Systemic
Systemic is an award-winning podcast that uses audio diaries and interviews to document the lives of people working to create change.
In Season 3, the series dives deep into the lives of teenagers at risk of being incarcerated and the steps community leaders, police and legislators are taking to reduce youth gun crime.
In Season 2, the show follows a diverse group of educators, students and parents during a school year in which debates around race and equity in public education reached a fever pitch.
Season 1, produced in the wake of George Floyd's death and the ensuing protests, follows Black Americans working to reform policing from inside and outside the system.
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 26 minutes
- Episodes
- 15
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Legislate
Davarie Armstrong was a high school student with a bright future ahead of him, but his life was tragically cut short. Teenagers at a party shot Davarie with several guns, including a semi-automatic h…
00:26:55 |
Mon 25 Aug 2025
Bridge
Aurora Police have a new strategy to help reduce youth gun crime. It partners a police force that’s been under the microscope for its treatment of Black and brown communities with leaders in those sa…
00:24:35 |
Mon 18 Aug 2025
Educate
Sam Elfay was just 13 years old when he started skipping school. Somewhere along the way Elfay had lost interest. As soon as his father dropped him off at school he’d wait until his dad left, then sk…
00:21:28 |
Mon 11 Aug 2025
Season 3 Preview: Teens and guns
Youth gun crime is rising and it disproportionately affects Black and brown people. This crime is often sidelined as a community problem, which dismisses the reasons young Black men get caught up in …
00:02:42 |
Tue 05 Aug 2025
Overcoming Hate
When it comes to prosecuting hate crimes, Colorado didn’t have a great track record until they amended Colorado’s bias-motivated crimes statute.
In this bonus episode of Systemic, we look at how Me…
00:23:15 |
Tue 06 Feb 2024
Dreams
Leaders in Denver Public Schools acknowledge existing inequities in schools and are trying to address them. They recognize the lack of people of color in leadership positions has created policies tha…
00:36:47 |
Tue 31 Jan 2023
Tipping Point
The number of Black teachers leaving the profession is rising. Kevin Adams is a social studies teacher working in Denver Public Schools. He’s very popular with students and parents, but struggles wit…
00:34:30 |
Tue 24 Jan 2023
Safe Space
The dramatic exit of the superintendent and changes to school equity policies is cause for concern for Naomi Lopez, a speech therapist in Colorado Springs School District 11. Lopez works with childre…
00:42:59 |
Tue 17 Jan 2023
No Equity, No Voice
Racial tension has been building in Colorado Springs School District 11 for some time. School volunteer Melissa Hall was racially abused by a white parent in the school parking lot. But tension escal…
00:32:26 |
Tue 10 Jan 2023
Season 2 Preview: Equity & Education
Conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion found their way into schools, classrooms, and school board meetings over the past few years. But fixing an entire education system isn’t simple.
…
00:03:02 |
Tue 27 Dec 2022
Dismantle
This spring, the nation held its breath as Derek Chauvin, the officer charged with murdering George Floyd, went on trial. Was the officer a single bad apple, or a symptom of a broken system? Nekima L…
00:35:03 |
Wed 09 Jun 2021
Hard Truths
On this episode, we follow an officer in leadership who’s working to reform policing from the top down. As director of public safety in the small community of Franklin Township, New Jersey, she’s tak…
00:36:35 |
Wed 02 Jun 2021
Survivor
Against the backdrop of George Floyd’s death and nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, Colorado legislators won praise for swiftly passing an ambitious law meant to punish future abuses by …
00:37:14 |
Wed 26 May 2021
Black and Blue
Meet two Black police officers — a young officer in the Minneapolis suburbs and a veteran sheriff's deputy in Colorado Springs — working to protect their communities. In the wake of George Floyd's de…
00:33:14 |
Wed 19 May 2021
Introducing Systemic: A Show About Reform
Since the death of George Floyd in 2020, America has been searching its soul over questions of racial injustice. Many people are looking for solutions to change a police culture that disproportionate…
00:03:03 |
Mon 03 May 2021
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