In this interview of the King Williams Podcast, I talk to Dr. Michelle Schreiner. Dr. Schreiner is one of two candidates in the June 21st runoff to represent HD90 aka 'The Stacey Abrams' district. (Interview starts at 3:00) HD90 formerly HD89 (via the controversial fall 2021 statewide redistricting) is one of the most demographically diverse districts in metro Atlanta both racially and economically. The district includes both the city of Atlanta and DeKalb County. This district includes on the DeKalb side parts of unincorporated Decatur, Panthersville, Cedar Grove, Conley, Gresham Park, and parts of Ellenwood. While parts of Atlanta include East Lake, Kirkwood, East Atlanta, Lake Claire, Edgewood, Piney Grove, and parts of Candler Park.  In this conversation, we talk about Dr. Schreiner's motivations for running, the most pressing issues of the district, and address the needs of a very diverse district. This includes the needs of south DeKalb such as the various environmental waste corridors in the area, the 'cop city' controversy happening in that part of the district, and lack of economic development. We also talk about the issues on the northern side of the district including concerns over housing affordability, bad roads, and concerns over rising violent crime.  We talk about Michelle's upbringing in metro Atlanta after leaving her native Puerto Rico at a very young age as well as what it would mean to be potentially the only Latina in the state legislature this year.  If you want to know more about Michelle you can visit her website https://www.michelle4georgia.com/. Or you can also check out her Instagram account or Twitter page. Also please check the Secretary of State's website to check your voter registration status. 

In this episode of the King Williams Podcast, I talked to Alfred 'Shivy' Brooks. Shivy is a public school teacher, activist, and influencer who advocates for teachers in Georgia. In this interview, we talk about what life-changing event made him decide to be a public school teacher.  We also talk about why men, especially Black men aren't moving into and staying in the profession long enough to make a difference. We also talk about the recent attacks by the current state GOP on stopping the accurate teaching of history and intimidating teachers through a series of new laws. Shivy also gives his thoughts on why the school board is one of the most important positions in Atlanta, as well as why there aren't any educators o the board. Please read my guest newsletter entry from Slyvia Johnson and listen to my podcast episode on Georgia's bogus CRT bills.  Shivy recently ran for public office by challenge, near 20-year incumbent in the city of Atlanta last year prompted by his own students. In addition, we talk about his growing online platform of 50,000+ Instagram followers and how he advocates for educators across the country. We also talk about his now-viral t-shirt of 'I'm the teacher Fox News warns you about' from his t-shirt line Alfred's Laundry. I hope you enjoy this interview and if you haven't already please subscribe to my newsletter at iamkingwilliams.substack.com as well as donate to my Patreon at patreon.com/iamkingwilliams.  -P.S. My apology for my mic levels, I'm slowly getting this right! -King

I talk to political strategist Fred Hicks of HEG Consulting in this interview. We recap the 2022 Georgia Primaries that happened on Tuesday. In this conversation, we talk about the overall takeaways of the primaries including: Why Fred thinks voters didn’t reject the message of Trumpism, they just rejected Trump. And is the big lie still a viable strategy? Why Abrams can’t run her 2018 campaign or run a national campaign against Kemp We break down the special questions on the Democrat and Republican ballots. Including why Buckhead cityhood still isn’t dead. What are the chances of the Dem starting 5: US Senate, Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General Surprises in all three Cobb cityhood initiatives failed with voters Atlanta’s latest TSPLOST vote Thoughts on the GOP ads this cycle The Stonecrest special mayors election The SD07 election of Beth Moore vs Nabilah Islam The tight race in HD90, ‘the Stacey Abrams’ district between Saira Draper and Michelle Schreiner

In this interview, I speak to Lauren Sherman, Chief Correspondent for The Business of Fashion. Lauren has been covering the fashion industry for over 15 years including stints at Conde Nast and Forbes. Since joining The Business of Fashion in 2015, Lauren has become one of the most definitive voices on the intersections of fashion and business.  We talk about the role of fast fashion, the dominance of LVMH, and the differences in the levels of 'luxury'. We also talk about the rise of celebrity beauty brands including the success of the Kardashians and Rihanna. Lauren explains why Rihanna's Fenty Beauty worked, while the fashion arm hasn't. In addition to the differences in the growth of fast fashion brands Shien and FashionNova. Including whether the $100 billion dollar valued Shein is the first truly global Chinese clothing brand. We also discuss the role of streetwear in the overall fashion industry, including the impact of Supreme, Virgil Abloh, and Kanye West. Alongside the three big threats to the overall fashion industry and what is the one thing about the fashion industry, she would change. We walk about Lauren's new podcast, The Debrief, a podcast on the business of fashion as well as her upcoming book on the history of Victoria's Secret.  If you want to follow Lauren, you can on Twitter @lapresmidi, as well as follow The Business of Fashion on Instagram and Twitter.  I also wrote an article for my newsletter back in August of last year that also pairs well with this interview --Butter.ATL’s takeover of Krystals is the evolution of branded content - 8/28/2021. If you enjoyed this interview please like, review, and share! If you want to sign up for my newsletter, you can sign up at iamkingwilliams.substack.com and if you want to donate, you can at my Patreon page for as little as $1 a month.

In this interview, I talk to the AJC's Joseph Ferguson (@Joseph_Fergie). Joseph is the creator and host of the AJC's video series AJC: In Context. AJC: In Context is an explainer series about news related to metro Atlanta. It's one of the AJC's newer ventures into the digital space and is a reference of my own when creating content.  In this conversation, we talk about Joseph's journey into video production, how he ended up at the AJC, and how he pitched them on creating a video series. We also talk about the creator economy, and what traditional media companies misunderstand about video. We also spend time talking about the recent acquisition of Twitter, a hub for journalists and Black creativity in Black Twitter. Including what would Joseph's strategy if he were Elon Musk as well as what the threat of ownership of Twitter means for both the journalism community and Black Twitter. We also talk about his stutter, something he's overcome to become a great creator. You can watch videos of AJC: In Context on Facebook and on YouTube. The interview starts at 2:00.

In this episode of The King Williams Podcast, I talk to my fellow Atlanta journalist, George Chidi. George is a former AJC reporter who has launched his own newsletter The Atlanta Objective.  .The Atlanta Objective often covers the intersections of crime and corruption in metro Atlanta. And since last year, he has taken a focus on looking at the rise in violent crime in Atlanta. His reporting has some startling findings including that in 2021, 142 of 158 homicides were Black perpetrators on Black victims, that over 90% included a firearm, and over half were from people who were poor.  We spend the beginning of the interview (starting at 3:00) to about the halfway point talking directly about the recent announcement that Atlanta rappers Young Thug, Gunna, and several members of the record label/clique YSL have been implicated in a wide-reaching set of charges related to gang activity and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). YSL has been a recurring series of investigations in The Atlanta Objective.  In this conversation, we talk directly about misnomers in this labeling of gangs and gang violence. We also talk about the portrayal of hip hop in NYC's drill scene and media portrayals in Atlanta. We also talk about whether or not labeling YSL a 'gang' is the correct terminology. We also talk about whether or not Atlanta 'gangs' are even that, and what makes Atlanta gang culture different. We even talk about his own work, which he got wrong according to George. In addition to the political motivations of being tough on Atlanta crime, in particular, gang activity by both the Fulton County District Attorney and the state Attorney General during the 2022 election cycle.  George is also the host of a quarterly Fox 5 Atlanta program, The Next Atlanta (also available on YouTube), featuring interviews with various Atlanta thought leaders. For some reason, he even thought to include me in one. He also is a contributor to the DeKalb County-centered publication Decaturish, where he has a column there as well.  If you like this interview feel free to subscribe to my newsletter, iamkingwilliams.substack.com and if you want to donate, you can via my Patreon at patreon.com/iamkingwilliams. 

In this episode of The King Williams Podcast, I talk to Georgia State University, Law Professor Eric Segall. This interview was initially conducted in January of this year, just shortly before the announcement of the nomination of future Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Professor Segall is the Ashe Family Chair Professor of law at GSU. He is also the author of the books: Originalism as Faith and Supreme Myths: Why the Supreme Court is not a Court and its Justices are not Judges. He is also the host of his own podcast, Supreme Myths, a podcast about the Supreme Court and Supreme Court cases. (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible) In this interview, Professor Segall and I talk about The Supreme Court, the history of the court, and its role in shaping society. We also talk about some of the mythmaking around whether or not the court is impartial, and explicitly whether or not it has ever been 'political'. We also talk about court staking, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and the role of 'originalism', alongside her mentor Justice Antonin Scalia. We also spend a decent half of the back twenty minutes on the legacy of Clarence Thomas and Thurgood Marshall.  We also talk about abortion at the end of the episode.  The introduction of this episode lasts until 5:11. I would also suggest reading my previous newsletter article from October 2020: New Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and the end of democracy as we know it.

This interview was originally recorded in January of 2022. This interview is the start of a series of unreleased episodes that I withheld for various reasons over the years.  In this episode of the King Williams Podcast, I sit down with one of my favorite writers, political organizers, and now Ph.D candidate Tea Troutman. Tea is a former writer at Wear Your Voice, an LGBTQIA online magazine. Wear Your Voice shut down late last year, and this interview for the most part doesn't get into that. The website for Wear Your Voice is no longer available but its Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts are still available. In this interview we talk about the Atlanta mayor's race, policing + 'cop city', Black Atlanta, and other things. The interview starts at 3:03.

In this interview, I talk to writer Nathan Tankus (@nathantankus). Nathan is the creator of Notes on the Crises, a great macro-economic look at various aspects of the US economy. Nathan’s work initially grew because of his substack of the same name, leading to a profile in Bloomberg, leading to a wave of new readers. Over the course of this interview, Nathan and I talk about unions, unemployment, the federal reserve bank, and comparing the economic responses toward working people in the 2008 financial crash versus the 2020 pandemic. We also talk about his decision to leave Substack for his own platform. In addition to how he feels about being a modern-age thought leader in the economic space. I would also recommend listening to a previous podcast episode on The History of the Federal Reserve with Steve Campbell which is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 00-1:05 - Housekeeping 1:05-3:00 - Introduction of Nathan 3:04- How does he feel about being a thought leader in economics? 5:34 - What did his Bloomberg profile mean for his career? 8:00 - Newsletters and substack  intro 9:03 - Nathan on why he left substack? 15:02 - Does Nathan see himself as a creator, an economist, or a hobbyist? 17:26 - What is the economy? 20:53 - Intro to the economy 21:17 - If the economy is up, does that mean the economy is good? 23:32 - The relationship between the stock market and the economy 28:15 - What is the federal reserve? 31:04 - Why is the fed controversial? 33:18 - The true/not true about criticisms of The Fed 35:26 - Comparing 2008 to 2020 role of The Fed 39:10 - The 2020 response 42:21 - Is the good economy hurting the labor shortage? 44:10 - Thoughts on the labor shortage 49:29 - Thoughts on unionization 53:09 - What is something about Nathan or his work that gets misconstrued? 55:29 - What is one thing about the economy that Nathan would change? 59:40 - How can people get in contact with you? 1:00:34 - Closing remarks

In this episode of The King Williams Podcast, I talk to Atlanta data-journalist Sylvia Johnson on Georgia's recent anti-CRT bills. Sylvia wrote about the 5 current bills sitting in the Georgia legislature for my most recent newsletter edition entitled  "Georgia's Anti-Critical Race Theory Bills". We also talk about the role of organizations like The Heritage Foundation have played in drafting Georgia and other states' similar bills. I would also suggest reading my previous newsletter issues: The Update 9/5/2020 - Trump is ending critical race theory + Jessica Krug blackface controversy 5/26/2020 - The first Memorial Day, Confederate women, and the erasure of Black History I would also suggest listening to my previous issues: 2/18/2022 - Banned books from a Texas teacher's POV with author Hedreich Nichols Timestamps  (0:00-1:00) Intro  (1:00-2:45) House Keeping  Sylvia Johnson  Conservative Organizations - Sylvia The 1619 Project - me & Sylvia HB888 - Sylvia HB1084 - Sylvia Black conservatism, Black antagonism, nationalism - me What is being talked about in race? - sylvia What will happen if HB 888 passes in Georgia? - Sylvia How does or will this affect curriculums? - Sylvia The interjection of Hedrich Nichols episode - me Are there other topics being discussed for removal? SB 226, SB 323, SB327 - Sylvia Are similar bills being considered in other states? - Sylvia Florida’s STOP WOKE ACT - Sylvia Texas and its race to the bottom - Sylvia Micro - Parental bill of rights - Sylvia Macro - what is the future of education? - Sylvia Macro - what is the future of black education? - Sylvia If you can change one thing, what would it be? - Sylvia What is one thing about you or your work that is misconstrued? - Sylvia What’s making you happy? - Sylvia Final word - me - Malcolm X