Audio Nuggets is back in the cypher! We have pulled from the greatness of hip hop culture in this all-Black container, where we are expressive and a bit impatient as we struggle for even a taste of justice. We are grateful to be joined by our comrade and friend, Brittany Gail Thomas for this episode, Blackness 365.
Brittany Gail Thomas (affectionately known by all as “BGT”) is a visionary leader, passionate advocate, nuanced thought-leader, and unapologetic champion for the most marginalized communities. She is a wife, mom, friend, mentor, non-profit Founder & CEO, DEIJ Coordinator, and Assistant Federal Public Defender who combines her passion for justice with her litigation, training, and administrative skills to manage it all.
We are in a time of reckoning. There is no statute of limitation in the annihilation of Black bodies. BGT has an embodied presence and is grounded in individual responsibility. This episode is about Blackness, Black history, and the love of Black people. Every space that BGT occupies is a testament to her ancestors’ struggles which flow through her bones and veins. This connection fuels her passion for advocating for Black people and her clients in the struggle toward freedom and liberation. The message is clear: Black History is not a month. We are proud to honor and celebrate Blackness 365!
Headlines: Trump’s First Week, Chafee Funds Returned, and the Springboard Prize
On this week’s podcast, we go over some of the actions taken by the Trump administration in their first full week since the inauguration. We also discuss a report that finds some states are sending back federal money to help older foster youth, and a Texas bill that would bring sweeping change to the way the child welfare system works in that state.
Rena Johnson of the Aviv Foundation and Mary Bissell of Child Focus join to talk about the Aviv Foundation’s Springboard Prize, an award that will invest $400,000 in several game-change oriented proposals.
“It Only Takes One Adult to Make a Difference.”
In this powerful episode of Resilient Voices & Beyond Podcast, host Michael D. Davis-Thomas welcomes Jacob Holley, a Certified Trauma-Informed Trainer, Lived Experience Leader, and passionate foster care advocate. With firsthand experience navigating 27 different placements within Arizona’s foster care system, Jacob shares his deeply personal journey of resilience, advocacy, and the impact of trauma-informed care.
Feeling Unsafe When Your Placement is “Secure”
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and we want to give children’s attorneys some perspectives on advocating for child victims going forward. Angela talked to Professor Emma Hetherington, from the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic at University of Georgia School of Law (CEASE Clinic) about how identifying the individualized needs of HT/CSEC victims can lead to better outcomes for safety and independent living.
Professor Hetherington offered resources to learn more:
How Legal Advocacy at Birth Can Keep Families Together with Adam Ballout
Valerie talks to Adam Ballout, a public defender and co-founder of the F.I.R.S.T. (Family Intervention Response to Stop Trauma) Legal Clinic in Washington state. The clinic takes an innovative approach by partnering with healthcare providers and community organizations to offer free legal advocacy to mothers facing substance use challenges. The goal is to keep mothers and their babies together while providing the support they need, including treatment and other resources.
Adam explains how early intervention at birth can help avoid the lasting trauma often caused by foster care and the court system. He highlights the importance of seeing the family as a whole and how prioritizing family preservation, rather than separation, results in better outcomes for both parents and children.
By taking a holistic approach and offering support before a crisis occurs, the F.I.R.S.T Clinic is able to keep the infant and mother together in 83% of their cases. The Clinic is a great example of how a compassionate, prevention-focused child welfare system can help keep families intact and improve long-term outcomes. Listeners will gain valuable insights into how the clinic achieves these outcomes and discover lessons that can be applied in their own communities. They’ll also learn about specific strategies, like involving peer allies (parents with lived experience) to empower families, build trust, and help them navigate the system.
“Hurt People Hurt People”
In this moving episode of Resilient Voices & Beyond Podcast, host Michael D. Davis-Thomas is joined by the inspiring Victoria “V” DeHart, a 24-year-old adoptee, advocate, motivational speaker, and social work student, to discuss her incredible story of resilience and healing. Born in a prison in Kaliningrad, Russia, and adopted as a baby, Victoria’s life has been marked by immense challenges, but her journey serves as a testament to the power of faith, self-love, and perseverance.
The Biden Youth Justice Legacy with Liz Ryan
In November, the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) held its first national conference in more than a decade, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the landmark Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
Right after the conference ended, OJJDP Administrator and longtime youth justice reformer Liz Ryan joined us to discuss the conference, in particular the large presence of young people who have experienced the justice system. Ryan also reflected on the future of justice reform, and what she feels the Biden administration accomplished during her tenure.
Decarceration Advocate Liz Ryan to Lead Juvenile Justice for Biden Administration https://bit.ly/37hzj6A
Nation’s Top Juvenile Justice Official Disputes ‘Youth Crime Wave’ Narrative https://bit.ly/3xR7k7X
“Life Is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You Respond to It”
Host Michael D. Davis-Thomas sits down with Tristian W. Smith, MSEM, a retired Army officer, published author, and advocate for foster youth. Tristian shares his extraordinary journey of resilience, from overcoming the challenges of a tumultuous childhood in the foster care system to achieving success as a military professional, emergency management specialist, and author of the memoir Against All Odds.
How Organizations Can Be A Community, Not Just An Employer with Flo White
In this episode, we hear from Flo White, a youth organizer and leader with Sasha Bruce Youthwork. Flo shares her powerful journey from experiencing homelessness to becoming a leader within the organization and a key advocate for youth in Washington, DC. Her story is one of resilience, growth, and empowerment, as she navigated the challenges of youth homelessness, received stabilization, and transitioned into leadership roles at Sasha Bruce, including serving on the Youth Advisory Board and contributing to The Curb podcast.
Flo reflects on the opportunity organizations like Sasha Bruce have to go beyond youth engagement and service provision, supporting the development and growth of young people in meaningful ways. Her experience highlights the profound impact such organizations can have in creating job opportunities, fostering personal growth, and developing leadership skills. She emphasizes the importance of investing in youth in a holistic, non-judgmental way and discusses how Sasha Bruce’s commitment to centering youth voices has shaped her own path and ability to contribute to broader systemic change. Flo also shares valuable lessons from her journey, offering insights on how we can create environments where young people aren’t just heard, but are also empowered as future leaders.
Headlines: The Arrest of James McIntyre, “New” Data on Trying Kids as Adults, and More
On this Headlines edition of The Imprint Weekly Podcast, we stick with Capitol Hill where a lot went down around the holidays. We discuss the arrest of a former foster youth and advocate arrested after a celebration of the Chafee Act, along with some child welfare legislation that made it into law (and one bill that did not).
We also break down some long-sought data about what happens when youth are charged as adults in the United States, and the lastest federal report on child abuse and neglect. Thanks to live podcast attendee, new rescue dog Dracula, for being a good boy while we recorded!
Welcome to the cypher! Audio Nuggets is back, as fierce as ever, for 2025. We are turning the page. Another beginning, a new season, and for a lot of us; so much work to be done. Get ready to experience the rhythm of the cypher with our friend and guest, MiDian Shofner for Dreaming In Blackness.
MiDian Shofner embodies the essence of Denver, Colorado. Influenced by the indomitable spirit and wisdom of her forebears, MiDian has forged her path of leadership steeped in the traditions of advocacy, faith, and activism. As the CEO of the Epitome of Black Excellence & Partnership and the Owner/Founder of 8PM Consulting for Humanity, MiDian brings an unwavering commitment to racial justice.
This is a conversation grounded in liberation of the mind, body, soul, and spirit. The episode explores Black culture as being coveted, and how being accountable to our own humanity will allow us to live in all our bigness and all of our radiant shine. With a firm reminder of the place that Black bodies sit today is because of the dreaming that the ancestors had, to experience the liberated minds of today. Dreaming in Blackness means that we begin to unlearn the conditioning of the oppressor and move toward embracing and being captivated by the conditioning that our ancestors gave us; the vision of freedom.
MiDian gifts the cypher with a demonstration of intentional love and liberation. It is magnified. It is palpable. In turning the page into 2025, let us all remember the joy in love, and remember what we are saying YES to! What we pay attention to will grow.
“Don’t Let Your Past Struggles Define Your Future”
In this emotionally moving episode of Resilient Voices & Beyond Podcast, host Michael D. Davis-Thomas sits down with the resilient and inspiring Tashala Webster, a foster care alumna, adoptee, advocate, and nursing student, to discuss her journey of overcoming adversity, trauma, and obstacles to create a brighter future.
Tashala shares her powerful life story, beginning with being removed from her biological mother’s care at the age of five due to mental health challenges and navigating through 12 foster homes in Flint, Michigan, where she experienced instability and abuse. Her path to resilience included facing the challenges of being an older foster youth, enduring a chaotic adoption at 16, and eventually running away and becoming homeless at 19.
Becoming Responsible For Her Body – Remembering Ma
Welcome to Audio Nuggets, right here in the cypher. We invite you to join us in experiencing this season’s anchor, “Becoming Responsible For Her Body–Remembering Ma”.
How do I share the depth and magnitude of our relationship? To keep making her proud. There are two purposes in this episode: to thank you, the people, and to show what it looks like to be responsible for my mother’s body. In learning and practicing what “meeting a moment” truly means, there is persistent loss, pain, and gain happening at the same time.
I can feel her legacy in me. For the family beyond blood and law, and my family family, THANK YOU. Special acknowledgements: BGT and Jasmine Wali for their remarkable gifts of love. And lastly, I could never forget my fearless TEAM MFG, FOR HOLDIN’ IT DOWN! The gratitude for my team runs deep.
Season’s greetings to all. We will be back in 2025. Just as fierce as always, right here in the cypher!
The Best of The Imprint Weekly Podcast, 2024
As always, we were fortunate to have some amazing guests join us this year on The Imprint Weekly Podcast. In this episode we feature clips of 10 great interviews from 2024.
If you enjoy this podcast, or the great work our reporters do at The Imprint and Fostering Families Today, and the work that our Youth Voices Rising team does, please consider making a donation. And if you do so this month, during Newsmatch, your donation will get doubled!
“You Only Live Once, But If You Do It Right, Once Is Enough”
In this inspiring episode of Resilient Voices & Beyond Podcast, host Michael D. Davis-Thomas sits down with the multifaceted Chianté Lymon-Hamilton, a trailblazer and advocate for justice and equity. As the Executive Director of the Society for History and Racial Equity (SHARE), Chianté shares her life’s journey of resilience, passion, and leadership.
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Chianté reflects on her upbringing in a single-parent household in a low-income community and how her educational experiences at Cass Tech and Western Michigan University shaped her commitment to justice. From her early days interning at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to becoming a change agent and business owner, Chianté takes us through her transformative journey.
Creating a System that Works for Families with Rebecca Jones-Gaston
In this episode, we hear from Rebecca Jones-Gaston, Commissioner of the Administration of Children, Youth, and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Children’s Bureau, which is part of ACYF, is one of the six national partners of the Thriving Families, Safer Children initiative. As a key leader in Thriving Families, Safer Children, Rebecca brings invaluable insight into how the initiative is reshaping the way we approach family well-being.
With both a federal perspective and personal lived experience in child welfare, Rebecca explores the limitations of a system that too often relies solely on foster care, without addressing the underlying burdens and inequities families face. She highlights how the Thriving Families initiative offers a new approach, focusing on prevention and support that goes beyond the harsh intervention of family separation.
Throughout the episode, Rebecca emphasizes the need for listening, setting boundaries, and embedding race equity in systemic change. She challenges us to move past small fixes and tackle the deep, structural issues preventing families from thriving. Her message is simple: we can’t keep doing things the same way and expecting better results.
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