Sticky Note Conversations

Erika Washington

To keep my thoughts in order and my to-do lists remotely manageable I create arrays of sticky notes on my desk and wall. New idea? Stick note! Someone I want to meet with? Sticky Note! Need to remember to pay a parking ticket? Write it on a sticky note. Over the course of the last year, I have wanted to create a podcast that allowed me to dive deep into conversations with interesting people.. I wanted to have real conversations that were more than sound bites or regurgitated talking points about fluffy topics. My hope is that each episode feels like old friends catching up. Revealing great information but also humanity, struggle, victory, joy, grief, and possibly, a flicker of transcendence. I hope you will enjoy these as much as I do creating them. Join me here every Saturday as I pull a new sticky note off my desk.

  1. Dr. Tricia Braxton - "Standing for Something"

    11H AGO

    Dr. Tricia Braxton - "Standing for Something"

    Erika Washington celebrates Women’s History Month on Sticky Note Conversations and frames education as part of reproductive justice, emphasizing safe, well-resourced schools and accurate curriculum. She interviews Dr. Tricia Braxton, an HBCU graduate, former New York City police officer, longtime Nevada resident, and first-time elected member of the Nevada State Board of Education representing District 1. Braxton shares why her family moved to Las Vegas, how Emerge Nevada helped her find her political voice, and why representation and accountability motivated her to run. She explains Nevada’s education governance structure, including the difference between local school boards, the Nevada Department of Education, and the 11-member State Board, and how the public can follow meetings, livestreams, and submit comment. Braxton discusses how rankings depend on criteria and funding, how law enforcement and family experiences shape her approach, and the legacy she hopes to leave.https://www.triciabraxton4nv.com/https://doe.nv.gov/boards-commissions-councils/publicmeetings/ (00:00) - Introduction (00:57) - Welcome & Guest Introduction (06:08) - Why Las Vegas? (09:11) - Running for Office (10:48) - Emerge Program (15:40) - Goals on the State Board (18:21) - School Choice & Individualized Education (24:26) - Nevada's Education Rankings (29:48) - State Board Structure & Function (39:34) - Policy vs Implementation (50:00) - Tricia's Mom - Breaking Barriers in NYPD (54:25) - Being the First (58:13) - Law Enforcement Background & Education (01:09:58) - Board Meetings & Public Engagement (01:12:49) - Who is Dr. Tricia? (01:14:54) - The American Dream (01:16:51) - Legacy (01:19:50) - Closing

    1h 21m
  2. Adam Johnson - "A Change Is Gonna Come"

    FEB 28

    Adam Johnson - "A Change Is Gonna Come"

    Host Erika Washington interviews Adam Johnson, an appointed Clark County School District trustee, College Board executive director, and vice chair at Democracy Prep, during Black History Month about improving education in Southern Nevada. They discuss CCSD’s size, challenges, and efforts to become a “destination district,” including the decision to start high school later. Johnson shares how his father’s late-career teaching inspired his move from corporate work into education through Teach For America and then Democracy Prep, and how his all-male high school shaped his focus on academics, service, and expanding opportunity. They explore charter schools versus traditional and magnet options, emphasizing student fit and strong accountability for results. The conversation also addresses bridging parent-teacher divides through culturally competent communication, clear expectations, flexibility, and persistent outreach to build true school-family partnerships. (00:00) - Introduction (02:22) - Welcome and Guest Introduction (07:44) - Who is Adam Johnson? (10:19) - Journey into Education (14:33) - Charter Schools vs. Public Schools (19:35) - Magnet Schools Discussion (22:26) - All-Male High School Experience (25:27) - Parent-Teacher Communication (40:35) - School Start Time Decision (43:10) - Is CCSD Too Big? (47:06) - Running for Office (54:12) - What is Democracy? (58:43) - The American Dream (01:05:20) - Closing Thoughts

    1h 7m
  3. Gwen Frisbie-Fulton - "Coal"

    FEB 21

    Gwen Frisbie-Fulton - "Coal"

    On this episode of Sticky Note Conversations, host Erika Washington talks with writer Gwen Frisbie-Fulton (Working Class Storytelling) about how white nationalist groups recruit, rebrand, and move closer to mainstream power. Gwen shares living near the neo-Nazi Vinlanders in Indianapolis in the mid-2000s, how they targeted a struggling neighborhood to recruit young men, and how later arrests and violence connected to the group resurfaced years later. They discuss why stereotyping Appalachians and poor Southerners hides the real threat, how events like Charlottesville and January 6 involved many middle-class and wealthy participants, and how organizers can respond by meeting material needs (healthcare, housing, wages), exposing extremist strategy, and building stronger multiracial political homes and narratives. (00:00) - Introduction (03:44) - Gwen's Background and the Vinlanders (06:46) - The Indianapolis Neighborhood (14:31) - How White Nationalist Groups Have Changed (20:02) - Rebranding and Going Mainstream (22:54) - Misconceptions About White Nationalists (26:32) - Building Political Homes and Community (30:46) - The Fusion Movement and Wilmington Massacre (33:30) - Recruiting Young People (40:55) - JD Vance and White Grievance (50:15) - Stories of Division vs. Solidarity (55:21) - How to Combat White Nationalism (59:37) - Avoiding the Wedge (01:05:32) - Why Gwen Loves the South (01:11:03) - Democracy and the American Dream (01:14:24) - Closing Thoughts

    1h 19m
  4. Dr. Toni M. Bond - "Man in the Mirror'

    FEB 14

    Dr. Toni M. Bond - "Man in the Mirror'

    Host and executive producer Erika Washington welcomes back Dr. Toni Bond, a classically trained Womanist ethicist and ethics professor, for a wide-ranging conversation about ethics, morality, faith, and the United States’ political climate in 2026. They distinguish ethics (social rules of conduct) from morals (individual principles), and Dr. Bond explains key normative ethical approaches—utilitarianism, deontological duty ethics, and virtue ethics—using a classroom dilemma about whether a parent should tell authorities a son is hiding after allegedly robbing a beloved elderly neighbor. The discussion expands into Christian and theological ethics, including how biblical interpretation varies by translation and historical context, and how scripture has been weaponized for oppression; they also explore consent and a Womanist reading through the story of Mary and the birth of Jesus. Turning to current events, they address immigration enforcement and ethical questions about human rights, critique the nation’s “broken” moral compass and the historic problems of U.S. democracy, and discuss unjust laws, voting, mutual aid, and the need for courageous activism amid threats to speech and dissent. They close by debating the ethics and strategy of protesting inside a church over alleged ICE ties, weighing private property, consistency, and whether actions advance justice or deepen division, and end with a call to work together toward liberation and community care. (00:00) - Introduction & Welcome (04:22) - What is a Womanist Ethicist? (04:55) - Three Normative Ethical Approaches (07:15) - The Moral Dilemma: Protecting Your Son (10:52) - Justice vs. Family Loyalty (12:50) - Ethics in Everyday Life (13:59) - Classical vs. Christian Ethics (16:59) - Laws, Morality & Human Sexuality (18:43) - Biblical Interpretation & Context (20:39) - The Bible & Human Sexuality (21:57) - Mary's Consent & Divine Will (27:54) - Reading the Bible with Open Eyes (30:35) - The Bible as a Tool of Oppression (31:02) - Free Will & The Problem of Evil (35:42) - God's Nature & Human Suffering (40:04) - Current Political Moment & Immigration (43:33) - America's Broken Moral Compass (44:05) - The Founding Fathers' Problematic Legacy (49:55) - Unjust Laws & Radical Action (51:08) - Mutual Aid & Community Care (52:56) - Courageous Activism in Dangerous Times (55:10) - Organizing vs. Electoral Politics (58:56) - Church Protest Debate: Ethics of Activism (01:06:42) - Finding Common Ground (01:07:49) - Closing Thoughts

    1h 9m

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

To keep my thoughts in order and my to-do lists remotely manageable I create arrays of sticky notes on my desk and wall. New idea? Stick note! Someone I want to meet with? Sticky Note! Need to remember to pay a parking ticket? Write it on a sticky note. Over the course of the last year, I have wanted to create a podcast that allowed me to dive deep into conversations with interesting people.. I wanted to have real conversations that were more than sound bites or regurgitated talking points about fluffy topics. My hope is that each episode feels like old friends catching up. Revealing great information but also humanity, struggle, victory, joy, grief, and possibly, a flicker of transcendence. I hope you will enjoy these as much as I do creating them. Join me here every Saturday as I pull a new sticky note off my desk.