Black & Blonde

Two amazing humans navigate the grey and decide to take a break.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they try to unpack a listener question. Essentially, somewhere in the question is the wondering if something can make you racist. While this wasn't the full question, it was a part that stood out to us. Nothing can make you racist. Only you can do that work and the antiracist work on the other end. We do our best to dive into this idea that really stuck with us. As usual, it's messy, but it's us.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they talk about the feeling of racism. White people cannot and will not ever feel racism, but there can be conscious steps white people take through racial self-talk to seek to understand and consciously leverage discomfort to benefit people, especially black and brown people. It's a good conversation about how to do the work to deal with Racist Uncle Joe.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they breakdown the concept of truth. Why are we as a people so afraid of the truth? We can't handle the truth! Finding the truth, speaking about the truth, and acting on the truth are ways in which we can move this country. A significant factor in the truth is our own ability to critically think and reflect.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the dumpster fire that burns around us. We discuss Roe (again), Bruce's Beach (although not so much a dumpster fire), involuntary relocation, outing LGBTQ students, Jayland Walker, and Emmett Till. It's a lot to talk about and a lot of angry invoking thoughts. While we could make an episode out of each of these, we didn't want to wait weeks to do so. So here you have it, one big dumpster fire episode!Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the crumble of American Democracy. Just prior to this episode, the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, turning the power of abortion rights back to the state. We break down what it means in terms of race, our country, and humanity. This isn't an easy one for us.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they do what they do best - shit jabber. We came into today's episode without a topic, we just wanted to talk about what came to us. It's a good way to model the conversation, but also just to show a little of who we are. We introduce you to something pretty exciting in our lives, we reflect on our previous episode, and we shit jabber about the world around us. Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as we breakdown the nation's conversations, or lack thereof, around white supremacy culture and racism. Following the events of Buffalo, the nation quickly (and rightfully) shifted to a conversation around gun violence and access. We moved away from the other problem - racism. As a nation, we will sit in any conversation, except for one about racism and white supremacy culture.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss Juneteenth. Much of this conversation is centered in some of the recent events of capitalistic appropriation of the holiday - Walmart and Party City. We unpack what some white-owned companies are doing to monopolize on holiday for black people. We also talk about ways to celebrate and learn about Juneteenth.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the gray as we reflect on part two of the Buffalo shooting, as well as the recent shooting in Uvalde. We discuss the ways in which we move through these events - at the hands of the media, environment, etc.  Honestly, this episode is just a lot of reflection and s*** jabbering.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they reflect and talk about the recent horrific shooting in Buffalo, NY. We give space for each other to reflect within our own identities. While we don't have the answers, sometimes we know we have to keep talking.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the future of the pod. 81 weekly episodes in and it's time to consider where we go from here. What is the ongoing impact of the pod? Has it evolved or should it evolved? We're not saying we're done, but we're certainly looking for listener input on the next iteration of this labor of love. You can leave us feedback at https://www.blackblondepod.com/Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. On his first opportunity on the ballot, Eminem gets the nod. Rolling Stone wrote an article questioning the role race might play in this particular induction - Eminem being a white man in a genre largely dominated by people of color. We try to dissect this conversation, as it does pertain to race. The people who vote for the hall of fame and the structures in place are systemically white, so what does that mean in this case? It's a messy conversation with no clear answer, but certainly an important conversation to have.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss a phrase often heard when talking about racism or white supremacy culture - "not all white people." This came to us from an article called "How 'Not All White People' Became an Assault on All Black People: Unpacking the Harm of a Seemingly Benign Phrase." In the article the author talks about the need for white people to elevate semantics over injustice. We unpack the article as well as provide an update on Laundry-Gate!Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss their response to Jane Elliot's question - "If you as a white person would be happy to receive the same treatment that our black citizens do in this society - please stand!" It is a question we ask our listeners to truly reflect on. In 2022, would you want to live as a person in a marginalized community - if not, specifically, why? It's something each person should really wrestle with and ask themselves how they are creating an environment where this question is no longer necessary. A link to the video clip in reference can be found here: https://youtu.be/xUlqTNwm-mk.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the ability to move past racial injustices when they don't have historical or systemic knowledge of past injustices and when those injustices seem too far removed. We tie this into the recent events of the four young kids detained by police in Maplewood, MN -- as well as the fatal police shooting of Patrick Lyoya in Grand Rapids, MI.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss labels, primarily the label People of Color. This came to us via a Twitter thread where the author suggested that term be retired from our use. Basically this episode is an evolution of our thoughts on the term and the thread. While we aren't policing language, I think this thread really gave us something to think about. Rather than using terms that are truly dehumanizing, although meant to be progressive, perhaps we focus more on the identity of individuals and just say what we mean. No real answers here - just things to think about.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the week in news. Every week brings new pod topics to us. Each week we try to discern one to talk about, but this week felt like a lot was happening, so we decided to talk about it all! We picked three prominent news topics (for us) and broke them down. It was a good reminder that the perpetuation of racism is everywhere.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss a relatively new debate - digital blackface. While not everyone agrees on what it means, digital blackface is when white people use a meme or gif of a black person. We discuss the impact, the controversy, and what we police. There are no answers, just opinions!Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss some of the recent nonsense around the policing of hair and heads. We talk about a move in St. Cloud School District to move away from banning hats, hoodies, do rags, and bonnets. This type of policy exists in many school districts across the country and is founded in none other than white supremacy culture. We also talk about the recent passing of the CROWN act which aims to make discrimination of natural hair a violation of federal civil rights laws. In truth, even having this conversation is utter nonsense!Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they talk about the concept of white saviors. We know that the work is internal and not external. Understanding that will eliminate the idea of a white savior. As they say in A Kid's Book about Empathy - Take a breath; listen; ask questions; and imagine. We hope this topic gives white listeners something to think about as they engage in the work.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the concept of refugees. This conversation was undoubtedly spurred by the current situation in Ukraine; however, we know the situation with refugees is much more vast. There are wars in Syria, Yemen, Afghan, and other countries and nations. These wars displace people who are seeking shelter and hope in other countries. One question kept surfacing for us - are we more likely to care about refugees if they look like us?Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they try to unpack a slew of racist incidents at Minnesota high schools. While incidents such as these are not new, they do seem to be brought to light more often than in the past. While one episode isn't enough to talk about kids and the environments they are in everyday, we hope this episode provides an opportunity for action - to be a domino. Talk to your kids. Be aware of the systems around you. Have a voice in your schools and communities.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss Andrea Elliott's book Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City. It's rare we spend time talking about a book and its story - but this time we dig in. This is a book that is so powerful. It is the story of Dasani and her families life and struggle through poverty, homelessness, and addiction in American society. It's worth a conversation about the abject failure of our systems. If you want to be a domino, this book might give you the motivation to do so.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as the break down the domino concept. This came to us from a listener who turned us on to a TedTalk by Luvvie Ajayi Jones entitled Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable. In her TedTalk, Luvvie talks about being a domino and how sometimes you have to be the first one to fall and others fall with you. It isn't done without fear or discomfort, but we can make change if we "fall" first. This related so much to many of the things we talk about on the pod and how we can make lasting change.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they talk about the recent killings of black men in the Minneapolis area. Amir Locke was shot by Minneapolis Police executing a no-knock warrant. Jahmari Rice was shot by two other teens following a dispute at a Minnesota school. All this in the wake of the impending verdict of the three officers involved in George Floyd's murder and the upcoming sentencing of Kim Potter who murdered Daunte Wright. The thing we have to do is talk about it. We have to engage in conversations with those that look like us, those that don't, those that are close to us, and those that aren't.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as we discuss the highway system. You heard that right, highways! But stick with us, we think this is a powerful topic. When we think about our own convenience and the ways we travel, we often fail to notice or think about the structural racism that is literally embedded in the very structures we use for our travel. We talk about how highways displace people of color, reinforce segregation, limit access and resources, create environmental hazards, and allow others to complete avoid passing through.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss Loving v. Virginia and interracial relationships. While 2022 doesn't look the same as 1967, we still know that we all have biases and narratives when it comes to interracial relationships. Despite the fact that we're in one, we have our own first thoughts, that we hope don't become our last thoughts. Despite the fact that only 61.6% of Americans identify as white-alone, we have still got a long way to go to move beyond our beliefs in terms of who people should be in a relationship with.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss their upcoming day off - Martin Luther King Jr. day. What does the day mean? Has it become a caricature of the man himself? How do we celebrate? How do we honor his legacy as we head into a federal holiday? Ultimately, we call for intentionality and education. Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they spend some time talking about how they move through their work - one black, one white. We talk about how difficult and daunting it can be to come up with pod topics, even though race is everywhere. It's not that we're without topics, it's more about how hard it can be to do it every week. Granted, we know living is harding than talking! It comes down to intentionality and humanity.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they talk about justice - restorative or retributive. Can restorative justice help to bridge inequalities and help us see the humanity in one another? Is traditional justice accountability? Is forgiveness necessary. We wrestle with a lot of questions in our first episode of the new year. As always, it's not black and white.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two humans navigate the grey as they wrap up 2021 with some final thoughts. We challenge our listeners to think of their own 2021 year in review, as it pertains to their own racial consciousness. Three things that have been key to us this year - learning, intentionality, and consistency. See you in 2022!Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss racism and how we might conquer it by changing the action. Our episode was inspired by the Ted Talk, "How to Deconstruct Racism One Headline at a Time" by Bartunde Thurston. In his Ted Talk, Thurston discusses the often invisible burden of living while black. He breaks down the structure of racism as - subject, action, target, activity. We talk about the impact of this on our everyday lives and what we might do to start to change the action.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they talk about microaggressions. It took us awhile to get to this topic, perhaps because they are so prevalent in our everyday lives. We talk about that unconscious (or sometimes conscious) bias that unintentionally (or intentionally) presents itself in interactions with individuals from marginalized groups. Oh, and check out our Insta bio for a link to vote in the Twin Cities Collective Best of Awards. Thank you for all who  voted and continue to support the little pod that could!Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they talk about how we might go about normalizing conversations about race. Instead of making conversations about race an event, a professional development session, or a courageous conversations, can't we just make these conversations as normal as talking about the weather? It's not that simple and we aren't being flippant, but conversations about race, until race isn't an issue in our society, should not have be events. The should just be. How many conversations about race are you having in your life?Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the verdict in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. We challenge listeners to think about where they were, what they felt, and how they responded when they heard the verdict. As always, we challenge listeners to look outside of their 20% and find the 60% that they might be able to influence. In this long game, we always have a sphere of influence. Being intentional, practicing conversations, and self-awareness are some of the keys. In today's society, it can also be easy to get caught in victory blindness. We must recognize that the work will always be there and we can always join the movement for change.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they final talk about Black Lives Matter. It's taken us 55 episodes to make this a specific topic. Maybe it should have been done sooner, maybe not. But after the recent events in this country, we are reminded of (not that we needed a reminder) of the importance of being able to understand the importance of being able to say "Black Lives Matter." The phrase has become divisive, but the sentiment is so important. It is necessary and it is a way to continue to remind ourselves of the work we have to do. Perhaps our conversation is messy, but these conversations often are.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the gray as they discuss the long game of stopping the reproduction of racism. The concept came to us from an episode of the Small Business Revolution which featured one of our favorites, the Minnesota Spokesman Recorder. In the episode, they highlight the idea of the long game. The world isn't going to change overnight. We have to continue the fight everyday. In this episode, we tackle that concept - short game or long game? The answer isn't black and white.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the gray as they discuss the concept of acting white. Too often, the world asks people of color to do the "white thing" because that's considered the norm. Even if people of color were to fit into the white norm, they will still be behind the curve, because that is how our society is built. Our systems are designed to uphold whiteness, so acting white will never be enough. We challenge our listeners to ask a different question - instead of "Why don't they just..." ask "How might we?"Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they wrestle with "the fuller story" of our country's history. We talk about the concept of statues, monuments, and who we honor. When should a statue come down? Should it? How do we tell a fuller story about our history? This concept came to us from a news story out of Franklin, TN. The city fought a battle around removing a confederate statue, and instead of doing so, erected a statue of a black soldier. It presents an interesting question about just how aware are we of the names around us. And, as always, what do we do about it?Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the gray as they talk about recent events that have really lent themselves to the conversation around cancel culture and how we respond to shitty things. We talk about Netflix and Dave Chapelle, Jon Gruden and the NFL, and Lil' Boosie's horrific tweets to Lil' Nas X. It's a lot to unpack and wrestle with, but as usual we hope this gives you something to think about. We hope you're always thinking and making decisions that align with your values. With that being said, we know it's not easy, especially as creature's of convenience. Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the gray as they talk about one year of doing a podcast solely about race. It's hard to believe it's been a year and we're still at it. Some people are probably wondering why! We take this episode to think about what the pod has done for us over the past year and what we might do going forward. It's time for us to do what we always ask listeners to do - stop and reflect.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the gray as they discuss a little known part of our history in Bruce's Beach. If you haven't heard this story in the news, you're going to want to tune in and perhaps do a little digging on your own. In 1912, Willa and Charles Bruce bought a plot of land on Manhattan Beach for a little over $1200. After building a prosperous black-owned business and community spot, they were forced from their land by LA County. In 2021, that stolen land was finally returned to their descendants.  There is so much to unpack in this story - reparations, generational wealth, stolen land, America's reckoning with race. We do our best to unpack it.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the not-so-light topic of slavery. This topic came to us from the Clint Smith book, How the Word is Passed. The book follows Smith's journey to several sites closely affiliated with slavery. As he tours these sites, he speaks with the people that are there and examines the impact on our world today. Slavery isn't an easy topic to dig into, but it's so important that we seriously examine it, if nothing else, to unlearn what was likely taught to us in history classes. As a people, we cannot move on until we have reckoned with our past. In this episode we are really just asking listeners to dig deep, to think, to explore, to ask questions, to try to understand.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss a fantastic listener question that juxtaposes the idea of when racist depictions in television or other media can do more harm than good. This episode focuses on the show All in the Family, but could essentially be a conversation point for any show that attempts to depict racist and misogynistic ideas for laughs. Is it ever funny? Is it good to see in order to spark conversations and bring a piece of reality into people's homes? We wrestle with this question, although we both ultimately land on an answer.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss stuck points. It's a term that we learned from watching the show All American, but as it turns out, it's a real term used in therapy. It refers to a moment or experience that the brain has skipped over or not addressed. It creates barriers to recovery. We believe this term also fits with the concept of doing antiracist work. We must do inside-out work and first understand the things that might hold us back. We have to identify our own stuck points. Take a listen as we try to determine our stuck points and what challenges us in doing the work.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the triggering topic of white supremacy culture. We ask our listeners to really think about the ways they participate in, most likely unintentionally, the white supremacy culture. This culture shows up in our work, schools, media, medicine - everywhere. We are often blind to it and don't step back to think about the ways in which we are a part of it.  Most of this episode was triggered by an article from the Minnesota Historical Society on White Supremacy. You might want to read it before digging into the episode.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as we jump back into the time machine and reflect on episodes 31-44. It's a summer of Black & Blonde pod all in one reflection. We talk about the highlight episodes, the jet lag episode, and so much more. As always, the reflection is so important. And, we couldn't do this without each person who listens!Feel free to continue to submit questions or give us feedback on some of our responses to listener questions.  Q & A Google Form.  Link is also available on our Insta bio.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the TV shows we watch! Even if you're not a TV watcher, this episode really digs into how shows shape our narratives and perpetuate stereotypes. We talk about some of our favorites - The Wire, Roseanne, Survivor, and the shows of our younger years. It's too bad we didn't have more time, because we really could have dug into this one. We hope, as always, it gives you something to think about.Feel free to continue to submit questions or give us feedback on some of our responses to listener questions.  Q & A Google Form.  Link is also available on our Insta bio.Support the show

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the latest, important findings from the 2020 Census. Yep, you heard that right. This shit is important. If you aren't paying attention, please take some time to listen to this episode.  We arc back to a previous episode - Like Our Lives Depend on It. The more we know, the better we can do.Feel free to continue to submit questions or give us feedback on some of our responses to listener questions.  Q & A Google Form.  Link is also available on our Insta bio.Support the show (https://cash.app/$blackblondepod)

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they return to listener questions. The questions are challenging and the answers aren't straightforward, but we try to offer our perspective. Remember, we're not experts, just living our lives - black and white.Feel free to continue to submit questions or give us feedback on some of our responses to listener questions.  Q & A Google Form.  Link is also available on our Insta bio.Support the show