Welcome to this fact-laden, episode of Light ‘Em Up.

As we go to air - we're halfway through Black History Month.

2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, first established as "Negro History Week" by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in February 1926. The 2026 national theme is “A Century of Black History Commemorations”, honoring 100 years of recognizing the achievements and contributions of Black Americans to U.S. history.

Black history is American history!

We feel richly blessed and highly favored to sit down and visit, honoring Black History Month, with a dear friend of ours and a show favorite. Dr. Sandy Womack, Jr.

Dr. Womack Jr. has devoted his life to being a servant leader, educator and striving to be the best at whatever he attempts. He is an NCAA All-American wrestler with a doctorate in educational leadership, author, former principal, district administrator, equity trainer, motivational speaker, and much more.

He is retired from his current role at the close of January (2026) after a generation (33+ years) of dedicating his life to urban education.

This year’s Black History Month arrives as our democracy is being tested in unprecedented ways, and the future of the republic hangs in the balance.

Dr. Womack expressed grave concerns that we are “in an in between place similar to the times during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War (1865 – 1877) where the Federal Government sent in troops to ensure that the freed Blacks had and maintained the right to vote, to assemble, and the rights to a public education”.

Based on reports, executive actions, and policy initiatives from 2025 and early 2026, the second Trump administration has pursued a broad agenda focused on rolling back diversity initiatives, changing civil rights enforcement, and altering educational and economic policies that critics argue disproportionately affect Black Americans. And federal agents are arresting journalists (Don Lemon) and gunning down civilians in the streets.

In this exclusive interview, we’ll drill down on:

— Assessing the pulse of the country — where are we as a nation and as people with the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis?

— The importance of taking an active role in the franchise (voting) how voting “changes policy, policy impacts practices and practices impact politics”.

He feels deeply that the future “depends on the youth of today” — to see wide eyed the abuses and oversteps by this administration which will “serve as the catalyst to push the younger generation to the polls to vote in large and impressive ways”.

He stressed the importance of “collectively coming together” and working to find some “communality” — at the end of the day, we have “more things that unite us than divide” — we sadly choose to focus and give attention to those aspects that are tribal and exacerbate division.

We’ve strayed beyond an inflection point — democracy is actively in peril.

“We have to become students of history. We have to read, write, speak and most importantly be able to think critically” to be educated and informed sufficiently to question the current status quo — for those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

He emphatically declares that: “Outcomes won’t change until incomes change.” He urges all who will listen to “don’t let your lying eyes fool you”.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” ― George Orwell, 1984

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Welcome to this explosive, comprehensive episode of Light ‘Em Up.

As we come to air with this episode, another person has been shot and killed in Minneapolis, MN, this time by Border Patrol agents. The tension and the stakes in the streets couldn’t be any higher.

Tonight, we shine the antiseptic light of the truth and examine in-depth the killing of Renee Good, 37, mother of 3, by an Immigration & Customs Enforcement Officer during a large immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on January 7th.

As Minnesota state officials demand an end to the Trump administration’s divisive, brutal “immigration crackdown” in Minnesota:

Renee Good should still be alive today. This episode confronts the deadly consequences of deploying federal officers into U.S. cities as a political ploy rather than a public‑safety necessity. When federal power is used as a stage prop, communities become collateral damage, and human lives become expendable.

In this episode:

— We’ll examine what the landmark Supreme Court decision Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989) is and what is says, as it will certainly be applied to this case.

— We’ll introduce the legal concept of “officer induced jeopardy” which argues that police officers should be held liable—criminally or civilly—when their own, unjustifiable, or reckless tactical choices create a dangerous situation that forces them to use deadly force. It posits that police cannot intentionally escalate a situation to a point of fatal risk and then justify shooting as self-defense.

We dig deeper into the Supreme Court-crafted “qualified immunity” concept.

As we examine the authority of the police to use force -- as it represents one of the most misunderstood powers granted to representatives of law enforcement by the public at large -- we will ferret out just what is meant in this process by being “objectively reasonable”, again, which very few people outside of legal scholars truly understand.

— And we’ll analyze and break down frame by frame the fateful shooting.

The Feds have failed to cooperate with Minnesota officials as countless details remain in dispute. President Trump, just moments after the shooting, already put his thumb on the scales of justice by saying that the “agents had acted in self-defense”.

This comes from a man who has lied on and vehemently demonized innocent immigrants who were in this country legally and in a legal and protected status in Springfield, Ohio, saying that they were “eating the dogs and the cats” there.

Through careful reporting, historical context, and a clear-eyed look at the federal government’s expanding use of force, this episode asks a fundamental question: What happens when political theater is backed by a gun and a badge?

There is an epidemic of moral cowardice in this country. No one is safe from ICE.

Many people probably believed that even in “Trump’s America”, citizens would still have inviolable liberties to stand up to the jack-booted, masked agents who have swarmed upon the communities where they call home.

This is what happens when the Federal government sends troops into our cities.

Did anyone learn anything from the tragic events at Kent State University on May 4th, 1970?

All of our “rights” have been eroded. How does that sit with you? Is this what you voted for?

We’ve got “on the scene audio” as it was happening.

We’ve got boots on the ground in Minneapolis. Tune in to our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot! We want to hear from you!

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Happy New Year!

Welcome back for the kickoff of Season 7 episode 1 of Light ‘Em Up.

In this debut episode:

We welcome back to the witness stand a dear friend of the show.

Sarah Cintron. Sarah is the mother of Juan Cabrera. We were honored to sit and interview her on March 30th of 2024 as we shined the antiseptic light of the truth on a 2019 murder case out of the State of Michigan. That case was, The People v Cabrera (Juan Cabrera, her first born son).

Our first episode that we shared together is entitled:

“My Son Was Judged to be Guilty Before He Ever Stepped One Foot in the Courtroom”: Life Lessons, Revelations & Preventative Awareness from the mother of a Son Convicted of 1st Degree Pre-meditated Murder.

You can find that episode here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/823981/episodes/14787590-my-son-was-judged-to-be-guilty-before-he-ever-stepped-one-foot-in-the-courtroom-life-lessons-revelations-preventative-awareness-from-the-mother-of-a-son-convicted-of-1st-degree-pre-meditated-murder.mp3?download=true

Juan was convicted of premeditated intentional murder at the age of 18 by a jury that only took 120 minutes to decide on a charge that mandated him by statute to serve Life in Prison Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) — for a murder where the actual “video evidence” in the case did not in any way, shape or form show the face, clothing, nor any single, solitary identifying physical characteristic of the shooter.

How does a jury reach a unanimous decision of “beyond a reasonable doubt with “evidence” such as this? This case cries out for a fair and unbiased look at it — something that has not happened to date.

Seven years her son has been behind bars for a crime he and his mom maintain he did not commit. Seven long, difficult years.

Since day one Sarah has become an advocate for her son. She has worked hard to educate herself regarding the brokenness of the criminal justice system and specifically the egregious errors in her son’s case.

The criminal justice system's "brokenness" stems from deep-seated issues like mass incarceration, extreme racial disparities (disproportionately affecting Black and Brown communities), forcing innocent people into plea deals, and a cycle of poverty/re-offense for non-violent offenders.

Inefficiencies arise from slow processes, lack of data uniformity, and outdated technology, leading to high costs, lost public trust, and poor public safety outcomes.

Up to her last breath on this earth, she has vowed to continue to advocate for her son’s innocence and for those who find themselves buried, battered and overwhelmed in, by and among a corrupt system.

Using her voice and her social media platforms, she is educating and empowering those who find themselves in a similar situation.

She works tirelessly demanding reform to address systemic bias, harsh sentencing, and unequal accountability.

Just after midnight on February 16, 2019, a group of teens gathered at a hotel to celebrate the belated birthday of a mutual friend.

Two of the party attendees have a verbal altercation in the hallway right outside of the room. A fight ensued. All hell breaks loose, and lives are changed forever.

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