Listeners, I am so excited, honored, and just thrilled for you to hear my conversation

today with journalist and Emmy Award-winning television producer, my friend, Jumeel Smith.

Through his work, Jumeel explores a range of political and cultural topics, including

national affairs, race and racism, politics, identity, police brutality, feminism and gender

roles, and pop culture.

Jumeel's career has been nothing short of incredible.

As a journalist and a commentator, he's been featured in the New York Times, Esquire,

The Washington Post, Huff Post, and the Los Angeles Times, among others.

He's served as a senior editor at the New Republic, launching and hosting the magazine's

first podcast, Intersection, and he was a senior national correspondent in MTV News.

Jumeel also worked as a segment producer for NFL Films, earning him three Emmy Awards,

after which he went on to join MSNBC, serving as a producer for both the Rachel Maddow

show and Melissa Harris-Perry.

While he was a senior writer for Rolling Stone at the time of recording, he is now a senior

correspondent at Vox and co-host of his very own podcast, Vox Conversations.

Today I'm sitting down with Jumeel to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, the current

climate in America, what it would really mean for us to love each other a little more,

and so, so much more.

We began this talk in April.

We were, I don't know, five or six weeks into the stay at home orders and the beginning

of the coronavirus really ravaging America, and as we were getting ready to air this episode,

the world shook, George Floyd was killed by the police, and we thought we can't have

...