Induced Labor / Happy Birthday Sister Joy
This is an uncomfortable subject matter for several reasons. Some of these reasons will be clear immediacy while others will materialize as you continue reading or listening.
I have been made aware that MSNBC announced the cancellation of "The ReidOut" as part of a network-wide programming overhaul.
Admittedly, I was surprised. Joy had been with MSNBC for 14 years (2011–2025)
This news of the show being cancelled conjured up several thoughts. The journey of Black Africans who survived the transatlantic slave industry were transformed into Black Americans. This transformation, a long and painful process of becoming. The womb of America held them, not by choice, but by force—yet within this space-time, a new identity was formed.
Just as a placenta is a temporary organ that nourishes but is ultimately discarded, America provided temporary measures to sustain Black existence in the form of:
Reconstruction (1865–1877) – A brief period of progress that was later dismantled.
Civil Rights Acts – Legal protections against segregation and discrimination.
Affirmative Action & Integration Laws – Policies that seemed to ease suffering but were never meant to be permanent solutions.
Though these policies provided nourishment, they did not represent full liberation. They were like a placenta sustaining but not delivering the ultimate promise of freedom.
Like an overdue pregnancy, the Black American condition lingered in a state of waiting, long past the point when full labor should have begun. Despite achievements, systemic barriers remained, creating a situation where progress was prolonged but not yet fully birthed.
The expectation was that equality would naturally emerge.
However, true birth requires labor—and sometimes, labor does not begin on its own.
Induction becomes necessary when waiting too long can cause, harm.
If we extend the analogy further, Joy Reid’s cancellation can be viewed as sort of a induced labor—not a loss, but a forced push into something greater.
Just as doctors induce labor when a baby must be delivered, circumstances may force individuals into their next stage of purpose.
The placenta of MSNBC, like integration laws, Reconstruction, or other temporary supports, served its purpose—but it was never the final destination.
Joy’s exit from MSNBC may signal a transition into a greater space, a larger platform, or a more independent voice.
Just as the Israelites were induced to leave Egypt through plagues, Joy’s departure from MSNBC may be the labor pains of her next calling.
Crossing the Red Sea is like birth—it is painful, but it leads to a new world of ownership and power.
MSNBC may have been the Egypt of her career—a place that sustained but was never meant to be home.
Being pushed out may be the necessary labor to birth her into a space where she controls her own destiny.
Transformation is never easy. Sometimes, waiting too long for change can be dangerous—and when natural progression does not happen, the universe induces labor to push individuals into their rightful place.
Perhaps, rather than mourning the loss of a show, we are witnessing the induced labor of Joy Reid’s next phase, where she will no longer be sustained by temporary systems, but will stand in full ownership of her voice, her platform, and her power.
Joy, we are with you. Happy birthday Sister.