Shelley’s Plumbline
In construction, a plumbline is a weight suspended from a string used as a tool to find the true reference line. A plumbline will always find the vertical axis pointing to the center of gravity, ensuring everything is right, justified, and centered.
Pulling from a library of more than 3,000 shows from his storied career in broadcasting, Shelley's Plumbline leads us in a search for the truth, opening the channels of communication and understanding on tough social topics that are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago.
Join us as we explore the past, compare it to today, and craft a better future.
Episodes
155 episodes
The Rapid Decline of Education in America
In this week's podcast, Dr. Ricky Jones calls out modern efforts to roll back Civil Rights gains. The discussion highlights the systematic underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the use of anti-affirmative acti...
What Have We Done Wrong?
This episode of Shelley's Plumbline explores the question of what we, as Black men and a people, have done wrong in the ongoing struggle for equality? Stewart frames this introspection with painful memories of childhood seg...
War. What is it Good for?
This week on Shelley's Plumbline, we look into the true meaning of war, questioning the moral center of American conflicts, and suggesting that the biggest challenge today is simply survival in America. The discussion exposes Americ...
Interview with Music Writer Candis Bonner, Pt 2
In this week's podcast, we continue our interview featuring Candis Bonner, a top writer for the major magazine Black Radio Exclusive.We focus on the history and evolution of the Black radio industry. Bonner explains that Black r...
An Interview with Music Writer Candis Bonner (Part 1)
This week's podcast features guest Candis Bonner, who shares a conversation about lifelong friendship and the evolution of Black media.Friendship Loss and ReunionWe discuss the pain of losing friends and the rarity of ...
Has Civil Rights Lost Its Bite?
This week's episode of Shelley's Plumbline explores the opposition to Human Rights progress, including the anti-DEI movement and the inaction of the Black bourgeoisie, prompting a call for a desperate resurgence of the movement for freedom.&nbs...
Has the Role of Black Churches Changed?
This week Shelley's Plumbline covers a debate on the Black Church's role in community unity and institutional strength, questioning if its historical influence on the community and youth still remains strong today. Shelley shares hi...
Which Golden Rule Do You Follow?
The week's discussion centers on the pursuit of power, with Ricky and Shelley questioning the sustainability of the integration model and discussing the need for new political approaches, including "voluntary separation." We pay tri...
Shelley's Back
In this episode, we dive into the pivotal moments that shaped our world—from the blackouts and segregation of the 1940s and post-war era, to the political earthquakes of Maynard Jackson’s and Coleman Young’s mayoral elections in Atlanta and Det...
Erasing History
This episode concludes a four-part series on Dr. Carter G. Woodson and centers on the loss of the Black Old Guard, specifically honoring Reverend Jesse Jackson. A key point of discussion was the denial of Reverend Jackson lying in honor at the ...
Woodson's Challenge: Should Funding Dollars Make Decisions?
This week's episode continues our Black History Month series on Dr. Carter G. Woodson, whose rejection of the NAACP begs the question: Does the influence of funding to Black movements trigger the need for a "leadership audit" within...
Carter G. Woodson and the Challenges of Black Leadership
This week's episode continues the focus on the life and ideology of Dr. Carter G. Woodson as part of a four-part Black History Month series. We open by marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of Negro History Week and...
Have You Earned the Right to Celebrate BHM?
In this special Black History Month episode of Shelley's Plumbline, executive producer Mark Jamroz and host Dr. Ricky Jones—son of the Radio Hall of Famer Shelley Stewart—share a conversation on Carter G. Woodson and the origins of Black...
Dr. Ricky Jones' MLK Speech: Holding a Mirror of Truth to America's Face
Some Truths About Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks (Rebroadcast)
We join the nation in mourning the loss of civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin, who passed away on January 13, 2026, at the age of 86. In her honor, we are rebroadcasting this interview with her sister, Gloria Laster, originally broadc...
A Review of Our Favorite Plumblines of 2025
Join Shelley's Plumbline for this powerful year-end recap, reflecting on the most impactful conversations of 2025, a year marked by the addition of co-host Dr. Ricky Jones. Jones’s arrival brought a new voice of depth and truth that...
Racism Today (Rebroadcast)
Hello, Plumbliners!Shelley, Mark and Ricky are going to take a break going into the holiday season. So today, we (re)present the most downloaded Plumbline episode of 2025, titled "Racism Today."In this episode, She...
Whatever Happened to Rosa Parks?
Today, Shelley and Ricky focus their discussion on the ongoing disregard for both Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks after the bus boycott, noting Parks' financial struggles and the general minimization of women's contributions by male movement le...
Some Truths About Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks
This episode of Shelley's Plumline, explores the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott with special guest Gloria Laster, the older sister of Claudette Colvin. The discussion centers on the overlooked role of Colvin, the 15-year-old arr...
Shelley's Role in The Children's March
In this episode, Shelley and Ricky discuss the key role that Shelley played in the Children's March. The scene is Birmingham, Alabama, April and May of 1963.Martin Luther King Jr.’s advisors had deliberately chosen the city to confront t...
Shelley's Encounters with the KKK
In this episode, Shelley recounts his conflicts with the Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham in the 1950s, intensified by his refusal to adhere to segregated customs in local stores. Shelley reveals that many Klan members were police officers and local ...