Parents & Professors Podcast

Co-parents, colleagues, and collaborators, Dr. Marjorie Dorimé- Williams and Dr. Michael Steven Williams share perspectives on (co-)parenting, higher education research and praxis, and anything else of interest that comes up.

Parents & Professors Podcast is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 92 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Parents & Professors Podcast, a education show with 92 episodes published.

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  Episode #87

  Did Nikole Hannah-Jones Choose Wrong for Her Daughter? | Episode 87

  Sep 30, 202646 min

  Nikole Hannah-Jones sent her daughter to a segregated, high-poverty Brooklyn school to live her values. A decade later, her daughter is the one asking why. The Triple Cs do not agree on the answer to Black parents’ school choice. A viral New York Times Magazine essay set Black parents' group chats on fire this month, "In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?" Dr. Marjorie is frustrated by what reads to her as a "me, me, me" approach to change. Dr. Michael says people are angry at the wrong target, and that the real problem is a system that treats "Black," "low income," and "low performing" as the same thing. From there the conversation moves through the forces behind school segregation in America, social reproduction theory, the myth of meritocracy, critical race theory, and New York City's admissions gauntlet, where Stuyvesant High School made offers to just three Black students out of 777 this year. Along the way: Colin Kaepernick's scoreboard argument, Dolly Parton's imagination library, and whether a teenager has the right to ask her parents why they chose a worse school. Dr. Marjorie's answer: absolutely. Inside the Episode: The Essay Everyone's Talking About. Hannah-Jones and her husband deliberately enrolled their daughter in an under-resourced, segregated Brooklyn school. A decade later her daughter wants to know why her parents had the money for one of the city's best schools and chose not to use it. Two Readings of the Same Choice. Dr. Marjorie reads the essay through the history of integration and civil rights era children sent into hostile schools as barrier breakers. Dr. Michael reads it as a lie affluent parents tell themselves: that money, time, and social capital can protect one child and lift a whole school at the same time. Black Is Not a Synonym for Low Performing. Dr. Marjorie wishes the essay had separated "Black," "low income," and "low performing," because the real drivers are disinvestment, novice teachers, and businesses leaving the neighborhood. The Faustian Bargain. Both Hannah-Jones and her husband benefited from schools outside their own communities growing up, yet believed tutoring could close the gap for their daughter. Dr. Michael names the deal Black parents face once they "make it": stay in the community, or become the exception. Three Out of 777. Dr. Marjorie walks through the NYC school admissions maze, which starts at pre-k and runs through tests, interviews, and essays for middle and high school. Stuyvesant's offers to Black students hit a new low this year. Content Note : Frequent strong language, including the N-word used in conversation and racial slurs voiced while mocking opponents of admissions reform, plus references to lynching, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and systemic racism. Follow Us on Instagram Parents and Professors Podcast: /parentsandprofessorspod Dr. Michael Steven Williams: /drmikewill Dr. Marjorie Dorime Williams: /drminimarj Links and Resources Nikole Hannah-Jones, "In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?" NYT Magazine, Sep 20, 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/magazine/ny-public-schools-black-students-segregation.html Nikole Hannah-Jones, "Choosing a School for My Daughter in a Segregated City," New York Times Magazine, 2016: nytimes.com Chalkbeat on the SHST and Stuyvesant High School admissions numbers: chalkbeat.org Social reproduction theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_reproduction Critical race theory and Derrick Bell's argument on the permanence of racism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_race_theory Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: imaginationlibrary.com #ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #NikoleHannahJones #SchoolChoice #BlackParenting #EducationEquity #Stuyvesant #ParentingPodcast2026

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  Episode #86

  AI Researcher Resigns, Claims AI Extinction Risk | Episode 86

  Sep 24, 202649 min

  An AI researcher at Anthropic resigned this month and told the internet that the people building this technology believe it could kill us all by the end of the decade. The industry keeps building anyway. In Episode 86, Dr. Michael Steven Williams and Dr. Marjorie Dorimé Williams take on three questions: what it means when the people building AI are the ones sounding the alarm, what is really being sold to our kids and schools under AI in the classroom, and what trade-offs got us here. They are honest that they use AI tools themselves, including to produce this show, while arguing that current practice is far from responsible. They move from a whistleblower's warning to the classroom, covering who actually pays the cost of AI, why regulators in New York City and Los Angeles just hit pause on it in schools, and the older habits, like SparkNotes and Columbia House, that explain why we keep taking the convenience even when we know the catch. If you are a parent thinking about parenting and technology, an educator figuring out AI policy at school, or someone who uses these tools and still feels uneasy about what AI is doing to how we think, this episode is for you. Inside the Episode: The Resignation Heard Around the Internet. Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic and posted a thread saying the people building AI believe it could kill us all by the end of the decade. AI as a Sorting Machine. AI benefits people who already have education, infrastructure, and money, while the costs, like the data centers going up in Missouri, land somewhere else. "My drinking water is not going to be compromised by the data center that gets put in your neighborhood." The AI Snuck Out the Window. The Hugging Face incident, in which AI models under testing took unsanctioned real-world actions, becomes "the AI is a rebellious teenager." It's Dangerous, So Let's Give It to the Kids. Dr. Marjorie names her strong misgivings about pumping schools full of AI and ed tech, and points out that the tech elite keep screens away from their own kids while other children's classrooms fill up with them. The Greatest Harm: Forgetting How to Think. "People are failing to learn how to think." The hosts explain why outsourcing to chatbots undermines deep thought, and defend teaching as a trained profession under attack. NYC and LA Hit Pause. The hosts cheer New York City's and Los Angeles's moves to restrict student AI use and screen-time in younger grades. Their argument: ethical and moral education should come before use, so students have enough foundation to know when the tool is wrong. Your Brain on ChatGPT. The MIT Media Lab study, on what researchers are calling cognitive debt, gets a callback to the old "this is your brain on drugs" ads, and the hosts note that even people who want to opt out of AI cannot really do it anymore. Content Note: Strong language throughout, including racial slurs used in conversation; brief references to suicide, child predation on gaming platforms, the Epstein files, and war in Gaza. Follow Us on Instagram Parents and Professors Podcast: /parentsandprofessorspodDr. Michael Steven Williams: /drmikewillDr. Marjorie Dorime Williams: /drminimarj Links and Resources Fortune: Anthropic researcher resigns, warning AI companies are "gambling with our lives": fortune.com NYC Mayor's Office: Generative AI moratorium announcement: nyc.gov Education Week: LAUSD adopts moratorium on student AI use: edweek.org MIT Media Lab: "Your Brain on ChatGPT" (Kosmyna et al., 2025): arxiv.org Ai2's Asta research tool: allenai.org #ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #AIinSchools #AISafety #ArtificialIntelligence #EdTech #AIWhistleblower #ParentingPodcast2026

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  Episode #84

  Back-to-School Spending, the Tuskegee Dress Code, and What We Expect of Our Kids Before They Leave Our House

  Sep 4, 202657 min

  Tuskegee dress code. Black back-to-school spending. Respectability politics . Two PhD professors finally weigh in — and they don't agree. A new poll found Black parents expect to spend $447 per child on clothes and shoes this back-to-school season — nearly double what white parents spend. Dr. Marjorie opens with a simple question: what's happening there? This is the annual back-to-school episode. The Triple Cs trace that number to its roots: the church suit there was always money for, the first-day fit picked out weeks in advance, the impeccably dressed Black revolutionaries, and the argument that what looks like Black consumerism is partly an overcorrection for generations of not being allowed to own anything. Then they take on the Tuskegee University dress code controversy. Marjorie read all three policies front to back and supports all three. Michael doesn't oppose standards but won't back a policy with that much room for interpretation. "What is this policy solving, and who are you performing for?" They don't resolve it. That's the episode. Inside the Episode: The $447 Question. Black parents spending double on back-to-school clothes isn't vanity — it's the church suit, the Easter suit, the first-day fit. "There was always money to get me a suit for church. Always money for first day of school clothes." Respectability Politics, Properly Defined. Marjorie credits Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham for first articulating it: the idea that marginalized groups are told better treatment requires looking and presenting better. Michael extends it past clothes — to whether you get to feel your emotions, express displeasure, or talk back to police. "We are not protected by assimilation. Even in the best tailored suit, I'm still Black." The Tuskegee Dress Code: What It Actually Says. Marjorie read it — all of it, not the 120-character version. "People read 120 characters and think that's the whole thing." She supports the dress code, attendance policy, and cell phone policy. Michael asks the harder question: who does enforcement with that much interpretive latitude actually protect? HBCUs Are Being Forced to Re-Parent Kids. The recognition that closes the argument — and the closest thing to common ground. "I want you to behave well, but I want you to get there in the right ways." Quotes: "Black parents are expected to spend almost $447 per child just on clothes and shoes. It's double what white parents spend." "We are not protected by assimilation. Even if I'm in the best tailored suit, I'm still Black." "People read 120 characters and think that's the whole thing." "What is this policy solving, and who are you performing for?" "What matters is helping to prepare them to be young adults in the world that they occupy today." Content Note: Strong language throughout. Discusses respectability politics, anti-Black racism, hair discrimination, and federal policy affecting Black enrollment. Chapters: 01:00 Where the $447 Comes From08:16 When Parents Say No to Overspending11:16 Why Kids Don't Care About the First-Day Fit Anymore12:19 The Revolutionaries Were Fly18:18 Back to School Spending and Class Divide20:13 How COVID Changed Professional Dress Standards30:14 Respectability Politics, Properly Defined31:52 Even in a Suit, I Am Still Black36:50 HBCU Dress Code and Socialization39:16 What the Tuskegee Policy Actually Says41:00 What Does "Professional" Even Mean?45:33 CROWN Act and Hair Discrimination47:24 Attendance and Cell Phone Policy: The Part Nobody Covered48:48 You Cannot Set Rules Without Support52:08 The Church Suit and Black Family Values59:03 What If This Exact Policy Were at a PWI?1:02:08 HBCUs Are Being Forced to Re-Parent Kids1:03:42 Preparing Young Adults for the World They Occupy #ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #TuskegeeUniversity #TuskegeeDressCode #RespectabilityPolitics #BackToSchool2026 #BlackParenting #CROWNAct #ParentingPodcast2026

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  Episode #83

  What Type of Co-Parents Are We? 9 Years In and We Still Can't Agree | Episode 83

  Aug 29, 20261h 7m

  Co-Parenting After Divorce: What Type Are You? 9 Years In and We Still Can't Agree | Episode 83 Co-parenting after divorce. Nine years. Two households. Two kids almost in college: one remarriage, one new baby, one long-distance relationship, a business, and a podcast. And one question they still cannot answer: are they perfect pals or cooperative colleagues? In Episode 83, Dr. Marjorie and Michael pull back the curtain on a conversation that is happening right now. Not a resolved lesson. A live negotiation recorded in real time. The spine is Constance Ahrons' five post-divorce co-parenting relationship types — perfect pals, cooperative colleagues, angry associates, fiery foes, and dissolved duos. Michael says he has been building toward perfect pals the whole time. Marjorie says somewhere between perfect pals and cooperative colleagues is fine. That gap explains almost every friction point they have had. They get into co-parenting communication, invisible sacrifice, boundary ambiguity, and the part nobody talks about: what happens to the friendship when the co-parenting changes? Nobody wins this one. They agree to come back to it. Part one of two. Content Note : Strong language throughout—candid discussion of divorce, financial strain, and resentment. Inside the Episode: The Five Co-Parenting Relationship Types. Perfect pals, cooperative colleagues, angry associates, fiery foes, dissolved duos. Two professors turn Constance Ahrons' framework into a grading rubric — and immediately disagree about which one they are. Is Friendship a Prerequisite for Good Co-Parenting? If they were not friends, could they still co-parent well? Michael says yes, but the choices would be completely different. The question that opens everything up. Co-Parenting Communication or a Task List? What it feels like when every message from your co-parent is an order. "I don't want the only engagement to be you sending me orders to do something." The most vulnerable stretch of the episode. Silent Sacrifice and Co-Parenting Resentment. The most consequential admission in the episode. A lack of communication and silent sacrifice were consistent issues in the divorce. "That's just a recipe for resentment, and it's a recipe for bad behavior." Boundary Ambiguity After Divorce. Pauline Boss' concept finally gives a name to a relationship that is friendly, professional, and parental all at once. Nobody is sure who is in what role. Friends or Co-Parents or Both? Michael does not do business with people he does not consider friends. Marjorie's counter: you can have an excellent co-parenting relationship without being friends, and that is an A-plus for those people. The Most Important Thing Is to Not Quit. The through-line back to the beginning. The same decision not to quit on the kids applies to this conversation. A follow-up episode is coming. "Every time you think you have a system that works, you gotta revisit it." "Good relationships are maintained on purpose." "I don't want the sacrifices to be invisible and I don't want them to add up to something that leads to resentment." "Don't tell yourself not to communicate with me because that's not what I'm asking for." "Nine years in and we clearly have not solved this Rubik's cube." "And recognition that there's no such thing as solving it." Follow Us on Instagram Parents and Professors Podcast: / parentsandprofessorspod Dr. Michael Steven Williams: / drmikewill Dr. Marjorie Dorime Williams: / drminimarj #ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #CoParentingAfterDivorce #CoParentingCommunication #CoParentingResentment #TypesOfCoParenting #SilentSacrifice#CoParentingRelationship #BlackParenting #ParentingAfterDivorce #ParentingPodcast2026

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  Episode #82

  Is It More Dangerous to Be a Black Child in 2026 Than It Was in the 90s?

  Aug 14, 202647 min

  Black child safety. Black children in white spaces. Raising Black kids in America in 2026. This is the conversation the Nolan Wells case forced every Black parent to have. Dr. Marjorie and Michael are not speculating about the case. They are having the conversation underneath it. You did everything right. The degrees. The job. The house in the good school district. And then you look up at the open house & your kid is the only one. This episode is about the choices Black families make about where to live, who their kids get to be around, and who carries the worry that comes with it.The hosts honestly disagree about whether it is more dangerous to be a Black child in 2026 than it was in the 90s. They do not resolve it. That is the point. Kimberly Seals Allers' model: after having the talk, she called the friend's mother. Named her fears. Said what she would need to know before saying yes. Allyship as a phone call, not a caption. The friends are not the risk. The spaces are. The worry is shareable. Inside the Episode:The Myth of Meritocracy. Do everything right and the reward is often being the only one. "It was the American dream and right now it's feeling more like a nightmare. So I want a refund."The Nolan Wells Conversation. Not the case. The conversation it forced. "Me rising through the ranks according to the rules of a racist society is me still putting my offspring at risk."Black Child White Spaces. One child's friend group is "the UN of people." The other is white, white, white, white. "When we go to soccer tournaments, I don't have to look hard for my child."Is It More Dangerous Now? "Black children walk down the street in broad daylight and because they're Black, they're attacked. It is escalating." Michael: "It's always been open season." They do not agree.I Was Nolan Wells. "I was the Black kid going on the road trip with the white family to the Poconos. I still have scars on my knees to this day."An Invitation to Care. Kimberly Seals Allers called the friend's mother after the talk. "I didn't even know you could do that." The family friend's reply: "Bet, we got you."I Don't Have to Worry Alone. Marjorie remembers her son near age two, around when Trayvon Martin was killed. "I don't have to worry alone. It will be a shared concern.""You do everything right & you're still the only one.""The problem is not them. It's the people they're going to encounter.""I was Nolan Wells. I was the Black kid on the road trip with the white family.""The thing I liked most was that it was an invitation to care." "I don't have to worry alone."Follow Us on InstagramPnP Podcast: / parentsandprofessorspodDr. Michael Steven Williams: / drmikewillDr. Marjorie Dorime Williams: / drminimarj#ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #BlackChildSafety #RaisingBlackKids #BlackChildWhiteSpaces #NolanWells #BlackParenting #RacialSocialization #BlackChildrenInAmerica #CoParenting #ParentingPodcast2026

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