On RBC, Black Marriages and Authoritarianism Feat. Tonija Hope, Chris A. Matthews, & Ruth Ben-Ghiat
In this episode, Tonija Hope, Director of the Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University, touts the importance of the Center; Marriage Counselor Chris A. Matthews explains why successful Black marriages are vital and Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of the book Strongmen, defines authoritarianism and why we need to be vigilant against it. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/erik-fleming1/support
Chris A. Matthews
Marriage Counselor/ Author
BIO: Chris A. Matthews is an award-winning marriage counselor, clinical addiction specialist, and author of the book, “Finding Your Relationship Fix: The Four Reasons Couples Seek Counseling. Chris specializes in helping “the marriage underdog” who are high earning couples that have a greater risk of divorce. Chris has been featured on DL Hughley Radio Show, Black Enterprise, Black News Network, ABC's Here and Now, Good DAY DC, PIX11's New York Living, and NPR radio. In addition to helping couples develop healthy marriages, Chris’s most important jobs are husband to his wife of 14 years and father to their three children.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. She writes about fascism, authoritarianism, propaganda, and democracy protection. She is the recipient of Guggenheim and other fellowships, an advisor to Protect Democracy, and an MSNBC opinion columnist. She appears frequently on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and other networks.
Her latest book, a New York Times bestseller, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (2020; paperback with a new epilogue, 2021), examines how illiberal leaders use corruption, violence, propaganda, and machismo to stay in power, and how resistance to them has unfolded over a century.
She is also a consultant for businesses, civil society organizations, and television and film productions, including Guillermo del Toro’s Academy Award-winning 2022 movie Pinocchio and the 2024 Netflix docuseries Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial.
Dr. Tonija Hope
Dr. Tonija Hope serves as the Director of the RJ Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University where she oversees the strategic vision for the Center and all programming. She is committed to facilitating relationships between and among people of different cultures, and particularly to exposing young people from underserved communities, domestically and internationally, to opportunities for travel and education abroad. She received her BA in Latin American Studies/Spanish from Macalester College and her Master’s in Tourism Administration/International Education from George Washington University. She is currently completing her PhD at Howard University.
