Getting Common

What happens when 3 native Houstonians get together for a discussion of all things Beyoncé? In this episode Courtney St. Julian and Brendon Bailey join the podcast to discuss what made them fans, the haters and the hive, and why your fave could never.

Do we own our bodies in the same way that we own our possessions? Does this ownership give us autonomy, or the ability to freely commodify ourselves and our bodies products? How has the Dobbs decision changed the ability for all persons to possess and control their bodies? In this episode Professor Meghan Boone of Wake Forest Law will join us to discuss bodily autonomy and whether it create a market for bodies.

The common refrain is that if the poor would simply learn financial responsibility and make smarter choices, then they could work their way out of poverty. This is far from reality, yet when those in poverty fall short and are forced into predatory lending, it is often blamed on their lack of personal responsibility. The same sentiment is present when those who take on student loans, once proclaimed as good debt, to advance themselves and find themselves saddled with lifelong burdens. On this episode, Dr. Frederick “Fred” Wherry, the Townsend Martin, Class of 1917 Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, the Director of the Debt Collection Lab (debtcollectionlab.org), and the Founding Director of the Dignity + Debt Network (a partnership between Princeton and the Social Science Research Council: dignityanddebt.org), and Dr. Fenaba Addo, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, will join the show to discuss the relationship between debt, income inequality and wealth inequality, and the role our culture plays in the cycle of poverty.

Xochitl Gonzalez is novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and executive producer. She is also the author of the New York Times best-seller Olga Dies Dreaming. The novel is groundbreaking in its representation of Puerto Rican history and culture, and also its presentation of a diverse family and its struggles in the face of gentrification and cultural erasure. In this episode we will discuss the importance of diverse voices, her framework for Olga, and the class issues related to quiet.

In the wake of many public tragedies, the focus is often on those who are armed and their willingness to forgive the perpetrator. This is also true when confronting systemic and societal harm--the marginalized are expected to forgive, forget, and move forward. It seems this practice is rooted in Christian sensibilities--but is it really? On this episode Rev. Stan Williams and Rev. Rob Lee will explore the narratives that admonish those who are victims of systemic harms to forgive, forget, and move forward.

The data proves that diverse doctors save lives, but there has not been much progress made at diversifying medicine. However, there are many doing the work it takes to improve the numbers. In this episode, Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP and Chief Health Officer at City Block Health, will provide information on how to get into and get through medical school, details on her non-profit, Tour for Diversity in Medicine (https://linktr.ee/Tour4Diversity), and her vision for equitable and accessible health care in America. Dr, Matthews co-founded the Tour for Diversity in Medicine (www.tour4diversity.org) which seeks to motivate and inspire high school and college students around the nation.

Many of us only think about food safety and our food supply when a foodborne illness is in the headlines. We are often unaware of how various government agencies regulate our food supply or how dietary recommendations are made. For example, how does the government define meat or milk or healthy? How is food inspected when it goes from the farm or the factory to our grocery stores or restaurants? In this episode my guests Emilie Aguirre, Associate Professor of Law at Duke Law, and Tammi Etheridge, Assistant Professor of Law at the Elon University School of Law, join the podcast to discuss the basics of food safety and our food supply.

Dobbs has brought new focus to the Supreme Court. What impact will the new Term have on our rights? There are many cases receiving attention this Term, including those involving affirmative action and voting rights, but what else should we be paying attention to? This week's guests, Alexandra Klein, Assistant Professor at St. Mary's University School of Law, and Brandon Hasbrouck, Associate Professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, will highlight the cases they're focusing on this Term, and share their predictions about the future of the Supreme Court.

Join my guests Professor Wendy Greene, Professor Marissa Jackson Sow, and Rasheedah Thomas of RC Communications as we discuss the movement to #freethehair and the impact of discrimination against Black hair in the classroom and the workplace. Professor Wendy Greene is a trailblazer in the movement to end hair discrimination. Professor Greene fights for the freedom for all to embrace the natural expression of physical appearance in social, political and corporate arenas in order to ensure all are free from bias based on the body they were born in and the hair they were born with on a global scale. Her groundbreaking work has been the foundation for legislation on hair discrimination across the country and internationally, including the CROWN ACT. Here are some highlights of Professor Greene's work: *Legal expert for California's Creating Respectful and Open Workplaces for Natural Hair Act (C.R.O.W.N. Act) signed into law on July 3, 2019 *Legal Expert, Drafted and submitted an expert declaration on behalf of African American male students seeking a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of a high school grooming policy prohibiting them from wearing locs in Arnold v. Barbers Hill Independent School District, Civil Action No. 4:20-CV-1802 (May 2020) *Co-drafter and Legal Advisor, South Carolina House Bill 4692 introduced in January 2020 which clarifies the definition of race, national origin, and color for the purposes of S.C. statutes prohibiting racial discrimination in workplaces, schools, and public accommodations *Legal Expert and Expert Witness, California's Creating Respectful and Open Workplaces for Natural Hair Act (C.R.O.W.N. Act) signed into law on July 3, 2019 *Legal publications shaped the New York City Commission on Human Rights groundbreaking enforcement guidance issued in February 2019 prohibiting natural hair discrimination in public and private schools, workplaces and public accommodations (which also serves as the primary justification for the NY State C.R.O.W.N. Act signed into law July 2019) *The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s employed her legal arguments in a seminal natural hair discrimination case arising under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act: EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions, Incorporated (2017) *Her published legal definition of race to be employed in anti-discrimination laws was adopted by the Ninth Circuit of Appeals, the C.R.O.W.N Acts of California and New York, and pending state laws in Kentucky, Michigan, and New Jersey as well quoted by the 11th Circuit of Appeals as a legal authority on the social construction of race On this episode we will discuss Professor Greene's contributions, and what she has planned next.

This episode of our Entrepreneurship Series will feature Dawn Dickson, a serial entrepreneur and inventor with over 20 years of experience in technology and business development. She has founded six successful cash flow positive companies since 2001, including Flat Out of Heels (2011) and PopCom (2017) and has successfully exited one company (Lifestyle Cafe, 2021). Dawn is the first female founder globally to raise over $1M secure token offering under a Reg CF of the JOBS Act. She is considered to be a pioneer in Web3 and equity crowdfunding. At the helm of multiple cash flow positive businesses, the Ohio-born entrepreneur, inventor, businesswoman, angel investor, and speaker has made history and emerged as a consumer thought leader in her own right. As the C.E.O. and Founder of PopCom, she pioneers the connection between e-commerce and vending machines, continuing a legacy of innovation and invention. “The common thread throughout my career is the belief in using technology to create generational wealth and empower my community,” she explains. “Whether I’m using technology to help people discover events, raise money, or sell products, I’m leveraging the power of technology. Technology is more inclusive now, but I’ve never been intimated by being the only woman or black person in a room. I was always driven to be exceptional and to set an example for those that proceed me, to keep the bar very high.” She started to raise the bar as a child in Columbus, OH. The daughter of entrepreneurs, she moved from one hustle to the next, selling candy, old toys, and lemonade throughout grade school. She valued the experience, and it ultimately informed her path. “The culture of my neighborhood and family was, ‘If you want money, go out there and make it’,” she explains. “That was always me. I wanted my own money, so I found a way to make it.”

In the summer of 2021, the Trustees of Washington and Lee University voted to retain name of the institution. Throughout the previous year, many Confederate monuments were removed, and the names of other institutions throughout Virginia and the rest of the south were changed. In addition, an overwhelming majority of the faculty voted in support of a name change, and various groups of students circulated petitions and engaged in protest of the name. On this episode, my guests Rev. Robert W. Lee, IV (https://www.roblee4.com/), Ty Seidule (www.tyseidule.com), Professors Nneka Dennie and Brandon Hasbrouck, and Washington and Lee Law alum Adenike Miles-Sorinmade will discuss the efforts to change the name, the aftermath of the Trustee decision, and the meaning of naming and monuments. In a press release the University stated: Despite these vital contributions, the board acknowledged that the association with its namesakes can be painful to those who continue to experience racism. It repudiated racial injustice in any form and expressed regret for the University’s past veneration of the Confederacy and the fact that the university itself owned human beings and benefited from their forced labor and sale. It also reiterated its ongoing commitment to conducting rigorous and nuanced explorations of W&L’s history with humility and honesty. The board concluded that the university’s name recognizes the connections of its namesakes to the institution, but is also associated with an exceptional liberal arts and legal education and common experiences and values that are independent of the personal histories of the two men. It cited the university’s name and reputation as a source of strength and resources that it may build and draw upon to advance its mission and support the students, staff, programs and facilities to meet its strategic goals.

Many believe that investing in cryptocurrency is a guaranteed road to wealth, and we hear about the NFTs that make people millions. But, what does the law have to say about it? Is the trading in a regulated market? Is it treated like securities, currency, or commodities under the law? What happens when a token is lost or an NFT is stolen? On this episode, Professor Carla Reyes will highlight the basics of the law behind cryptocurrency and NFTs.

There is a lot of data on how race and income impact educational performance, and about how teacher identity and quality influences those gaps. For Black students, having just one Black teacher in early education lowers the high school dropout rate by 50%, and having two Black teachers lowers the rate by 75%. Yet, only 7% of teachers identify as Black--but the percentage of Black students is double that. Also, notably, many Black students report never having a Black teacher. In this episode Professor Constance Lindsay, Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina School of Education and author of Teacher Diversity and Student Success: Why Racial Representation Matters in the Classroom joins the show to discuss these statistics and the policy proposals made in the book.

Business law was foundational to facilitating chattel slavery of African individuals, starting at the Portuguese port of Lagos. Consequently, the Transatlantic Slave Trade revolutionized business law. Yet, few business law scholars address the historic significance, or the present-day legacy of Black captivity embedded into contemporary business law and practice. This episode examines racism as an organizing function of business law by exploring capital formation, risk of loss, and corporate governance, among other business law topics, as integral to the creation and maintenance of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We also discuss how racist foundations of business law contribute to the persistent economic exclusion of Black entrepreneurs in contemporary business sectors, exploitation of racial movements for private profits, and the site of Black-owned businesses as places of white rage and terror. Using a critical lens which understands the role of law in perpetuating subordination, we will also share reflections on how business law scholars can use this information to advance racial and economic justice.

Stock options are considered a perk of working for corporations, especially startups that achieve unicorn status. Employees often take lower compensation in the short term for the potential of one day receiving shares in the next Google or Amazon. But, often, it is difficult for employees to assess the true value of these stock options, and the shareholders' rights plans signed by employees typically require them to waive inspection rights as a condition of receiving the compensation. In this episode, Anat Alon-Beck and John Livingstone will join us to discuss Professor Alon-Beck's groundbreaking article, Bargaining Inequality: Employee Golden Handcuffs and Asymmetric Information, which is forthcoming in the Maryland Law Review (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4037705&download=yes).

The Dobbs decision has combined with a pre-Roe abortion ban and dueling court orders to cause chaos about the right to choose in the state of Michigan. Because many surrounding states have complete or partial abortion bans, the confusion has created a ripple effect. Some pregnant persons crossed state lines to receive care in Michigan only to be turned away, then later told they could receive care. Others simply believe that they cannot receive abortion care in Michigan. On this episode, Senator Adam Hollier, who represents Wayne County (including Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, Highland Park) will join us to discuss abortion access in Michigan and what can be done to protect reproductive rights.

Many viral Tik Tok dance trends, the most popular memes, and viral tweets have Black creators--but often that is not who profits. Outside of social media, many Black cultural trends are co-opted and transformed without acknowledgment of the original source. At what point does an appreciation for a culture turn into appropriation? Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom, associate professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, author of THICK: And Other Essays, and 2020 MacArthur Fellow, and Professor Shontavia Johnson, Clemson University’s associate vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation, will discuss the legacy and sociology of cultural appropriation and what modern creators can do to protect their rights.

Black women have infant and maternal mortality rates that are exponentially worse than women of other races, and are more likely to suffer from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Studies have proven that when Black women engage with the health care system their complaints are disregarded and their pain is ignored, resulting in adverse outcomes. Are there other causes? Are there viable solutions? On this episode, Dr. Richard Jones, Board-Certified Obstetrician Gynecologist, will join the show to discuss the gendered racism in the health care system.

Dobbs has brought all rights based on Roe, including marriage equality, into question. In this episode, Dr. Marie-Amélie George, Associate Professor of Law at Wake Forest University will discuss her forthcoming book, Becoming Equal: American Law and the Rise of the Gay Family, LGBTQ+ rights found in Lawrence v. Texas and Obergerfell, and the impact that the Dobbs decision could have on marriage equality.

Elon Musk and Twitter, WeWork, and Donald Trump have all brought some complex corporate law to the news, including mergers and acquisitions, known as M&A, and Special Purpose Acquisition Companies known as SPACs. In this episode corporate law experts Will Moon, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Maryland, and Andrew Jennings, Assistant Professor at Brooklyn Law School will help to decode these terms while providing commentary on current events.