In this episode, Mj and Rasheem explore the legacy and ongoing relevance of poor Black women’s activism in Baltimore, focusing on housing justice and welfare rights through Rhonda Y. Williams’ seminal article, *“We’re Tired of Being Treated Like Dogs.”* They highlight figures like Margaret McCarty and Rev. Annie Chambers, who transformed personal struggle into collective resistance, and organizations such as U-JOIN and Mother Rescuers from Poverty, which rose from communities like Murphy Homes, O’Donnell Heights, and Gilmore Homes. The hosts trace how tenant strikes, welfare marches, and legislative advocacy confronted federal surveillance, welfare fraud prosecutions, and slumlord neglect, situating these efforts within a Black Radical Tradition that was grassroots-based, anti-capitalist, and unapologetically of the people.

In this episode, S. Rasheem sits down with Lawrence Grandpre on In Search of Black Power to unpack “Race Work” through historical analysis of key figures and debates like integration vs. nationalism and strategic navigation vs. direct confrontation with oppressive systems. Rasheem contrasts the Black community’s holistic approach—linking spiritual, economic, and political self-help as Race Work—with professional social work, which through its pursuit of professionalization and institutionalization in white institutions often risks accommodating anti-Blackness.