FF 511: Education, Civil Rights and the Future of School Choice with Shaka Mitchell

Lions of Liberty Network

Lions of Liberty

Education, Business, Comedy, Self-improvement, News, Politics

4.6 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of Finding Freedom, John Odermatt interviews Shaka Mitchell, Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children, about the intersection of school choice, civil rights, and the future of education in America. They discuss how education reform can expand opportunity and strengthen communities, with a focus on empowering parents to choose the best educational path for their children. Shaka shares insights on the bipartisan history of school choice, the challenges families face in the current system, and the impact of funding and administration on educational outcomes. The conversation covers the competitive effects of school choice, recent legislative wins, and the role of technology and AI in shaping the future of learning. Shaka also highlights a new federal tax credit program that could make school choice accessible to more families nationwide. The episode wraps up with resources for listeners to learn more and get involved. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction & Guest Welcome03:00 - Shaka Mitchell’s Background07:30 - School Choice and Civil Rights15:00 - Funding, Administration, and Challenges25:00 - The Competitive Effects of School Choice35:00 - Technology, AI, and the Future of Education45:00 - New Federal Tax Credit Program50:00 - Final Thoughts & Resources 🔗 Links: • American Federation for Children: https://www.federationforchildren.org/• Shaka’s Substack: https://shaka.substack.com/ We have a new show on Lions of Liberty! The PoliTicks Podcast! Be sure to subscribe to the standalone Politicks Podcast feed. This is the absolute best way to support the show! Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And remember, they’re all Blood Suckers! Subscribe to John’s Finding Freedom Show solo feed to listen to “Pursuit of Freedom,” which is a new podcast series where John shares the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey. Listen and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Follow the Lions of Liberty: Twitter Rumble YouTube Instagram Telegram Get access to all of our bonus audio content, livestreams, behind-the-scenes segments and more for as little as $5 per month by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride on Patreon OR support us on Locals! Check out our merchandise at the Lions of Liberty Store for all of our awesome t-shirts, mugs and hats! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If I get my kid a phone, I'll be able to keep in touch with them all the time.
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0:26.9	network. To verify best networks at EE.e.com. UK slash claims. Hey, on today's episode of Finding
0:33.0	Freedom, I'm going to be talking with Shaka Mitchell, and we'll be discussing school choice,
0:38.9	civil rights, and how education reform shapes freedom and opportunity. Let's get into it.
0:45.6	We are born free, and we will die free. The time in between, though, that's complicated.
0:55.4	In that time, governments, institutions, and our egos will limit our ability to find true freedom in this life.
1:02.8	These are real stories of real people overcoming the odds, persevering injustice, and unlocking their potential.
1:10.0	Welcome to finding freedom. Here's your host, John Oterman.
1:16.7	Hey, everybody, welcome back to Finding Freedom here on the Lions of Liberty Network. Great to have you here today.
1:23.9	I'm going to introduce my guests in just a moment, but before I do that, I want to remind you of my favorite coffee, Fox and Sons coffee.
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1:54.6	Don't miss out. Support a like-minded entrepreneur and a good guy, Stephen Fox with Fox and Sons coffee. All right, let's get into
2:03.7	introducing my guest for today. My guest is Shaka Mitchell. He is a senior fellow at the
2:11.2	American Federation for Children. He's a TEDx Nashville speaker, a past chair of the Tennessee Advisory Committee to the U.S.
2:20.2	Commission on Civil Rights.
2:21.6	He advocates for school choice, education reform as vital tools for expanding opportunity,
	...

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