The Switch Up With Cheyanne M. Daniels The Switch Up

On May 25, 2020, the world watched as 46-year-old George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer kneeling on his neck for more than 9 minutes. Floyd’s last words of “I can’t breathe” became a rallying cry for millions around the world.
Around the globe, people poured into the streets to demand police reform — and an end to the police violence that disproportionately affects Black Americans. Just days before the U.S. recognized the four-year anniversary of Floyd’s murder, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee reintroduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that would pass sweeping federal police reform by ending qualified immunity and banning no-knock warrants and chokeholds. And Rep. Cori Bush reintroduced the Helping Families Heal Act, a bill that would provide mental health services for those affected by police violence.
The Switch Up sat down with Floyd’s family — his brother, Philonise and his sister-in-law Keeta — to talk about what this anniversary means to them and how they think this legislation can help the nation.
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Maryland hopeful Angela Alsobrooks won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the state’s open Senate seat. She now moves on to the general election in November.
The race, between the Prince George’s County executive and sitting Rep. David Trone, was one of the nation’s most contentious.
If elected, Alsobrooks would become the first Black woman to represent the Old Line State in the Senate and only the fourth Black woman to ever serve in the upper chamber.
The Switch Up sat down with Alsobrooks ahead of May’s primary election, chatting about the history she could make.
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Since Shirley Chisholm’s historic 1968 election to Congress, Black women have continued to make political gains.
But even though Black women overwhelmingly align with the Democratic Party, a new generation of Black women hoping to bring change and diversity to the GOP.
The Switch Up spoke with two of these women — Kimberly Klacik and Roxy Ndebumadu — about what draws them to the GOP, and the barriers Black women face in politics.
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From their voting habits to their leadership roles, Black women play a defining role in our political system. Over the last few years, more and more Black women have made history, and their roles and voices are being recognized in newfound ways — and it’s leading to change. 
What are the top issues for Black women ahead of the 2024 election? What more needs to be done to increase Black female representation in politics on all levels and what are the barriers? What is the power of the Black vote and how does it impact our politics going forward? 
The Hill will bring together current and former Black women holding office, who make up different aspects of our political world, to share what it means to be a Black woman in politics.  

Panel: Representation Matters


Roxy Ndebumadu, District 4 Councilmember (R), Bowie City Council


Adrianne Shropshire, Executive Director, BlackPAC


Gabrielle Wyatt, Founder, The Highland Project


Kimberly Klacik, Conservative Political Commentator (R-MD)


Headliner Interview: Breaking Barriers

Stacey Abrams, Founder, Fair Fight Action; Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair of Race & Black Politics, Howard University; Former Representative (D), Georgia House of Representatives

Headliner Interview: Diversity Leadership

Whitley Yates, Director of Diversity & Engagement, Indiana Republican Party

Headliner Interview: Pushing for Equal Rights

Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Co-Chair, Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Caucus & Member, Congressional Black Caucus 

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It’s Black History Month — the one month a year where Americans take time to recognize the contributions Black Americans have made to this country since they were first brought to the U.S. and enslaved.
It means celebrating luminaries like Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress; poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, and so many others. 
But this year’s celebration feels different. Since 2021, at least 18 states have imposed bans or restrictions on teaching topics of race and gender, according to reporting by EDweek. Some of these bans have even led to the banning of books written by Black authors — which we highlighted on the podcast in the past.
In today’s episode, we look at why, despite pushback, telling the stories of Black Americans remains an integral part of understanding U.S. history.
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In our last two episodes, The Switch Up talked about the maternal mortality crisis — how it disproportionately affects Black and Brown Americans, the struggle of incarcerated pregnant people and the activists and political leaders who are trying to end this crisis. 
Today, we’re delving into this crisis just a little bit more — and the decade-long fight to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). 
The PWFA is the first federal workplace protections for pregnant people enacted in 45 years. The law's new regulations are set to be released any day, and these new regulations protect pregnant workers’ right to take time off for medical treatment, recovery from childbirth, and even the right to travel to obtain abortion care. 
In this special episode of The Switch Up, The Hill sat down with Gillian Thomas, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Women's Rights Project, to talk about these new regulations and how they can help end the maternal mortality crisis. 

Watch the interview on YouTube
Read more on TheHill.com
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