Since Texas passed SB8, several states legislatures have followed suit with their own versions of legislation that would severely restrict abortion access in the hopes it will be challenged on the federal level, placing Roe v Wade at risk. To give us the lay of the reproductive justice land and action steps to get engaged, L. Joy brings Kelley Robinson to the front of the class. But first, L. Joy catches up with Liuba Grechen Shirley and chats with Vote Mama Spotlight Candidate Sarah Godlewski.

You may think the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which states “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex,” is already the law of the land, maybe, kind of. And it is, but it is complicated. To explain the history of the ERA of and what is happening now so we can get engaged, L. Joy brings Carol Jenkins, CEO of ERA Coalition, to the front of the class. But first, L. Joy gives us the primer we need on how we amend the Constitution and brings Vote Mama Candidate Spotlight Jen Jordan to the front of the class.

Although President Barack Obama made being an organizer “sexy,” being an organizer from the ground up is hard work. L. Joy brings the new Executive Director of Community Voices Heard (CVH), Juanita O. Lewis, to the front of the class to discuss her life in organizing, best practices and strategies for organizing, and she shares CVH’s survey and initiative, Follow Black Women.

It is time. It’s time to get to the heart of how we think about our societal problems and solutions differently. Thinking differently about public safety, education, health care--dealing with the actual issues and finding common ground, which may be messy and uncomfortable, but it can be done. L. Joy begins class with our new Vote Mama candidate spotlight on Nicole Horn, then brings Professor Alex Torpey to the front of the class to discuss thinking differently about governance.

Celebrating Black History should not just be regulated to one month. L. Joy always celebrates and uplifts Black History because we need history and context to enact effective change. We celebrate and uplift C. Virginia Fields, who is the epitome of living Black History, as she comes to the front of the class to discuss her remarkably civically active life and shares the important work the National Black Leadership Commission on Health is doing to improve Black health outcomes.

Public safety and policing. Does one need the other? Is having police manage matters of social disorder the way to best solve our social problems? L. Joy brings Professor Alex Vitale to the front of the class to give us more history and context we need to reimagine public safety.