Broke-ish®

Amber Sims & Erika Brown
Broke-ish®

In the Broke-ish space, we talk about being broke—broke and Black in America. We talk about all the unbelievable *ish that America has done to black people to keep us in this Broke-ish state. We've been bamboozled in ways that personal finance tips and traditional financial literacy can't fix. Our co-hosts, Amber and Erika, are grown @ss women sharing candidly about money, wealth-building and the financial urban legends that need to die. You'll hear them draw from research, statistics and personal insights to create an engaging podcast whose mission is to be a part of changing the narrative around money. Broke-ish is for those who still persevere, in spite of all the things that America, capitalism & white supremacy, have done to Black people. We're Broke-ish. Let's talk about it.

  1. FEB 1

    Myth Buster #6: “Racism exists, but I’ve proven it’s a barrier you can get over”

    On the first payday of Black History Month 2025, Amber and Erika find themselves yet again debunking John Hope Bryant’s foolish, false assertion that “racism is a barrier that Black people can get over.” The second Trump presidency has people questioning that contention, but this episode demonstrates that racism has been entrenched in every aspect of American life - politically, economically, socially, and culturally - since its inception. Through discussion of three key eras in history, we demonstrate that racism was literally designed to be insurmountably imbued into every system and institution such that it would restrain Black people in every way. We first discuss Reconstruction, and this country’s deliberate abandonment of efforts to create racial equity. Next, we look at Woodrow Wilson and the racial regress back to de jure segregation in the Progressive era as racism cemented itself as a core tenant of mainstream southern, Democratic politics. And finally, the Reagan era reveals racism’s insidious makeover to become palatable to White evangelical Christians. Resentment over desegregation was tucked into pro-life politics and repackaged as family values and concern for the unborn. This historical conversation proves that racism is present at every turn and nothing - not even financial literacy - can save Black people from its impact. Tune in to get the lesson!

    1h 12m
5
out of 5
54 Ratings

About

In the Broke-ish space, we talk about being broke—broke and Black in America. We talk about all the unbelievable *ish that America has done to black people to keep us in this Broke-ish state. We've been bamboozled in ways that personal finance tips and traditional financial literacy can't fix. Our co-hosts, Amber and Erika, are grown @ss women sharing candidly about money, wealth-building and the financial urban legends that need to die. You'll hear them draw from research, statistics and personal insights to create an engaging podcast whose mission is to be a part of changing the narrative around money. Broke-ish is for those who still persevere, in spite of all the things that America, capitalism & white supremacy, have done to Black people. We're Broke-ish. Let's talk about it.

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada