A Light in the Dark

Habeebah sits down with Meryl Johnson, a retired teacher, member of the Ohio Board of Education and a fierce advocate for young people, particularly who are marginalized and facing the most difficult of circumstances. Meryl's life of service and activism is a testimony to the cultural tradition of "othermothers" who nurture and protect children who are not biologically their own. This cultural tradition of people of African descent was first shared with No Crystal Stair Podcast listeners by Dr. Shemariah Arki. Meryl provides listeners a testimony for how meaningful and absolutely essential othermothers are in our community and in the lives of our children.  Learn more about othermothers here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othermother.

In this conversation, Meryl speaks about disturbing proposed legislation in Ohio as well as a proposed resolution by a member of the Ohio Board of Education, all of which will censor and sanction teachers who convey an accurate account of history to their students and acknowledge students' experiences of marginalization and oppression stemming from racism, transphobia, and homophobia. Learn more about these efforts and how you can help resist them at www.honestyforohioeducation.org.

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