I'm Kimberly Crenshaw, and this is Intersectionality Matters, the podcast that brings intersectionality to life by exploring the hidden dimensions of today's most pressing issues, from say her name to the war on woke, DEI and CRT, and the global rise of fascism.

This idea Travelog lifts up the work of leading activists,

artists, and scholars and helps listeners understand politics, the law, social movements, and even their own lives in deeper, more nuanced ways.

I have the pleasure of being surrounded by some pretty incredible people. We bump into each other at industry gatherings, or they come to my team's signature events like CRT summer school,

our annual Sunday ands panel, or our say-her-name anniversary event.

Wherever we are, I can always count on these folks to drop some gems.

And when they do, I'm always thinking of you, our intersectionality matters podcast crew.

I know you'd love so much of what gets said behind the scenes when we're doing what

we do at the African American Policy Forum. So we're bringing you a new mini series. They'll be quick,

15-minute reflections on work and life from some of the most exciting people we know. You'll hear

from artists, activists, professors,

and other wise people in our orbit about how they approach their craft and how they find balance

when the work gets hard. These types of conversations are what get me through the day when I need

a little something something to boost my energy. Now you can

lean on them too. We're kicking things off with a gifted comedian and a dear friend of AAPF's, C.J. Hunt.

My name is C.J. Hunt. I'm a filmmaker and a comedian. CJ has written for the daily show.

And I make documentaries. And produce the award-winning documentary, The Neutral Ground.

The first thing I wanted to talk to him about was how he fell into comedy.

And the moment he realized it could be used to make people laugh and at the same time, think.

When I was in college, The Daily Show was really in its heyday. So I think I was watching a lot of that and being like, ooh, social commentary. And then I taught for a little while and was like, oh, no, you have to be more direct. And I found my way back to comedy as not only is this something I find joyful, but I do believe that you can get messages to audiences that would otherwise be resistant to it by taking them on a different road.

It's almost like folks who speak multiple languages.

Sometimes when you're going to swear because you're so upset, you'll go to another language.

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