Real Sisters, Real Talk
What Say U?
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Real Sisters, Real Talk
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Publishing Since
8/3/2019
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Recent Episodes
March 30, 2026
Sacred Work, Compromised Standards: The Qualifications, the Process, and the Answers Department of Commerce Owes Us About The Reparations Study
<p>Note: Sister Melannie is on the mic solo in this episode. Sister Audrey is on a wellness break.</p> <p>The story continues — and what you are witnessing is relentless coverage of one of the most consequential accountability conversations happening in Washington State right now. Sit down and get comfortable, because today on What Say U?, we are going deeper.</p> <p>We are back on the reparations study matter. Details are still unfolding, questions are still being asked, and we are not letting up. This is a real inquiry. Real analysis. Real social commentary on what is happening to sacred work in real time — and we will stay on it until we get real answers.</p> <p>Today, Sister Melannie connects with Will Townsend and Deborah Oneal of the American Renewal 1870 Project. These are not people who arrived late to this fight. They were in Olympia. They testified. They pushed. And when Washington State made history by funding a reparations study, their fingerprints were on that win. Credit where credit is due — and today, we give it all around – and take some away from those that have been perpetratin’.</p> <p>And, this episode doesn’t stop at the celebration. Because we have been doing our homework. We have been asking hard questions about who was selected to lead this sacred study, how they passed through the procurement process, and whether their qualifications meet the law’s requirements. The answers are not adding up. Folks are playin’ in our face. And we deserve better than that. The milk still ain’t clean.</p> <h3>Why This Matters</h3> <p>“If the process that produced this study can be challenged at every step — the procurement, the scoring, the debrief rights — then the outcome of that study can be challenged too. All the way to the Supreme Court. This is not a drill. Sacred work requires a sacred process. And we are not going to let either one be stolen.” ~Peace Queen</p> <p>Stay with us through the whole episode. A surprise voice joins the conversation before it’s over — and what they bring to the table changes the picture entirely.</p> <h3>Resources</h3> <p><a href="https://ar1870.org/">American Renewal 1870 Project</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.marcusanthonyhunter.com/">Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter</a></p> <p><a href="https://whatsayupodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Procurement_Integrity_Analysis.ReparationsStudy.FINAL_.pdf">Procurement Integrity Analysis</a> (.pdf)</p> <p><a href="https://whatsayupodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ESSB5167_Legislator_Briefing_Document.pdf">ESSB5167_Legislator_Briefing_Document</a> (.pdf)</p> <p><a href="https://next.frame.io/share/3ba53af7-2094-4998-8756-bddc0347d66b/">THE STUDY — TRUTH, POWER, AND ACCOUNTABILITYAI-VOICE-BETTER_FINAL – Frame.io</a></p> <p><a href="https://channel253.com/membership">Channel 253 membership</a></p>
February 16, 2026
Our Sacred Work: The Milk Ain’t Clean
<p>You can put new curtains on the windows, light a candle, and set the table real nice — but if <strong>the milk ain’t clean</strong>, everything you pour it into is spoiled.</p> <p>Washington State made history when it funded the Charles Mitchell and George Washington Bush Reparations Study — only the fourth statewide reparations study in the nation. Our communities organized. WENA — the Washington Equity Now Alliance — raised nearly half a million dollars in supplemental funding from Pierce County, King County, and beyond. Close to a million dollars in total support. That’s not government writing a check. That’s everyday people putting their faith, their money, and their ancestors’ names on the line.</p> <p>So when the Department of Commerce ran the procurement process to select who would do this sacred work — the community expected excellence. Transparency. Integrity.</p> <p>What they got was something else.</p> <p>In this episode, sisters Melannie and Audrey connect with <strong>Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter</strong> — one of the nation’s leading reparations scholars and one of the <strong>unsuccessful bidders</strong> for the study. Dr. Hunter is the Scott Waugh Endowed Chair at UCLA, author of Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation (HarperCollins/Amistad), the visionary who coined #BlackLivesMatter, inaugural Chair of UCLA’s African American Studies Department, two-term President of the Association of Black Sociologists, and the scholar who drafted Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s historic Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Commission bill. His work has been featured on C-SPAN’s BookTV, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the LA Times.</p> <p>He submitted a proposal for Washington’s study. And then the system showed its hand.</p> <p>His proposal was quarantined in the state’s email system as “malware” for 22 days while other bidders were being evaluated. When he was finally told he wasn’t selected, the state denied him the debriefing that Washington law guarantees every unsuccessful bidder. Denied him twice. He had to retain an attorney just to access a process the law says is his right.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the winning bidder — <strong>a DEI consulting firm</strong> — was awarded the contract to do work that requires expertise in reparations research, historical accounting, intergenerational economic harm, genealogy, and public policy analysis. The community asked questions. Filed public records requests. And invited the winning firm on this very show. Their general counsel said they’d love to come. That was six weeks ago. Silence ever since.</p> <p><strong>The milk ain’t clean.</strong></p> <p>This episode is not about who won or lost a contract. Dr. Hunter is not here as a sore loser — he’s here as a witness. This is first-source, insider testimony about how the state administered a process that the community invested in, that the legislature authorized, and that our ancestors are owed.</p> <p><strong>In this conversation you’ll hear:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Why one of the most qualified reparations scholars in the country answered Washington’s call</li> <li>What happened to his proposal inside the Department of Commerce’s system — documented, timestamped, on the record</li> <li>The legal fight for a debriefing the state tried to deny him — twice</li> <li>Why DEI consulting is not reparations research — and why that distinction matters for every person this study is supposed to serve</li> <li>What this process tells us about whether the state is truly ready for the work of repair</li> <li>What we demand from our government — and what we owe our ancestors</li> </ul> <p><strong>Reparations are policy, process, and praxis. If the process ain’t right, the outcome can’t be trusted. And trust, once broken, has to be earned back in public.</strong></p> <p>This one is for the record. For the archive. For Charles Mitchell and George Washington Bush. For Mother Viola Fletcher. For every descendant who is counting on this study to tell the truth.</p> <p><strong>To Truclusion – the successful bidder: </strong>the invitation is still open. Come tell your story. Show yourself. This IS community. And community is waiting…please.</p> <p><strong>What Say U?</strong></p> <p><strong>LINKS & REFERENCES</strong></p> <p><strong>Previous Episode-Listen for Context</strong></p> <p>“When the System Shows Its Hand: Sacred Work, Shady Process”</p> <p><a href="https://whatsayupodcast.com/when-the-system-shows-its-hand-sacred-work-shady-process/">https://whatsayupodcast.com/when-the-system-shows-its-hand-sacred-work-shady-process/</a></p> <p><strong>About Our Guest</strong></p> <p><strong>Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter — </strong><a href="https://www.marcusanthonyhunter.com/">marcusanthonyhunter.com</a></p> <p>Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation — HarperCollins/Amistad (2024)</p> <p>UCLA Department of Sociology — <a href="https://soc.ucla.edu/">soc.ucla.edu</a></p> <p>Dr. Hunter’s Op-Ed in the AFRO: “When Equity is Performed, Not Practiced”</p> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="VgQxfM4opu"><p><a href="https://afro.com/reparations-study-washington-state/">When equity is performed, not practiced</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="“When equity is performed, not practiced” — AFRO American Newspapers" src="https://afro.com/reparations-study-washington-state/embed/#?secret=roQCY154FH#?secret=VgQxfM4opu" data-secret="VgQxfM4opu" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <p><strong>Washington Equity NOW Alliance</strong></p> <p><a href="https://waequitynow.org/">https://waequitynow.org/</a></p> <p><strong>Washington State Reparations Study</strong></p> <p>WA Dept. of Commerce — Reparative Study for Washington Descendants — <a href="https://www.commerce.wa.gov/community-initiatives/reparations-study/">https://www.commerce.wa.gov/community-initiatives/reparations-study/</a></p> <p><strong>Community Action</strong></p> <p>Petition: Stand for Integrity & Justice in Washington’s Reparations Process — <a href="https://www.thefactsnewspaper.com/post/stand-for-integrity-justice-in-washington-s-reparations-process-sign-the-petition">https://www.thefactsnewspaper.com/post/stand-for-integrity-justice-in-washington-s-reparations-process-sign-the-petition</a></p> <p><strong>More Context & Receipts</strong></p> <p><strong>Department of Commerce:</strong> <a href="https://www.commerce.wa.gov/community-initiatives/reparations-study/">https://www.commerce.wa.gov/community-initiatives/reparations-study/</a></p> <p><strong>Department of Commerce:</strong> <a href="https://www.commerce.wa.gov/reparations-study-update-january-2026/">https://www.commerce.wa.gov/reparations-study-update-january-2026/</a></p> <p><strong>Seattle Medium:</strong> “Community Questions Firm Named As Apparent Successful Bidder”</p> <p><a href="https://seattlemedium.com/truclusion-consulting-firm-controversy/">https://seattlemedium.com/truclusion-consulting-firm-controversy/</a></p> <p><strong>Community Debate of the selection of Truclusion as apparent successful bidder:</strong> <a href="https://seattlemedium.com/reparations-legislation-community-concerns/">https://seattlemedium.com/reparations-legislation-community-concerns/</a></p> <p><strong>South Seattle Emerald:</strong> “Washington Will Spend $300K to Study Reparations” <a href="https://southseattleemerald.org/news/2025/06/07/washington-will-spend-300k-to-study-reparations-multiracial-solidarity-made-it-possible">https://southseattleemerald.org/news/2025/06/07/washington-will-spend-300k-to-study-reparations-multiracial-solidarity-made-it-possible</a></p> <p><strong>Attachment</strong></p> <p><a href="https://whatsayupodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/DOCEmailstoScorers.pdf">Department Commerce email naming Reparation Study scorers (.pdf)</a></p>
January 29, 2026
Black History, Black Futures: A Conversation with Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland
<p>This episode of What Say U? is a whole experience — rich, spirited, and full of that unmistakable energy that happens when three Black women sit down together with purpose. The Sisters welcome Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland for a conversation that is equal parts truth‑telling, celebration, and community care. It is a reminder that Black history is not just something we study — it’s something we live, honor, and pass forward.</p> <p>Congresswoman Strickland introduces Melannie and Audrey to the Black History Month Essay Contest, an invitation for students in Washington State’s 10th Congressional District to lift up the stories of Black Washingtonians — the veterans, educators, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders whose contributions shaped the region long before many people and systems were willing to acknowledge them.</p> <p>Throughout the episode, you’ll hear:</p> <ul> <li>Why Congresswoman Strickland launched this contest at this moment</li> <li>How local Black history grounds students in pride, identity, and belonging</li> <li>Why storytelling is a tool of liberation</li> <li>How young people can use research, writing, and civic engagement to claim their voice</li> <li>What it means to protect our history when others are trying to erase it</li> </ul> <h3>Links</h3> <p><a href="https://strickland.house.gov/wa-10-black-history-month-essay-contest/">Information about the contest</a></p> <p><a href="https://channel253.com/membership">Support Channel 253</a></p> <p> </p>
79 total episodes available
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