil-rights-rally-museum-african-american-history/83324998007/ )

Black churches are showing support for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, following criticism from former President Donald Trump. Trump issued an executive order on March 27, 2025, alleging that Smithsonian exhibits promote “divisive, race-centered ideology.” In response, Rev. Robert Turner and other clergy have rallied to defend the museum’s mission, emphasizing its role in preserving Black history and culture. Turner, pastor of Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore, has incorporated the museum into his monthly advocacy walks for reparations. Churches are also encouraging members to join the museum as supporters, with memberships starting at $25 annually.

The museum, which opened in 2016, highlights the history of slavery, segregation, and the contributions of Black Americans. Critics of Trump’s order argue that it attempts to erase or distort history. Meanwhile, the museum has faced leadership changes, with Kevin Young stepping down as director earlier this month. Democratic lawmakers have condemned the executive order, calling it an attack on Black history and culture. (Source: https://apnews.com/article/smithsonian-african-american-museum-black-churches-trump-93cb4969ecc77836b36e7083980d9e29 )

The Smithsonian Institution has actively refuted claims that artifacts are being removed from the National Museum of African American History and Culture due to President Trump’s executive order targeting “improper ideology.” The Smithsonian claimed that returning artifacts is standard practice under loan agreements and emphasized that items are rotated to ensure preservation and exhibit variety. They denied allegations of removing significant artifacts, such as the Greensboro sit-in lunch counter and stool, stating that these items remain on display in their respective exhibits. (source: https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/04/28/smithsonian-african-american-museum-trump-dei )

A recent executive order signed by former President Donald Trump on April 23, 2025 could significantly impact civil rights protections. The order aims to amend or deprioritize enforcement of provisions in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, particularly those related to “disparate-impact liability.” This liability addresses policies that unintentionally lead to discrimination against specific groups. Trump argues that the changes promote meritocracy and a “colorblind society,” but critics say the move undermines decades of progress in combating discrimination.

Civil rights leaders and legal experts express concern that the order could weaken protections for marginalized groups, create confusion, and lead to extensive litigation. They also view it as a calculated rollback of civil rights laws, benefiting the powerful while harming those the laws were designed to protect. Activists are calling for public action to defend the foundational principles of equality and justice. 

“Lots of people, including white men, had also been discriminated against in the workplace because of issues like short stature and benefitted from protections in the law, said Barbara Arnwine, president and founder of Transformative Justice, a national civil rights organization. Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, and Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center, join others at a gathering Jan. 22, 2025 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to discuss concerns about efforts to eliminate diversity programs. ‘That’s something that people want to forget,’ she said.

…

The civil rights law has been in place through the presidencies of other Republicans, including Ronald Reagan, both Bushes and Trump’s first term, advocates said. Arnwine called the issue an ‘ideological wedge’ that Trump wants to use to gain points with his political base. “‘He believes that racial resentment is an effective tool,’ she said. ‘And it is. Whenever he’s unpopular, his go-to is to go to two things where he continues to have massive popularity among his followers and that’s race and deportation, which is the same thing. It’s all race,’ she said. ‘And he plays that card over and over again.’ She and other activists said efforts to push back against the order will require a substantial public response. ‘It should be a call to action and a reminder that all of us have to join together and fight for those foundational ideas,” Goss Graves said, “the idea that we are all equal, the idea that we can be safe in spaces like work or at school, and the idea that no matter who you are, you can be treated with dignity.’” (source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/24/trump-order-civil-rights-protections-at-risk/83249915007/ )

A protest by the Caucus of African American Leaders against an executive order by President Donald Trump led to the removal of nearly 400 books from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library. These books, authored by figures like Maya Angelou and others, were removed for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. The protest took place at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and included attorneys, clergy, educators, and local residents.

“’We’ve come today to announce our own executive order: that we collectively fight racism by any means necessary,’ said Carl Snowden, an activist. ‘We see the efforts to determine who can read what works and who can be allowed to speak to be very troubling for our society.’”

“Daryl Jones is with the Transformative Justice Coalition, which gives away banned books. ‘The Sum of Us,’ which is banned, talks about how racism hurts everybody,’ Jones said. ‘It talks about, if we have contributions from everyone, it becomes that much easier to allow someone to use their abilities.’”

QUESTIONS:

12:00 PM – 12:15 PM ET

• Shavon, welcome to your inaugural appearance on Igniting Change. TJC has enjoyed a long and productive relationship with the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), founded by the honorable Dorothy Height. We know there’s a lot on your plate. Tell us why it is so important to NCNW as a partner in this “Freedom to Learn” Week?
• How can people get involved with NCNW? 
• Shavon, you are a participant in AAPF’s “Under The Blacklight” program on Wednesday, April 30th at 7pm ET entitled “Beyond the First 100 Days: Centering Racial Justice and Black History in Our Fight for Democracy”. AAPF, in partnership with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), will host a virtual webinar featuring Shavon Arline-Bradley, Barbara Arnwine, Melanie Campbell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Marc Morial, and Kaye Wise Whitehead. The conversation will also feature excerpts and poems performed by our artivists throughout the program. Why is it important that people watch this program?
• Shavon, what is the significance to Black women of this week?
• Thank you so much for joining us today. Shavon, what do you hope will be accomplished during the Freedom To Learn Week? 
• Kim, what about you?
• Shavon, how do you people get in contact with you?

12:15 PM ET

• Kim, give us an overview of the nationwide outlook on the entire “Freedom to Learn” Week.
• Kim, you have done this program before. How many times have you done this program and how is the program different this year?
• One of President Trump’s Executive Orders that has everyone upset is the EO on the National Museum for African American History and Culture. 
• Kim, what does this Executive Order say?
• Kim and Carl, Why is it so important for people to voice their opposition to this attack on the museum?
• Kim, there is another opportunity for people to show up and be involved this Saturday at a D.C. activation. How do people get involved?
• (Arnwine and Jones give the Heroes of the Week Award to the Caucus of African American Leaders and to the Universities signing a letter rebuking President Trump’s overreach and his violation to control universities and colleges in this country)
• Carl, tell everyone listening throughout the country about last week’s protest that you had at the U.S. Naval Academy.
• (Barbara and Daryl will remind people throughout the country: “Don’t let them ban our history and the teaching of our history throughout the country)
• Kim, why is it important we be vigilant nationwide as they were in Maryland?
• How do people get resources to be involved?
• Carl, last week, I was really moved by the Parren J. Mitchell Dinner which was organized by our own Daryl Jones which was so filled with history. Tell people about the Children’s Museum that was part of this program.
• Kim, is this model of the Children’s Museum to teach Black History one that can be replicated throughout our nation?
• Black churches have been actively rallying around the African American Museum. What do you think about these new Black church leaders, like Rev. Otis Moss III and others, and this new Black church movement that we’re seeing supporting boycotts, teaching Black history, and taking other steps?
• The 62nd Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail just passed. Also this month, the weekend of the Hands Off Protests, was the Anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of discussion about either of these two events. Are Black leaders doing everything they should at this moment? What should they do more of?
• What do you feel about this whole movement for African Americans to “sit out”, “rest”, and not be involved in this moment?
• Freedom to Learn is every week, right? How do people keep the Spirit of the “Freedom to Learn Week” going every week, every month, every day?
• What are your final one-minute thoughts?
• Thank you so much for joining us today. How do our listeners get in contact with you?

[Let’s talk about what’s going on with the SAVE Act. Is voting a privilege or right?! Arnwine will remind listeners when you make those daily calls to the Congress at 202-224-3121, be sure to tell your Senator to say NO to the SAVE Act and remind people to stay in those streets!]

[TJC will continue to vigorously defend the rights of all Americans and will fight the implementation of Project 2025 and our future shows will continue to cover any hate crimes and how we effectively protect ourselves while advancing our agenda for justice.]

[Daryl, Barbara, and guests may share their favorite books and encourage people to donate towards TJC’s giveaways of banned and affirming books.]