Podcast
Afternoon Coffee Break with Darren Watts
Hosted by Darren Watts · EN
Every day is racism for black people. Most people are not open-minded to understand racism, nor are most people open to believing in racism. Afternoon Coffee Break with Darren Watts serves two purposes. One, education in discrimination. Two, a platform to talk about racism. Dive in with me to learn the history and the hypocrisy of those who don't believe racism exists. We will look at current events involved with racism as well. Let's have an uncomfortable conversation.
90episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
After The Brew: Blood Pressure Check, Picking a Pharmacist's Brain & Why an X-Ray Isn't the Full Picture
1w ago00:09:56Tap to summarizeIn this episode of After The Brew, Darren keeps it relatively low key — a blood pressure follow-up with his clinical pharmacist that turned into something more. He picked her brain about Dr. Morlan's decision to override his suggestion for a lower back MRI in favor of a brain MRI. Darren gets it — the first brain scan came back abnormal, so following up there makes sense. But connecting brain and spine doesn't necessarily get to the root of what's happening in his lower back. And here's the thing: an X-ray showing nothing structurally wrong doesn't mean nothing is wrong. Soft tissue, nerves, inflammation — none of that shows up on an X-ray. Darren is still connecting the dots on his own health, the same way he always has.TAGSAfter The Brew, Darren Watts, Afternoon Coffee Break, clinical pharmacist, blood pressure, back pain, lower back MRI, brain MRI, X-ray, Dr. Morlan, abnormal brain scan, soft tissue, long COVID, post-viral syndrome, patient advocacy, connecting the dots, health update, medical follow up, neurodivergent, chronic illness, real talk, Black podcast, May 2026, healthcare, advocating for yourself,
Transcribe →After The Brew - What Happened?
1w ago00:17:24Tap to summarizeIn this episode of After The Brew, Darren revisits the church rehearsal situation from a couple of weeks ago — being the only one left out of a schedule change, wasting a trip across town, and coming home furious and unable to sleep. But he also shares what happened when he went back on May 17th. The giving, the prayers, the service itself — and how showing up anyway, even after being hurt, led to a better experience than the night that almost broke him.TAGSAfter The Brew, Darren Watts, Afternoon Coffee Break, church, rehearsal, left out, miscommunication, furious, showing up anyway, May 17th, Sunday service, giving, prayer, worship, healing, tension, better days, faith, neurodivergent, ADHD, masking, presence fatigue, real talk, Black podcast, personal update, May 2026, telling my story, church community, growth,
Transcribe →Hate Crimes Through 2024: Florida
2w ago00:26:39Tap to summarizeOne reported hate crime in 2021. 161 in 2022. 249 in 2023. Florida's escalation is one of the most dramatic in this series. Anti-Black incidents lead the cumulative data at 270. Anti-Jewish at 199 — nearly doubled in a single year in a state with one of the largest Jewish populations in the country. A white supremacist killed three Black people at a Jacksonville Dollar General and left a manifesto — significant enough that the Attorney General personally traveled to Florida. A man drove his truck at six Black men surveying land near the 1923 Rosewood Massacre site and came within inches of striking one of them. A Florida man was sentenced to 25 years for conspiring to bomb a synagogue. Mosque bomb threats. Cross burnings. Vehicular attacks. A postal worker attacked for wearing a hijab. And Florida just eliminated its only majority-Black congressional district the same day the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. The hate crime data and the political decisions are not separate stories. They come from the same environment. They target the same communities. Let's have this conversation.00:00 — Disclaimer01:32 — Introduction02:34 — Thesis: The hate crime data and the political landscape of Florida are not separate stories — they are the same story about who is being targeted and who is being left without protection04:38 — Opening: August 26, 2023 — Jacksonville, Florida — three Black people killed at a Dollar General by a white supremacist who left a manifesto08:00 — Background: The national baseline, Florida's dramatic three-year escalation, and the breadth of communities being targeted12:23 — The Data: Anti-Black at 270, Anti-Jewish at 199, the Rosewood site attack, the synagogue plot, the mosque threats, the axe handle, the cross burning, the vehicular attack, the hijab assault19:31 — Personal Thoughts: The Rosewood Massacre happened in 1923 — and in 2022 a man drove a truck at Black men on the same ground. The history did not stay in 1923.23:40 — Close: Know the numbers, know the cases, know the names. Georgia is next.DOJ Hate Crimes State Data — justice.gov/hatecrimes/state-data/floridaFBI Crime Data Explorer — cde.ucr.cjis.govFBI Jacksonville — fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/jacksonvilleSPLC — splcenter.orgFollow the show wherever you get your podcasts.Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chartFlorida hate crimes 2024, Florida hate crime statistics, Jacksonville Dollar General shooting, Rosewood Massacre site attack, antisemitism Florida, anti-Black hate crimes Florida, Florida synagogue bombing plot, mosque bomb threat Florida, hate crimes through 2024 series, Florida redistricting hate crimes, anti-Jewish hate crimes Florida, LGBTQ hate crimes Florida, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,
Transcribe →The DNC Autopsy: What It Says, What It Missed, and What It Means for Black America
2w ago00:25:56Tap to summarizeThe Democratic National Committee released its 2024 election autopsy on May 21st, 2026. Nearly 200 pages. Red disclaimers on every page from the DNC itself saying it could not verify the claims inside. The executive summary — blank. The conclusion — blank. The DNC chair publicly said he is not proud of the product. It does not mention Gaza. It barely mentions healthcare, housing, or affordability. And it has almost nothing specific to say about the Black voters whose turnout declined and whose communities will pay the highest price for the 2024 loss. Today we go through all three perspectives — what the right says, what the left says, and the Black community angle that neither of them is centering. Because if the Democratic Party does not reckon with what happened to Black voter enthusiasm in 2024, no amount of ad spend analysis will fix what is broken. Let's have this conversation.00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Thesis04:16 — Opening: Red disclaimers on every page. Missing executive summary. Missing conclusion. Disowned by the DNC chair on release day. That is the party's official postmortem.06:38 — Background: What the report actually says — Harris's definition problem, male voter gap, rural miscalculation, late organizing, insufficient negative messaging, and the near-collapse of NGP VAN11:41 — The Data: Three perspectives — the right's dysfunction critique, the left's platform critique, and the Black community question neither side is centering18:24 — Personal Thoughts: The autopsy is a document about how to win elections — the question it refuses to answer is win them for whom?22:37 — Close/Action Steps: Read at least a portion of the autopsy yourself — and ask the question the document refuses to answerCNN — cnn.comSalon — salon.comWLOS/The National News Desk — wlos.comWay to Win — waytowin.usDNC Build to Win Report — available via CNNFollow the show wherever you get your podcasts.Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chartDNC autopsy 2024, Democratic Party election review, DNC 2024 postmortem, Ken Martin DNC, Paul Rivera DNC report, Kamala Harris 2024 loss, Black voters Democratic Party 2024, male voter gap 2024, Democratic organizing failure, Gaza Democrats 2024, DNC trust deficit Black voters, Voting Rights Act Democrats, redistricting Black community, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,
Transcribe →The Tale of Two Indianas- Sports Business Royalty and the Hoosiers Who Can't Afford Groceries
2w ago00:29:24Tap to summarizeIndiana is ranked 3rd in the nation for sports business. $3 billion in infrastructure. An 800-room hotel. A 25-year strategy called the 2050 Vision. And Indiana has the worst foreclosure rate in the United States. Those two facts do not exist in parallel universes. They exist in the same state, in the same budget cycle, paid for by the same tax base. Today we follow the money. Hotel taxes. Admission taxes. Athlete income retention. Stadium debt reinvestment. Corporate partnerships. All of it flowing into a sports machine while the neighborhoods surrounding those stadiums lead the nation in foreclosures. And we use a real budget — real numbers from a real Hoosier — to show you exactly what this economy feels like from the inside. The math isn't mathing. And the communities paying the highest price are the same communities that have always paid the highest price. Let's have this conversation.00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:39 — Thesis: Indiana cannot be both things at the same time without someone paying for the gap — and we know who that someone is04:31 — Opening: 3rd in sports business. Number one in foreclosures. How does the same state hold both rankings simultaneously?06:57 — Background: How the sports machine actually gets funded — hotel taxes, admission taxes, athlete income retention, stadium debt reinvestment, Senate Enrolled Act 245, and corporate partnerships12:47 — The Data: The real budget, the racial dimension, the Fair Housing Center findings, and what the two-tier economy actually looks like from the inside21:07 — Personal Thoughts: This is my budget. These are my numbers. The math doesn't work — not because I'm doing something wrong, but because the system is structured so that it doesn't26:16 — Close/Action Item: Look up the Capital Improvement Board, understand how the machine works, and ask the accounting question — what would it look like if even a fraction of that stadium revenue went toward the foreclosure crisis?Indianapolis Recorder — indianapolisrecorder.comFair Housing Center of Central Indiana — fhcci.orgATTOM Data — attomdata.comIndiana Destination Development Corp — visitindiana.comIndiana Sports Corp — indianasportscorp.orgFollow the show wherever you get your podcasts.Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chartIndiana sports business ranked 3rd, Indiana foreclosure rate number one, Indianapolis cost of living 2026, tale of two Indianas, Indiana economy racial disparity, Black Hoosiers cost of living, Fair Housing Center Indiana, Indianapolis sports infrastructure, Capital Improvement Board Indianapolis, Professional Sports Development Area, Indiana Sports Corp 2050 Vision, Senate Enrolled Act 245, living wage Indiana, Black Americans wage gap Indiana, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,
Transcribe →Anita Grayson: A Coffee Shop, A 75-Year-Old Black Woman, and a Pattern We Know Too Well
2w ago00:24:10Tap to summarizeHer name was Anita Ann Grayson. She was 75 years old. She had congestive heart failure. She was wearing a heart monitor. She walked into a Tim Hortons in Fort Wayne, Indiana to complain about a drive-thru order. She never walked out. After a physical altercation with a younger white employee, Anita Grayson collapsed on the floor of that restaurant. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. The coroner has not ruled on cause of death. The prosecutor has not filed charges. The full video has not been released to the public. The police statement was characterized by an elected city councilwoman as victim-blaming. And racists online celebrated her death. Her daughter said it best — you should not enter a coffee shop for a coffee and a doughnut and come out unalived. Attorney Ben Crump is now representing the family. Today we go through what we know, what we do not know, and why this case sits inside a pattern Black America has been documenting for a very long time. Let's have this conversation.00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Thesis03:55 — Opening: Her name was Anita Ann Grayson — and that name deserves to be the first thing you hear06:02 — Background: What is confirmed, what is pending, and why the police statement drew a victim-blaming accusation from an elected official09:33 — The Data: The online response, the documented pattern — Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown — and why this case sits inside that history14:46 — Personal Thoughts: A 75-year-old Black woman with congestive heart failure walked into a coffee shop — and somebody decided she was a threat that required a physical response19:37 — Close/Action Steps: Know her name before they replace it with a narrative. Watch the coroner's ruling. Watch the prosecutor's decision. And remember — the pattern only changes when enough people refuse to let it continue.WANE 15 Fort Wayne — wane.comNBC News — nbcnews.comBlack America Web — blackamericaweb.comBET News — bet.comNewsOne — newsone.comFollow the show wherever you get your podcasts.Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chartAnita Grayson Tim Hortons Fort Wayne, Anita Grayson death Indiana, Fort Wayne Tim Hortons fight death, Ben Crump Anita Grayson, Black woman dies Tim Hortons, Fort Wayne Police victim blaming, Tawnda Grayson, Allen County Prosecutor Grayson, Black women dehumanization, Emmett Till Trayvon Martin pattern, racism elderly Black woman, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,
Transcribe →Hate Crimes Through 2024: Washington DC — The City of Monuments and the Data Behind Them
3w ago00:29:03Tap to summarizeToday is Memorial Day. Before a single number is shared — this episode opens with a dedication to Elbert M. Watts Sr. August 8th, 1920 to July 27th, 1997. World War II. Korean War. 46 years in accounting after coming home. This episode is for him. Washington DC is the seat of American government. The monuments are here. The memorials are here. The buildings where the laws get written are here. And DC nearly tripled its reported hate crimes from 2021 to 2023. 67 incidents in 2021. 152 in 2022. 188 in 2023. Anti-Gay Male incidents lead the cumulative data at 162 — the first jurisdiction in this series where LGBTQ targeting leads all other categories. 76 percent of incidents are crimes against persons — the highest in this series. Three documented hate crime murders. 88 incidents on public transit. In the city where the monuments cast their shadows — the data still has to be named. Let's have this conversation.00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Mission: A Memorial Day dedication to Elbert M. Watts Sr. — and why DC is the right place to honor him and name the data simultaneously04:52 — Opening: 67 to 152 to 188 — a 180 percent increase in two years in the capital of the United States10:19 — Background: What makes DC unique in this series — no voting representation, the Metro, the intersection of every community, and the first jurisdiction where LGBTQ targeting leads all categories14:00 — The Data: Anti-Gay Male at 162, anti-Black at 97, simple assault at 368, three hate crime murders, 88 Metro incidents, and the offender data that requires careful and precise reading20:09 — Personal Thoughts: The Metro station number, the monuments, and what it means that hate does not pause for memorial observances26:00 — Close: To Elbert M. Watts Sr. — your sacrifice is not forgotten. Not here.DOJ Hate Crimes State Data — justice.gov/hatecrimes/state-data/dcFBI Crime Data Explorer — cde.ucr.cjis.govSPLC — splcenter.orgDC Courts — dccourts.govFollow the show wherever you get your podcasts.Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chartWashington DC hate crimes 2024, DC hate crime statistics, anti-gay hate crimes DC, LGBTQ hate crimes Washington DC, DC Metro hate crimes, hate crimes monuments DC, Memorial Day podcast, Elbert Watts Sr veteran, Korean War WWII veteran, Gerald Brevard DC hate crimes, hate crimes through 2024 series, anti-Black hate crimes DC, DC anti-transgender hate crimes, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,
Transcribe →A Quick Update From Afternoon Coffee Break with Darren Watts
3w ago00:03:16Tap to summarizeA quick update from Darren Watts on what is coming and when. New episodes will now publish on Mondays and Saturdays. After The Brew continues on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There may be more than one episode on publish days depending on the news cycle. And because accuracy matters more than speed — breaking news may take a couple of days before it shows up here. If you are looking for careful, sourced, fact-checked analysis that respects your intelligence and your time — you are in the right place. The Hate Crimes Through 2024 series continues. The current events episodes are recorded and coming. And Darren is not stepping away. The work matters too much to put down. Narrated by Achird.00:00 — Introduction00:14 — The Schedule Update: Mondays and Saturdays for new episodes, Tuesdays and Thursdays for After The Brew — and why accuracy comes before speed01:16 — The Content Coming: Hate Crimes Through 2024, the VRA case study, Tennessee, Virginia, the Anti-Weaponization Fund, Stephen A. Smith — all of it is built and coming02:05 — A Personal Note From Darren: Managing health challenges and still showing up — because the work matters too much to put down02:30 — Close: Follow the show, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, and thank you for being hereFollow the show wherever you get your podcasts.Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chartAfternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts update, podcast schedule change, Monday Saturday episodes, After The Brew schedule, Hate Crimes Through 2024, current events podcast, Black journalism podcast, Goodpods Personal Journals, Achird narrator, podcast update 2026,
Transcribe →The $1.776 Billion Question: What Actually Happened With Trump, the IRS, and the Anti-Weaponization Fund
3w ago00:23:46Tap to summarizeDonald Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in January 2026. He dropped it two days before a court deadline he was almost certainly going to lose. His former personal criminal defense attorney — now acting Attorney General — negotiated a settlement creating a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded fund with no judicial oversight and no legally defined terms for who qualifies. January 6th defendants may apply for payments. And the day after the announcement — quietly — the IRS was permanently barred from ever investigating Trump's past tax returns. That term was added in a hyperlink. The acting AG did not mention it during Senate testimony earlier that same day. Today we cut through the noise. What actually happened. What lawyers are actually saying. And what this means for the American taxpayer. Let's have this conversation.00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Mission04:33 — Opening: What actually happened — the sequence, the timing, and why two days before a deadline matters07:40 — Background: The judge's questions, the collusive lawsuit problem, and who Todd Blanche actually is10:50 — The Data: No judicial oversight, no defined terms, the IRS bar added in a hyperlink, January 6th defendants potentially eligible, and what legal experts actually said16:05 — Personal Thoughts: The facts are damaging enough without embellishment — this is the same pattern in a different room20:41 — Close/Action Steps: Three questions that cut through every version of the noise — who negotiated it, did a court approve it, and what does the IRS bar actually meanDOJ Press Release — justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-anti-weaponization-fundNBC News — nbcnews.comCNN Politics — cnn.comPolitiFact — politifact.comAxios — axios.comThe Hill — thehill.comFollow the show wherever you get your podcasts.Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chartTrump IRS lawsuit dropped, Anti-Weaponization Fund, IRS barred investigating Trump, Todd Blanche settlement, $1.776 billion fund, January 6 rioters settlement, Trump self-dealing DOJ, weaponization fund legal experts, collusive lawsuit Trump, IRS audit Trump tax returns barred, judgment fund taxpayer money, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,
Transcribe →Hate Crimes Through 2024: Delaware — Small State, Sharp Numbers
3w ago00:20:35Tap to summarizeDelaware is the smallest state by area. A population of roughly one million people. And in the cumulative hate crime data — Anti-Jewish incidents are the single largest bias type. 28 anti-Jewish incidents. 25 anti-Black incidents. Delaware is the first state in this series where antisemitism overtakes racial bias as the leading category. 9 total hate crimes in 2021. 16 in 2022. 20 in 2023 — trending up. Arson at 4 incidents for a state this small is not a statistic — it is a threat delivered in flame. And April 2024 — 13 offenses in a single month against a baseline of fewer than 2 per month. A spike that demands attention. Small states tell big stories when the per capita numbers are this concentrated and the trend line is moving in the wrong direction. Let's have this conversation.00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Mission04:20 — Opening: The first state in this series where antisemitism leads the data — and an April 2024 spike that nearly matched an entire year in one month06:20 — Background: The national baseline, Delaware's upward trend, and what property crimes outnumbering person crimes tells you about how hate operates in a small state10:54 — The Data: Anti-Jewish at 28, anti-Black at 25, arson at 4, intimidation at 33, and the April 2024 spike that demands explanation15:07 — Personal Thoughts: Arson has a history in this country — burning has always been a tool of terror — and four documented arson incidents in Delaware's data cannot be read neutrally18:15 — Close: Small state. Big story. Florida is next.DOJ Hate Crimes State Data — justice.gov/hatecrimes/state-data/delawareFBI Crime Data Explorer — cde.ucr.cjis.govUnited Against Hate — justice.gov/usao-deFollow the show wherever you get your podcasts.Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chartDelaware hate crimes 2024, Delaware hate crime statistics, antisemitism Delaware, anti-Jewish hate crimes Delaware, anti-Black hate crimes Delaware, arson hate crime Delaware, Delaware hate crime spike April 2024, United Against Hate Delaware, small state hate crimes, hate crimes through 2024 series, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts, Delaware hate crime law,
Transcribe →