Episode 81

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Published on:

24th Feb 2024

MAGA’s White Nationalism Is Blocking Ukraine Military Aid. Plus Thoughts on Navalny’s Death and African Refugees Who Fled Ukraine

Terrell J. Starr and guest Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon discuss the second year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the African students who faced discrimination while fleeing the war, House Speaker’s Mike Johnson’s refusal to bring the U.S. Senate’s bill to the floor for a vote, how MAGA’s racism is blocking Ukraine military aid and Alexei Navalny’s death.

Host: Terrell J. Starr

Guest: Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon (Book her here)

Producer: Mike Hull


Support us financially on Venmo: @BlackDiplomats, CashApp: $BlackDiplomats, PayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod and Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomats  


Time Stamps

00:00: Welcome

03:32: Mental Health Check-in

04:08: Two-Year Mark of SECOND Russian Invasion of Ukraine

08:57: African Students Who Fled the War 

23:25: Mike Johnson Refuses Vote on Ukraine Aid

44:20: Navalny’s Death


How stalled U.S. aid for Ukraine exemplifies GOP’s softening stance on Russia (PBS)

Foreign students fled Ukraine as war broke out. Some remain in limbo, while others fear deportation (CNN)

More than 14 million people fled homes in Ukraine since Russia invasion: UN (Al Jazeera)

Navalny's body returned to mother, spokeswoman says (BBC)

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About the Podcast

Black Diplomats
The world is full of black people, but when the mainstream media talks about the world, we hardly ever hear from them. Black Diplomats—a podcast dedicated to international politics and culture from the perspective of people of color—is going to...
Founded in 2020 and led by Terrell Jermaine Starr, Black Diplomats is the go-to podcast for those who want relatable content on global affairs that doesn’t center the perspectives of white male experts.

Few foreign policy shows are led by Black people or center the opinions, experiences and expertise of people of color. Black Diplomats is one exception. Guests are mostly people of color and people who are indigenous to the regions the episodes focus on.
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Terrell Starr

Terrell Jermaine Starr is the senior reporter at The Root, where he writes about the 2020 election and foreign policy, mostly U.S. relations with Ukraine and Russia. He is also the The Root’s 2020 correspondent and is tasked with interviewing presidential candidates and traveling to communities around the country to see who voters are eyeing to cast ballots for during the 2020 primary and the general election.

Some of the people Starr have conducted sit-down interviews with include U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former U.S. Congressman Beto O’Rourke, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, U.S. Senator Cory Booker and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, among other politicians.

Before working at The Root, Starr was at Foxtrot Alpha, a blog that focuses on military, technology and policy. Prior to that, he worked for FUSION as a national political correspondent covering the 2016 presidential campaign. He lived Ukraine as a Fulbright fellow, and Georgia as a Peace Corps volunteer. Starr has over four years of experience living in the former Soviet Union and more than eight years working as a reporter. Starr uses his media skills to break down Russia-U.S. relations in ways that make him not sound like a Washington hack. He is a frequent guest and co-host of the popular podcast In The Thick and his work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Mother Jones and Buzzfeed.

Starr is a regularly sought after speaker on U.S.-Russian relations, Ukrainian politics and the intersection of race and politics in America.