Standing Tall with Gloria Johnson
Season 1
Civil Miller-Watkins: Always Be Civil
Justin Kanew: Always Yell the Truth
by Gloria Johnson
E02: Civil Miller-Watkins: Always Be Civil Air date: 07/21/2026 Host: Gloria Johnson: Tennessee State Representative, District 90 Guest: Civil Miller-Watkins, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate (Tennessee, 2026), educator, former Fayette County school board member Episode Summary Gloria Johnson talks with Civil Miller-Watkins, a middle school math teacher and former Fayette County school board vice-chair who is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Bill Hagerty. The two ran against each other in the 2024 Senate Democratic primary and now sit down as allies. They cover Civil's roots in rural West Tennessee, the origin of her name (tied to her mother's civil rights activism), maternal health care and hospital closures in rural Tennessee, reproductive rights, voucher programs and public school funding, redistricting, and what it will take to turn out Democratic voters in a state that hasn't elected one to the Senate since 1990. Topics Covered - Civil's background: educator, mother of eight, former Fayette County Board of Education vice-chair, county Democratic Party chair - The story behind her name — her mother's civil rights-era activism in a factory hiring dispute - Rural health care: Fayette County Hospital's closure, long drives for OB-GYN care, Medicaid expansion - Reproductive rights and Civil's own experience with pregnancy loss - Running against Gloria Johnson in the 2024 Senate primary, and now backing each other - Redistricting ("packed and cracked" districts) and building coalition across counties - Turnout strategy for 2026: mobilizing non-voters rather than "flipping" persuadable voters - Education funding: Tennessee's drop to 51st in the nation in public school funding after voucher expansion; a personal story about a wealthy family qualifying for a school voucher - Voting rights: the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the Freedom to Vote Act - What Civil would prioritize as senator: rural infrastructure funding, protecting the Department of Education, voting rights
E01: Justin Kanew: Always Yell the Truth Air date: 07/21/2026 Host: Gloria Johnson: Tennessee State Representative, District 90 Guest: Justin Kanew: Founder, The Tennessee Holler Episode Summary Gloria Johnson talks with Justin Kanew, founder of the progressive news outlet The Tennessee Holler, about the state of Tennessee media and politics. Kanew traces his path from a 2016 congressional run against Marsha Blackburn's seat to founding the Holler, and the two dig into press access at the Capitol, the 2023 expulsion of the "Tennessee Three," the erosion of floor debate under recent House speakers, corruption in the legislature (with a focus on school vouchers and a troubling judicial confirmation story), and what gives them hope, including youth political engagement and the rise of figures like Zohran Mamdani. Topics Covered - Kanew's 2018 congressional run in TN-7 against Marsha Blackburn's open seat, and the founding of The Tennessee Holler - How the Holler relies on tips from Tennesseans and has turned local stories (like the "McMinnville mouse") into national news - The 2023 expulsion of Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, and how the backlash elevated their profiles - Press corps access at the Capitol: why Speaker Cameron Sexton's press corps has voted to exclude the Holler - The erosion of floor debate under Speakers Glen Casada and Cameron Sexton, compared to former Speaker Beth Harwell - Gloria's own history: being the lone vote against Sexton for speaker, and being assigned a converted closet as an office in apparent retaliation - A judicial confirmation story: a judge who gave 12 years (of a requested 72) to a pastor convicted of child sexual abuse, and Republican colleagues who didn't know the details when they voted - School vouchers and predatory lending as examples of "corruption" politics, versus culture-war scapegoating - Youth political engagement, Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral win, and Hasan Piker's influence - Kanew's perspective as a Jewish American on Gaza, antisemitism, and why he sees the issue as a "flashpoint" for who voters trust - What it means to be an effective legislator in the superminority: "amend, delay, and defeat" rather than pass bills Guest& People Mentioned Guest Justin Kanew Instagram: @justinkanew (https://www.instagram.com/justinkanew/) X: @Kanew (https://x.com/Kanew) The Tennessee Holler Instagram: @thetnholler (https://www.instagram.com/thetnholler/) X: @TheTNHoller Website: tnholler.com Host: Rep. Gloria Johnson Instagram: @votegloriaj https://www.instagram.com/votegloriaj/ X: @VoteGloriaJ https://x.com/VoteGloriaJ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoteGloriaJohnson/
I've spent years fighting in the legislature, speaking out, and standing up for Tennessee. Now I'm bringing those conversations straight to you. Join me for candid conversations with the people shaping the future of Tennessee, the south, and our country. We'll cut through the noise, tell the truth, and of course have a lot of fun doing it. The first episode is dropping soon, so don’t miss it!