By: Funny Or Die

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CALL & RESPONSE: Black Tech & Innovation

Hours

Today ‘s discussion will cover Black Tech & Innovation. With special guests Baratunde Thurston (Writer, Activist, Comedian, and Commentator), Van Lathan (Reporter & Podcast Host “Higher Learning ‘ on The Ringer), and Morgan DeBaun (CEO & Founder Blavity Inc.). Hosted by Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle.

CALL & RESPONSE: Black Tech & Innovation

SHOW NOTES

  • Los Angeles Unified School District voted down getting rid of police in schools (Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle)
  • Today would have been Tamir Rice ‘s 18th birthday (Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle)
  • Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle discuss the issues with two-party political system
  • Baratunde Thurston talks about growing up in a Black family with a computer and how access to a computer made him a huge teach resource in the Black community, gave him more access to information, but didn ‘t help his dating life
  • The current need for us to apply technology to things that affect Black livelihood (public transportation, healthcare, etc) (Baratunde Thurston)
  • How protestors used a database to find out individual police offers complaints & announced those violations at a protest
  • How COVID-19 is forcing people to use social media for information vs. aesthetics & how the pandemic has brought us to the collective realization that work/life balance is impossible unless we innovate (Baratunde Thurston)
  • How Baratunde Thurston ‘s sister, Belinda Thurston, runs Just B Yoga, a donation-based Yoga Studio in Michigan that has made yoga affordable, accessible, and more body positive
  • Why calling out “Karen ‘ and #LivingWhileBlack videos are a sign of progress (Baratunde Thurston)
  • Baratunde Thurston ‘s new podcast, “We ‘re Having A Moment ‘ which focuses and documenting how COVID and George Floyd ‘s murder is impacting and changing America
  • The censorship and misinformation within American History, how cell phone videos are unbiasedly documenting present-day injustices
  • The power of the people vs. our current democracy (Baratunde Thurston)
  • Van Lathn opens up about how quarantine initially drove him to a nervous breakdown & how not starting his day with technology, talking walks, and making a point to consume positive content helped him
  • Why Van Lathan examines praises “The Wire ‘ in his podcast “The Red Pill ‘ for its honest examination of systems, gangster capitalism, exploitation of the poor & the dwindling of the middle class
  • The problems Van Lathan encountered while working at TMZ
  • How defunding the police would free up taxpayer money to better our communities (Van Lathan)
  • CEO & Fonder of Blavity Inc. Morgan DeBaun explains how the company is leveraging the power capitalism to empower the Black community and Black initiatives
  • How forming “the Black lunch table ‘ as school made Morgan DeBaun feel more grounded and connected to other Black classmates and how that echos in how Blavity Inc. is connecting, empowering & enriching the Black community
  • How Morgan DeBaun ‘s experience in Silicon Valley motivated the origins of Blavity (“Black Gravity ‘) and , the importance of carving out space for Black ownership in the tech industry
  • The AfroTech Conference & how it is connecting Black people in the tech industry (Morgan DeBaun ‘s)
  • The future of Blavity and how young the advice that she passes down to younger people (Morgan DeBaun)
  • How business scale is possible without folding to corporate greed and changing the company ‘s initiative (Morgan DeBaun)

GUEST RECOMMENDATIONS

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE

Baratunde Thurston explains why #Karen and #LivingWhileBlack videos are a sign of progress

CLIP: Baratunde Thurston explains why #Karen and #LivingWhileBlack videos are a sign of progress

Why Van Lathan examines “The Wire ‘ in his podcast and the problems he saw while working at TMZ

CLIP: Why Van Lathan examines “The Wire ‘ in his podcast and the problems he saw while working at TMZ

Morgan DeBaun explains why scale is possible without corporate greed

CLIP: Morgan DeBaun explains why scale is possible without corporate greed

TODAY ‘S GUESTS

Baratunde Thurston ‘ Writer, Activist, Comedian & Commentator

Instagram: @baratunde

Twitter: @baratunde

Facebook: @baratunde

Van Lathan ‘ Reporter & Podcast Host “Higher Learning ‘ on The Ringer

Instagram: @vanlathan

Twitter: @VanLathan

Morgan DeBaun ‘ CEO & Founder Blavity Inc.

Instagram: @morgandebaun

Twitter: @MorganDeBaun

ABOUT THE SHOW

Call & Response is a new show designed to respond to the changes and activism of our time. Each day, Baron and Mike will invite their favorite Black creators ‘ activists, comedians, musicians, actors, visual artists, and more ‘ to riff on current events, discuss the present momentum, and speak about their work and struggles.

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