Don't Water it Down

The Untold History of New Orleans Steamboats | Season 2 Episode 8

Jessica Dandridge is the Executive Director of The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans, joined by Deniseea Head and Ryan “Phlegm” Gilbert for a conversation about the hidden history of steamboats in New Orleans and the complicated role they played in shaping the South. Together, we unpack how steamboats became one of the city’s most recognizable cultural symbols while also serving as a major tool in the expansion of slavery during the Second Middle Passage. From Hollywood movies and tourism imagery to Black innovation and resistance, this episode challenges the stories many of us were taught growing up. We also explore the overlooked contributions of Black inventor Benjamin Montgomery, the incredible story of Robert Smalls escaping slavery by commandeering a Confederate ship, and the harmful role organizations like the United Daughters of the Confederacy played in romanticizing plantation culture and rewriting public memory around slavery. With humor, personal stories, and historical context, this conversation dives into the layers behind one of New Orleans’ most iconic images. Timestamps: 0:00 Naming the Cocktail & Steamboat Memories 2:06 Why Are Steamboats Everywhere in New Orleans Media? 7:49 The Real Origins of Steamboats in America 10:15 The Second Middle Passage & How Steamboats Expanded Slavery 16:17 Childhood Steamboat Field Trips & Untold History 21:08 How Black Workers Used Steamboats to Escape Slavery 22:57 Robert Smalls Hijacks a Confederate Ship 38:12 The United Daughters of the Confederacy & Rewriting Southern History Don’t Water it Down (DWID) is a live and pre-recorded video podcast hosted by four black voices, primarily from New Orleans, decoding climate jargon, over curated cocktails. These unique hosts bring their distinct perspectives and experiences to the table, discussing complex and challenging topics in an authentic and transparent manner. They use storytelling and knowledge sharing to build connections, rooting each episode in New Orleans but grounding it in the local community, art, culture, and libations. Follow Don't Water It Down: Youtube: www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown [http://www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown [https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] Website: https://nolawater.org/ [https://nolawater.org/]

Bringing African Innovations to NOLA: Climate Solutions We Should Be Using | Season 2 Episode 7

Jessica Dandridge, Deniseea Head, Ryan “Phlegm” Gilbert, and Nesby Phips are hosts and cultural storytellers decoding climate innovation through a New Orleans lens. We break down African-led climate solutions - from seafood supply chain apps connecting local fishers directly to consumers, to kinetic energy technology, flood mitigation systems, and recycled plastic building materials - and explore what it would take to bring these ideas home to New Orleans. We connect global innovation to local culture, asking how second lines, Mardi Gras waste, and our coastal economy could power real, community-driven solutions. Through honest conversation, humor, and lived experience, we highlight the importance of equitable innovation and what it looks like when communities lead the way in shaping a more sustainable future. Timestamps: 2:45 COP30 Recap 06:50 Abalobi 13:40 Optim Energy 20:38 DR Congo's Humanoid Traffic Robots 29:45 Slamdam 33:20 Gjenge Makers 44:30 Final Picks and What Works For New Orleans Don’t Water it Down (DWID) is a live and pre-recorded video podcast hosted by four black voices, primarily from New Orleans, decoding climate jargon, over curated cocktails. These unique hosts bring their distinct perspectives and experiences to the table, discussing complex and challenging topics in an authentic and transparent manner. They use storytelling and knowledge sharing to build connections, rooting each episode in New Orleans but grounding it in the local community, art, culture, and libations. Follow Don't Water It Down Youtube: www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown [http://www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown [https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] Website: https://nolawater.org/ [https://nolawater.org/]

AI, Capitalism & Community: What’s the Real Cost? | Season 2 Episode 6

Brent Craige is the founder of Newtral Groundz Media, and he joins us to unpack the real implications of AI, technology, and who actually benefits from it. Together, we dig into the tension between innovation and harm, like questioning whether tools like ChatGPT should be restricted, regulated, or taught in schools as essential digital literacy. We talk about access gaps, misinformation, mental health risks, and how communities without resources risk being left even further behind as technology accelerates. We also zoom out to the bigger picture: the environmental costs of powering AI, corporate control, intellectual property, and what it means for artists and creators trying to protect their work. From ethical use to regional economic power, we wrestle with whether technology can truly democratize opportunity, or if it will simply deepen the divide. As always, we don’t water it down. We connect the dots between tech, equity, and community impact right here at home in New Orleans. Timestamps: 0:00 - 7:00 - Meet Brent Craige: Tech, Media & Community Power 7:00 - 12:45 - Too Much Information? AI, Mental Health & Digital Overload 12:45 - 23:00 - Should AI Be Taught in Schools? Access vs. Restriction 23:00 - 38:40 - Cultural Resistance & Fear of the Unknown 38:40 - 47:50 - The Environmental Cost of AI & Who Pays for It 47:50 - 56:00 - AI & Artists: Creative Tool or Creative Theft? 56:00 - 1:03:30 - Using AI Ethically: Building Local Power 1:03:30 - 1:10:45 - Can Technology Break Big Business? A Regional Reset Don’t Water it Down (DWID) is a live and pre-recorded video podcast hosted by four black voices, primarily from New Orleans, decoding climate jargon, over curated cocktails. These unique hosts bring their distinct perspectives and experiences to the table, discussing complex and challenging topics in an authentic and transparent manner. They use storytelling and knowledge sharing to build connections, rooting each episode in New Orleans but grounding it in the local community, art, culture, and libations. Follow Don't Water It Down Youtube: www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown [http://www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown [https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] Website: https://nolawater.org/ [https://nolawater.org/]

Invisible Pollution and the Fight for Environmental Justice in Louisiana | Season 2 Episode 5

Gregory Swafford is a community organizer and co-founder of Culture of Cleanliness, and he joins us to talk about what it really means to fight for environmental justice in Louisiana. We dig into how his work evolved from neighborhood cleanups to confronting invisible pollution tied to LNG facilities and petrochemical plants, and why so many frontline communities are forced to live with the health, economic, and political consequences of industry expansion. We also connect the dots between environmental harm, systemic racism, and voter suppression, breaking down why the fight for clean air and water cannot be separated from the fight for representation and political power. Gregory leaves us with a clear reminder that lasting change is built through sustained organizing, long-term commitment, and communities consistently showing up for themselves. Tune in for a powerful discussion that connects the dots between energy, water, and the fight for a more equitable future. Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions and New Orleans' Cultural Influence 4:50 Belonging in New Orleans 7:20 Authenticity in Politics 9:30 Gregory Swafford’s Path to Environmental Justice 19:00 Invisible Pollution and Environmental Racism 26:45 Voting Rights, Power, and Community Representation 31:30 Environmental Justice, Leadership, and Who Gets Heard 40:20  Sustained Organizing and What Real Change Takes Don’t Water it Down (DWID) is a live and pre-recorded video podcast hosted by four black voices, primarily from New Orleans, decoding climate jargon, over curated cocktails. These unique hosts bring their distinct perspectives and experiences to the table, discussing complex and challenging topics in an authentic and transparent manner. They use storytelling and knowledge sharing to build connections, rooting each episode in New Orleans but grounding it in the local community, art, culture, and libations. Follow Don't Water It Down YouTube: www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown [http://www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown [https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] Website: https://nolawater.org/ [https://nolawater.org/]

Florida is NOT the South: The Saltwater Underground Railroad and Untold Black Floridian History | Season 2 Episode 4

The Saltwater Underground Railroad is a little-known Black liberation network that predates Harriet Tubman and completely reframes how we understand freedom, Florida, and Black history. We break down how enslaved and free Black people escaped bondage by moving south through Florida and across open water to the Bahamas, aided by Black Seminoles and Indigenous communities who built autonomous settlements long before Florida became part of the United States. We dig into why Florida is such a cultural outlier in the South, how Caribbean, African, and Indigenous histories shaped Black Floridian identity, and why these stories are rarely taught. The conversation challenges myths about Black people and water, connects past resistance to present-day movements like Black in Marine Science, and asks what liberation looks like when freedom is close enough to reach—if you’re willing to move. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 2:10 What Is the Saltwater Underground Railroad? 6:40 The History of Slavery and Free Black Communities in Florida 11:00 Black Seminoles, Resistance, and War 18:00 Escaping by Sea: 6,000 People to the Bahamas 25:20 Is Florida Really The South? 35:50 Black in Marine Science 44:00 Youth's Access to Environmental Education 58:45 Collective Consciousness and What Comes Next Don’t Water it Down (DWID) is a live and pre-recorded video podcast hosted by four black voices, primarily from New Orleans, decoding climate jargon, over curated cocktails. These unique hosts bring their distinct perspectives and experiences to the table, discussing complex and challenging topics in an authentic and transparent manner. They use storytelling and knowledge sharing to build connections, rooting each episode in New Orleans but grounding it in the local community, art, culture, and libations. Follow Don't Water It Down Youtube: www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown [http://www.youtube.com/@DontWaterItDown] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown [https://www.instagram.com/dontwateritdown?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] Website: https://nolawater.org/ [https://nolawater.org/] Follow our hosts on Instagram Jessica @Queenofwata Deniseea @chickenandchampagne Ryan @mynameisphlegm Nesby @Nesbyphips