Episode 72: Teacher Diversity (and the lack thereof) in Washington State — Dahlia Bazzaz, The Seattle Times 

Only 11% of teachers in Washington State are people of color. Dahlia Bazzaz wanted to get to the bottom of why and in doing so did one of the best local education reporting projects in recent memory. Dahlia is an education beat writer for the Seattle Times. She previously appeared on episode 31 of the podcast.

Her project on teacher diversity was done in cooperation with Katie Gillespie in Vancouver. Give them both a follow.  

 

Going Further/Mentioned in the Show 

The Seattle Times Teacher Diversity Project

Seattle Times: A white teacher said she felt unsafe and called the police on a black fifth-grader

Nate’s 2016 Teacher Diversity Panel at Harvard

 

The Socials

Dahlia on Twitter

 

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Alaska Airlines.

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Ep. 71: The Seattle Sounders, MLS, and the Need for Courage Against Fascism — John Murphy, Tacoma Against Nazis and Shannon McMinimee, lawyer for the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club

EXTRA, EXTRA: This is a special Fight the Fash edition of the Nerd Farmer Podcast.

In response to the decision by Major League Soccer and the Seattle Sounders to ban supporters from displaying the Iron Front, an anti-fascist flag, we decided to convene a conversation with two local anti-fascist activists. In response to events this weekend, we’ve decided to accelerate the release of this episode. 

For those not in the know, the Iron Front is a three-arrow flag that dates back to Weimar Germany (pre-WWII). In its original rendering, the three arrows represented opposition to rising Nazism, opposition to a return to monarchy, and opposition to Stalinism. Members of the Iron Front used the symbol to literally cover swastikas in the streets and in their communities. It has been a symbol of anti-fascism/Nazism around the world for nearly 80 years. 

This conversation was recorded the day before the El Paso shooting and the publishing of the shooter’s right-wing manifesto. The day after that shooting a group of armed Proud Boys tried to force their way into Fuel, the home bar for ECS, the Seattle Sounders main supporters group. After failing to gain entry into the bar the Proud Boys harassed Sounders fans, eventually assaulting one. The response from the Sounders front office has been silence and as an Inaugural Season Ticket Holder, I find this unacceptable. 

It may seem odd to invoke Reagan in a situation like this, but in 1964 he delivered a speech called “A Time for Choosing.” In 2019, when it comes to combating violent white-supremacy, emboldened fascists, and the presence of Neo-Nazis in our communities, this is a time for choosing. So far Major League Soccer and the Seattle Sounders have chosen dreadfully, but it’s not too late. 

 

Going Further/Mentioned in the Show 

Neo-Nazism and violent fascists at NYCFC

White-nationalists try to enter Fuel

Sounders fan assaulted by Proud Boys

ADL Database of Hate Symbols

 

Post-Script: Ironically, as I was writing these show notes my renewal invoice for my season tickets arrived via email. It is also a time for choosing for me.

 

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Ep. 70: The US is a Prison State, but it Doesn’t Have to Be — Dr. Gilda Sheppard, the Evergreen State College

Professor Gilda Sheppard Sociology and Cultural Studies at Evergreen has been working on a film for admittedly 12 years focusing on the systemic institutionalism of persons of color called Since I Been Down. Dr. Sheppard carries a B.A., Sociology, Mercy College of Detroit,  M.S.W., University of Washington, and a Ph.D., Sociology/Cultural and Media Studies, The Union Graduate School, 1995. She and Nate go back to 2002.

 

The Rundown

3:00 What is it like to be a black woman public intellectual in Trump’s America? (You’ll love this answer) 

11:00 How did you begin using film in your teaching?

16:00 How did you become interested in advocating against the carceral state?

21:00 Let’s dig into black criminality & Jim Crow.

It’s more than the New Jim Crow. It’s the Advanced Jim Crow. 

30:00 Dr. Sheppard speaks about her film: Since I Been Down. 

40:00 Powerful audio Clip from the documentary.

 

Wind Down

Read: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi 

Watch: Sorry to Bother You trailer 

Listen To: This Is America by Childish Gambino 

Katy Downs Question!

 

The Socials

@dr_sheppard IG

 

Going Further

http://www.jimmielewisproductions.com 

Since I Been Down FB Page 

 

Grab a Book from King’s Books (or anywhere books are sold) and join #NerdFarmReads:

How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future 

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Ep. 69: Who is Getting Rich and Who Ain’t in the Legal Weed Biz — Dr. Dominic Corva: Center for the Study of Cannabis and Social Policy

Dr. Dominic Corva: Founder, and Executive Director at the Center for the Study of Cannabis and Social Policy. 

Dr. Corva has a PhD in Political Economy of Drug Policy from the University of Washington. He has been on faculty at Sarah Lawrence and Humboldt University. He leads The Cannabis Alliance‘s legislative committee to vacate cannabis convictions. This episode is a continuation of the conversation we had in episode 55 with Dr. Ingrid Walker, the author of High.

 

The Rundown

7:00 Events that serve the industry and how it’s legal.

10:00 Pot-trepeneurs and what that means

18:00 Why are persons-of-color incarcerated for cannabis and white folks are the frequenters of the business? (we all know, but I had to ask)

20:00 Is the industry really making money hand-over-fist?

27:00 What are your thoughts on the implementation of marijuana laws in Washington state?

40:00 What is the percentage of the legal marker of cannabis? 

44:30 Medical versus recreational and how the disconnect happened

46:00 Which state does it the best and what does a more equitable regime look like?

50:00 The answers to tax questions with mostly more questions.

 

The Wind Down

  1. What should we read to go further?
  2. What is one thing we should listen to? 
  3. What is one thing everyone should watch?

 

Going Further

Episode 55: Ingrid Walker & US Drug Policy 

Against the Grain 

Project CBD 

 

Socials

@CorvaDr Twitter

@corvad IG  

Grab a Book from King’s Books (or anywhere books are sold) and join #NerdFarmReads:
How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future 
The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Alaska Airlines.
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Ep. 68: Women’s Soccer, Reign FC, the USWNT, and Life as a Pro-Athlete — Megan Oyster, Reign FC

Megan Oyster is a defender with Reign FC and has made two appearances on with the US National Team. She’s a UCLA graduate and joined Reign FC in 2018. Previously she played for the Boston Breakers, Washington Spirit, and the Newcastle Jets in Australia’s W-League.

 

The Rundown

2:30 Oyster path from childhood to Reign FC

7:00 Thoughts on youth development in women’s soccer–how are we doing creating pathways to the pros?

12:30 Megan gets to play prognosticator and discuss the US’ performance in m at the World Cup 

16:00 Megan’s experience moving to Tacoma and Estadio Cheney

21:00 Who do you try to emulate when you play? 

28:00 Megan’s thoughts on why men don’t buy into NWSL and women’s soccer

 

The 5ish

  1. Something to Read
  2. Something to Listen to
  3. Something to Watch
  4. What is one thing everyone loves that you know is trash?

 

Going Further

Educated by Tara Westover

Just Women’s Sports IG 

JustWomen’sSports.com

 

 

Socials

@MeganOyster Twitter 

@meganoyster IG 

@reignfc IG

@ReignFC Twitter  

 

Grab a Book from King’s Books (or anywhere books are sold) and join #NerdFarmReads:

How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future 

 

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Alaska Airlines.

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Ep. 67: Watching the World Cup in France and Reign FC — Susie Rantz, Sounder at Heart and Jocelyn Jake Houghton, Royal Guard Supporters Group

This summer the US National Team is competing in the World Cup in France. Susie covers soccer for Sounder at Heart and co-hosts Coffee & Valkyries, a Reign FC focused podcast on the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network. Jake is the VP of the Royal Guard, the supporters group for Reign FC (you’ll notice Jake stans hard for England).

We wanted to get the skinny on the National Team and some of the top players in the tournament. We discussed the most likely to advance teams in each group, players from the NWSL (our domestic league) to watch, and we made the guests put on their prognostication hats and predict who’ll advance to the finals.

Look for more Channel 253 coverage of the Women’s World Cup with an episode in from Paris with the Flounders B-Team later this month. And as promised the South African Team entrance into their opening match.

 

Guests:

Susie Rantz, Sounder at Heart

Jocelyn Jake Houghton, Royal Guard

 

Coming Soon:

The #NerdFarmReads Bookclub Discussion of “How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Alaska Airlines

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Top 5 Travel Destinations — Alaska Airlines Sponsored Episode

This bonus episode of Nerd Farmer is a sponsored conversation with Alaska Airlines, a supporter of the Nerd Farmer podcast and Channel 253. Two guests from Alaska Airlines—Natalie Bowman and J’Keren Sears—stop by the studio to talk about one of Nate’s favorite topics: great travel destinations that don’t require a lay-over.

They also sample some of the food and beverage from Alaska Airlines. (Nate finally has an Alaska Airlines fruit and cheese platter on the ground).

Come for the travel recommendations. Stay for the skinny-dipped almonds.

Thank you, Alaska, for your support of Channel 253.

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Ep. 65: Primary Day is Coming! Who is Running in Tacoma in 2019 with Evelyn Lopez, True Tacoma & Desiree Finch, FUSE Washington

This podcast is rooted in the belief that local politics and elections matter. Going all the way back to episode number two, Stop Worrying About Trump and Get Active Locally, with Pierce County Councilman Derek Young, we have advocated for folks to pay more attention to local government here in Tacoma. Filing Day has passed and the 2019 primary will go down in August. In November, we’ll elect City Council Members, Port Commissioners, and School Board Directors. It’s time to get informed about who is running now.

Our friends over at Citizen Tacoma will have in-depth interviews with each of the candidates after the primaries. In the meantime, this episode is what we do best on Nerd Farmer–a barbershop chop-up about who is running this election cycle: Evelyn brings the PDC reports and Desiree brings the real talk.  

*Note: this episode begins with a very special personal announcement, #YNWA

 

Guests:

Desiree Finch, FUSE Washington

“Auntie” Evelyn Lopez, co-host of Crossing Division & writer of True Tacoma  

 

Coming Soon:

ACHH XV,  the Real State of the City: June 17 at 6pm at Pacific Brewing

The #NerdFarmReads Bookclub Discussion of “How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

 

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Alaska Airlines

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Ep. 64: Talking Independent Cinema and What You Should Watch at the Grand Cinema — Philip Cowan, Executive Director of the Grand Cinema

Philip Cowan has been the Executive Director of the Grand Cinema for nearly 13 years. The Grand Cinema is a nonprofit community gathering spot for independent, international, and local films.

The Rundown

8:00 How does a film go from being independently produced to being on the big screen in Tacoma?

15:00 How do you know which movies you’re going to have at the Grand?

20:00 How do you choose which movie screens in which theater?

26:00 Can we talk about the film Hail Satan for a minute?

30:00 First films, favorite films, oddest films?

 

The 5-ish

  1. What should our listeners watch, one thing to read, one thing to listen to?
  2. What is something that everyone loves that you know is pretty terrible.

 

Get in touch with The Grand:

philip@grandcinema.com

grandcinema.com  

 

Become a Member of The Grand:

https://www.grandcinema.com/membership/  

 

Movies Mentioned in this Episode:

RBG

Won’t You Be My Neighbor

Kenny

Sorry to Bother You

High Flying Bird

Hail Satan?

Kandahar

Juno

Grizzly Man

The Brink: Steve Bannon Documentary

Maiden

The Hate U Give  

 

Grab a Book from King’s Books (or anywhere books are sold) and join #NerdFarmReads:

How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Alaska Airlines

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Ep. 63: Chasing ISIS and Fighting the Whitehouse with Nada Bakos, former CIA Targeter

This week Nate was joined by former CIA agent and author of The Targeter: My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House, Nada Bakos. This episode a follow-up to episode 56, when we talked to Washington Post Reporter, Joby Warrick, the author of Black Flags. Nada discussed her work with the CIA, leading the hunt for the leadership of ISIS.

 

Rundown

12:00 What is a “Targeter” and how Nada got into intelligence work?

20:00 Nada discusses trailblazing a path for women in the CIA. What did it look like to seek Abu Musab al-Zarqawi?

24:00 Discussion about policymakers and intelligence.

29:00 Life after the CIA and the transition to civilian life

32:00 What are the similarities between foreign terrorist organizations and white nationalists?

34:00 Nada discussed the fight against ISIS in 2019 and how the Trump Administration is managing the fight.

 

The 5-ish

What to watch? Killing Eve

What to read? Madame Fourcade’s Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France’s Largest Spy Network Against Hitler

What to listen to? Fresh Air

What is something everybody loves that you think is awful?

Bonus watch from Doug: The Prisoner

 

Twitter

@nadabakos

 

Read On

The Targeter: My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House

 

Grab a Book from King’s Books (or anywhere books are sold) and join #NerdFarmReads:

How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Alaska Airlines

Please consider supporting the podcast by joining Channel 253 as a member

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