In this expansive and uncompromising conversation, Dr. Sohn A. Butts sits with educator, author, and cultural strategist Hotep to explore what authentic, transformative education truly requires. Rooted in a childhood shaped by Black political consciousness, hip-hop culture, and parents active in liberation movements, Hotep traces his educational journey from Long Island to Morehouse College, where he came to see education as a bridge between institutional promise and community reality.

The episode challenges deficit-based thinking in schools, naming a core contradiction: many educators operate with the same “poverty mindset” they are tasked with addressing in students. Hotep draws a sharp distinction between being poor and thinking poor, arguing that mindset, not skillset, is the true driver of engagement, leadership, and liberation. A cent ...