In this episode of Reset Critical, Niaz sits down with scholar and filmmaker Rudy Mondragón to explore boxing as far more than sport. They discuss how boxing has long been a site of political struggle, self-expression, and resistance — especially for people from marginalized communities. Rudy explains how ring entrances can function as powerful acts of identity, solidarity, and advocacy, from Indigenous representation to statements on Palestine and immigration. The conversation also traces the racial history of boxing, including Jack Johnson, the “Great White Hope,” and the ways whiteness still shapes the sport today. Beyond symbolism, they examine the brutal economics of boxing and why so many fighters are treated as exploited laborers with few protections. Rudy breaks down how matchmaking, pay structures, and the independent contractor model keep most boxers underpaid and vulnerable, even while the sport generates major profit. At the same time, he makes the case that boxing is also a deeply human community, full of stories of dignity, agency, and survival. This is a rich conversation about sports, race, labor, power, and why athletes should never be told to “shut up and dribble”.

Can policy wins and “reforms” actually make us safer, or do they just shrink our demands until nothing meaningful changes? In this episode of Reset Critical with Niaz Kasravi, featuring guest Lex Steppling, a seasoned organizer with the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN) and a founding member of the All People's Health Collective, Lex and Niaz discuss how today’s political climate feels unprecedented in its brazen cruelty, while the underlying tactics of state violence are not new. They explore why justice advocacy often gets trapped in corporate-style metrics, how “wins” can be toothless, and why both major parties have supported policies like the 1994 Crime Bill, welfare reform, and the 1996 immigration bill. Lex breaks down what organizing is (and isn’t), why electoral and policy victories should be byproducts rather than destinations, and how representative democracy can function as a filter that chips away at transformative demands. The conversation connects ICE practices to policing, critiques common reform approaches like training and body cams as funding expansions, and outlines an abolitionist framework rooted in impact and safety, not moral superiority. Lex also describes the threat of California’s CARE Court as a pathway to mass confinement through mental health/conservatorship systems, and shares the All People's Health Collective’s focus on getting resources to people, including an economic justice model that includes UBI. 🎙️ Full Podcast: Reset Critical with Niaz Kasravi 👤 Guest: Lex Steppling 📍 Topics include organizing vs lobbying, abolition, state violence, Skid Row, Care Court, and UBI

What happens to truth, solidarity, and our humanity when war, trauma, and ideology collide? In this episode of Reset Critical, Niaz is joined by Dr. Annahita Mahdavi West and Dr. Cornel West to discuss the war in Iran, the intense trauma of living under bombardment and repression, and how diaspora PTSD and divisions fuel anger, infighting, and political labels. They explore the idea of a just war, criticize Trump’s initiation of war as illegal and immoral, and affirm people’s right to resist oppression. They also critique the tendency on both the right and the left to justify violence for strategic goals. The conversation broadens to racial justice in America, themes from Cornell West’s books Race Matters, Democracy Matters, and Truth Matters, the need for moral truth-telling across disagreements, and building cross-racial solidarity based on love, hope, and dignity.