Baldwin & Co. Ideas Explored

DJ Johnson
  • 5.0 (14)
  • BOOKS
  • COMPLETE

This podcast is your front-row seat to the world of intellectual thought, creative expression, books, ideas, and thought-provoking conversations with some of the most brilliant minds and celebrated authors of our time.

  1. Why Justice Terrifies White Supremacist More Than Revenge -- Kellie Carter Jackson & Shennette Garrett-Scott

    1D AGO

    Why Justice Terrifies White Supremacist More Than Revenge -- Kellie Carter Jackson & Shennette Garrett-Scott

    Kellie Carter Jackson is a historian and writer (author of 'We Refuse') whose work centers Black resistance, abolition, and the political meaning of freedom in American history. Shennette Garrett-Scott is a historian and author whose scholarship explores Black women’s economic power, labor, and political life beyond traditional civil rights narratives. What unfolded on that stage was not a polite author talk—it was a bracing reminder that history has teeth. Writing We Refuse in the heat of 2020, Kellie Carter Jackson rejects what she calls the “trauma porn” of American racial storytelling and replaces it with something far more unsettling: proof that Black resistance has always been deliberate, strategic, and ordinary. Again and again, she dismantles the comforting myth that Black people merely endured injustice quietly, arguing instead that refusal—through protection, flight, revolution, community care, and even joy—has been constant, if deliberately obscured. The most arresting moments arrive when scholarship meets memory: a great-grandmother who chose a child’s life with a limp over lifelong bondage; a grandmother whose loaded pistol complicates sentimental ideas of Southern gentility; siblings lost, whose names anchor grief as a form of resistance. Kellie Carter Jackson’s point is devastatingly clear: white supremacy is not only mobs and violence, but erasure, coercion, and “niceness” masquerading as morality. And yet, the conversation never collapses into despair. It insists that liberation is collective, that joy is a discipline, and that the most radical threat to injustice has always been an educated, cared-for, and politically conscious people. The result is less a lecture than a reckoning—one that refuses easy answers and demands a wider imagination of what freedom has always required. This episode is part of the ongoing conversations hosted by Baldwin & Co., a Black-owned bookstore, café, and cultural institution based in New Orleans. Baldwin & Co. exists at the intersection of literature, ideas, and community—creating space for rigorous dialogue, storytelling, and intellectual exchange. Through author talks, podcasts, live events, and community programming, Baldwin & Co. amplifies voices shaping how we understand culture, history, politics, faith, and the future. Stay connected with Baldwin & Co. across platforms: Instagram: @baldwinandcoX (Twitter): @baldwinandcoFacebook: Baldwin & Co.YouTube: Baldwin & Co.Website: www.baldwinandcobooks.com Visit us in New Orleans or online to support independent bookselling, discover powerful literature, and engage in conversations that matter. #WeRefuse #BlackResistance #RadicalHistory #BlackHistoryToldRight #FreedomIsCollective #JusticeNotRevenge #WhiteSupremacyExposed #LiberationThinking #AbolitionNow #HistoryWithTeeth #IntellectualResistance #BlackJoyAsResistance #CommunityCare #PoliticalEducation #StoriesTheyErased #TruthOverComfort #BooksThatChallengePower #BaldwinAndCoPodcast #IdeasInConversation #ReadToResist #CulturalReckoning #BookBans #AttacksOnBlackHistory #EnvironmentalJustice #VoterSuppression #MassIncarceration #DemocracyInCrisis #FreeSpeechMatters #EducationUnderFire #WhoseHistory #PowerAndNarrative

    59 min
  2. Why Do Black People Define Blackness & Black Progress So Narrowly? - Kehinde Andrews & Sean Goode

    2D AGO

    Why Do Black People Define Blackness & Black Progress So Narrowly? - Kehinde Andrews & Sean Goode

    Sean Goode is a writer and cultural thinker whose work interrogates Black identity, power, and the political meaning embedded in popular culture. Kehinde Andrews is a scholar of Black studies and author whose work challenges liberal myths of progress and exposes the structural realities of racism and capitalism. What unfolds in this conversation is not a debate so much as a reckoning. Kehinde Andrews and Sean Goode circle Malcolm X not as a frozen icon, but as a living diagnostic tool—one that exposes how narrowly Blackness has been defined, weaponized, and sold back to Black people themselves. The discussion moves between autobiography and political theory, between gangsta rap and Garveyism, between capitalism’s seductive promises and its blood-soaked balance sheet. At its core is a shared unease: that America—and the West more broadly—is not failing to live up to its ideals, but rather succeeding at exactly what it was designed to do. Malcolm’s enduring relevance, they argue, lies in his refusal to confuse proximity to power with freedom, or survival with liberation. Whether through hip-hop’s unacknowledged intellectual labor, the false comfort of “house negro” mentalities, or the illusion that capitalism can be redeemed through intention alone, the conversation insists on a harder truth: freedom requires collective political imagination, not better branding. The tension remains unresolved—and that is precisely the point. Malcolm’s gift was never closure, but clarity. This episode is part of the ongoing conversations hosted by Baldwin & Co., a Black-owned bookstore, café, and cultural institution based in New Orleans. Baldwin & Co. exists at the intersection of literature, ideas, and community—creating space for rigorous dialogue, storytelling, and intellectual exchange. Through author talks, podcasts, live events, and community programming, Baldwin & Co. amplifies voices shaping how we understand culture, history, politics, faith, and the future. Stay connected with Baldwin & Co. across platforms: Instagram: @baldwinandcoX (Twitter): @baldwinandcoFacebook: Baldwin & Co.YouTube: Baldwin & Co.Website: www.baldwinandcobooks.com Visit us in New Orleans or online to support independent bookselling, discover powerful literature, and engage in conversations that matter. #KehindaAndrews #SeanGoode #MalcolmX #BlackThought #BlackLiberation #RevolutionNotReform #PoliticalBlackness #BlackIdentity #CapitalismCritique #FreedomStruggle #BlackIntellectualTradition #HipHopAsTheory #RadicalImagination #DecolonizeTheMind #GlobalBlackness #PowerAndResistance #BlackHistoryMatters #UncomfortableTruths #CollectiveFreedom #LiberationPolitics #RaceAndPower #AbolitionThinking #BlackVoices #CounterNarratives #RevolutionaryIdeas #CriticalConversations

    51 min
  3. The Most Dangerous Lie: “The Water Is Fine” - Phyllis R. Dixon & Cecilia Guillen

    5D AGO

    The Most Dangerous Lie: “The Water Is Fine” - Phyllis R. Dixon & Cecilia Guillen

    Phyllis R. Dixon is the author of Something in the Water, a gripping novel that blends political intrigue, environmental justice, and deeply human stakes. Cecilia Guillen is today’s conversation partner, bringing a sharp, community-centered lens to stories that sit at the crossroads of culture, power, and lived experience. Phyllis R. Dixon tells a story about contaminated water, political corruption, and the quiet violence of being ignored—themes that echo loudly in today’s headlines as communities across the country continue to face environmental neglect and unequal access to safety and accountability. Joined by Cecilia Guillen, this discussion moves beyond the page, connecting the novel’s characters and conflicts to real-world struggles over infrastructure, public trust, and who pays the price when systems fail. Together, Phyllis and Cecilia explore how fiction can illuminate truths that policy reports and news cycles often can’t—and why stories like this matter now more than ever. This episode is part of the ongoing conversations hosted by Baldwin & Co., a Black-owned bookstore, café, and cultural institution based in New Orleans. Baldwin & Co. exists at the intersection of literature, ideas, and community—creating space for rigorous dialogue, storytelling, and intellectual exchange. Through author talks, podcasts, live events, and community programming, Baldwin & Co. amplifies voices shaping how we understand culture, history, politics, faith, and the future. Stay connected with Baldwin & Co. across platforms: Instagram: @baldwinandcoX (Twitter): @baldwinandcoFacebook: Baldwin & Co.YouTube: Baldwin & Co.Website: www.baldwinandcobooks.com Visit us in New Orleans or online to support independent bookselling, discover powerful literature, and engage in conversations that matter. #BaldwinAndCoPodcast #SomethingInTheWater #PhyllisRDixon #CeciliaGuillen #EnvironmentalJustice #WaterIsLife #EnvironmentalRacism #PoliticalCorruption #SocialJustice #LiteratureAsResistance #FictionThatMatters #StoriesThatShapeUs #TruthInStorytelling #CommunityVoices #CultureAndPower #BooksAndJustice #IdeasInConversation

    58 min
  4. Trump Didn't Break America...This Did. -- Jamelle Bouie & Nathan Robinson

    FEB 12

    Trump Didn't Break America...This Did. -- Jamelle Bouie & Nathan Robinson

    In this wide-ranging but sharply focused conversation, Nathan J. Robinson and Jamelle Bouie argue that the central danger facing American democracy is not mass apathy or popular authoritarianism, but a crisis of elite legitimacy and institutional misalignment with a public that has already changed more than its leaders realize. They contend that reactions to Trumpism—especially resistance to state repression, overt racism, and the abandonment of democratic norms—reflect decades-long cultural shifts toward greater inclusion, historical awareness, and moral commitment to equality, rather than a sudden outbreak of “woke excess.” Jamelle Bouie frames this moment as a failure of elite social reproduction: institutions that once shaped public values are now unable to pass their worldview intact to the next generation, while reactionary movements misread both public opinion and history. Together, they caution that although extremist ideologies lack broad popular support, they can still capture power through undemocratic structures, institutional cowardice, and strategic minority rule. Drawing on American history—not as prophecy but as case study—they conclude that durable political projects require flexibility, legitimacy, and long time horizons, qualities notably absent from today’s authoritarian experiments, making the present moment less a story of democratic collapse than of a system struggling to catch up to the people it claims to represent. This episode is part of the ongoing conversations hosted by Baldwin & Co., a Black-owned bookstore, café, and cultural institution based in New Orleans. Baldwin & Co. exists at the intersection of literature, ideas, and community—creating space for rigorous dialogue, storytelling, and intellectual exchange. Through author talks, podcasts, live events, and community programming, Baldwin & Co. amplifies voices shaping how we understand culture, history, politics, faith, and the future. Stay connected with Baldwin & Co. across platforms: Instagram: @baldwinandcoX (Twitter): @baldwinandcoFacebook: Baldwin & Co.YouTube: Baldwin & Co.Website: www.baldwinandcobooks.com Visit us in New Orleans or online to support independent bookselling, discover powerful literature, and engage in conversations that matter. #BaldwinDialogues #JamelleBouie #NathanJRobinson #CurrentAffairs #PoliticalAnalysis #AmericanDemocracy #Authoritarianism #TrumpEra #DemocracyInCrisis #ElitePower #CivicEngagement #PublicDiscourse #PoliticalCulture #HistoricalContext #DemocraticValues #InstitutionalFailure #MediaAndPolitics #IdeasMatter #LongFormConversation #IntellectualHistory

    53 min
  5. Education Was Never the Goal, Knowledge Is. -- Daniel Black & Michael Harriot

    FEB 9

    Education Was Never the Goal, Knowledge Is. -- Daniel Black & Michael Harriot

    Dr. Daniel Black and Michael Harriot delivered a spiritually charged, intellectually fierce, and soul-deep conversation that cracked open the Black experience in America. What started as a discussion on land, lineage, and education quickly evolved into a firestorm of revelations—about ancestral wisdom, the double-tongued language of survival, and the misunderstood power of the Black church. They dissected the myth of white-washed religion, honored the Black rural roots of storytelling, and lit up the room with tales of healing, ritual, and resistance. Together, they offered a profound thesis: Black knowledge is not just for advancement—it is a weapon, a ritual, a form of rebellion. This wasn’t just a talk. It was a reckoning. And if you think you understand Black history, faith, or family—watch this, and think again. Michael Harriot is an award-winning journalist, cultural critic, and author whose razor-sharp writing exposes the lies America tells itself about race, power, and history. Dr. Daniel Black is a novelist, scholar, and master storyteller whose work excavates Black rural life, ancestral memory, and the sacred dimensions of survival with lyrical force. This episode is part of the ongoing conversations hosted by Baldwin & Co., a Black-owned bookstore, café, and cultural institution based in New Orleans. Baldwin & Co. exists at the intersection of literature, ideas, and community—creating space for rigorous dialogue, storytelling, and intellectual exchange. Through author talks, podcasts, live events, and community programming, Baldwin & Co. amplifies voices shaping how we understand culture, history, politics, faith, and the future. Stay connected with Baldwin & Co. across platforms: Instagram: @baldwinandcoX (Twitter): @baldwinandcoFacebook: Baldwin & Co.YouTube: Baldwin & Co.Website: www.baldwinandcobooks.com Visit us in New Orleans or online to support independent bookselling, discover powerful literature, and engage in conversations that matter. #DanielBlack #MichaelHarriot #BlackonBlack #BlackAFHistory #BaldwinAndCo #BlackLiberationMatters #EducationAsResistance #BlackChurchTruth #ReclaimTheNarrative #AncestralWisdom #SpiritualRebellion #BreakTheChains #BlackKnowledgeIsPower #StorytellingIsSurvival #BlackGenius #UnapologeticallyBlack #DegreesForLiberation #BlackHistoryUncensored #FaithAndFreedom #RadicalBlackThought #BlackSpiritualityUnleashed #RitualAndResistance #TeachTheTruth #WeAreTheCurriculum #BooksAsWeapons #BlackFaithIsPower #EducationNotAssimilation

    1h 1m
  6. Why America Chose White Supremacy Over Democracy - Jamelle Bouie & Carla Laroche

    FEB 5 · BONUS

    Why America Chose White Supremacy Over Democracy - Jamelle Bouie & Carla Laroche

    In a discussion held in New Orleans on February 3, 2026, New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie and Tulane law professor Carla Laroche explored the haunting parallels between the Reconstruction era and today's political climate. Carla framed Reconstruction as a period of profound promises—codified in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments—that were ultimately betrayed by the rise of white supremacy and Jim Crow. Jamelle argued that the era remains vital because we are currently grappling with the same existential questions it raised: Who counts as an American, and what is the nature of our freedom? Jamelle drew a sharp distinction between "freedom as domination"—the master’s freedom to control others—and "freedom as liberation," which centers on self-determination. He noted that modern political efforts to undermine birthright citizenship and equal protection are echoes of a centuries-old struggle to repudiate expansive, egalitarian ideals. Highlighting Louisiana as a historical "crucible" for these conflicts, the speakers discussed how landmark legal failures and massacres in the state paved the way for the "afterlife of slavery". Ultimately, the conversation served as a stark reminder that institutions and the Constitution are merely "words on paper". Without the political will of ordinary citizens to wield power and demand accountability—a project Jamelle summarized with the post-war mantra "punish treason, reward loyalty"—the promises of democracy remain fragile and unfinished Jamelle Bouie: A Charlottesville-based columnist for The New York Times and UVA graduate, Jamelle covers politics and history while co-hosting the Unclear and Present Danger podcast. Carla Laroche: An associate professor of law at Tulane University and the Murphy Institute, Carla's work focuses on access to justice for systemically excluded communities at the intersections of criminal law and civil rights. This episode is part of the ongoing conversations hosted by Baldwin & Co., a Black-owned bookstore, café, and cultural institution based in New Orleans. Baldwin & Co. exists at the intersection of literature, ideas, and community—creating space for rigorous dialogue, storytelling, and intellectual exchange. Through author talks, podcasts, live events, and community programming, Baldwin & Co. amplifies voices shaping how we understand culture, history, politics, faith, and the future. Stay connected with Baldwin & Co. across platforms: Instagram: @baldwinandcoX (Twitter): @baldwinandcoFacebook: Baldwin & Co.YouTube: Baldwin & Co.Website: www.baldwinandcobooks.com Visit us in New Orleans or online to support independent bookselling, discover powerful literature, and engage in conversations that matter. #Reconstruction #AmericanDemocracy #CivilRights #SocialJustice #JamelleBouie #CarlaLaroche #ConstitutionalLaw #14thAmendment #HistoryMatters #USPolitics #RacialEquity #PoliticalAccountability #HumanRights #JusticeSystem #LegalHistory #NewOrleansEvents #DemocraticValues #EqualityForAll #TheUnfinishedRevolution #AmericanHistory #VotingRights #EqualProtection #FreedomAndLiberation #PublicDiscourse #MediaLandscape

    1h 29m
  7. Is Striving For Black Excellence Killing Us? Dr. Uché Blackstock SOUNDS OFF on Working 2x as Hard!

    FEB 3

    Is Striving For Black Excellence Killing Us? Dr. Uché Blackstock SOUNDS OFF on Working 2x as Hard!

    Dr. Uché Blackstock and journalist Jarvis DeBerry engaged in a piercing, personal, and deeply emotional conversation about race, medicine, education, and the invisible weight of Black excellence. Centered around Blackstock’s acclaimed book Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine, the discussion revealed how systemic bias infiltrates everything—from classroom desks to hospital beds. They spoke candidly about the burden of overperformance, the quiet trauma of being “the only one,” and the emotional toll of raising Black children in a world that often denies their worth. With reflections on family, identity, and institutional mistrust, this dialogue offered more than critique—it was a call for love, protection, and truth-telling in spaces that too often demand silence. Order Dr. Uche´ Blackstock Books Here: https://bookshop.org/a/20190/9780593491294Order Jarvis DeBerry Book Here: https://bookshop.org/a/20190/9781608011858Order Baldwin & Co. Merch Here: https://shop.baldwinandcobooks.comLearn more about Baldwin & Co. Foundation: https://bcofoundation.org This episode is part of the ongoing conversations hosted by Baldwin & Co., a Black-owned bookstore, café, and cultural institution based in New Orleans. Baldwin & Co. exists at the intersection of literature, ideas, and community—creating space for rigorous dialogue, storytelling, and intellectual exchange. Through author talks, podcasts, live events, and community programming, Baldwin & Co. amplifies voices shaping how we understand culture, history, politics, faith, and the future. Stay connected with Baldwin & Co. across platforms: Instagram: @baldwinandcoX (Twitter): @baldwinandcoFacebook: Baldwin & Co.YouTube: Baldwin & Co.Website: www.baldwinandcobooks.com Visit us in New Orleans or online to support independent bookselling, discover powerful literature, and engage in conversations that matter. #BlackExcellence #DrUcheBlackstock #BlackHealthMatters #Burnout #TwiceAsHard #HealthEquity #MentalHealthAwareness #BlackWellness #SystemicRacism #WorkCulture #RestIsResistance #MedicalApartheid #LegacyBuilding #SelfCare #EquityInAction #GenerationalHealth #BlackJoy #OvercomingBurnout #RacialDisparities #HealthcareHeroes #SocialJustice #WellnessJourney #WorkLifeBalance #BlackCommunity #AuthenticSelf

    34 min
  8. The Moment Pain Becomes Identity, Freedom Starts Losing Bids -- Shaka Senghor & Jerid P. Woods

    FEB 1

    The Moment Pain Becomes Identity, Freedom Starts Losing Bids -- Shaka Senghor & Jerid P. Woods

    Shaka Senghor is a leading voice on criminal justice reform, a tech investor, and the author of Writing My Wrongs and Letters to the Sons of Society. Is society addicted to rage and victimhood? In this powerful conversation, New York Times bestselling author Shaka Senghor (Writing My Wrongs) joins Jerid Woods to dismantle the modern narratives around resilience, race, and personal agency. They dive deep into the uncomfortable truths about monetizing pain, the "addiction" to being offended, and why true freedom comes from refusing to give up your power to external circumstances. Shaka opens up about his journey from prison to best-selling author, revealing how he cultivated a mindset of success by focusing on "wins" rather than losses. If you are looking to break free from the "autopilot" of life and manifest your own vision of freedom, this conversation is a must-watch. #shakasenghor #howtrobefree #shaka #senghor #jeridwoods #ablackmanreading  This episode is part of the ongoing conversations hosted by Baldwin & Co., a Black-owned bookstore, café, and cultural institution based in New Orleans. Baldwin & Co. exists at the intersection of literature, ideas, and community—creating space for rigorous dialogue, storytelling, and intellectual exchange. Through author talks, podcasts, live events, and community programming, Baldwin & Co. amplifies voices shaping how we understand culture, history, politics, faith, and the future. Stay connected with Baldwin & Co. across platforms: Instagram: @baldwinandcoX (Twitter): @baldwinandcoFacebook: Baldwin & Co.YouTube: Baldwin & Co.Website: www.baldwinandcobooks.com Visit us in New Orleans or online to support independent bookselling, discover powerful literature, and engage in conversations that matter.

    58 min
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5
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About

This podcast is your front-row seat to the world of intellectual thought, creative expression, books, ideas, and thought-provoking conversations with some of the most brilliant minds and celebrated authors of our time.

Information

  • Creator
    DJ Johnson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Baldwin & Co. Author Dialogues

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