This blog post is part of AEI’s Best Podcasts of 2021 series. Click here to see other AEI podcast hosts’ favorite episodes of the year.

In the aftermath of Rodney King’s assault by police officers
in the ‘90s and his attackers’ subsequent acquittal, we grew weary of a public
narrative proclaiming that Black men in America were doomed to failure under an
oppressive system. A feeling of invisibleness struck both of us when we were
Harvard Business School classmates as the stories of men like them became
increasingly ignored in the public eye. So they launched “The Invisible Men,” a
documentary telling the stories of amazing Black men at Harvard University who
achieved success by leaning on the core principles of family, faith, free
enterprise, and entrepreneurship. Today, we have resurrected “The Invisible
Men” as a video podcast.

Here are the top 5 episodes of “The Invisible Men” from 2021:

1. Anthony Bradley on a data-centered view of Black progress and human flourishing — Episode #27, June 2

In this episode, Anthony
Bradley came on the podcast to discuss the importance of developing a
data-centered outlook on Black success in America. Anthony grew up in the
well-off Black suburbs of southwest Atlanta, where he was surrounded by
countless examples of Black men and women who had built meaningful careers by
merging a deep desire for progress with a strong moral grounding. After hearing
“The Firing Line” mentioned by Michael J. Fox’s character in “Family Ties,”
Anthony began watching William F. Buckley’s show regularly. It was watching
this show that first introduced Anthony to the work of Thomas Sowell, which
would later inspire him to incorporate a data-centered approach in his outlook
on human progress. From policing, to the racial wealth gap, to marriage,
Anthony walked us through myriad facets of the human experience and explained
why a data-centered approach is crucial to the study of human flourishing.

2. Harvard professor Roland Fryer on studying difficult questions with economics — Episode #31, July 7

In part 1 of this
two-part series with Harvard professor, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, and
early-stage investor Roland Fryer, Roland shared how his exposure to
economics in college sparked an academic passion in him that had laid dormant
until that point. Roland became enthralled with economics because it empowered
him to use the best research tools available to study the most important and
difficult social questions — topics such as policing, education, health, and
the drug epidemic. Later, Roland shared how a pivotal encounter with one of his
economics professors at the University of Chicago, in which he engaged in a “no
holds barred” debate on race, inspired the intellectual honesty he approaches
his research with today, as well as the teaching methods he has used in his
classroom.

3. Jason Riley on the legacy of Thomas Sowell and its importance to our future — Episode #26, May 26

In this episode, Jason Riley — a prolific columnist at the Wall Street Journal, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and author of Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell — discussed the work and legacy of Thomas Sowell. Sowell is an economist and public intellectual whose research has unearthed the cultural and behavioral characteristics that can engender the uplift of a new generation of vulnerable Americans. It was encountering Sowell’s work in college that launched Jason on the path toward developing his current framework for understanding issues of economics and race. Jason lamented the fact that Sowell’s work has not been celebrated in the public eye as much as scholars who are far his intellectual inferiors, and he noted the importance of ushering in a new generation of young academics to follow in Sowell’s tradition. With conversations on critical race theory, reparations, and affirmative action receiving renewed national attention, Sowell’s framework for understanding the behavioral and cultural determinates of human capital development is more important to our national health than ever.

4. Bob Woodson on rescuing American history from ‘race hustlers’ — Episode #28, June 9

Bob Woodson — president of the Woodson Center and most recently, founder of 1776 Unites — joined the podcast to discuss his new, best-selling volume of essays Red, White, and Black: Rescuing American History from Revisionists and Race Hustlers. Bob shared how his involvement early in the civil rights movement caused him to realize that many of the policies the left has proposed in response to the civil rights movement actually harm low-income Black Americans while benefitting elites. Today, Bob sees the same trend playing out before his eyes — with “race hustlers” taking the reins of culture and funneling resources toward elites at the expense of the most disadvantaged. Later, Bob unraveled how the G.I. Bill is an example of a successful government effort to empower vulnerable Americans to pursue a better life. The G.I. Bill helped millions of Americans who had failed to access quality education in their youth access much-needed support to build a new, successful life through military service. It offered service men and women a chance to pursue higher education without restrictions on universities or areas of study, which helped usher in a burgeoning Black middle class.

5. Barry Williams, legendary corporate board exec, on excellence in life & business — Episode #11, February 10

In this episode,
Barry Lawson Williams discussed the importance of building Black representation
on corporate boards across the United States. When it comes to corporate
America, Barry’s life exemplifies the vision, character, and insight worthy of
a career business executive who has served on 14 public company boards. A few
years ago, Barry conducted a study with 50 top Black executives in
the United States and found five common themes with timely insights into how we
can pave the way for a new generation of Black corporate leaders. Consistent
with his own experience, all of the directors Barry interviewed shared that
they had gained their prominent positions through a rich network of
relationships — highlighting the need for current leaders to leverage their
social capital to recruit and place more Black men and women in positions of
corporate leadership. Barry also shared the unique challenges he faced as a
black student at Harvard in the 1960s — and the power he experienced by
embracing his race in the predominately white arena of Harvard.

The post Top 5 podcasts of 2021: ‘The Invisible Men’ with Ian Rowe and Nique Fajors appeared first on American Enterprise Institute – AEI.