The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy

Dr. Reiland Rabaka
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In collaboration with the Center for African and African American Studies/The CAAAS at the University of Colorado Boulder, The Cause is more than a podcast, it's a call to action. Guided by Dr. Reiland Rabaka, this inspiring series invites you to explore the transformative power of music, the wisdom of history, and the promise of democracy in the pursuit of racial justice. Through courageous conversations, insightful reflections, and powerful storytelling, The Cause amplifies voices and stories too often unheard. Together, we'll challenge injustices, break down societal misconceptions, and inspire each other to build a world where equality is not just an ideal, but a shared reality. Join us in this movement. Listen to The Cause, and become part of the collective journey to create a more just, inclusive, and vibrant future for all.

  1. FEB 12

    Black History Month Centennial, 1926–2026: One Hundred Years of Black History Month

    "If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated." — Dr. Carter G. Woodson In 2026, we mark 100 years of Black History Month. One hundred years of intentional remembering, rigorous study, and collective struggle around Black life and Black humanity. One hundred years of insisting that Black history is not a footnote to American history but central, foundational, and indispensable. In this special centennial episode, Dr. Reiland Rabaka pays tribute to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the historian and activist who founded Negro History Week in 1926. Born in 1875 to formerly enslaved parents, Woodson understood that the erasure of Black history was strategic and political. He believed that a people cut off from their past are easier to dominate in the present and to deny a future. Dr. Rabaka explores how Negro History Week evolved into Black History Month by 1976, reflecting broader cultural shifts including the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, and global decolonization. The shift from "Negro" to "Black" reflected a reclamation of identity, dignity, and power. This episode examines four essential questions: What is Black History Month and where did it come from? Why does it matter for anyone committed to justice and democracy? Why is 2026 such a consequential year? And why does Black History Month remain urgently relevant in the 21st century? Dr. Rabaka makes clear that Black History Month is for anyone who believes American history should be told honestly. To study Black history is to study the unfinished project of American democracy and to learn how ordinary people forced extraordinary change. The episode features an original poem, "Sankofa and the Mathematics of Survival," exploring the Akan principle from Ghana, West Africa. Sankofa teaches that knowledge is cumulative, wisdom is layered, and forgetting is dangerous. It means critical retrieval, ethical remembrance, and purposeful return in service of collective renewal. As we mark this centennial, Dr. Rabaka confronts the danger of misremembering: nostalgia without commitment, reverence without responsibility. The struggles of countless ancestors were not meant to be admired. They were meant to be enacted. See the full show notes and the Black History Month playlist on our website.

    47 min

  2. JAN 29

    The Beloved Community, Part 2: Martin Luther King, "I Have a Dream," and the Beloved Community

    Episode Date: January 29, 2026 "The danger of the 'I Have a Dream' speech is not that it is remembered, but that it is remembered incorrectly. It is misremembered. The danger is nostalgia without commitment, reverence without responsibility. Dr. King's dream was not meant to be admired. It was meant to be enacted." - Dr. Reiland Rabaka In this concluding episode of our two-part series, Dr. Reiland Rabaka returns to one of the most quoted speeches in American history, but this time with sharper questions and deeper listening. What happens when a radical call for justice gets remembered without its demands? What did Martin Luther King Jr. actually say on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, and what have we chosen to forget? Dr. Rabaka explores how King's masterful use of language (anaphora, metaphor, allusion, imagery, and symbol) expanded our collective capacity to imagine the Beloved Community. He examines how King used the speech to bring together people across lines of race, class, religion, region, and politics, while never diluting his demands for structural change. Through historical context, cultural analysis, and powerful poetic reflection, this episode reminds us that the Beloved Community was never meant to be an abstraction or a metaphor. It was, and remains, a call to action. The episode also reflects on the essential role of music, memory, and Black cultural traditions in sustaining movements for change across generations. From spirituals to freedom songs, from gospel to hip hop, music has functioned as protest, prayer, pedagogy, and prophecy. Dr. Rabaka offers an original poem, "We Dreamed of a World," as a contemporary response to King's vision, translating the ideals and imagery of the "I Have a Dream" speech into poetic form for the 21st century. This episode confronts a challenge that belongs to all of us: Why is it not enough to quote the speech, but necessary to build on Dr. King's conception of the Beloved Community today? Because a dream deferred can become a dream denied unless it is made real. See show notes and a special curated playlist

    37 min

  3. JAN 15

    The Beloved Community Part I: Martin Luther King and the Beloved Community

    "The Beloved Community is not a place we arrive at, but a practice we embody in relationship with one another." - Dr. Reiland Rabaka In this first part of our January series, Dr. Reiland Rabaka explores the meaning, origins, and practical demands of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision for the Beloved Community. Far from an abstract ideal, the Beloved Community represents a way of being and acting in the world that places justice, love, care, and collective responsibility at the center of democratic life. Dr. Rabaka situates this vision within historical struggles for freedom, Black intellectual traditions, spiritual commitments toward community care, and democratic practice. He invites listeners to consider the Beloved Community not as a distant destination, but as a practice of relationship and responsibility that begins here and now. This episode is connected to the newly launched Beloved Community Program: The CAAAS's Social Outreach, Community Engagement, and Public Education Arm, an initiative that extends The Center for African and African American Studies/The CAAAS mission beyond the academy and into broader community life, centering shared inquiry, cultural education, and social engagement rooted in justice and collective care. This Part I release is paired with a specially curated Beloved Community playlist, designed as a seasonal and ongoing accompaniment for reflection, learning, and action. See show notes and a special curated playlist

    37 min

  4. 12/18/2025

    Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Culture, Family, and Community

    "Kwanzaa tells us we are the harvest our ancestors dreamed of and the seeds of new worlds not yet born." - Dr. Reiland Rabaka In this powerful and timely episode of The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy, Dr. Reiland Rabaka offers a deeply rooted meditation on Kwanzaa as a cultural practice, a philosophical framework, and a living tradition born from the Black Freedom Movement. More than a holiday, Kwanzaa emerges here as a week long ritual of remembrance, reflection, and renewal that affirms African and African diasporic dignity, creativity, and collective responsibility. Drawing on history, music, art, and political struggle, Dr. Rabaka explores the origins of Kwanzaa and its continued relevance in a world marked by division, inequality, and democratic uncertainty. At the heart of the celebration are the Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa, which serve as ethical guides for community building and cultural restoration. This episode invites listeners to engage Kwanzaa not only as a seasonal observance, but as a way of being rooted in intention, memory, and collective possibility. Explore the curated Kwanzaa playlist and show notes, and join us in carrying these principles beyond the candles and into everyday practice.

    51 min

  5. 12/04/2025

    Ep 24: The Women's Suffrage Movement

    In The Women's Suffrage Movement, Dr. Rabaka lifts up the intertwined histories of women's rights, abolitionism, racial justice, and democratic reform. This episode serves as a companion to Episode 23, The Abolitionist Movement, deepening our understanding of how these movements shaped one another. The episode examines the evolution of suffrage organizing, the contributions of Black women's clubs, the roles of Indigenous, Latina, and Asian American women, and the limits of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote while leaving many women of color disenfranchised for another half century. As Dr. Rabaka reflects: "To understand the Women's Suffrage Movement is to understand that the struggle for voting rights has always been a struggle over who counts as fully human in our democracy." This episode contextualizes the victories, challenges, and unfinished work of women's activism, reminding us why this history matters now more than ever. View our show notes page and see our Women's Suffrage Playlist

    48 min

  6. 11/20/2025

    The Abolitionist Movement: The Roots of Anti-Racism and Allyship

    "The abolitionists were the first to teach us that freedom must be shared, that justice must be collective, and that allyship is not performance but participation." - Dr. Reiland Rabaka Episode 23 of The Cause Podcast takes listeners deep into the heart of The Abolitionist Movement, exploring how the fight to end slavery laid the foundation for modern anti-racism, civil rights, and contemporary struggles for human dignity and liberation. Dr. Reiland Rabaka traces the intellectual, spiritual, and political roots of abolition, emphasizing the movement's radical insistence on equality and the shared responsibility of all people—across race, gender, and region—to dismantle racist systems. He highlights how abolitionists showed the world that allyship is not a passive stance but a commitment to action, sacrifice, and solidarity. Dr. Rabaka connects these historical figures to today's conversations on social justice, emphasizing how their ideas about resistance, freedom, community, and collective liberation continue to shape activism across the United States and the Global South. See our show notes page and the Abolitionist Playlist

    1 hr

  7. 11/06/2025

    Beyond the Game: Voices from the Black Student Athlete Summit

    In this powerful conversation, Dr. Reiland Rabaka is joined by DaWon Baker, CU Boulder's Associate Athletic Director for Impact & Strategic Engagement, along with three CU Boulder students and student-athletes who recently attended the 2025 Black Student Athlete Summit in Chicago. Together, they share what it means to be part of a national gathering that celebrates Black excellence, amplifies voices, and addresses the challenges and opportunities facing Black students at predominantly white institutions. The guests reflect on their experiences at the summit. Discussing community, leadership, identity, and what it means to bring their authentic selves into academic and athletic spaces. They talk about the importance of mentorship and representation, and how initiatives like the summit create networks of support that extend beyond sports or campus life. DaWon Baker frames the discussion around purpose and belonging, emphasizing how athletics can serve as a bridge to broader conversations about equity, access, and social change. As he notes, "We're not just talking about performance. We're talking about purpose. These students are building community, shaping culture, and defining what leadership looks like for a new generation." See show notes, photos and a playlist on our website.

    59 min

  8. 10/23/2025

    A Conversation with State Rep. Junie Joseph

    In this episode of The Cause Podcast, Dr. Reiland Rabaka speaks with State Representative Junie Joseph, a dynamic legislator representing Colorado's District 10. Born in Haiti and now serving in the Colorado General Assembly, Representative Joseph shares her remarkable journey of resilience, civic engagement, and community-centered leadership. The discussion explores themes of representation, equity, and belonging, how her lived experience as an immigrant and woman of color informs her approach to policymaking and advocacy. Dr. Rabaka and Rep. Joseph also reflect on the role of education, activism, and mentorship in shaping a more inclusive democracy. Their conversation highlights how stories like Joseph's are vital to understanding modern movements for justice and empowerment, and why representation matters not just in politics, but in every sphere of society. Listen on Radio 1190 KVCU every other Thursday at 7 a.m., or stream now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts. See all show notes and photos of the recording on our website.

    59 min
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About

In collaboration with the Center for African and African American Studies/The CAAAS at the University of Colorado Boulder, The Cause is more than a podcast, it's a call to action. Guided by Dr. Reiland Rabaka, this inspiring series invites you to explore the transformative power of music, the wisdom of history, and the promise of democracy in the pursuit of racial justice. Through courageous conversations, insightful reflections, and powerful storytelling, The Cause amplifies voices and stories too often unheard. Together, we'll challenge injustices, break down societal misconceptions, and inspire each other to build a world where equality is not just an ideal, but a shared reality. Join us in this movement. Listen to The Cause, and become part of the collective journey to create a more just, inclusive, and vibrant future for all.

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