Make It Plain Podcast

Kehinde is back from holiday and reflects on the reaction to the death of Jason Arday and says we need to to better to support each other when we are still here. He also drops the poll question of whether now that he is out of the university he should renounce the title of professor? He also briefly touches on the the latest Reform scandal but reminds us that Whiteness is a psychosis so don't expect it to change many voters minds.
This weeks interview is with Joy Mbakwe, who brings the perspective of a former head of English and assistant principal who now works in educational consultancy, helping parents understand the realities of schooling from the inside. They discuss how anti-Blackness shows up in uniforms, hairstyles, toilet rules, detention culture, and the language of "behavior management." Joy breaks down how schools can quietly punish Black children for simply being visible, while still presenting themselves as neutral, rigorous, and fair. The conversation also gets into the gap between what schools claim to prepare children for and the world young people actually enter, especially in an era shaped by AI, burnout, and widening inequality. We break down the deeper question behind all of it: are schools designed to educate, or to reproduce the same hierarchy over and over again? Joy explains why belonging matters more than slogans, why recruitment and retention shape whether students feel seen, and why some children need support that the mainstream system simply does not provide. 
There is also a powerful discussion about supplementary education, Saturday schools, and what a community-led curriculum could look like if Black families were building it for themselves. This episode matters if you are a parent, teacher, educator, or anyone asking why the same patterns keep repeating, especially for Black children. If you have ever felt that schools demand compliance more than care, or that "success" is being defined in ways that leave too many children behind, this conversation will stay with you. 
Check out Kehinde and Joy on 'We Are Black and British': https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014t9r
Find out about Joy Mbakwe's work: https://www.msjoymbakwe.com/
Buy Jason Arday's book, Great and Unfortunate Things: https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/Great-and-Unfortunate-Things/Jason-Arday/9781398542747
Support the call for a public inquiry: https://goodlawproject.org/petition/jason-arday-letter/
Sign up for the Harambee OBU AGM. In person and online October 24th 2.30pm: https://HarambeeOBUAGM26.eventbrite.co.uk 
Join Harambee OBU: www.blackunity.org.uk
Written and hosted by: Kehinde Andrews 
Edited by: Kadiri Andrews 
Artwork by: Assata Andrews

A public lynching, a media pile-on, and a university that should have stopped it but didn't. This episode goes straight at the Jason Arday story and asks the question everyone should be confronting now: how did a respected black professor become the target of a three-and-a-half-year campaign that ended in tragedy?
Kehinde breaks down the pressure campaign from the right-wing press, the role of race in the scrutiny, and why the usual "wait for the facts" response collapses when the facts have already been twisted into a weapon. He makes it clear that the story was never really about plagiarism or credentials, but about a racist mob, institutional cowardice, and a failure to back someone who was clearly under attack.
Kehinde also connects this to a broader pattern that anyone in academia will recognize - the scrutiny, the PR optics, the selective outrage, and the way institutions protect themselves while abandoning the person at the centre. It's a furious, unsparing episode about responsibility, cowardice, and what solidarity should look like when it actually matters. Essential listening if you care about media accountability, race in public life, or the cost of staying silent when a smear campaign is unfolding in front of you. 
We are also share part of a lecture delivered by professor Arday at Anglia Ruskin University, please do check out the whole video, link below
Support Jason Arday. Sign the petition for a public inquiry https://goodlawproject.org/petition/jason-arday-letter/
Watch the full video of Professor Arday speaking at Anglia Ruskin University in 2025: UNLEARN LIGHTBULB: I guess I'm doing fine, I guess I'm doing fine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOZW-J1hcd4
Join Harambee OBU: www.blackunity.org.uk
Written and hosted by: Kehinde Andrews 
Edited by: Kadiri Andrews 
Artwork by: Assata Andrews

Kehinde starts off by delivering the news that he and two other colleagues are now off the books at Birmingham City University. Thanks to everyone who singed the petition and supported the campaign but university management decided to go ahead with their vandalism. He will spill all the tea in the coming weeks but for now just know that there are plans ahead to build on Black Studies outside of the confines of the university....but we have to hold to account those who pretend to be for racial justice and Black staff and students but then make decisions like cutting Black Studies and letting go of staff members. Yes, we are looking at you David Mba (Vice Chancellor) and Marcia Wilson (on the university executive team) who refused to meet or even acknowledge the myriad of problems with the way staff and students have been treated.
Kehinde unpacks how Jason's rise to become one of the youngest Black professors at Cambridge is met with a racist smear campaign fueled by centuries of institutional bias. While the media pushes exaggerated claims, the real scandal lies in how Black success is undermined and devalued. Discover how deep-rooted racism shapes narratives around Black scholars, and why this matters for all of us fighting for equality. You'll learn about the systematic mechanisms that keep Black academics marginalized — from the false allegations to the selective scrutiny that White colleagues rarely face. Kehinde dives into the broader implications: how these campaigns threaten diversity, silence Black voices, and uphold a racist hierarchy in academia. This episode isn't just about Jason — it's a urgent call to recognize the subtle, systemic ways Black achievement is dismissed.
If you're committed to justice, diversity, and dismantling systemic racism, this conversation is essential. Plus, Kehinde highlights why Cambridge and institutions like it are emblematic of a bigger problem, and how Black studies can be a vital tool in resisting these attacks and building independent spaces for Black scholarship. Whether you're an academic, activist, or curious supporter of racial justice, this episode will challenge your perceptions and inspire action. Join us as we expose the racism behind the headlines and learn how to stand up for truth, integrity, and Black excellence in education. Support Jason Arday. Sign the petition. Demand accountability. And remember — systemic racism only persists when we remain silent. 
Petition to support Jason Arday: https://goodlawproject.org/petition/stand-in-solidarity-with-jason-arday/ Read the public letter and sign the petition in support of Black Studies at BCU https://c.org/hnpyKBCX7X
Join Harambee OBU: www.blackunity.org.uk
Written and hosted by: Kehinde Andrews
Edited by: Kadiri Andrews
Artwork by: Assata Andrews

Welcome to this week's episode of Make it Plain. Kehinde opens up with an update about the Black Studies and shares that he has been served his papers. Pending one last appeal Black Studies is closed and 3 out of the 5 staff members, including Kehinde, will be out of their jobs by the end of July. Please support by signing the petition, link below, or email David Mba (David.mba@bcu.ac.uk) on of two Black Vice Chancellors in the country who is supposedly a champion of Black staff and students.
He then reflects on England's success in the World Cup and warns us not to get carried away with all the praise for Black players. Jude Bellingham is just one missed penalty away from being called a monkey on social media!
He also laughs at the prospect of Nigel Farage being beaten in an election by Count Binface...yes a man dressed up as an alien with a large silver bin on his head! It would be the funniest political moments in history, and well deserved for the foul Farage.
This episode features an interview with Badji Alfousseynou, who was on the West African Road Residency, on the bus from the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora in Ghana, to the Convention for Afrikan People in Gambia. Badji was the diplomat for the bus in Francophone Africa, and the most staunch Pan-Africanist Kehinde has ever met. They talk about the trip Badji's work in the community in Senegal and the prospects for a Pan-African future.
Read the public letter and sign the petition in support of Black Studies at BCU https://c.org/hnpyKBCX7X
 Find out about Badji and the residents: https://loatad.org/2026/04/29/meet-the-2026-loatad-west-africa-road-residents/
Read Badji Alfousseynou & Sagou Banou's piece on Guniea: Guinea Conakry: A Resounding "Yes" to the Pan-African Dream || Senegal & Mali https://brittlepaper.com/2026/06/guinea-conakry-a-resounding-yes-to-the-pan-african-dream-badji-alfousseynou-sagou-banou-senegal-mali/
Join Harambee OBU: www.blackunity.org.uk
Written and hosted by: Kehinde Andrews
Edited by: Kadiri Andrews
Artwork by: Assata Andrews

Welcome to this week's episode of Make it Plain. Kehinde opens up with an update about the Black Studies situation at Birmingham City University. Unfortunately, the university has ignored almost 10,000 signatories to the petition and the public backlash against their decision to cut the course and get rid of Black members of staff. Please do continue to support the campaign.
He then reflects on Andy Burnham winning the by-election that opens up a leadership challenge for British prime minster. He warns that Labour is dominated by a fight between mediocre White men that can only lead to negative outcomes for all of us. Kehinde never addresses the trolls, or usually even reads the comments but for change he opens up the racist mailbag. The questions and comments are so ludicrous its an excellent opportunity to laugh at the state of the world. From 'where is the White Studies professor?' to people quoting Michael Jackson, join us on the hilarious journey through the psychosis of Whiteness.
Harambee OBU will be having its annual general meeting online and in person on June 27th.
Register at: https://hobuagm.eventbrite.co.uk
Read the public letter and sign the petition in support of Black Studies at BCU https://c.org/hnpyKBCX7X
Join Harambee OBU: www.blackunity.org.uk
Written and hosted by: Kehinde Andrews
Edited by: Kadiri Andrews
Artwork by: Assata Andrews