showcast
First Of All with Victor Blackwell
Victor Blackwell brings a fresh perspective on the week's news with a focus on stories affecting communities of color.

Protests in Minneapolis against ICE are spreading nationwide after the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent. Victor speaks with a Minneapolis mom and ICE observer Flannery Clark who says what happened to Good could have happened to her, but is still vowing to keep up her work to alert neighbors when agents are nearby.Plus, as state officials in Minnesota fight to get a role investigating the shooting alongside the feds, Victor gets perspective from Kristen Clarke, who recently served in the Bid...Show moreen Administration as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice.Also happening now, the flu is breaking records. Victor shares his own personal experience battling the illness recently and speaks with Dr. Chris T Pernell about the disproportionate impact the flu has on people of color.Black women dying in childbirth is a real crisis right now, and the death of a woman who dedicated her life to finding solutions is a heartbreaking reminder of that. Victor shares the story of Dr. Janell Green Smith and speaks with Dr. Nichole Wardlaw, a member of the Smith family and a certified midwife herself.And for “Art is Life” this week, Victor goes one-on-one with shoe designer and creative Salehe Bembury.
Jan 10, 2026
Covering Russia's drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, criminal charges against former Michigan football coach Sharon Moore, Bill and Hillary Clinton's subpoenas related to Jeffrey Epstein, and selective photo releases implicating Trump.
Dec 13, 2025
President Trump says he wants all people from Somalia out of the country and calls Somali people “garbage”. How does a Republican Somali-American who supported Trump in 2024 feel about that? Victor asks Salman Fiqy, a business owner in Minnesota who says the President’s rhetoric has “crossed a line”. Immigration enforcement is surging in the New Orleans area, and a U.S. citizen got caught up in it this week. Home security camera video shows the moment a woman is chased into her home by federal a...Show moregents, before her stepfather came out to confront them. Both Jacelynn and Juan Carlos Anglin join Victor to talk about what happened and react to an explanation offered by the Department of Homeland Security. The Trump administration's crackdown on programs and initiatives seen as "DEI" appears to have made its way to the University of Alabama. The school is shutting down two university-funded student magazines, citing "legal obligations". Victor speaks with the current editor-in-chief of Alice Magazine, Gabrielle Gunter, and the founding editor of Nineteen Fifty-Six Magazine, Tionna Taite, about the concern among students that their first amendment rights are being violated. Victor follows-up on the story of Mercedes Wells, the mom who was escorted out of an Indiana hospital while in labor, only to give birth minutes later. Her husband Leon Wells and attorney Cannon Lambert share their reaction to a meeting the family just had with hospital leadership, and an update on the health of Mercedes and her newborn. Plus, there are reports that "Rush Hour 4" could soon be a thing, apparently at the urging of President Trump. Does bringing back the franchise make sense in this era? Victor speaks to writer Isaac Rouse, who says it's not the right time for that kind of comedy. And in our “Art is Life” series this week, Victor shares the story of a performance that asks: What would it sound like if Franklin produced the soundtrack to the iconic holiday special “A Charlie Brown Christmas"?
Dec 6, 2025
On a special holiday edition of the show, there is a new movement calling out Target, Home Depot and Amazon during the busiest shopping time of the year. Victor speaks with LaTosha Brown, an organizer of “We Ain’t Buying It”. She explains why we shouldn’t call the movement a “boycott”. Plus, “Beyond the Gates” actor Brandon Claybon talks to Victor about his personal connection to Alzheimer's and his mission to raise awareness of the disproportionate impacts of the disease on Black Americans. Later, Chef Shawn Osbey reacts to Victor’s very controversial opinion of certain classic holiday recipes and shares some alternatives.
Nov 29, 2025
The story of Mercedes Wells went viral this week, after video showed the mom being led out of a hospital in Indiana despite saying she was in labor. Minutes after leaving, she gave birth on the side of the road to a baby girl. The hospital is now apologizing and taking action. Victor speaks with Mercedes and her husband Leon, along with their attorney Cannon Lambert. Plus, Charlotte business owner T.R. Burns explains to Victor his decision to close his restaurant to protect Latino employees fear...Show moreful of federal law enforcement cracking down on immigrants. 18-year-old landscaper and U.S. citizen Fernando Vazquez speaks out about being detained by immigration enforcement, only to be left behind in a wooded area a short time later. Victor also gets perspective from Allison Socol on new research revealing how race can be a factor in which students get access to algebra classes.And the first known Native American woman to have a production on Broadway, Larissa FastHorse, explains the inspiration behind “The Thanksgiving Play,” which imagines the struggles of four white people trying to stage a "politically correct" holiday performance.
Nov 22, 2025
Victor sits down with TSA worker Aaron Barker, who just missed a second full paycheck due to the federal government shutdown. He describes to Victor why he and his colleagues are struggling to make ends meet while in “crisis mode”.Meanwhile, Democrats in the Senate say they'll agree to end the shutdown if Republicans agree to a one-year extension on Obamacare subsidies. Victor asks Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries if he agrees with the proposal from his Senate colleagues.Native American communiti...Show morees are facing an especially uncertain time with SNAP benefits suspended. Victor speaks with Conscious Alliance’s Pine Ridge Reservation Field Director Natalie Hand, who is trying to help feed families on the reservation, which is feeling the impact of this ongoing shutdown harder than most places. Plus, Grammy award-winning artist Shaggy joins Victor after visiting Jamaica to help with hurricane relief. He shares what he saw, and information on how others can help. Later, the family of Norman Rockwell is calling out the Trump Administration for using the iconic painter’s artwork in their social media posts. For “Art is Life” this week, Victor asks Norman Rockwell’s granddaughter, Daisy, why she says the Department of Homeland Security is “twisting” his legacy.
Nov 8, 2025
It's the first of the month and there are millions of people whose food benefits are in now limbo, with no clear solution coming quickly to ensure SNAP recipients get the aid they depend on in November. Victor speaks with SNAP recipient Laterese Johnson, Hope Atlanta’s Elizabeth Banks, and the director of a childcare center, LaToya Logan. Plus, actress Karen Pittman joins Victor to share her personal story, as families deal with food insecurity like she once did as a single mom. A Houston teen s...Show moreays he was roughed up by immigration agents, even as he told them he's a U.S. citizen. 16-year-old Arnoldo Bazán and his sister Maria join Victor to share the story of what they say happened. Former President Barack Obama is heading back to the campaign trail ahead of this year’s elections, and there is new CNN reporting that’s raising the question: should he be the leader of the Democratic party…again? Abby Phillip makes a special appearance to talk about that, and her new book on Jesse Jackson and Black political power titled “A Dream Deferred”. And this week’s edition of “Art is Life” features the Day of the Dead. Victor speaks with Ofelia Esparza, whose altars helped popularize Día de los Muertos in the United States. The 93-year-old reflects on the new retrospective of her art now on view at East L.A.’s Vincent Price Art Museum.
Nov 1, 2025
A 16-year-old in Chicago who is fighting cancer has a message for immigration officials after her father was arrested. Victor shares the story of Ofelia Torres and gets reaction from her father’s attorney, Kalman Resnick, to a judge’s ruling saying the mandatory detention of Ruben Torres Maldonado was “unlawful”. Plus, hear President Trump's short answer to a question about funding SNAP as we're just a week away from millions of Americans losing food benefits and the government shutdown drags on...Show more. Victor speaks with founder and CEO of The Baby Pantry, Chlorey Campbell, about what she’s hearing from people coming to her organization for help. After a deadly crash, right-wing voices are speaking out against immigrant truck drivers, particularly those from India. Bhupinder Kaur of UNITED SIKHS joins Victor to share her concerns about the rhetoric. In our latest installment of The Algorithm, Victor speaks with a content creator who says there are social media accounts “stealing my face” with AI. 200 years after transforming the United States, commemorations of the Erie Canal anniversary in New York are also taking stock of the impact the waterway had on Native Americans. Victor speaks with Brian Trzeciak of the Buffalo Maritime Center about balancing remembrances of that history, as he gets close to wrapping up a 33-day trip on a boat called the "Seneca Chief". And later, Victor speaks with Hamza Walker about a new exhibit called “Monuments” that is putting decommissioned confederate symbols back on display in unexpected new ways.
Oct 25, 2025
Some Black women say they're debating whether to take part in “No Kings” Anti-Trump protests after feeling let down by the results of the 2024 election. Victor discusses “the 92%” with Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown, RISE CEO Mary-Pat Hector and AJC Reporter Brooke Leigh Howard. Plus, South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn joins Victor to talk about the President's threats to “Democrat” programs during the shutdown, tension over the state of voting rights, and his new book “The Fir...Show morest Eight”. Victor also shares an update on the devastating damage done to Native Alaskan villages, and the role climate change is playing in determining whether residents will ever be able to return home. Plus, Victor takes a moment to pay tribute to D'Angelo and get real about the risks Black people face from pancreatic cancer, and what to do about it. Later, Rafael Gomes from SCAD shares with Victor the story behind a new exhibit honoring fashion icon André Leon Talley.
Oct 18, 2025
Civilians in Gaza are making the journey to see what's left of their homes as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds. Victor discusses what comes next with Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American running for governor who got national attention when she was denied a slot to speak about Gaza at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and Republican Georgia official John F. King, a retired major general in the Army National guard and a former Police chief.
Thousands of federal workers are getti...Show moreng fired as the government shutdown drags on. President Trump says his administration is focusing on jobs that are quote "Democrat oriented". Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which is the largest union representing federal workers, joins Victor to respond in his first interview since layoffs began.
A right-wing group is pitching an "All American" Super Bowl performance as an alternative to Bad Bunny. Michaela Angela Davis joins Victor to react and discuss her new memoir, “Tenderheaded”.
Hispanic residents in Mobile County, Alabama are speaking out against an ICE-themed Halloween display. Victor explains why the identity of the couple that put up the decorations is a big reason why.
Plus, a new mural that’s meant to teach people about a racist massacre that happened more than 100 years ago is sparking debate. Critics argue the inclusion of violent imagery is problematic, and the community should have had more input. Victor speaks to the artist, Fabian Williams.
Oct 11, 2025






