Introducing Into the Mix Season 2

Ben & Jerry’s is back with another season of Into the Mix, a podcast about joy and justice. Hosted by Ashley C. Ford and produced with Vox Creative, this season will bring you stories of struggle and success from the everyday people at the heart of our greatest fights — from voting rights, to cannabis justice, to dignity for migrant workers — today.

Subscribe now, and don’t miss a moment of Into the Mix. 

Andrea Phillips loves her job. She works at an elementary school as a reading interventionist, teaching struggling readers to love books. When she was told by her district to pack up her classroom library earlier this year, she was devastated.

In 2022, Florida lawmakers passed HB 1467. This new law mandated that every book in Florida public schools be cataloged and reviewed for “harmful content”, and that schools create a system for parents to petition the removal of books they found inappropriate. Out of an abundance of caution, two county school districts – including Andrea’s – decided to block or remove all unreviewed books from schools while they adopted this new system. Otherwise, administrators worried they could be liable for violating another Florida law. In effect, more than 175,000 Florida students went to schools where library books were off-limits for part of the school year. Across the state hundreds of books containing themes of race, sexuality, and LGBTQ identities have been pulled from school libaries, even classics that are required reading in other states. Critics say this is just another example of Governor Ron DeSantis attempts to silence marginalized voices in Florida classrooms.

Book bans have happened throughout our country’s history, usually in response to changing social norms. But when public education is unequal and struggling schools can’t afford to lose any resources, what do laws like this do to our most vulnerable students? Host Ashley C. Ford explores Florida’s book bans, their effects on students and educators, and the evolving history of American public education.

For more information on how to support teachers and get banned books to kids, visit ALA’s Unite Against Book Bans campaign, and support Foundation 451.

Most kids in the U.S. go to a school that’s patrolled by police officers. They’re supposed to keep students safe, but after decades of increased surveillance, in-school arrests have skyrocketed for kids of all ages. And most of the kids arrested at school are students of color.

A group of students in Des Moines, Iowa didn’t need data to know that police in their school district were harmful, so they set out to do something about it. Here’s how they worked with their community to build a greater movement to protect students, and especially students of color.

Learn more about the Advancement Project’s Opportunity to Learn campaign here.

Learn more about the effectiveness of restorative justice in schools (13:45), How Des Moines Public Schools have updated their policies (25:50), and how Endi, Lyric and Kai made change in Des Moines (10:00).

One Woman’s Unlikely Journey from Afghanistan to the UK

In January 2021, Zahra Shaheer had to get out of Afghanistan… fast. So when she had the rare opportunity to secure safe passage for herself and her two children, she made the heartbreaking decision to flee, even though it meant leaving her mother behind. Now, Zahra and her mother remain separated by thousands of miles, and insurmountable policies that are designed to prevent her mother from reuniting with her family in the new home in the UK.

David Miliband from the International Rescue Committee joins us to look at the history of global refugee policy, and the importance of safe routes as more displaced people seek safety around the globe than ever before.

To learn more and take action, visit https://www.rescue.org/worldrefugeeday, and to call for safe routes, take action here.

As lawmakers consider more than 500 anti-trans bills nationwide, experts warn that these efforts will increase already-high rates of depression and suicidality for trans kids. But what happens when these kids are affirmed and supported in their transition? When their communities welcome them with open arms?

Hear the story of Oli Oski, who, when he was just seven years old, helped convince an LGBTQ resource center to start offering play groups for trans and queer kids under 13. Oli is 19 now, and already he’s left a legacy for the next generation of LGBTQ kids who face acute social and political persecution. Host Ashley C. Ford helps tell this story of self determination, legacy, and sanctuary.

Learn more about Outright Vermont here.

Did you know that without migrant farm workers, the price of dairy would be twice as expensive? Dairy farming is one of the most challenging jobs in agriculture, and like a lot of farmwork has notoriously weak legal protections for workers, leading to long hours, poor pay, and unsafe conditions. Host Ashely C. Ford tells the story of how a group of farmworkers came together after a senseless tragedy to demand change – and together built a safety net to protect their most vulnerable workers.

Learn more about Migrant Justice and their Milk with Dignity program. 

Back in the day, Michael Thompson was a local legend in Flint, Michigan. He brought acts like Aretha Franklin to town, and did incredible work to ease vicious gang violence in his community. So when he was sentenced to 42 to 60 years in prison, Flint was shocked, and devastated. His crime? Selling marijuana to a police informant. 

Michael was still serving time while recreational dispensaries began popping up all over his hometown, and he ended up serving the longest sentence for a nonviolent drug charge in the history of Michigan. As he navigates life post-release, he’s calling for others left behind in prison to get the same opportunity to walk free through clemency.

You can learn more about his mission at MTclemency.com.
 

Today, over 4.5 million people can't vote in the United States because of a mistake they made in the past.

Desmond Meade is one of them. He's a "returning citizen" who understands the devastating impacts of having your civil rights stripped away, and the redemptive power of second chances. So, he set out to do something about it, and brought about the greatest expansion of voting rights in America in half a century. It’s that work that just earned his organization a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

You can learn more about Desmond’s work at the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition here.