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#TalkRadio – November 18: We Cannot Rest Until It Is Won: Black Liberation Lawyers to the Forefront and 100% Justice for Ahmaud Arbery
November 18: We Cannot Rest Until It Is Won: Black Liberation Lawyers to the Forefront and 100% Justice for Ahmaud Arbery
The nonpartisan “Igniting Change Radio Show with Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq.” program will be aired from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Radio One’s WOL 1450 AM in the Washington, DC metropolitan area as well as nationwide on WOLDCNEWS.COM and Barbaraarnwine.com.
Please note, during the show there are 3 hard stop commercial breaks at 12:13 PM Eastern Time, 12:28 PM ET and 12:43 PM ET.
SPEAKERS:
Attorney Whitley Carpenter: 12:00 PM – 12:15 PM ET
Whitley Carpenter (she/her) is the Senior Criminal Justice Counsel and Policy Manager for Forward Justice. She focuses on researching, developing, and advocating for effective policy changes related to reducing racial disparities in the practices, and reducing recidivism through successful re-entry. Prior to working with Forward Justice, she was a Criminal Justice Staff Attorney with the Southern Coalition for Social Justices where she worked on the Clean Slate Project and provided direct legal services to individuals seeking relief from the collateral consequences of having a criminal record. She has participated in the planning and implementation of more than twelve Clean Slate Clinics across North Carolina and filed thousands of expungement petitions across the state. She also has worked with grassroots organizations and community members to advocate for criminal justice policy changes at the state and local level. Whitley currently serves on the advisory board of the Durham Expunction and Restoration, is a member of the NC Second Chance Alliance, leads the NC Fines and Fees Coalition, and is the President of the board for the National Conference of Black Lawyers. Whitley brings a tireless commitment and a determined passion to her work on behalf of those who have often been silenced. Originally from Winston-Salem, NC, Whitley received her JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and bachelor’s degrees in psychology and political science from North Carolina State University.
Attorney Mawuli Davis: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM ET
Mawuli Mel Davis is a renowned civil rights attorney, human rights organizer, and author with over 30 years of experience in the Movement for Black Liberation. He is a founding partner of Davis Bozeman Johnson Law, one of Georgia’s largest African American-owned plaintiff law firms, where he co-leads the Civil Rights Division and has secured multi-million-dollar settlements, including a $13 million jury verdict in a landmark sexual assault case. Davis has also been instrumental in social justice victories, such as ending cash bail in Atlanta and removing the Confederate Monument in Decatur, Georgia. Beyond the courtroom, Davis co-founded impactful organizations including the Black Man Lab, Let Us Make Man, and the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights. He serves as President-Elect of the National Conference of Black Lawyers and a Senior Lecturer at Clark Atlanta University. Honored with numerous awards, including the Georgia Super Lawyer title and the City of South Fulton’s “Mawuli Mel Davis Appreciation Day”, he continues to blend legal excellence with deep community activism.
Marcus Arbery: 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM Eastern Time
Father of Ahmaud Arbery and Glynn County Activist
Attorney Francys Johnson: 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM ET
Francys Johnson is a Partner of Davis Bozeman Johnson Law. Born and raised on his grandparent’s farm in Sylvania, Georgia, Francys Johnson learned the value of hard work, responsibility, and service to others. Francys Johnson, as a practicing lawyer, public theologian, and educator, has a strong record of advocacy aimed at expanding opportunities for all people. Francys Johnson has served in ordained ministry for more than 20 years. He is the Senior Minister at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Pembroke and Magnolia Baptist Church in Statesboro. He has made a positive difference through public service to several national, state, and community-based organizations focused on helping people help themselves. Johnson was the 2018 Democratic Nominee for Georgia’s 12th Congressional District. As a zealous trial lawyer, Francys Johnson practices criminal and civil law in the state and federal courts. He has secured justice on behalf of the wrongfully accused and seriously injured. He is a Member at Large of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia and the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism. A graduate of Georgia Southern University and The University of Georgia School of Law, Johnson previously served on the Political Science and Criminal Justice faculties at Georgia Southern University and Savannah State University, teaching courses on Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Race and the law, and the Civil Rights Movement. Today, he is a recognized thought leader on voting rights, having testified before Congress, lectured across the country, and written on other subjects, including race, measuring equity, and understanding power in public policy. Francys Johnson is married to Dr. Meca Williams-Johnson, an educational psychologist and professor at Georgia Southern University. They have three sons: Thurgood Marshall Joshua, Langston Hughes Elijah, and the late Frederick Douglass Caleb. Francys lives by the command of Micah 6:8 to love mercy, do justice and walk humbly.
INTRODUCTION:
Hi Igniters For Change! The Igniting Change Radio Show on Tuesday, November 18th, 2025, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time, entitled “We Cannot Rest Until It Is Won: Black Liberation Lawyers to the Forefront and 100% Justice for Ahmaud Arbery”, will be live with Radio Show Co-Hosts and Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Co-Leaders Attorneys Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. and will feature special guests Attorney Whitley Carpenter, Attorney Mawuli Davis, Marcus Arbery, and Attorney Francys Johnson.
From November 13th – November 15th, 2025, the National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL) held its 2025 NCBL Conference, entitled “Inspiring the Next Generation of Legal Warriors in the Movement for Black Liberation”, at Georgia State University: College of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. Igniting Change Co-Hosts Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. participated in the conference as presenters on Friday, November 14th. Their session, entitled “A Brave New Day: A Radical Reimagining of Voting as an Organizing Tool in this Political Climate”, was moderated by Attorneys James M. Woodall and Kynnedi Holcomb and featured fellow panelists Attorney April Albright of Black Voters Matter and, one of today’s Igniting Change special guests, Attorney Francys Johnson.
This conference focused on the many challenges confronting African Americans in the US and the international diaspora highlighting the crucial fight for Reparations.
On August 2nd, 1968, the National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL) was formed. This African American association was initially formed to offer legal assistance to black civil rights activists; it comprises judges, law students, lawyers, legal activists, legal workers, and scholars. That founding year, young people of African descent in America were growing impatient with the slow pace of social change. Noted clients included Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, the Attica Brothers, Geronimo Pratt, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Ben Chavis, and the Wilmington Ten. The organization lobbied against apartheid in South Africa.
They expanded from African American oppression to help other groups in countries like Northern Ireland, the Palestinian territories, Cuba, Nicaragua, Guyana, Grenada, and Southern Africa. The group’s mission is: “To protect human rights, to achieve self-determination of Africa and African Communities, and to work in coalition to assist in ending oppression of all peoples.”
Remarkably, during the conference, we received a call from Diane Arbery informing us that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld the Hate Crime convictions of the three murderers of Ahmaud Arbery. As many will recall in March, 2024, the Transformative Justice Coalition in partnership with the Marcus Arbery Family, the Georgia NAACP, the Black Man’s Lab and others had held a rally and press conference outside the Court of Appeals in protest and opposition to the appeal. At that point, we had noted there were no credible grounds offered during the appellate argument to justify vacating the convictions. In a sweeping decision, detailed in the following article, the Appellate Court rejected all of the appellant/defendants argument: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/16/us/ahmaud-arbery-appeal-court-hate-crime-conviction-hnk
Proposed Questions
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Eastern Time (non-partisan) – GUESTS: Attorney Whitley Carpenter and Attorney Mawuli Davis
- Barbara and Daryl: Welcome to our listeners. In early October 2025, President Donald Trump federalized about 200 Texas National Guard troops under Title 10 authority and ordered them to Chicago to protect ICE facilities during protests, but on October 7, 2025, a federal judge in Illinois blocked their deployment, ruling there was no credible evidence of rebellion. The soldiers remained idle at training bases outside the city until November 14, 2025, when U.S. Northern Command announced the Texas troops would be withdrawn and returned home. In a face-saving effort, military officials described this as “part of a broader rightsizing”—a term meaning the reduction or adjustment of force levels to match actual needs—in federalized Guard deployments in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago. This has been a multi-level fight in the streets, the neighborhoods, and in the courts. The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly leaving its Command Center in North Chicago as well.
- We want to send out a special tribute of love and prayers for recovery to Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr.
- Attorney Whitley Carpenter and Attorney Mawuli Davis, Thanks for joining today’s Igniting Change Radio Show. Many of our listeners are not well aware of the work of the National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL) over these 57 years of its existence.
- Please share the background of the founding and major accomplishments of the NCBL.
- What does NCBL look like in 2025? (5 chapters, various committees, major programs, etc)
- What do you consider the most important part of NCBL’s mission in 2025?
- How has NCBL helped lead the fight for Reparations?
- The 2025 NCBL Conference was titled “Inspiring the Next Generation of Legal Warriors in the Movement for Black Liberation”- why was that title chosen?
- During the 2025 National Conference, all the moderators were intentionally young lawyers and students. Why did you structure this youth leadership in the conference?
- What’s Next for NCBL, in 2026 and beyond?
- How do our listeners get involved with NCBL?
- All Guests, Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?
12:30 PM – 12:57 PM Eastern Time (non-partisan)- GUESTS: Marcus Arbery and Attorney Francys Johnson:
- Welcome back to Igniting Change, Marcus Arbery, and Welcome to your inaugural appearance, Attorney Francys Johnson!
- Marcus, you are a man who is relieved to see 100% justice for your late son Ahmaud Arbery continuing today. How did you feel when you heard about the victory in the hate crimes case?
- Attorney Johnson, you joined us back in 2021 in Brunswick and Jekyll Island, Georgia for the murder trial and brought words of encouragement to the community to our daily community forums. What made you, as an Atlanta lawyer, travel all the way to Southeast Georgia to be part of these proceedings?
- Attorney Johnson, you are now counsel to Mr. Arbery. How did you feel when you heard about the hate crimes decision victory?
- All guests, What does this case mean to those outside of Georgia?
- All guests, what’s next in this fight for justice for Ahmaud? (the murder case is still on appeal)
- All guests, what can our audience do to continue to show love and respect for the Arbery Family and the memory of Ahmaud?
- In February, it will have been 6 years, and we’re still fighting and won’t stop!
- All Guests, Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?
[ Arnwine and Jones will remind listeners:
- December 1st – 6th: 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
- When you make those daily calls to the Congress at 202-224-3121 to Vote to Stop the Trump Takeover of D.C. and other cities and to tell the Senate to vote No on the SAVE Act to stay in those streets!
- BE SURE TO SIGN THE PETITION TO DEFEND THE SMITHSONIAN AT AMERICASHISTORYSOS.ORG,
- 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.]