A Different World Is Coming Back—But Do We Still Have the Same World?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Latest with Loren LaRosa

Episode Title: A Different World Is Coming Back—But Do We Still Have the Same World?
Host: Loren LaRosa
Date: August 12, 2026
Podcast Network: The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Loren LaRosa explores the cultural significance and enduring impact of the classic sitcom A Different World, which is being revived in a Netflix sequel featuring the return of most of its original cast. Loren connects this television comeback to the current landscape of Black representation on TV, the role of HBCUs in popular culture, intergenerational influences, and urgent issues facing education in Black communities. The discussion weaves together personal stories, media nostalgia, and social reality, spotlighting both inspiration and ongoing challenges.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Behind the Scenes: The Grind of Media Work

Timestamps: 02:24–04:46

• Loren candidly discusses her demanding schedule, finding motivation in her commitment to consistency and community:

  "I'm pushing through, though, because made a commitment to consistency this year. We made a commitment to which we've been consistent." (04:08)

• She reflects on pushing through exhaustion for both personal growth and the podcast audience, emphasizing the payoff that comes from dedication.

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2. Nostalgia and the "A Different World" Revival on Netflix

Timestamps: 09:39–19:41

• Loren introduces the revival of A Different World, premiering on Netflix September 24th, celebrating the return of most of the original cast as well as a new generation.

• She highlights the show's lasting impact on HBCUs’ cultural image and the personal aspirations of young Black viewers:

  "I remember watching A Different World and wanted to go to an HBCU...I think it is so fitting for Brandy if anybody was going to redo this theme song." (14:05)

• Brandy’s modern cover of the iconic theme song is previewed, drawing connections between generational Black female representation (from Moesha to the A Different World sequel).

• Quote from Brandy (via Netflix):

  "A Different World inspired me as a kid. It made me feel like I could go out into the world and become my own person. With hard work and with dedication, I could make my dreams come true." (15:01)

• Loren unpacks how television in the 80s/90s offered substantive, transformative Black storytelling and laments how newer shows sometimes lack that feeling of authenticity, community, and direct address of Black issues:

  "We had such good, feel good, substantive television and movies that were Black...We learned so much by the conversations they were having on shows like A Different World, like Moesha through the TV." (17:00)

• She predicts that the new series, centered on Dwayne Wayne and Whitley's daughter at Hillman College, will act as an entry point for younger viewers discovering both the original and the reboot.

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3. The Legacy of Black TV and Its Generational Influence

Timestamps: 12:26–19:41

• Personal connection: Loren explains how Black TV staples like Living Single, Girlfriends, and Moesha shaped her own aspirations and career.

  "I really can’t tell y’all enough how watching these shows are the reason y’all are hearing from me right now, like, literally." (19:20)

• Loren discusses the power of seeing oneself authentically represented on screen as an inspiration to pursue bigger dreams.

  "Just seeing people that look like me on television made me dream bigger." (16:50)

• She theorizes that streaming platforms like Netflix facilitate intergenerational media discovery, giving today’s youth a chance to access classic Black sitcoms and gain from their cultural impact.

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4. Contemporary Challenges: Education and Literacy in Black Communities

Timestamps: 24:13–34:28

• Transitioning from TV nostalgia, Loren reacts to a viral video by Darius Williams, aka Darius Cooks, who shares his sobering experience as a new teacher in an underserved school:

  "I literally broke down in the middle of class...I have seniors who simply cannot read and seniors who cannot write." – Darius Williams (25:58)

• Loren validates his observations with literacy statistics:

  "According to a website called DC Action, there is a severe and persistent achievement gap. Only about 17% of Black fourth graders and 14% of Black eighth graders read at or above proficiency levels..." (28:45)

• She links the decline in educational support to underfunded schools, outdated teaching methods, and a lack of community investment.

  "Our teachers were working with nothing. I remember our buildings falling apart. Our books were old." (29:30)

• Loren draws a parallel between the nurturing environments depicted in A Different World and the current struggles in today’s classrooms:

  "A Different World is going to have the task of telling the story of what an HBCU looks like today while also keeping it not too like, oh my God, we’re in 2026, everything is so woke and everything’s technology-based and AI." (32:00)

• She closes this segment by underscoring the importance of compassionate teachers and the need for cultural and educational programs that uplift Black students:

  "Literally save lives. Getting an inner-city Black student from middle school to high school to college literally can save their life." (34:28)

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5. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Brandy covering the theme song:

  "If anybody was going to redo this theme song, it was so fitting for her..."

• On TV’s influence:

  "Watching Moesha and just wanting to be...like Moesha’s story was such a story of a young Black girl just going through life."

• On Black teachers:

  "They don't get enough credit for, they don't get enough money for, but they literally save lives." (34:28)

• On intergenerational TV culture:

  "Streaming platforms...allow a bunch of younger audiences to watch A Different World...and now this new refreshed story. The intergenerational thing is just amazing." (17:20)

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6. Call to Action and Closing

Timestamps: 34:28–37:37

• Loren encourages listeners to support teachers like Darius Williams:
  "If you want to pour some love over on his Instagram...His email, [e-mail]—send him some love, y’all." (36:20)

• She wraps with gratitude for her audience:

  "You guys could be anywhere with any old body, but you choose to be right here with me, my low riders. I appreciate you guys." (37:29)

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Notable Pop Culture Mentions

• The return of A Different World on Netflix (September 24, 2026)
• Brandy’s new rendition of the theme song (11:27)
• Brandy’s history with Moesha and Cinderella (15:01)
• Referencing Living Single, The Cosby Show, Girlfriends, Moesha

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Useful Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:49 – Loren reflects on work-life balance in media
• 09:39 – Introduction to A Different World Netflix revival
• 11:27 – Brandy’s performance of the theme song
• 15:01 – Brandy’s quote about A Different World’s influence
• 25:58 – Teacher Darius Williams describes classroom struggles
• 28:45 – Loren discusses Black literacy statistics
• 32:00 – Reflection on how HBCUs/education have changed

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Final Thoughts

Loren LaRosa masterfully intertwines nostalgia for 80s/90s Black television with today’s realities for Black students and teachers, celebrating the return of a cultural touchstone while advocating for deeper systemic change in education. The episode is a passionate meditation on generational inspiration, representation, and the ongoing importance of storytelling for social progress.

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Transcript

[Lauren LaRosa]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Guaranteed Human Whether you're calling the wise woman in your life, video calling your friends across the country, or checking on someone who always knows how to make you smile, Staying Connected Matters those small conversations, shared laughs and quick hellos are what keeps relationships strong even when life gets busy. Some of the most life giving conversations start with a phone call. That's why AT and T guarantees the network you can always rely on, so you can focus on the moment and the people that matter the most. That's AT&T's guarantee. AT& T connecting changes everything. Terms and conditions apply. Visit att.comguarantee for details.

[Nissan Campaign Narrator]

Pressure has a way of revealing what remains steady in the latest Nissan campaign, the Nissan Rogue was tested to the extreme to demonstrate that it's built to last through durability and reliability challenges inspired by real tests conducted by Nissan engineers. Brutal potholes, a steady force of water, even a jet powered sandstorm. Each challenge inviting a deeper look at how quality, durability and reliability hold their ground in real world conditions. Every test was 100% real. No CG, no AI. To see how the Rogue held up, visit nissan-duordability.com your first job.

[Lorin LaRosa]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

it's what LifeLock does.

[Lorin LaRosa]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

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[Lorin LaRosa]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

That's LifeLock.com cold breakfast this reminder is brought to you by Injectable Cabenuva Cabotegravir Rilpivirine.

[LifeLock/Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Chelsea Handler]

and getting tips on how to talk

[LifeLock/Charlamagne Tha God]

to your doctor about injectable treatment. Visit cavanuba.com that's C-A-B-E-N U V A.com

[Lauren LaRosa]

I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything.

[LifeLock/Charlamagne Tha God]

And everybody knows you don't lie about that, right? Lauren came in hot.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Hey y', all, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa and this is another episode of the Latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news, and all of the conversations that shake the room, baby. So today, y' all know we. We kick off the podcast every single day with checking in behind the scenes of the grind. And I don't know if y' all cannot tell in my voice, I am exhausted. I. I recorded this whole opening for you guys and then I was like, you know what? I'm too tired to even go into the detail of it. It's almost midnight right now, and the podcast goes live at 6am and my call time for breakfast club is about 5:30, so I am running on fumes right now. But it really made me think about a lot of what my day entailed and why. And I was on the phone with one of my homegirls and I was telling her, like, oh, I'm about to go into a production meeting to prep for my show segments tomorrow. And she was like, damn, you still working. Like you've been at work all. All day long. Like you're just getting home. It's. It was. That was probably around like 5, 6 o'.

[Unnamed Guest/Listener]

Clock.

[Lauren LaRosa]

She's like, you just getting home and you about to like, work for a few more hours tonight? And I was like, yes. Normally it's so crazy because normally I don't even, like, unless we're texting. I won't even really, like, just sit on the phone with my friends a lot during the week. I'm tired, y'.

[Unnamed Guest/Listener]

All.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I am pushing through, though, because made a commitment to consistency this year. We made a m. A commitment to which we've been consistent. Like, I do pride myself like a daily podcast is not an easy thing, but I. I comm. I told myself that this year, not only was I going to be consistent in making sure you guys get episodes, but I was going to be consistent in my upload times, which mean a lot as we're building together in the community. So here I am, tired and all behind the scenes of the grind. But we pushing through because we're gonna go from grinding to living one day soon. Okay? But we gotta get the work done first.

[Lorin LaRosa]

So let's get on into the latest.

[Jahliel Hemmons]

We can eradicate food deserts with this technology.

[Dr. J. Barnett]

Hey, what's up, good people? I am Dr. J. Barnett, and that was Jahliel Hemmons. She and her husband created Nourish and Bloom Market, an AI powered grocery store. Scan a QR code to enter, pick what you need and walk out.

[Unnamed Guest/Listener]

Or.

[Dr. J. Barnett]

Or as Jaleel puts It Tap, grab

[Jahliel Hemmons]

and go 24 7. We started to get flooded with folks saying, hey, I need you in my city.

[Dr. J. Barnett]

It became their mission to develop a store that could open within three months even without any infrastructure.

[Jahliel Hemmons]

And just when we were like, how are we going to accomplish this goal? We won the AT&T small business contest ramp. That $50,000 got us over the finish line where we built the first AI powered grocery shipping container in the country.

[Dr. J. Barnett]

For Jaleah, it's about building a legacy to show the world that you can solve any problem when you work together.

[Jahliel Hemmons]

Having the support of AT&T, the city of Atlanta is huge. Look at how many people we've been able to help.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Connecting changes everything. AT&T.

[Lorin LaRosa]

Hey, Y', all, what's up? It's Lorin LaRosa, and we gotta talk. We gotta get into something that Sprite just dropped because this is right up my alley. As somebody who's been in audio and hip hop culture for over a decade, this is exactly the kind of thing I geek out out about, okay? It's called the Sprite living track list. 50 tracks handpicked that shaped hip hop from the ground up to right now. And this isn't just a playlist to bob your head to all cute. This is designed to start real conversation, to get people arguing.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Y' all know how y' all love

[Lorin LaRosa]

to do about the hip hop and the list reminiscing as well. Sending it to their group chats like, yo, do y' all remember when this song was it? And honestly, as a producer of content campaigns like this hit different for me. I spend my life thinking about how the perfect story gets told. How one moment in a song becomes a moment for the culture. And seeing 50 records that literally define eras of hip hop laid out like this, side by side. Yo, masterclass. Mwah. Chef Kiss. Now, this list itself, it's incredible. You've got the foundational stuff sitting right next to the new class. Real then and now vibes. My personal top picks from the pack. I gotta go with Unit Y, Bodak Yellow, and who's that Girl Child, you can't tell me nothing about that song because those are just non negotiables for me. But here's the best part. This goes way beyond the kin. Hip hop authorities and tastemakers actually break down the history and the impact behind every single track on the list. The samples, the influence was why it mattered then and why it still matters right now. That's the real story. So go run your own list. See how many of these 50 you grew up on, which ones surprised you and which ones you're sending to your friends. First, check out the full Sprite Living track list and break down the stories behind your favorite bars@livingtracklist. Genius.com this is the sprite Living track List. Obey your thirst.

[LifeLock/Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Julie Pinero]

the messy stories of traveling alone as a woman.

[Unnamed Female Speaker]

Your duolingo go is not going to come back to you when a man is inside of you.

[Unnamed Guest/Listener]

Oh, no.

[Julie Pinero]

I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita, trading the pity for possibility.

[Unnamed Female Speaker]

Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people, and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here.

[Lorin LaRosa]

I can wait four hours for the

[Julie Pinero]

next bus, or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip, I hope you listen to Solita on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So, speaking of inspirations, A Different World. You guys know the TV show A Different World? Dwayne, Wayne, and Whitley, and, you know, they go away to hbcu. A Different World has a spin off show or kind of like a sequel show that is coming to Netflix on September 24th. Now, this is amazing because majority of all of the original cast will be returning. The original A Different World premiered back in 1987, and it followed a group of students who went away to college for the first time at this, like, fake HBCU called Hillman College. But I feel like every student. Shoot, we're not students anymore. Y' all be grown. I feel like every student or some of y' all may be students. Every student who is going going to a HBCU or every alumni or alumni who have graduated from HBCU at least one time, you have sat and watched A Different World because they went to a fictional hbcu. It was Hillman College. And I think a lot of us envision Hillman College in many different ways for ourselves as what we thought at HBCU would be like. So one of the original cast members, her name is Dawn Lewis. She co wrote the song that is the Different World theme song that we know. Let's take a listen to the original theme song.

[Brandy]

I know my parents love me Stand behind me come one day I know now that I'm ready Because I finally heard them say It's a different world

[Lauren LaRosa]

from where you come from. But now a different World has a new re done, freshly redone theme song. Our girl Brandi. Let's take a listen to Brandi doing the Different World theme song.

[Brandy]

It's a different world and where you come from yes, it is love.

[Lorin LaRosa]

Go again, Tyro.

[Brandy]

I know my parents are lovely. Stand behind me, come with me I know now that I'm ready for I finally heard them fail. It's a different world than where you come from A different world than where you come from It's a different world than where you come from

[Chelsea Handler]

It's a

[Brandy]

different world than where you come from

[Lauren LaRosa]

thank you.

[Brandy]

Thank you.

[Nick Turturro]

Nah, that joint came out.

[Unnamed Guest/Listener]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Brandy]

Come on. Different world Put me in the world.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What's so dope about this to me is when I think about, you know, like, motivation in the space and pride in what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. And, like, all of that, of course. I mean, you got these staple shows that I think about. Cosby Show, Living Single girlfriends, Moesha. But Moesha. But Moesha. I remember. I mean, a different World as well. We're talking about a different world, but I remember watching A Different World and wanted to go to an hbcu. I remember watching Living Single and wanted to work at a magazine. Because, you know, like, Queen Latifah, they ran a magazine. And I remember watching Girlfriends and wanted to be fly, wanting to be successful, want to own a home and do all the cute little, you know, lunch outings and grabbing drinks with my girlfriends. But I remember watching Moesha and just wanting to be. Just be like, Moesha's story was such a story of a young black girl just going through life. Like, you know, we experienced so many different things for the first time with her, learn so many things for the first time with Moesha, but she really just was a black young woman going through life, figuring things out as. As, you know, they. It came along, and I wanted to be in Moesha like, I wanted to be in the show. I wanted. Like, I. I wanted to be in something that felt like that watching her. And now she is singing the theme song to A Different World, which. Another show where it's like, yo, I wanted to go to the hbcu. Like, I wanted to hang out in the student center.

[Lorin LaRosa]

Like they did.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Wear the merch like they did. Find my, you know, Find my love who and shout out to my man Cozy both went to Del State. Find my love, you know, at college, like, Dwayne Wayne and Whitley did, like all of these. What I'm trying to say is I think it is so fitting for Brandy if anybody was going to redo this theme song. It was so fitting for her because A Different World, it was such a staple show for so many young people. It made such an impact on people. And Brandi, you know, she says that it made an impact on her. So she gave a quote to Netflix, which is where, again, the new rendition of A Different World will be. Although it'll have the original cast, there will be a new young cast. And the storyline and the plot is that, you know, Dwayne, Wayne and Whitley's daughter is going away to college, and she's experiencing her first year of college. And guess where she going, y'?

[LifeLock/Charlamagne Tha God]

All.

[Lauren LaRosa]

She following her parents. She's going to Hillman. But Brandi says when they called me to do the theme song, I was so blown away. First of all, I had to get myself together. That show was actually coming back. What? Because I'm a fan of the show. She says, A Different World inspired me as a kid. It made me feel like I could go out into the world and become my own person. With hard work and with dedication, I could make my dreams come true. Brandi, who became known for her starring roles in Moesha, which was from 1996 to 2001 and Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella yo in 97 with Whitney Houston. Watching Brandy and Cinderella was so magical, and it's so crazy that she's saying that a different world inspired her and made her want to be on TV and. And. And do all these magical things, and then she goes on to do them. And now it's coming back full circle and she is singing the theme song. And I'm like, we had such good, feel good, substantive television and movies that were black. And it wasn't like, it wasn't like, black where it's like they couldn't act, like they couldn't talk about the black experience. Like, I feel like a lot of stuff now is like, yeah, you got black people on television a lot of these series, but, you know, it's like they're racially ambiguous. Or you might have one conversation about things are actually happening in young black people's lives, if at all outside of there. Everybody's on stream, and I'm not mad at the stream, but it's like we had television that was. It was like, curated and centered around certain conversations, even if they had to fight behind the scenes to make those conversations happen. Almost like a teacher has a curriculum at school. And we learned so much. It was crazy if you think about it. We learned so much by the conversations they were having on shows like A Different World, like Moesha through the tv. And if you were lucky and blessed enough, you were taking that back into your home and having those conversations at home as well, too. But think about what that exposure and seeing people like you, really like you, too. I mean, dressing like you, lip gloss popping, brown lip liner girl run away like you on television. Brandi continues, you know, watching all of this and watching A Different World inspired her singing career and inspired her to want to do more acting. She says, just seeing people that look like me on television made me dream bigger. I know exactly what. She's even living in California because Brandi, like, lived in California. I thought I was like, I. I literally remember being like, I'm gonna move to California and I want to go to school in California because I want to hang out and. And do the things like that Brandy and her friends was doing. Like, I remember one episode specifically of Moesha where she was dating Q and they was heading to the house parties and she had the, like, the Jeep. I think it was his Jeep. And then it broke down. They weren't supposed to be there. It was like a whole key. But when I moved to la, I wanted to get The Jeep. I wanted to be like Moesha when I went to the hbcu, I wanted to be like all of the people that I watched in a different world. So whoever put that connection together and was like, okay, if we're gonna do this, we need somebody who like, you know, could. Can actually sing and it sounds good, but also, like, it's also a staple in television that impacted and changed people's lives. And I think with, you know, a lot of these newer shows being added to Netflix. Like, I remember when Moesha was added to Netflix. There's a younger audience who doesn't remember the impact of Moesha on television that is going to watch it because it went so viral. People were having conversations about Moesha. She was a good friend, a horrible friend, a good person, a bad. Like, it started a conversation. And conversation is like word of mouth recommendation at this point. So then you have a bunch of younger audiences that will go and watch a different world, right? And they're going to trickle in through the Moesha and the Brandy realm of things. But then they get to a different world and they get to experience not only the original different world, because you can watch that on Netflix as well, but now this new refreshed story and I think the. The intergenerational thing is just amazing. So I was excited to see this. I'm excited to see what the spin off gives and I'm excited to re review it, actually. I think when that drops, we'll do like some dedicated episodes just to it. Because, like, I. I really can't tell y' all enough how watching these shows are the reason y' all are hearing from me right now, like, literally.

[Lorin LaRosa]

Hey, y', all, what's up? It's Lorin LaRosa and we gotta talk. We gotta get into something that Sprite just dropped because this is right up my alley. As somebody who's been in audio and hip hop culture for over a decade, this is exactly the kind of thing I geek out about, okay? It's called the sprite living tracklist. 50 tracks, handpicked, that shaped hip hop from the ground up to right now. And this isn't just a playlist to bob your head to all cute. This is designed to start real conversation, to get people arguing.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Y' all know how y' all ought to do about the hip hop.

[Lorin LaRosa]

Popping the list, reminiscing as well, sending it to their group chats like, yo, do y' all remember when this song was it? And honestly, as a producer of content campaigns like this hit different for me. I spend my life thinking about how the perfect story gets told. How one moment in a song becomes a moment for the culture, and seeing 50 records that literally define eras of hip hop laid out like this, side by side. Yo. Masterclass. Mwah. Chef Kiss. Now this list itself, it's incredible. You've got the foundational stuff sitting right next to the new class, real then and now vibes. My personal top picks from the pack. I gotta go with Unity, Bodak Yellow, and who's that Girl Child. You can't tell me nothing about that song because those are just non negotiables for me. But here's the best part. This goes way beyond the kin. Hip hop authorities and tastemakers actually break down the history and the impact behind every single track on the list. The samples, the influence, why it mattered then and why it still matters right now. That's the real story. So go run your own list. See how many of these 50 you grew up on, which ones surprised you, and which ones you're sending to your friends. First, check out the full Sprite Living track list and break down the stories behind your favorite bars@livingtracklist. Genius.com this is the Sprite Living Track list.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Obey your thirst On Solita, we share

[Julie Pinero]

the messy stories of traveling alone as a woman.

[Unnamed Female Speaker]

Your duolingo is not going to come back to you when a man is inside of you.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Oh no.

[Julie Pinero]

I'm Julie Pinero and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita, trading the pity for possibility.

[Unnamed Female Speaker]

Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here.

[Lorin LaRosa]

I can wait four hours for the

[Julie Pinero]

next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. It's one when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip, I hope you listen to Solita on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Turturro]

I'm Nick Turturro. You probably know me from NYPD Blue, the Longest Yard, or Spike Lee's blackkklansman. But I'm also from Queensland, which means I know pizza. And on my new podcast, Delivering Happiness with Nick Turturro, I deliver pizza from Prince Street Pizza to A new guest.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Are you delivering pizzas now?

[Nick Turturro]

Then we sit down for a real conversation. I've shared a slice with everyone from Seth Rollins. What are you doing?

[LifeLock/Charlamagne Tha God]

My belt.

[Nick Turturro]

To Alex Rodriguez.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Just to let you people know we're

[Nick Turturro]

talking to one of the goats here. To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody so exactly out of their mind as I am. And now we even have more great guests coming up, including the great John Turturro. It's called happiness. Delivering happiness, Mariano Rivera.

[Unnamed Guest/Listener]

Thank you.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What's up, brother?

[Nick Turturro]

And many, many more. Open your free iHeartradio app search delivering Happiness with Nick Turturro. And listen now.

[Chelsea Handler]

This is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea. Every week the news gets worse, the world gets crazier, and Yamanika is here to tell whoever's responsible, you're the problem.

[Lauren LaRosa]

If you come over here to play games, I' ma check you, okay? If you do some in the news that don't sound good, I'mma play you.

[Chelsea Handler]

Join Yamanika Saunders as she breaks down the week's most problematic stories on her new podcast. You're the Problem with Yamaneika.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Do you know? I just found out who Sydney Sweeney was.

[Chelsea Handler]

New episodes weekly every Wednesday as part of my new network, the Dear Chelsea Network.

[Lauren LaRosa]

If he got a bunch of women, then I should have a bunch of men do better or do less so I don't have to do so much.

[Chelsea Handler]

So join Yamaneika each episode as she answers one question. Who's the problem?

[Lauren LaRosa]

I'm Yamaneika and I'm out. Listen to youo're the Problem with yamaneika on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaking of schools, there was a video that was circulating on my timeline today on Instagram as I was just trying to take a second to wind down from work in between going back to work for the podcast. But there's a chef. His name is Darius Williams, but he goes by Darius Cooks on Instagram. He's known, you know, pretty known online. I actually didn't know him as a cook. This video actually is what brought me to him in his Instagram. But I was, like, doing some digging, just finding out who he was, and I saw that a lot of people were talking about how he's this, like, really well known chef online. Then I went to his Instagram and saw a lot of the plating and the food. But more recently, he had posted a video talking about decorating his class for the first Time, first day of school and this was literally this week. These videos were posted this week. He's an early first time teacher who is getting a very rude awakening about what our education system has done. We talk about, you know, hope, belief, inspiration and having that through television. We don't have that. But we also don't have a lot of the educational practices outside of school that, you know, I feel like our parents were doing with us and it's showing in the kids. I honestly, I feel like this has always been an age old tale, especially in inner city schools with black kids. But let's take a listen to Darius Williams.

[Unnamed Guest/Listener]

So I am on my lunch break. It is, I don't know, 11:30 or something like that and I just finished a three hour class. We have what's called block. And block is where first and second periods are combined for subjects that need it. And so I literally broke down in the middle of class because. I'm teaching seniors, these kids are leaving high school and going to college hopefully after they finish. We had two paragraphs to read, one sentence, sentence complete to write. I gave them the sentence stamps. I basically completed the sentence for them in the model. These are 17 and 18 year old kids and they couldn't fill in four words. Four words. I gave them the scenario, we annotated together. I gave them the answers before we even had the problem. And they couldn't do it. I don't know. I simply don't know where the problem is. This is only day two and I have seniors who simply cannot read and seniors who cannot write. They cannot write. They can reason. They have the ability to defend their reasoning if it's talking to their homeboy. But applying that to a written text, two paragraphs, and they couldn't do it. Our young black men, our young brown men, our young black girls and our young proud girls.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Now I began looking up like, what is reading literacy like for black students in the United States? According to a website called DC Action, there is a severe and persistent achievement gap. So national data shows that only about 17% of Black fourth graders and 14% of Black eighth graders read at or above proficiency levels, trailing significantly behind their white and Asian peers. Which is crazy because think about an eighth grade where like, if you remember where you were in 8th grade as far as like what your mental was like and the things that you're beginning to think about, like I remember being in eighth grade and I was excited to go to high school, but like you're getting prepared to drive, you're getting prepared to like, start working eventually. And you. There are some people that are having to prepare for all of that. And then it's like college prep stuff. If you're starting that early in ninth grade, once you're leaving eighth grade, you know, you start doing SAT classes. If you're early enough and smart enough. And a lot of schools just offer that ahead of time now so that you're not cramming to Prepare for the SATs. Imagine all of that, and you can't read or write proficiently. Now some of the contributing factors to this poverty and resources. So black children face higher rates of economic disadvantage and neighborhood poverty, which directly correlates with lower school funding and fewer learning supports. The sad thing about this is I went to an inner city school. Shout out to Howard High School Technology. I went to an inner city school. And I remember what school was like before the state stepped in and what school was like after. I was kind of toward my end of my matriculation through the high school at that point, like, I was a senior, headed out by the time the state stepped in. But I just remember our teachers, like, I say this all the time that the high school I went to saved lives. They didn't just teach us as students, it saved lives because our teachers were working with nothing. I remember our buildings falling apart. Our books were old. Like, you know, literally toward my junior senior year, we started getting more support. I went to a VO Tech high school. I was a legal administrative assisting career path. Like that. I was learning how to do that. A lot of the people I went to high school with didn't go on to college. They became legal administrative assistants and they went on to be paralegal. Some of them did go to college. A lot of people went to college. And if they did, they might have stayed in the criminal, you know, area, criminal justice areas for our study or like, they went on to become lawyers. I just remember everything we needed and how, like, we would be really excited when the local businesses, like the local banks or local law firms or whatever would come and partner with our career areas. Because then our shops would have all of the. And when I say shops, I mean, like, your shop is like your career path, but like, so, like your main courses of study, which had to do with where you wanted to go trade wise. We had a lot of support in those areas because local businesses would come in. But in the other areas where local businesses are not coming in and donating books and time and all, like, it wasn't that teachers were stressed. Like, we went through it And I remember when the state stepped in and I don't remember exactly what made them step in, but I just remember when they did. How things changed. Like physical location of our school changed. Like we were in the same address. I don't mean that, but just like the look of it. Like they begin revamping the physical structure of our school, renovating inside of the school books. There was more technology available. Like everything just changed and that matters. This, this article also talks about how many public schools have historically used outdated reading techniques rather than evidence based phonics focused instruction. And that's what I like when I was listening to this video and then I went back and I watched how he was teaching his class, I'm like, oh, he reminds me like an old school teacher who's like actually taking the time to like break down and like you know all the things that he was talking about in that video. And I don't really know how much of that is done nowadays because there's so much technology. Like and that's another thing too that A Different World. I'm like really anxious to see how they navigate it. A Different World is going to have the task of taking telling the story of what a HBCU looks like today while also keeping it not too like, oh my God, we're in 2026. Everything is so woke and everything's technology based in AI. Because a different World has such a black like enriched HBCU feel. And I really don't know how to describe the feeling I'm talking about much. It's like you had to, you've, you, you had to experience attending HBCU to understand what I'm saying. But it feels like home, it feels like community, it feels like family. So I'm interested to see how the directors, the EPs, like how they make this new different world still feel like that way. Still feel like family, still feel like home, but also capture like everything that should be happening in classrooms with black students today that potentially isn't anymore. Because you don't like even the way that teachers. Oh like nurture kids are different because there's so many like things that you have to be careful of that I feel like during that time, I mean you still should have had been careful of certain things like you know, all the weird stuff. But there are certain things during these times, like when you watch A Different World, you know, the teachers cared about the students because it went beyond the Books. 2026, it's really kind of hard to go beyond the books because things I don't know, people are just weird. And you just.

[Nissan Campaign Narrator]

You.

[Brandy]

You.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You can't. Everything is so different now. So I'm excited to see how that will work out, especially because there are teachers, like, the. Literally the what y' all just listen to. There are teachers like that in so many schools across the country who need to see and understand that what they're doing is a. Is a sleepless, endless fight. They don't get enough credit for, they don't get enough money for, but they literally save lives. Getting an inner city black student from middle school to high school to college literally can save their life. And I don't just mean because they're in college and, you know, they graduate and they can go on to all these beautiful things. I mean, you may literally save a child's life because they're not wrong time, wrong place in their neighborhood and all the things that come with that. Bullets, not having a name, you know, so many different things. I feel so bad when I saw this video, though, of. Of former chef turned teacher. Like, I felt really, really bad only because I feel like those are the type of compassionate people that you need in schools, but it always seems like those are the people that get burnt out from it. He's only on day two of his teaching journey. This is the first week. But that's why it shows, like, a different world or important that showcase, you know, prestige education with black young people. Because I think also, too, the kids kind of lose. They're like, it's, you got to say, motivated to learn. And I remember all of the times I was motivated to learn and want to do better in school, it was because I loved the teachers. I loved the direction on top of maybe just loving. Like, you know, you had your favorite subjects in school, but how you're being taught and what you're being taught, it matters. And I think A Different World showed that early, early on, and we need that now. You guys heard it firsthand here. We need it. So looking forward to that. Shout out to Brandy, you know, for doing the theme song. And I really, really play that this teacher is able to, I don't know, find. I was going to say, like, find resources and help, but sometimes that's impossible. Too literally. Like, sometimes that is impossible. I'm going to give you guys his Instagram in case you want to go pour some love over on his Instagram. So head on over to Darius Cooks on Instagram. If you have an Instagram. If you don't have an Instagram. He also has a website, but it's like a shopping website, so I don't know if that would make the most sense. Yeah, it's a shopping website for his brand. Let me see if there's an email listed, because sometimes I feel like people who are working in very high pressure, debilitating spaces just need to hear your. Yo, you're doing a good job. His email shop dariuscooksgmail.com. send him some love, y'. All. I'm Lauren LaRosa. This has been another episode of the Latest with Lauren LaRosa. I tell you guys, every single episode, y' all could be anywhere with any old body, but you guys choose to be right here with me, my low riders. I appreciate you guys, and I'll catch you in my next one.

[Lorin LaRosa]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.