Hosts, Andrew, a White dad from Denver, and, Val, a Black mom from North Carolina, dig into topics about race, parenting, and school segregation. With a variety of guests ranging from parents to experts, these conversations strive to live in the nuance of a complicated topic.
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As we wrap up another school year, we're taking a moment to reflect on the conversations, challenges, and lessons that shaped Season 12. This year, we explored what it means to build belonging, strengthen community, advocate for public education, and stay connected through uncertainty. Along the way, we learned from educators, organizers, authors, students, parents, and community members who…
On the 72nd anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education , Andrew and Dr. Val sit down with Cecilia Marshall — granddaughter of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and founder of the newly launched Thurgood Marshall Foundation . Together, they reflect on what it means to carry forward a legacy rooted not in individual heroism, but in collective courage, sacrifice, and community responsibility.…
We're revisiting our conversation with Dr. Loretta Ross because her book, Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel , is the Integrated Schools book club pick for this month. You can register for one of our amazing, free book club sessions here . We’re joined by MacArthur “Genius” and legendary activist Dr. Loretta Ross for a conversation that left us grounded,…
We’re going back to the archives today to revisit a conversation with Heather McGhee. In February of 2021, Heather McGhee’s book, The Sum of Us came out. With a focus on the ways in which racism harms everyone, and the potential good that can come from cross-racial coalitions, the book was exciting to us. When we realized that Integrated Schools was featured prominently in the chapter about…
We're joined by YA author, María Dolores Águila to uncover the largely untold story of the 1931 Lemon Grove Incident —the first successful school desegregation case in California, led by Mexican and Mexican American families. Through her book A Sea of Lemon Trees , Maria invites us into the world of 12-year-old Roberto Alvarez, a child asked to carry the weight of his community’s fight for…
What happens when we stop thinking about schools as buildings—and start seeing them as the ecosystems that hold our communities together? In this episode, we sit with Dr. Mara Tieken to explore school closures not as isolated decisions, but as part of a broader pattern of spatial injustice —where resources, opportunities, and care are unevenly distributed based on where we live. Together, we…
In this episode, Andrew and Dr. Val are joined by Logan Tilton, a history student at North Carolina Central University and one of the Levine Museum of the New South’ s fellowship students. Together, they reflect on what it means to learn history not as a list of dates and names, but as a living story shaped by community, struggle, resilience, and collective memory. Drawing from a powerful…
When crisis comes for one of us, it comes for all of us. In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Dr. Val and Andrew sit down with two parent leaders in Minneapolis—Carina (a White mom and longtime bridge-builder in dual language spaces) and Cisne (a Spanish-speaking immigrant mom and vice president of their dual language parent organization)—to talk about what it means to care for our…
What does it mean to outlast backlash? In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Danielle Wingfield —legal historian, law professor, and public education advocate—whose work sits at the intersection of history, civil rights, democracy, and family. Together, we trace the long arc of resistance to public education, from enslavement and segregation to today’s fights over curriculum, parental rights, and…
Join the conversation by registering for one of our upcoming Book Club sessions ! The Integrated Schools Podcast returns with a great conversation with Emily Ladau , disability rights activist and author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally . Ladau describes herself as "passionate about having conversations about disability and really engaging people to talk…
