PAST, PRESENT, PUSHBACK

S A U N A I E

Hosted by XO, AZ, and CDA, Past, Present, Pushback is where Sports, Politics, and Family collide. From the NFL field to Capitol Hill, from community struggles to household victories, we break down the headlines and the hidden stories shaping our world. With XO bringing the millennial sports and culture lens, and AZ & CDA grounding the conversation in political insight and family wisdom, this isn’t just another podcast — it’s a space where Black voices push back against the noise and speak truth with honesty, humor, and heart. New episodes drop weekly — short, sharp, and straight to the point

  1. Did Everyone Come From Black People? The Real Science Behind Human Origins (Part 1)

    2일 전

    Did Everyone Come From Black People? The Real Science Behind Human Origins (Part 1)

    You've heard it said — everyone came from Black people. It gets repeated online, in barbershops, in family group chats, and it's met with both pride and pushback. So in this episode, XO, & AZ decided to actually find out what the science says — not what a meme says, not what gets shouted in a comment section, but what geneticists, paleoanthropologists, and the global scientific community have actually documented through fossil records and DNA. This is Part 1 of a two-part deep dive. In this episode: the Out of Africa theory, Mitochondrial Eve, what the fossil record actually shows, how humans migrated across the planet, and how skin color evolved through a purely environmental and genetic process that has nothing to do with superiority and everything to do with survival. Keywords: origin of human race, did everyone come from Africa, Out of Africa theory explained, Mitochondrial Eve science, human migration history, evolution of skin color, race social construct science, human genetics explained, where did humans come from, Past Present Pushback podcast RESOURCES • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Human Origins Program — humanorigins.si.edu • National Academies of Sciences — 'Using Population Descriptors in Genetics and Genomics Research' (2023) • Nina Jablonski's research on the evolution of skin color — Penn State Department of Anthropology • 'Who We Are and How We Got Here' by David Reich — genetics and human history

    24분
  2. Cyrus Carmack-Belton Was 14. He Ran Away. He Was Shot In The Back. The Jury Said Not Guilty.

    6월 8일

    Cyrus Carmack-Belton Was 14. He Ran Away. He Was Shot In The Back. The Jury Said Not Guilty.

    On May 28, 2023, a 14-year-old Black boy named Cyrus Carmack-Belton was shot in the back outside a Shell gas station in Columbia, South Carolina. Surveillance video showed he had not stolen anything. Witnesses described him running away in fear. He was chased more than 130 yards from the store by a 61-year-old store owner and his adult son before being shot once in the back. He died from that wound. On June 1, 2026 — three years later — a jury acquitted Rick Chow of murder. Not guilty. The family's statement said: 'A jury watched our 14-year-old boy run away from two grown men on video. They knew one of them shot him in the back and they still said no one is to blame.' In this episode of Past Present Pushback, XO, AZ, and CDA sit with the full weight of this verdict — and name the pattern it belongs to. Trayvon Martin. Jordan Davis. Ahmaud Arbery. And now Cyrus. The data on Stand Your Ground laws and racial disparities. The psychology of racial threat perception. The role of the jury. What the civil lawsuit means. What the federal review means. And the hardest question of all — what do we do? What do we actually do? Because grief without action is just grief. Keywords: Cyrus Carmack-Belton case, Rick Chow not guilty verdict, Stand Your Ground racial bias, Black victims self defense law, Trayvon Martin Ahmaud Arbery pattern, racial disparities criminal justice, Black children killed America, how to fight back justice system, Past Present Pushback podcast SPECIFIC ACTIONS YOUR AUDIENCE CAN TAKE: ✊ SUPPORT THE CIVIL LAWSUIT — Follow updates on the Carmack-Belton family's civil case. If fundraising is organized by the family or their legal team, support it. Share updates on your platform. ✊ DEMAND FEDERAL REVIEW — Contact your U.S. House representative and Senators. Ask specifically what they are doing to support a DOJ federal civil rights investigation into this case. calls and letters to elected officials are documented. ✊ KNOW YOUR STATE'S STAND YOUR GROUND LAW — Find out if your state has one. Find out who your state legislators are. Organize in your community to pressure legislators to reform or repeal it. Use the documented research in this episode. ✊ SHOW UP FOR JURY DUTY — When the summons comes — go. Do not find a reason to get out of it. The people in those jury rooms are the people who didn't avoid it. Be in the room. ✊ VOTE IN EVERY LOCAL ELECTION — Especially district attorney, solicitor, and state legislative races. These are the people who determine whether cases like Cyrus's get a real prosecution. ✊ HAVE THE TALK WITH YOUR CHILDREN — If you have Black children — the conversation about how to survive encounters in spaces that will perceive them as threats cannot wait. Have it. Now. • National Action Network — nationalactionnetwork.net (involved in the Carmack-Belton case) • NAACP — naacp.org (Columbia chapter involved in case advocacy) • ACLU Stand Your Ground resources — aclu.org • Brady United — bradyunited.org (Stand Your Ground research and advocacy) • Everytown for Gun Safety — everytown.org (Stand Your Ground data) • Know Your Rights Camp — knowyourrightscamp.com (rights education for young people)

    41분
  3. Memorial Day Was Created By Freed Slaves In 1865 — And America Erased It From The History Books

    6월 1일

    Memorial Day Was Created By Freed Slaves In 1865 — And America Erased It From The History Books

    Most Americans think Memorial Day started with a general's order in 1868. The real story starts three years earlier — and it starts with Black people. On May 1, 1865 — less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered — freed Black men and women in Charleston, South Carolina organized what historians now recognize as the first Memorial Day in American history. They exhumed the bodies of 257 Union soldiers from a mass grave at a Confederate prison camp. They built a proper cemetery. They erected an archway with the words 'Martyrs of the Race Course.' And then 10,000 people — led by 2,800 Black schoolchildren carrying roses — marched, sang, and honored the men who had died so they could be free. Yale historian David Blight called it 'the Independence Day of a Second American Revolution.' Then white Charlestonians erased it from the record. In this episode of Past Present Pushback, XO, AZ, and CDA tell the full, unedited origin story of Memorial Day — from the Charleston racetrack in 1865, to General Logan's 1868 order, to how the holiday evolved, how its true origins were suppressed, and what it means that the people who invented this tradition to honor freedom were the same people the holiday's official history left out. This is the story they didn't teach you in school. And it deserves to be known. Keywords: Memorial Day origin history, who created Memorial Day, Black Americans Memorial Day 1865, Charleston South Carolina Memorial Day, freed slaves Memorial Day, David Blight Memorial Day, Decoration Day history, true origin Memorial Day, Memorial Day Black history, Past Present Pushback podcast

    34분
  4. NBA Conference Finals Predictions + Why Politicians Are Stealing Your Vote (And How to Stop Them)

    5월 19일

    NBA Conference Finals Predictions + Why Politicians Are Stealing Your Vote (And How to Stop Them)

    The "Past Present Pushback" crew is back in the studio for an absolute heater of an episode. Today, we’re bridging the gap between sports, strategy, and legacy. ** NBA Conference Finals Breakdown:**The playoffs are down to the final four, and the studio is divided. XO is betting it all on Wembanyama and the Spurs, while AZ is riding with the consistency of the OKC Thunder. Meanwhile, CDA is forced to sit in the "casual corner" after his Celtics were knocked out in the first round. Who takes the series? Tune in for the debate. ** The Political Playbook: Redistricting & Suppression:**We move from the court to the ballot box. We’re dissecting the current state of gerrymandering and the new tactics being used to suppress votes nationwide. We break down the "illusion of helplessness" and, more importantly, the tactical blueprint for fighting back—starting with weaponizing your local, down-ballot elections. ** The Legacy Segment: The Head Start vs. The Grind:**Is it better to hand your children a financial safety net, or does that wealth strip away the "grit" required for them to survive in the real world? We debate the balance between providing financial leverage and forcing your kids to forge their own armor. Join the conversation:Are you riding with the Spurs or the Thunder? How are you organizing in your local community? Drop your thoughts in the comments below! Follow the show:Stay tuned for more high-level strategy, mindset, and "pushback" on the status quo. Subscribe, rate, and share the episode. #NBAPlayoffs #Spurs #Thunder #Wembanyama #VotingRights #GenerationalWealth #FinancialLiteracy #PastPresentPushback #Strategy #Podcast

    27분

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Hosted by XO, AZ, and CDA, Past, Present, Pushback is where Sports, Politics, and Family collide. From the NFL field to Capitol Hill, from community struggles to household victories, we break down the headlines and the hidden stories shaping our world. With XO bringing the millennial sports and culture lens, and AZ & CDA grounding the conversation in political insight and family wisdom, this isn’t just another podcast — it’s a space where Black voices push back against the noise and speak truth with honesty, humor, and heart. New episodes drop weekly — short, sharp, and straight to the point