On this episode of the KYRC Podcast, host Tat Wza sits down with Emmanuel Wright and Pierre Bazile of the Hidden Genius Project to explore how tech education can change lives. They break down the program’s 15-month immersion in coding, app building, and game design, and why access matters for Black and Brown youth. The conversation tackles AI’s rapid rise, shifting job futures, and the power of human creativity. They also discuss digital safety, data ownership, and preparing young people to lead in an evolving, connected world with confidence, purpose, and community impact today across cities nationwide and beyond together.

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Hosts Mariela Regalado and Dr. Sean Tory are joined by educators Esmeralda Alai and José Fernández Brito of non-profit IMM Schools (@immschools) to discuss supporting immigrant students and families through education on this episode of the KYRC Podcast. Esmeralda breaks down the mission of IMM Schools and its work creating safe, welcoming spaces across multiple states. José speaks on the responsibility educators carry in understanding student rights and building belonging. Together, they explore cultural identity, asset-based learning, translanguaging, and practical ways schools can show care and solidarity while helping students thrive academically without placing families at risk.

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A federal court has restored $127 million in USDA grants that had been stripped from Black farmer organizations earlier this year, offering relief to groups like Sharon Mallory's 2020 Farmers Cooperative.

In March, the USDA terminated the funding, claiming the awards were "discriminatory based on diversity, equity and inclusion and wasteful spending." The money came from the Biden-era Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program, which awarded $300 million to 50 projects addressing historic land loss among farmers of color.

The termination devastated grantees. Mallory's cooperative, which had promised equipment, land purchases, and food access for its community, couldn't fulfill its commitments to farmers.

Organizations were forced to cut staff, end programs, and divert resources. As Mallory said in the lawsuit, "the grant termination has undone 2020 Farmers Cooperative's long-term work in building trusting relationships, which led us to apply for the grant, and we must now find new ways to get back to where we were reputationally." That loss of trust emphasizes why these programs matter beyond dollars: Black farmers have long faced systemic barriers to land and capital, and initiatives like this were designed to rebuild relationships eroded over generations.

On June 30, U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered USDA to reinstate the grants, ruling that "the terminations of their individual grants were likely contrary to statute, that they will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of relief, and that the balance of equities and public interest favor preliminary injunctive relief." She added, "these grant terminations are preliminarily vacated."

Hannah Wolf, a FarmSTAND attorney representing the plaintiffs, framed the ruling as part of a pattern: "the court has consistently recognized that USDA has an obligation to assist all farmers and ranchers. It cannot diminish services to certain farmers by invoking phrases like 'illegal DEI.'"

Twenty-four organizations, including groups like the Kansas Black Farmers Association, Center for Heirs' Property, and NDN Collective, joined the suit. The case highlights the ongoing fight to ensure Black farmers retain access to land, capital, and support essential to their survival and to correcting historic inequities in American agriculture.

Link: Capital B News

Every license plate on the road feeds into a database that any officer can search, and there's no warrant required before they do. That's the core of a new Institute for Justice review: at least 24 cases nationwide of police using automated license plate readers (ALPR), like Flock Safety cameras, to stalk romantic partners, exes, coworkers, and even strangers. "The fundamental problem with these systems is that they place private information about people's movements over time in the hands of every officer," says IJ attorney Michael Soyfer. "Without the constitutional safeguard of a warrant requirement, that predictably allows officers to abuse their access to these systems for things like stalking romantic partners."

The scale of individual abuse is striking: a Milwaukee officer tracked a partner and her ex nearly 180 times in two months; a Sedgwick, Kansas police chief tracked his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend more than 200 times. These aren't isolated glitches — they're the predictable result of handing every badge holder a real-time surveillance tool with no independent check. And the safeguards companies point to are largely theater. Only a handful of the 24 cases were caught by internal review; most surfaced because victims came forward, often through public audit sites like HaveIBeenFlocked.com, not because the system policed itself.

Even the accountability that follows is inconsistent. Some officers face felony charges; others, like a Kenosha County deputy, simply "resigned with severance pay." A Jerome County, Idaho sheriff who ran hundreds of searches on his wife's vehicle faced no charges at all — he just retired early. And IJ stresses the 24 known cases are "almost certainly an undercount," since officers "frequently cite vague or inaccurate reasons" for searches, and quiet resolutions likely hide more.

The pattern points to a broader shift: surveillance infrastructure justified as a public-safety tool is being used as a private weapon, and the people it watches have no way to know until they're already being followed.

10 examples of officers using ALPR/Flock systems to stalk romantic interests:

1. Westmoreland County, PA (2021) — Michael McSherry tracked his estranged wife; pleaded guilty to stalking.

2. Sedgwick, KS (2023) — Chief Lee Nygaard tracked his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend 200+ times; resigned.

3. Costa Mesa, CA (2023) — Robert Josett tracked his mistress and her other partners; pleaded guilty to multiple charges.

4. Orange City, FL (2024) — Jarmarus Brown tracked his girlfriend and her family 100+ times over seven months; arrested.

5. Matteson, IL (2024) — Jaila Cole-Clark ran hundreds of searches on a former partner and their new partner; resigned mid-investigation.

6. Louisville, KY (2025) — Roberto Cedeno tracked an ex-partner and her friends hundreds of times; charged with multiple felonies.

7. Milwaukee, WI (2025) — Josue Ayala tracked a woman he was dating and her ex nearly 180 times; resigned after charges.

8. Braselton, GA (2025) — Chief Michael Steffman stalked a former partner and others; arrested.

9. Monroe County, FL (2026) — Lamar Roman tracked and pulled over a woman he met on a TV set; arrested.

10. Pasadena, TX (2026) — Sgt. Michael Palitz used Flock cameras to "track and stalk a female officer"; resigned.

Link:  NPR

In another attempt to reshape how slavery is remembered, federal agents overnight removed newly restored panels at Philadelphia's President's House site and quietly installed replacements that critics say sanitize George Washington's role as an enslaver.

Attorney Michael Coard of the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition didn't mince words: "To say that we're outraged is an understatement." Speaking near the Liberty Bell on Wednesday, Coard said the new panels "completely whitewashed" the history of slavery at the site, where Washington kept nine enslaved Africans while serving as president. He singled out language describing Washington's "discomfort" with slavery as especially galling: "What about the 316 Black men, women and children he enslaved at Mount Vernon? What about the nine he enslaved here in Philadelphia? If he had 'discomfort,' what did they have?"

The swap came after the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed four of five claims Philadelphia had filed over the panels' original removal in January, reversing a district court order that had required restoration. ATAC spokesperson Dawn Chavous said unidentified workers erected barricades before dawn and installed the new panels without notice.

The Interior Department defended the change, insisting the panels "are full of historical context" and "acknowledge the evils of slavery, including its injustices and hypocrisies," and that they tell "the full story, every triumph, every challenge, and every step towards a more perfect union" ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary.

But Mayor Cherelle Parker pushed back, pledging the city would keep exploring legal options and insisting "all of our history must be told." She framed the site as forcing a reckoning with "core questions we still live and struggle with today,  how do we share power for the betterment of all people?"

For Coard, the administration's real priorities were clear: "If the federal government would ignore the hell of slavery for the victims but highlight the president's discomfort, that tells you everything you need to know." National Park Service rangers and U.S. Park Police then blocked the coalition from holding a news conference at the site without a permit, pushing the fight over memory further from view.

Link: Philly Tribune

On this episode of the KYRC Podcast, the focus shifts to healing, care, and belonging as Diana Diaz Madera joins the conversation. A licensed clinical social worker with 17 years of experience, she shares insights from her work supporting asylum seekers, displaced families, and unaccompanied youth through her practice, Corte. Diana speaks on emotional wellness for Black and Brown youth impacted by immigration raids, fear, and instability. She highlights the mental weight placed on young people, the value of mutual aid, and accessible self-preservation practices, stressing community solidarity as a vital part of holistic mental health support.

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In this episode of the Know Your Rights Camp podcast, hosts Dr. Sean Tory and Amir Whitaker sit down with entrepreneur and financial literacy advocate Nicole Walters. Walters shares her inspiring journey from the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants to becoming a self-made multimillionaire and New York Times bestselling author. She speaks about the real challenges of today’s economy, including inflation and new digital financial trends, and explains why earning money is only part of the equation. Walters stresses the need to keep wealth circulating in our own communities through smart saving, investing, and entrepreneurship. She encourages young people to treat their creativity and talents as valuable assets and reminds listeners that success grows through authenticity, consistency, and small daily steps.

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Madison police shot and killed Corey Durell Ruiz, 38, a homeless man, on a city street Wednesday, and the killing shows a department that used lethal force after tasing him when officers appeared to already have him under control, then withheld basic accountability afterward.

Bystander David Ortiz-Whittingham, who watched officers swarm Ruiz, said: "I thought, 'Holy cow,  what could have warranted that?' It looked to me like they had him under control. Even now, knowing about the knife, did he have to die for it? Could this have been de-escalated?" In his video, a woman is heard screaming: "I saw everything! I saw everything! You did not need to kill him! ... We watched it all!"

None of the four officers wore body cameras. Common Council President Sabrina Madison said: "My first thought is, when the officer's walking away, why isn't he walking away in cuffs. I'm angry, there's no way around it." She added, "He's a human being. He had a family. He has parents who loved him who brought him home, who cared for him."

The department has also stonewalled oversight. Independent police monitor Aeiramique Glass said police hadn't shared evidence or even the shooting officer's identity with her office, accusing the department of "obstructing what the community and the public" want, and demanding: "Let me do my job."

Police Chief John Patterson, while claiming to want "transparency" and "accountability," urged the public not to draw conclusions from the videos and offered only that "this situation was clearly dangerous." Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway acknowledged the core problem: "It does not matter who you are or what your past is, you should not lose your life as a result of an encounter with law enforcement."

This is the third fatal police shooting in the same neighborhood since 2012, following two prior killings where officers were cleared without charges,  a pattern residents say has left the community, in the chief's own words, having "experienced a lot of trauma." Protesters interrupted Thursday's press conference, one sign reading "Corrupt cops deserve to die too!!!," reflecting fury that the department still lacks body cameras despite the recurring shootings, and that a $400,000 funding request for cameras is only now being considered.

Link: AP

If you’ve lost someone to fatal violence under police, ICE Agents or while incarcerated, apply to our Autopsy Initiative for a free independent autopsy here: https://www.knowyourrightscamp.org/autopsyinitiative

On this episode of the KYRC Podcast, host Dr. Sean Tory(@theedrseantory) sits with Claudia Ramos (@claudiaramosdesigns)  and Brandan Bmike Odums(@bmike2c) to explore how art becomes a living response to injustice in Los Angeles. Ramos shares her journey from El Salvador, how discrimination shaped her voice, and why her bright, playful visuals confront issues like immigration pressure and racial harm. Odums reflects on the responsibility artists carry to tell real community stories and spark dialogue. Together, they examine art as connection, resistance, and truth-telling, urging creatives to use their platforms intentionally to challenge harmful systems and inspire collective awareness through authentic expression.

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At the Know Your Rights Camp in Oakland, juvenile defense attorney and global speaker Cayden Brown delivered a life-shifting message during his “Know Your Power” segment. Speaking from lived experience, Brown challenged young people to stop waiting for permission to create change, reminding them that waiting is a privilege many communities simply don’t have. Drawing inspiration from youth activists like Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai, he showed how age has never been a barrier to impact;it has often been the spark.

At just 19, Cayden Brown is already reshaping how the world talks about children's rights. In this powerful episode of the Know Your Rights Camp podcast, the youth advocate, author, and executive director of the Trespass Project opens up about being silenced in family court as a six-year-old during his parents' divorce; an experience that inspired his Amazon #1 bestselling children's book, The Kid in a Courtroom. Cayden breaks down how teen court offers a peer-driven alternative to the juvenile justice system, boasting a 90% success rate in preventing recidivism, and why it should be adopted nationwide for first-time, low-level offenses. He also shares his experience as the youngest youth panelist at a United Nations event on global peace and security, and explains why legal literacy and honest conversations with kids are essential tools for healing. A must-watch for parents, educators, and youth advocates alike. 

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On this episode of the KYRC Podcast, a powerful conversation unfolds with Dr. Lupe Carrasco Cardona, a veteran educator and community organizer with over two decades of experience. She reflects on her parents’ lives as migrant workers, the lessons learned beyond textbooks, and how lived history shapes education. Dr. Cardona breaks down her laa methodology, which weaves personal, community, and historical narratives to reconnect students with their indigenous roots. She also discusses building ethnic studies outside state limits, human-centered teaching, and the role of storytelling in healing, identity, and collective liberation for future generations.

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Christine and Elmore Wonsley, the parents of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, spoke publicly for the first time in an emotional Good Morning America interview with Michael Strahan on July 10, 2026, raising pointed questions about their son's death after he disappeared during a Fourth of July trip to Mississippi's Horn Island. Nolan's body was found in the water near the island two days after he went missing; authorities suspect drowning but are still awaiting the state medical examiner's autopsy report.

The Wonsleys are conducting their own independent investigation, centered on why Nolan would have separated from his friend group — something they say was completely out of character. "That we cannot answer," Christine said. Elmore added, "We always taught him that if you go with a group, you stay with a group... so why would he split from the group? I don't know."

The family is also questioning inconsistencies in Nolan's phone location data compared to Snapchat records, and the fact that his Snapchat accounts contained no photos or videos from the trip. "There was absolutely nothing," Christine said.

Attorney Benjamin Crump, representing the family, pointed to conflicting witness accounts about whether Nolan intended to return to the boat, and to a viral video in which Nolan can allegedly be heard asking for his phone. "No young person leaves their cell phone," Crump said.

Sheriff John Ledbetter confirmed investigators are reviewing the video and have requested Nolan's phone for forensic extraction, saying, "We're working toward the same goal as the family."

The family has commissioned an independent autopsy in Washington, D.C., conducted by a pathologist with no ties to Mississippi law enforcement. Crump said our founder Colin Kaepernick paid for the independent autopsy.

Christine and Elmore also remembered their son warmly. "Nolan was just like this bright light," Christine said. "His smile, his energy was just so infectious." Elmore called him "more like a silent leader," saying he led by example and "worked hard" toward his goals. "He's going to be really missed," Elmore said.

Link: People

If you’ve lost someone to fatal violence under police, ICE Agents or while incarcerated, apply to our Autopsy Initiative for a free independent autopsy here: https://www.knowyourrightscamp.org/autopsyinitiative

At the Know Your Rights Camp in Oakland, civil rights attorney Adanté Pointer delivered a deeply grounded and urgent session on navigating interactions with police safely and legally. With two decades of experience representing families impacted by police violence, including the loved ones of Mario Woods and Oscar Grant, Pointer brought both legal knowledge and lived reality into the room. His message was clear: understanding your rights can protect your life.

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Investigative journalist Lexis-Olivier Ray of LA Taco and Adam Rose of the Freedom of the Press Foundation join us to break down what's really happening to press freedom in the United States today.

From covering the George Floyd protests and Dodgers championship celebrations to anti-ICE demonstrations and homeless encampment sweeps, Ray shares firsthand accounts of being targeted, beaten, and arrested by police while doing his job. Rose connects these stories to a troubling national pattern: dozens of documented attacks on journalists, new state protections like California's Senate Bill 98, and a U.S. ranking that has fallen into the 60s on the World Press Freedom Index.

We dig into the First Amendment's press clause, why "the press" includes independent and citizen journalists and not just legacy outlets, the growing militarization of police at protests, and the corporate consolidation, including the Paramount, CBS, and Warner mergers, that's reshaping who controls the news Americans see.

This conversation is a reminder that press freedom isn't just a professional privilege; it's a right that belongs to everyone, from credentialed reporters to citizen documentarians like Darnella Frazier. We also talk about why independent local outlets like LA Taco matter more than ever, and how everyday people can stay informed without burning out.

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Evanston, Illinois — the only city in America to have actually distributed reparations,  is now fighting to defend its landmark program after the federal government joined a lawsuit seeking to shut it down.

Launched in 2021, Evanston's program allocated $20 million to Black residents who lived in the city between 1919 and 1969 and suffered housing discrimination through city-sanctioned redlining policies. Over $7 million has already been distributed in $25,000 increments, funded through local marijuana tax revenue, and used for home repairs, down payments, and property penalties,  tangible remedies for documented, city-inflicted harm.

The program's architect, Robin Rue Simmons, is clear about what this legal challenge really represents. She calls the federal lawsuit a "fear tactic" designed to discourage other governments from pursuing similar programs,  a political move dressed up as a constitutional argument. And she's not wrong to be suspicious. The Trump administration's intervention marks a sharp reversal from the Biden administration's support for congressional reparations inquiries, and puts the U.S. in the company of a small minority of nations that rejected a recent UN resolution urging reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.

Simmons has forcefully pushed back against the claim that Evanston's program lacks specificity. Redlining between 1919 and 1969 wasn't abstract,  it was deliberate policy that locked Black families out of wealth-building neighborhoods, limiting their access to jobs, healthcare, and education for generations. "Evanston has set a new precedent," she says. "It has shown that racial reparations are possible."

The Department of Justice argues that "simply handing out money based on race is not the answer,"  but that framing deliberately obscures the program's careful historical grounding. Hundreds of residents have already received meaningful support. At least five states and more than a dozen cities have studied reparations, yet none have had the courage to follow through.

Evanston did. Now it must be allowed to finish what it started.

Link: AP

The modern job market is already brutal for new graduates, but for Black applicants, an invisible force is quietly making things worse. A landmark study tracking 3.4 million people submitting 4 million applications across 150 employers has pulled back the curtain on how AI hiring tools systematically disadvantage Black candidates before a human ever reviews their resume.

Ninety percent of U.S. employers now rely on AI screening tools to sort applicants, with most using the same handful of third-party vendors. For Black job seekers, that concentration of power is a serious problem. The research found that 26% of Black applicants applied to positions where the AI discriminated against their racial group. The researchers calculated that if the system had recommended Black candidates at the same rate as the most-favored group, typically white applicants, 40,000 more of their applications would have advanced to the next stage.

What makes this particularly insidious is how the discrimination hides itself. The vendor's overall numbers can look neutral when you average everything together, masking what's actually happening position by position. A system might recommend Black candidates at acceptable rates for warehouse roles while quietly screening them out of finance positions. That big-picture average conceals the real discrimination happening job by job.

The damage doesn't stop at a single rejection. Because so many employers share the same vendor, Black applicants face a compounding disadvantage across every application they submit. The study found that people applying to multiple positions screened by the same vendor are more likely to be rejected everywhere they apply than simple probability would predict. For someone submitting four applications, there is a one-in-ten chance of receiving nothing but rejections,  not because of their qualifications, but because one algorithm has already made up its mind.

The researchers describe AI screening tools as combining three dangerous qualities: they are pervasively adopted, highly consequential, and opaque to the public. For Black job seekers navigating an already difficult market, that opacity isn't just frustrating,  it's a barrier embedded into the infrastructure of hiring itself.

Link: Stanford

A federal judge in Texas recently handed down sentences of 30 to 100 years to nine anti-ICE protesters who attended a demonstration outside the Prairieland ICE detention facility on July 4th, 2025. The severity of these punishments, effectively life sentences,  represents a chilling assault on the constitutional right to protest.

The charges stretch credulity. Autumn Hill received 50 years partly for setting off fireworks,  fireworks, on the Fourth of July. As Hill's wife Lydia Koza put it, prosecutors argued "with a straight face that lighting off fireworks on the Fourth of July was terrorism." Daniel Sanchez Estrada wasn't even at the protest; he received 30 years simply for moving a box of magazines.

The legal mechanism used is equally alarming. Prosecutors applied a "material support to terrorists" statute in a purely domestic context for the first time, requiring no actual connection to any terrorist organization. The judge then applied a terrorism sentencing enhancement and ordered all sentences to run consecutively rather than concurrently,  a rarely used, extreme measure that obliterated any individualized consideration of each defendant.

The disparity with January 6th prosecutions is staggering. Those defendants,  who stormed the Capitol, injured 140 officers, and discussed killing members of Congress,  received an average sentence of just 26 months. As defense attorney Sufia Khalid noted, "A government that punishes its nonviolent critics 30 times more harshly than its violent insurrectionist supporters is not a democracy in any meaningful sense."

This wasn't accidental. A 2025 presidential memorandum redefined domestic terrorism to include trespass and property damage for those with specific political beliefs,  anti-fascist, anti-Christian, anti-traditional values. The directive explicitly ordered prosecutors to seek the highest possible charges in such cases.

Reporter Matt Sledge warns this is just the beginning: "A playbook has now been set." The precedent established here means any American exercising their right to protest, regardless of their actions, can now be labeled a domestic terrorist. That should concern every American, left, right, or center.

Link: Democracy Now

At the Know Your Rights Camp in Oakland, Brandan “BMike” Odoms led a transformative Art and Activism Workshop that blended creativity with purpose. Standing in a space where Dr. Angela Davis, Colin Kaepernick, and Nessa shared the stage, Odoms reflected on the power of legacy and the responsibility to carry it forward. He spoke with deep admiration for Dr. Davis, recognizing how her lifetime of organizing continues to ignite imagination and courage in younger generations. In a city rich with movement history, the message resonated deeply: when young people are given space to imagine freely, they begin shaping futures that once felt impossible. Art becomes more than paint on a canvas, it becomes power.

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Dyana R. Williams, pioneering journalist, broadcaster, and the "mother of Black Music Month," joins host Amir Whitaker to uncover the powerful origins of Black Music Month, from Kenny Gamble's Black Music Association to President Jimmy Carter's historic 1979 White House recognition. They explore how enslaved Africans used spirituals and coded songs as resistance, expose systemic exploitation in the music industry, and trace Black music's DNA across global genres. From Marvin Gaye to Nas, this conversation is essential listening for anyone who loves music and truth.

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