Episode Details

Synopsis:  With attacks on Critical Race Theory gaining momentum, Columbia Law Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw joins Laura Flanders to dissect the fight for antiracism in America today.

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Description: Calling all white people: How many times in the last eight months have you heard the phrase “isn’t that illegal?” The problems with our legal system are more conspicuous than ever in 2025, but thought leaders like Kimberlé Crenshaw have been sounding the alarm for decades. Executive Director of the African American Policy Forum, Crenshaw is celebrating the organization's 30th anniversary and joining Laura Flanders in this episode to discuss the challenges ahead. For starters, the Supreme Court has recently legalized racial profiling for ICE deportations, the Trump administration is looking to remove so-called “improper ideology” from US institutions like the Smithsonian, and the president recently suggested domestic violence is not a real crime. Crenshaw is a leading scholar on Critical Race Theory, a Professor of Law at Columbia and UCLA Law Schools, and host of the podcast "Intersectionality Matters!" which is currently releasing a new episode of their series United States of Amnesia: The Real Histories of Critical Race Theory. Join Crenshaw and Flanders as they look at the AAPF’s role in advancing intersectional policies to address antiracism, and how they plan to continue that work in this critical moment. Plus, a commentary from Laura on rights and the Right.

“To really stand behind this idea of making America great again, you've got to erase the memory of what America was . . . He's going after the history of enslavement. He's going after the history of genocide. He's saying that this kind of history is no longer appropriate for the federal government to officially recognize and historicize.” - Kimberlé Crenshaw

“[Conservatives] believe race should not play a role in creating greater access to equality. They do believe race should play a role in deciding who should be surveilled. They do believe in race when it comes to who should be collected up, potentially put on buses and planes and sent out of this country.” - Kimberlé Crenshaw

Guest:  Kimberlé Crenshaw, Professor of Law, Columbia & UCLA Law Schools; Executive Director, African American Policy Forum

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Full Episode Notes are located HERE.

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Music Credit:  'Dawn Smolders' by Bluedot Sessions, and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper

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