How Is That Legal?: Breaking Down Systemic Racism One Law at a Time
Kee Tobar and expert guests break down examples of systemic racism in the law and policy. By the end of each episode, you’ll understand the forces behind everyday injustices that make us ask, “How in the world is that legal?” How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions.
Episodes
20 episodes
The Law Can’t Be at the Center
Erika K. Wilson is fighting back against racialized violence in civil courts! In Part Two of our conversation, she shares how she’s putting critical race theory into practice at UNC’s Critical Race Lawyering Clinic, why representing Black and B...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 9
•
32:32
We Have The Receipts
Professor Erika K. Wilson lays out the legal foundations of white supremacy, breaking down how the law has distributed power and resources in favor of white people over everyone else. Plus, she brings the receipts to prove it! If you’ve ever wo...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 8
•
45:13
Fighting for Her Name
Welcome to Pennsylvania’s ChildLine Registry… where parents can be labeled as child abusers for life with no right to a hearing. In 2004,
•
Season 2
•
Episode 7
•
35:28
Across the Geographic Divide
Nearly 5 million people living in Appalachia are Black and Brown, but Appalachians have been reduced to stereotypes of white coal miners in the mainstream media. Attorney Loree Stark breaks down what’s really going on in Appalachia, inclu...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 6
•
42:46
Black Children's Bodies Are Sanctuaries
Educators can legally hit students at school in 19 states, but school-based violence is forcing young people with marginalized identities out of school everywhere. Ashley Sawyer joins us to discuss the legacy of racial discrimina...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 5
•
51:20
You Can’t Say Colorblind and Stop
Black families pay higher property taxes than white families each year, and these unfairly high bills are helping to force Black people out of cities. Montgomery Wilson breaks down in great detail how Black homeowners end up ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 4
•
38:28
This Is an Intersectional Podcast
One in four adults in the United States has a disability. Yet, disability is often an afterthought for policymakers. Lauren DeBruicker examines how disability and race intersect within the civil legal system and the impact of...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 3
•
38:34
The Past is Prologue
Sofia Ali-Khan breaks down the forced migration of Black and Brown people in every corner of this country. Her new book, A Good Country: My Life in Twelv...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 2
•
51:25
This Is How We Can Build Power
Pennsylvania State Senator Nikil Saval breaks down why racism is the bedrock of America’s housing system and how anti-Black attitudes led the federal government to neglect affordable housing for decades. Senator Saval illustrates how movements ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 1
•
47:35
Season 2 is Launching on February 1st!
How Is That Legal is back and better than ever in Season 2! Kee Tobar, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, invites experts from a wide range of backgrounds to break down examples of systemic racism in...
•
Season 2
•
4:00
Breaking It All Down
In this special episode of How Is That Legal, Kee invites her friend and CLS colleague Tracie Johnson to reflect on lessons learned this season and what else needs to be explored next season. Kee and Tracie both share shocking stories that made...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 8
•
29:01
The Cost Is Too High
None of us can afford climate change, but the costs are even higher for Black and Brown people and communities, especially for those who can’t afford heating or cooling. As the planet gets hotter, we must address climate change while al...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 7
•
49:47
Debt After Death
Welcome to America…. where low-income families risk losing their homes if a loved one lives in a nursing home or needs help with personal care at home. That’s right. If a Medicaid recipient receives long-term care, the state can rec...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 6
•
49:06
Locked Out of Wealth
For many Black and Brown homeowners, their dream of homeownership disintegrates into a uniquely American nightmare designed to extract wealth and lock them out of economic mobility. Attorney Rachel Gallegos and Councilmember ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 5
•
49:59
It's Not a Natural Disaster
America’s housing system is designed to keep Black women locked out. But eviction records don’t tell the whole story. Rasheedah Phillips joins us to discuss the national housing crisis and how systemic racism is embedded in h...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 4
•
48:25
No More Car Seats
Alan Dettlaff began his career in social work as a child welfare investigator. So how did he reach the conclusion that social workers must refuse to cooperate with the system altogether? Well, he tried to reduce racial disproportionality within...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 3
•
46:30
Four Generations In
More than half of Black children experience a child welfare investigation by their eighteenth birthday– almost twice the prevalence for white children. April Lee knows the family surveillance system well. More than eight years...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 2
•
50:42
Child Welfare or Family Policing?
More than one in ten Black children in America will be forcibly separated from their parents and placed in foster care by the time they reach age eighteen. Professor Dorothy Roberts joins us to discuss the racialized history of pare...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 1
•
51:33