The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
The Authority is a show that candidly discusses issues affecting popular culture, sports and politics. The show will discuss, deliberate and debate current events effecting these categories of focus and see how they intersect with the issue of race. The show will talk about all types of issues: gender, class, etc, but the show will have an inclination to highlight topics that deal with the issue of race. Because the host of the show, Dr. Sanford Richmond, believes there has never been an issue now or ever in the history of America that has been bigger or more dire than the issue of race, Dr. Richmond for the most part, will make this issue the featured aspect of the show. The Authority will be entertaining and informative as well as passionate and energetic for all the audience to hear.
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Michael Jackson Writer: Charles Thomson - Part 2
05/28/2019
Michael Jackson Writer: Charles Thomson - Part 2
On this episode of The Authority due to popular demand on Twitter and social media…I welcome back Michael Jackson writer and historian Charles Thomson. We simply continue and extend our discussion from our previous interview in which we talk about the aftermath of HBO's explosive documentary Leaving Neverland in which two men, James Safechuck and Wade Robson accuse Michael Jackson of molesting them when they were children. In our first interview Thomson points out the many...many holes and contradictions of the documentary alongside attacking the credibility and integrity of Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed. In this episode of The Authority our interview focuses more on the aftermath of Leaving Neverland and the repercussions it has caused to Jackson’s legacy. Thomson assesses whether the documentary caused as much damage to Jackson’s legacy as the participants of Leaving Neverland (Safechuck, Robson and Reed) and the global anti-Michael Jackson mass media operation had hoped. We also dig deeper into the sexual abuse allegations that appear to describe a pattern of behavior that Jackson allegedly carries out against his victims which leads many to say, “where there’s smoke there’s fire!” Thomson talks about this alleged pattern of behavior and provides his hilarious but honest take on the famous expression "where there’s smoke there’s fire!" Thomson also talks about how his journalistic career has been affected by being a long-time writer and defender of Jackson. In addition, he discusses his thoughts and feelings about how the Jackson family has embraced and more importantly—trusted him in being an authority on Jackson’s life, reputation and legacy. Furthermore, being a multiple award-winning journalist, he talks about being nominated for another award in the UK and not knowing the results until the day after our interview. And because the award is rewarded by public vote, Thomson speaks about how Michael Jackson fans across the UK are creating massive campaigns for people to vote for him. And ultimately the massive campaigns by Jackson fans was successful, as Thomson won an award for his investigative journalism by IRONICALLY exposing a massive pedophile ring in the UK labeled the "Shoebury Sex Ring" Enjoy the show!
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Adam Silver vs David Stern and the New Era of Racial Reckoning in the NBA
05/16/2019
Adam Silver vs David Stern and the New Era of Racial Reckoning in the NBA
On this episode of The Authority I discuss the new era of leadership in the NBA under commissioner Adam Silver. I compare Silver’s leadership with his predecessor David Stern and the contrast of how they treated their players in a league which comprised of a black male majority. Silver by many accounts appeared to treat NBA players like partners and Stern by the observation of many appeared to treat NBA players like subordinates…some would argue (like me) like slaves. Stern had a reputation of running the NBA with an iron fist in which he stifled freedom of speech and expression. Silver seems to be more egalitarian in his approach in how he treats the players of the NBA. Also, and more importantly, Silver appears to allow his black players to express themselves socially and politically unlike any era in NBA history, including and especially the era of David Stern. NBA superstars Lebron James, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and coach Gregg Popovich alongside many other NBA figures seem to be on the frontline of the racial resistance in America regarding their social and political justice views alongside unapologetically attacking the repressive and oppressive policies and opinions of President Donald Trump. The question I ask on this episode is…would this freedom of expression and speech happen under Stern? Would Stern allow this freedom of political expression and speech…or would he stifle it like he did in 1996 with Chris Jackson (now Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) in which Abdul-Rauf refused to come out of the locker room during the national anthem because he felt the song and the flag represented a “symbol of oppression?” Instead of allowing Abdul-Rauf to express himself Stern fined him nearly $32,000 and suspended him a game. If Stern was still commissioner would he allow his players to express themselves freely in this era of hyper racial consciousness…or does he maintain his rules of restriction, censorship and punishment? I dive into this hypothetical with national scholar on race, sports and popular culture Dr. David Leonard. He is a leading authority on race and sports in America with most of his expertise focused on the issue of race and race relations in the NBA. Leonard also wrote a book some years back focused on Stern’s controversial leadership titled After Artest: The NBA and the Assault on Blackness. You’re going to want to hear what he has to say! Enjoy the show!!
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Michael Jackson Writer and Historian: Charles Thomson
04/30/2019
Michael Jackson Writer and Historian: Charles Thomson
So every single person who accuses Michael Jackson subsequently goes straight to a civil lawyer and tries to sue him. There is never an accuser who simply walks into a police station and says “Michael Jackson molested me what are you going to do about it?” They always go to a lawyer and say, “Lets get rich!” The day you start making that excuse for victims and saying well—we have to believe them anyway because it’s probably just trauma—we have to believe them anyway—well THAT IS THE DEATH OF JUSTICE! JUSTICE DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE! The day you start saying it doesn’t matter if an accuser has all their facts wrong and its proven to be telling a story that can’t be true we should just convict the person anyway because it’s just trauma—that basically means that no innocent person can ever be acquitted again! The explosive and powerful comments quoted above were made on this episode of The Authority by Michael Jackson writer and historian and award-winning investigative journalist Charles Thomson. Thomson, based in the UK, has written about Michael Jackson for over a decade. He’s covered and written about Jackson’s music and legacy in multiple publications and books. But what he’s most known for regarding Jackson is providing years of in-depth and investigative journalism on the allegations of child sexual abuse that has been levied against the singer in life and unfortunately years after his death. Thomson is one of the leading authorities on Michael Jackson in the world. He’s also been a loud and harsh critic of the controversial documentary HBO’s Leaving Neverland. In the documentary 2 men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, accuse Jackson of molesting them when they were children. On the show I will talk to Thomson about his critique of the documentary and his thoughts about the main participants of the film, Wade Robson, James Safechuck and Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed. The explosive and powerful statements quoted above are just a portion of what he expresses about Leaving Neverland, the accusers and the widespread condemnation of Jackson in America and around the world that Thomson believes is extremely excessive, one-sided, unfair and unjust. We also discuss other high-profile cases he’s covered related to child sexual abuse in which he’s won many awards for in the UK. Enjoy the show!
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Nipsey Hussle, Michael Jackson Updates and Joe Biden
04/23/2019
Nipsey Hussle, Michael Jackson Updates and Joe Biden
This episode of The Authority podcast I perform my first solo act as a host…no guest needed. I talk about things that was weighing heavily on my mind and on my heart in recent weeks. First, the sudden and tragic killing of hip hop superstar Nipsey Hussle, my favorite rapper of the past decade. I talk about the impact of his killing and the monumental tribute he received after his death which paralleled the memorials of world leaders in the past. I also discuss new updates and revelations from HBO’s Leaving Neverland documentary in which two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck accuse the late great King of Pop Michael Jackson, of molesting them when they were children. As the days and weeks have gone by since the documentary aired, several lies have been revealed about the documentary which involve the 3 main participants of the film, Robson, Safechuck and Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed. The credibility of the documentary is crumbling under the pressure and scrutiny as more lies of the accusers are being exposed on a weekly basis. And the latest bombshell involving Safechuck’s story about being abused on Jackson’s Neverland Train Station from 1988 to 1992 has embarrassingly collapsed because…the train station didn’t even exist until 1994. And lastly I discuss the potential presidential bid of Joe Biden for 2020. And discuss the multiple allegations that has been thrown his way in which a reported 7 women accuse the former Vice President of inappropriate touching and an invasion of personal space. I discuss whether Biden can handle the scrutiny of these allegations correlated with his well-known history of actions in the past that involve his impulsive comments and behavior at press conferences and political rallies. I discuss the potential uphill battle that Biden may have to endure as a 2020 presidential candidate with staunch Biden supporter, Mike Casentini. Producer, director, founder and CEO of Network Studios. The studio responsible for The Authority podcast show. We have a rousing and engaging debate about this particular topic. Enjoy the show!
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A White Guy’s Perspective on Race and Politics in America
04/03/2019
A White Guy’s Perspective on Race and Politics in America
In this episode I interview the director, producer, founder and CEO of Network Studios here in Los Angeles Mike Casentini. The studio responsible for distributing The Authority podcast around the world. He’s the man that makes everything happen! In addition to being the CEO of Network Studios he’s also a professional comedian and a former podcast host. Mike Casentini is a person that has a lot of interesting and thought-provoking viewpoints and ideas about race, politics and just society in general. Casentini is a person whose had a very interesting life and backstory. He’s a man that’s lived a very full and fascinating life. His life’s journey is full of ups and downs and lessons learned. And along the way of his journey he realized how the issue of race informed many of his experiences throughout his life…even as a white guy. His life experiences along with what he realized about the issue of race in America informs who he is today as a CEO, comedian, and American citizen. Enjoy the interview!
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Michael Jackson's Bodyguard Bill Whitfield
03/21/2019
Michael Jackson's Bodyguard Bill Whitfield
This episode of The Authority is about the explosive new HBO documentary called Leaving Neverland in which 2 men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, allege that the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, sexually abused them as children. The documentary has caused a lot of controversy in recent weeks. A controversy that’s put Jackson’s life and legacy at a crossroads even in death. The reaction to this documentary has been harsh and swift in which a selective amount of radio stations across the world have banned Jackson’s music, The Simpsons have pulled their Michael Jackson episode from circulation and a museum in England removed a statue of him from their premises. So my guest on the show will be the bodyguard of Michael Jackson for the last 2 in a half year of his life, Bill Whitfield, in which he speaks on the documentary and discusses the man he thinks very highly of as a person, father and overall human being. Whitfield speaks of the man that he had to be around every single day of his life 24 hours a day. Whitfield thought so highly of Jackson he wrote a book called Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days. So with Whitfield’s high reverence of Jackson, he takes a strong stand against Leaving Neverland and defends the King of Pop against this documentary and against the recycled attacks on his character and lifestyle that dogged Jackson throughout his life when he was alive.
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Is Lebron James the G.O.A.T of Basketball?
12/03/2018
Is Lebron James the G.O.A.T of Basketball?
In recent years there has been this never-ending debate on who’s the greatest basketball player of all time. On social media, sports talk shows, barbershops, sports websites and blogs there is this one burning question that sports fans in America and around the world are asking themselves: who is the greatest, Lebron James or Michael Jordan? Well in this episode of The Authority, I join this never-ending debate of who is the greatest basketball player of all-time. I try to provide stats and data versus wins and losses to make my point of who I believe is the greatest basketball player of all-time. I discuss this endless (but fun) public debate with my guest Dr. David Leonard, national scholar on race, popular culture and sports.
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The Social Activism of Lebron James
12/02/2018
The Social Activism of Lebron James
This episode of The Authority is about NBA superstar Lebron James and his social activism in recent years. I discuss where he started from regarding his early years as an NBA player who was reluctant to speak out on social issues…to where he is now in which he is an unapologetic, conscientious speaker of political and racial justice. The evolution of Lebron James as a speaker of racial and political truth is more fascinating as his fame has only progressed throughout the years in which now there is a majority consensus that places him as the face of the NBA and the face of sports in America. I will discuss the social activism of Lebron James with my guest Dr. David Leonard who is a national scholar on race, popular culture and sports.
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The White Privilege of Cheating: The New England Patriots
12/02/2018
The White Privilege of Cheating: The New England Patriots
In this episode of The Authority I tackle the issue of cheating in sports. And the featured topic is the documented serial cheating of the NFL team The New England Patriots. For almost 2 decades now they have been accused and ultimately have been found to be serial cheaters. Although it has been proven that they are serial cheaters of massive proportions... ... they have practically received little to no accountability or punishment for their multiple offences. <br/ > And in the meantime, while receiving no punishment they have become the most successful franchise in modern football history winning 5 super bowls along with multiple super bowl appearances since 2002. One must question with all this winning, why no punishment for their numerous cheating offences? Is it race? Protecting the legacy of the white quarterback Tom Brady, the white coach Bill Belichick and the white owner Robert Kraft. Contrast this reality with the black high profile sports figures in recent years having their careers and even lives ruined because of alleged cheating: Barry Bonds and the steroid scandal, former NFL running back Reggie Bush having his Heisman Trophy confiscated when he was at USC and the Jackie Robinson West little league baseball team who got their 2014 national title revoked. Why do they and the many other high-profile sports figures (mostly black) receive harsh, unapologetic punishment for cheating and the New England Patriots don’t? Again, is it race? I discuss this topic with David Leonard, national scholar of race, popular culture and sports.
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Colin Kaepernick and Nike
12/02/2018
Colin Kaepernick and Nike
In this episode of The Authority, I discuss the pairing of Nike and exiled NFL star and activist Colin Kaepernick. Since Kaepernick has paired with Nike, according to ESPN, Nike’s stock has risen 6.25 percent, adding 6.38 billion to Nike’s value... Ever since Kaepernick took his public stance against racial injustice and police brutality, taking a knee on NFL sidelines on gameday Sundays, a legion of sports pundits, reporters, and figures alike have argued that Kaepernick would be bad for the NFL regarding popularity and TV ratings if he were to ever enter back into the league. But what does the historic rise in Nike’s stock and value due to Kaepernick presence say about that theory? I also focus on Nike’s history of pairing with high profile black celebrities with uncompromising racial politics. From Spike Lee to Lebron James and Serena Williams to now Colin Kaepernick…should Nike get credit for historically accepting and marketing high profile black figures with radical racial politics? Years…even decades from now will Nike be on the right side of history because of their acceptance of such racially and socially outspoken black stars? Or will Nike’s sullied history of exploitative labor and business practices around the world outweigh their public acceptance of such stars? I discuss this topic with Dr. David Leonard, national scholar on race, sports and popular culture.
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The 2018 Midterm Elections
12/02/2018
The 2018 Midterm Elections
In this episode of The Authority I discuss the aftermath of the 2018 midterm elections. I discuss whether the 2018 midterm elections was a big success for the Democrats or a big disappointment. The historical fashion in which Democrats seized victory across the country would say the former. Democrats won in record fashion with regard to house seats, legislative seats and governorships. This was considered by many political critics and pundits a blue wave But was this blue wave enough for Democrats to enact change in congress? And can this so-called blue wave maintain momentum in the 2020 elections when Donald Trump runs as the incumbent president? I discuss these burning questions about the outcome of the election with educator, psychologist, and national DJ, Rome Devase.
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