In this episode L. Joy welcomes special guest Kat Calvin back to the front of the class. Kat is the founder and executive director of Spread The Vote + Project ID and the cofounder and CEO of the Project ID Action Fund. Kat Calvin is the author of "American Identity Crisis: Notes from an Accidental Activist," where she shares her experience at the front line of social activism in America, emphasizing the complexities of getting an ID in the U.S. and how social media has played an important role in her activism.

The death penalty does not deter crime yet 39 states still commit the barbaric practice. Although in recent polls Americans believe the death penalty is applied unfairly, most are still in favor of the practice. To tackle this controversial topic, L. Joy brings Jamila Hodge, the Executive Director of Equal Justice USA, to the front of the class to delve into the social, racial, and economic disparities prevalent in its administration, the historical context, and potential alternative paths to justice.

Managers, consultants, vendors, and field teams oh my! Candidates need staff to run their campaign once they’ve decided to vie for office. But, who are these people? How are they chosen? Where do they come from? Do prominent roles go only to folks L. Joy describes as “the khaki boys?” To break down what it takes to produce a political campaign, L. Joy brings Daniel Laurison to the front of the #SundayCivics class.

The importance of public education can never be overstated. Yet, even with reforms, public education falls short of benefiting the communities they are supposed to serve. What could happen if the public is given more than just a seat at the table, but an active part to play in partnership with educators in creating a promise fulfilling educational system? L. Joy brings Drs. Landon Mascareñaz and Doannie Tran to the front of the class to break down how an open education system works.

There is the trash we throw away like plastics, styrofoam, cardboard and paper. There is the waste from humans as well as animals and the like. How we manage these things with sanitation, or don’t manage them properly, has effects on the environment, people’s health, and a myriad of other issues. To have this conversation on sanitation, because we aren't going to produce less waste anytime soon, making this issue an imperative, L. Joy brings professor Colin McFarlane to the front of the class.

Work. We do it, but how do we strike the delicate balance between worker's rights and employer's responsibilities? L. Joy brings London-based researcher and senior lecturer, Dr. Jamie Woodcock to the front of the class to discuss the history of, context around, changes in, and future of work.

In every city, state, and municipality, there are community meetings that are held where the things that affect your everyday life and how your tax dollars are spent, are discussed…and you may not be there! Getting people civically engaged is L. Joy’s reason for creating #SundayCivics so she is bringing Derrick Cain and Julie Christie to the front of the class to discuss how their organization, Resolve Philly, is using the Documenters program to get folks engaged around local government.

The coronavirus pandemic taught us many things. The expansion of The Child Tax Credit, SNAP, and stimulus checks etc. brought child poverty, according to the US Census, to a record low of 5.4%. As of 2021 the child poverty rate has skyrocketed to 16.9% with the rollback of that aid. What we can garner from this is child poverty, as L. Joy states, is a political choice and reflection of our values. To take us to church on understanding child poverty, help us think through actions and solutions, Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson joins L. Joy at the front of the class.

On episode 227, L. Joy took a deep look at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) but what does it look like out in the real world when applied? Leon Russell, Chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, joins L. Joy at the front of the class to explain exactly what DEI looks like in practice, engaging young people to ensure they are prepared, and the work of legacy organizations today.

L. Joy gives us tips and tools we can use to upgrade and advance our advocacy on every episode. As you work on the issues, how your message is crafted will differ depending on where you are. On this episode, L. Joy brings Kathleen Stuart to the front of the class to take a deep dive into the power of storytelling and organizing in places that are not big urban centers.

L. Joy is very excited to bring Ifeomasinachi Ike back to the front of the class because the conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and the people who invest a lot of their lives to that work is imperative right now. DEI is not a trend. It is necessary to create equity in this society, and this discussion gives us the information we need to understand, organize around, and support DEI initiatives.

“It’s a crisis!!,” is what we are bombarded with when it comes to migration. But guess what? It is not a crisis and how we discuss migrants and migration should reflect their humanity because they are people too. L. Joy brings noted immigration attorney Allen Orr back to the front of the class to give us  the history and context we need around migrants and migration to take civic action.

Have you ever looked at the educational system and thought,“how did  it get  like this?” L. Joy brings Dr. Bettina Love to the front of the class to give us a quick primer on the last 40 years of education reform, the carcerality of education, and how moving forward, repairs of the educational harms should be part of the reparations discussion.

L. Joy also gives us a brief explainer on what members and delegates do at the NAACP’s annual convention. Then Rep. Ro Khana joins her back at the front of the class to discuss how we block out the noise and get focused on what is important going into campaign season, what Congress is doing that we may not know about, and you’ll hear from L. Joy’s summer intern Alana who has a great question for our guest.

The days of getting the information you need to make informed decisions on the 6pm nightly news are gone. Now we can get our information from many different sources but how do we make sure that what we are consuming and sharing is more fact than opinion? L. Joy brings Karen Hunter back to the front of the class, joined by Errol Louis, to discuss media literacy and share how they gather information, in a conversation that will motivate you to think deeply about the information you consume.

Sometimes when you look around, things can feel insurmountable but that is why L. Joy is here! She continues to give us the tools and strategies we need to work to make change. L. Joy brings EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler to the front of the class for a far ranging conversation that drops jewels of history and information for our civics tool box so we can get to work.

Paraphrasing a notable American’s thoughts on education “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people” and on this episode, L. Joy explains that we always have to recommit ourselves to the fight to provide and maintain quality public education while revisiting her interview with Dr. Lester Young. Then she revisits the impactful interview she had with Professor William Spriggs on the Farm Bill in the wake of his passing.

Not only time for class, it is also time to reset and recommit to the civic engagement we need to do- for our lives! L. Joy is at the front and center to remind us of the powerful #SundayCivics lessons, from the beginning, as well as lay out the landscape ahead.

We’ve all said it at one time or another- “there ought to be a law!” But how do the laws that we believe we need get created? L. Joy brings New York State Senator Kevin Parker back to the front of the class for a discussion that gives us the tools we need to write that law that ought to be around the issues we care about and are civically engaging in.

Since the beginning, L. Joy has said she believes in the power of storytelling. Sharing our history through storytelling is important to preserving the past and understanding the present. But in the hands of a journalist, stories get the accuracy and analysis we expect from the profession. Journalist Michael Harriot joins L. Joy at the front of the class to discuss truth, storytelling, and history.