Afrofuturism & Systems Change with Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead

What if joy was the metric? What if data affirmed Black brilliance instead of policing it?

In this powerful opening episode of Say That With Love, host Dr. Leah Austin sits down with Dr.

Karsonya “Kaye” Wise Whitehead—award-winning scholar, storyteller, and “Black Mommy Activist”—to explore Afrofuturism as a visionary tool for systems change. Together, they unpack how memory, motherhood, and imagination shape the futures Black children deserve.

From personal stories to historical insight, this episode invites listeners to reimagine what’s possible when we center Black children in systems designed for liberation—not compliance. Dr.

Austin also shares reflections on NBCDI’s Afrofuturist Systems Design Process and calls us into collective action: to dream, design, and build with intention. “Let it be known—we are shaping a new world order for Black children to be. Just be.”