Choose Awareness

If you follow @ChooseToBeAware on Instagram (which I hope you do!) you might have seen that the theme for this month is all about unlearning. Unlearning distorted versions of history or false ideas we've all been taught over time. And when it comes to unlearning racist ideas, especially racist words and phrases we often use, who better to talk to than Sadia of @_LanguageMatters?! That's exactly what you'll get to hear in this episode! We had a conversation back in early May where we talked about all kinds of things. We dissected racist and antiracist words and phrases, and we talked about how unlearning on its own isn't sufficient and how it needs to be combined with action in order to truly produce change. My hope is the conversation will illustrate why it's so important for us to be aware of the words that we use, and that we choose them carefully.

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since I started Choose Awareness. And wow, what a year it has been. I've learned a lot. I'm stilllearning a lot! And I can honestly say that my own thinking has evolved on some topics and ideas, even when it comes to Choose Awareness. And I was reflecting on that very idea not long ago when it hit me. I've never really shared much about why I started Choose Awareness in the first place, or what I initially intended it to be! So I decided to make a podcast about it. The vision hasn't changed, and that's still to foster empathy and inspire activism. But I have landed on a slightly different mission than the one I started out with, and I'm excited about it because I feel much more confident about what the purpose of Choose Awareness truly is and how I hope to leverage any influence it might have in the future. That's what you'll hear me unpack in this episode, along with me sharing a little about my own personal journey and what things like justice and racial justice and social justice mean to me. Hopefully, you'll hear something you can relate to or that you can take away and apply to your own journey as it relates to social justice!

I've been wanting to have a conversation with my friend Sherita Harkness for a while now, and I'm so glad we were finally able to make it happen! I've known Sherita for 5 years or so, and she is just an incredible human being. She's smart, funny, and an incredible communicator. You'll get to hear her share a little about her story as well as what it means to her to be seen as someone who deserves a seat at the table. She has an incredible way with words, and I hope you'll enjoy listening to her as much as I did.

This part 2 of a longer conversation I had with some friends awhile back, so if you haven't listened to part 1 of my conversation with Generation Z, you'll probably want to do that first (and you can find it here). This episode is going to pick up right where that one left off as Lauren, Kristina, Kevin, and Clay sharing their personal reactions to injustices we all witnessed in 2020, as well as even some tangible and practical things they did in response. So if you're someone who likes to take action and wants to but you're not quite how or where to start, be sure to listen for that. Whether you're a teenager or in your 60s, they're things we can all do. And that's the thing, so much of what they said seems relevant and helpful to people of all ages and circumstances. Even if you're not someone who considers themselves an expert of social media or someone who stresses over how many likes or followers you have, I'm willing to bet the feelings and interactions they describe are still relevant to how you talk or don't talk to people sometimes, that it might describe how you choose to engage or not engage with people (or posts you see on social media). And I'm sure we can all relate to their thoughts and concerns about cancel culture. Because regardless of whether it's on Instagram, Facebook, a text message, a phone call, or even a face-to-face conversation, we all have those feelings of nervousness, hesitation, and the desire to avoid people sometimes rather than having hard or uncomfortable conversations.

Awhile back I came across this article that talked about the biggest obstacles being faced by future generations, and, after reading it, I found myself wanting to have an actual conversation with Generation Z. And that's what you'll hear in this episode. It's a chat I had with my friends Lauren, Kristina, Kevin, and Clay where I asked them to share what they consider to be the biggest challenges faced by people their age, or by the entire nation, at the moment. Honestly, I fully expected their responses to be similar to the article I read. I expected them to say things like climate change, gun violence and school shootings, student debt, etc. But to my surprise, that is not what they said. Those things are all certainly super important to them, but it's just not what they said. Instead, they said… Fear of loss or not knowing what the future holds. The inability to sit in silence and wrestle with your own thoughts, especially during this pandemic. The lack of authentic, honest, and vulnerable conversations. The division produced by media and politics and the apathy that results from it. I was absolutely blown away by both their awareness of these struggles, their ability to unpack them, and their thoughts on how to address them. This is the first of a two-part series so be on the lookout for the second episode in the coming weeks, and I do want to want point out just one more thing. This particular conversation was recorded the week before Christmas, which means it was before the inauguration scheduled a few days from now, it was before the riots at the Capitol several weeks ago, and it was before the Senate runoffs were officially decided here in Georgia. Regardless of your age, whether you're 25 or 65, my hope is that you'll be able to relate to some of what they have to say and that you'll hear something applicable that's worth putting into practice in your own life.

Can you believe it?! We made to 2021! Hopefully, this year will be better than 2020. Hopefully, it will be a year filled with hope and optimism. And hopefully this conversation will be a great way to start off that kind of year. Awhile back I made an episode with my dad where he shared some of his story and described what it was like for him as an immigrant who left Algeria and came TO America. But I also had hopes of sharing the story of someone who emigrated FROM America. And that's what you'll get to hear in this episode! About a month ago I had the chance to talk with my friends Lilly and Ashley, who both currently live in Costa Rica. Ashley is an American who moved to Costa Rica about 10 years ago while Lilly is from Costa Rica but spent some of her childhood here in the U.S. They were kind enough to describe a little about their experiences when it comes to living in a different country, but that was such a small portion of what we talked about. They also shared about what life is like in in Costa Rica and what they're doing with Hope Partners to help children in need achieve their dreams. I'm blessed to be able to call them friends and I find their hearts for people to be so inspiring. Maybe you will too! I hope they inspire you to ask what poverty means to you. Or who poverty is to you. And be sure to check out https://hopepartners.org/ for more about Hope Partners International!

Meet Brent Whiting and Chinua Hawk! If you're someone who has ever thought your vote doesn't matter, they would disagree. I had the chance to chat with them recently where they shared about TomorrowWeVote.org and how they're aiming to empower the next generation when it comes to voting. The three of us also played “Did you know…?” and tested our knowledge on things like runoff elections, the lack of diversity with Senators and Governors, and so much more. This episode is a little longer than previous ones, and some may have thought all the talk about voting would end after November 3rd. But the reality is, not only are Senate Runoffs taking place here in Georgia in January, voting is important and demands more attention than simply every four years. Personally, I've learned so much this election season, and that didn't stop on November 3rd. I've probably learned more since November 3rd, actually. And, as always, I like to share what I learn and thought having this conversation with Brent and Chinua was a perfect opportunity to do just that. If you haven't already, I hope you'll register to vote! And if you're curious about where I got my info or want to know more, check out this full blog post for this episode at ChooseAwareness.org!

This episode is a special one. It's a conversation I recently had with my dad, Chaouki Tabet. There are some interesting stories that I've heard bits and pieces of over the years but I've never actually sat down to have a conversation about them with my dad. For instance, I know he emigrated from Algeria on his own without any family, but I've never heard him describe what that was actually like for him. I know he has faced racism firsthand here in America, even from some surprising culprits, but I've never asked him to share those stories or what it felt like. And one day I realized there's so much more about him and his journey that I don't know, and I'll never know, unless I ask him about it. So that's what I did! Thankfully, not only was he willing to talk with me about these things and more, he was also willing to record it so it could be shared with the world. Consider it one Algerian's perspective. As always, if you give it a listen, I'd love to know what you think! And at the very least, maybe it will inspire you to consider any stories or questions you might want to ask your own parents or family about.

I'm so excited for this episode! It's of a conversation I recently had with my friend John Hambrick! John works at a local church in the Atlanta area where his role is to create a place for people to have safe and helpful conversations about faith. He's also an author. He wrote “Move Toward The Mess: The Ultimate Fix for a Boring Christian Life” and co-wrote “Black & White: Disrupting Racism One Friendship at a Time” with Teesha Hadra. If you haven't read them already, I strongly encourage you to add them to your reading list! Both books are incredible and illustrate the importance for us to intentionally get close to people who aren't like ourselves, and that's what I wanted to chat about with John. Getting close to people not like us will almost certainly be uncomfortable, and that urge to remain comfortable is something we all have to fight. But if we're willing to fight it and actually allow ourselves to get uncomfortable, we just might notice that our hearts will soften and we'll be able to love others better. That was a recurring theme throughout our entire conversation. John also talked about what life was like for him growing up, he shared about several people that have affected his life in significant ways, and we discussed the importance and need to lament. Hopefully, you'll appreciate John's thoughts as much as I did. And if you're a note taker like me, you might want to go grab your pen and paper before you start listening!

This is part 2 of a recent conversation I had with Ezra Washington. If you haven't heard the first one already, you'll probably want to listen to it first, and you can find it here. This is a continuation of that episode, and this one starts off with us discussing if Critical Race Theory (CRT) is biblical. I'll admit, CRT is a complicated idea, and Ezra and I aren't CRT experts. But this is a something that is currently relevant and being debated heavily in the Church community. If you're curious to hear more about it, check out this video to hear more of a scholarly and biblical discussion. And for the latter half of this episode we chat about Black Lives Matter as well as what it means to be a Black Conservative and the idea of being politically homeless. I really do hope you enjoy the episode, and, at the very least, I hope you will see it as proof that difficult conversations like these are possible and we may not convince others of our ideas or opinions but we can still learn from and about others in a way that helps us see them as equals. (11/22/2021 - Updated with new title)

Recently, I “met” Ezra Washington online in the comments section of an Instagram post that involved Christians, Conservatives, and social justice. Yes, that's right! We met on Instagram while discussing differing ideas. And after some friendly back-and-forth, we decided to record our chat so I could share it as a podcast episode. I've personally experienced what I consider to be intolerance from some around me. And I've seen an unwillingness to engage in healthy and productive conversations from some with others who disagree. It only exacerbates the divide between people without bridging the gap. But it was clear to me that even though Ezra and I disagreed on topics, even some that can be emotionally charged and polarizing, we were friendly with each other. We actually listened to each other. And rather than focusing heavily on making our own points and emphasizing our own ideas, I felt like we were truly trying to understand each other better. And so I thought sharing this recording of our conversation might be something to serve as an example that conversations like this can happen. And thankfully, Ezra graciously agreed. This is the first of two episodes with Ezra so be on the lookout for part 2 coming soon! (11/22/2021 - Updated with new title)

Recently, I had the chance to record a conversation with my friends Chinua Hawk and Mark Henderson. They were open and honest and shared their thoughts on things like what racism means to them, their biggest struggle as black men, their experiences navigating predominantly white spaces, and so much more. They shared stories that I found to be powerful, and they got me thinking about things beyond social justice, things like what it means for us to truly be free. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!

For this episode, I decided to do something a little bit different. There's no guest for this one, it's just me! I wanted to record myself sharing my own thoughts and describing my own personal journey when it comes to three big ideas, three ideas I've decided to label as myths when it comes to understanding racism. These are things I used to believe but don't any longer, and these are things that I think previously limited not just my awareness of racism but also my ability to truly understand what it means to be antiracist, something I want to strive to be.

Not too long ago I had a conversation with my friend Khadir Richie, who is probably the best example I can think of as far as how diverse his life and circle of friends are. We chatted about a number of things, but the theme seemed to revolve around how having a diverse circle of people in one's life is important. It can help humanize and understand people in an entirely different way that perhaps wasn't possible before getting to know someone. I always appreciate his thoughts and hearing what he has to say, and I hope you will, too.

My friends Jessica Arnette and Kathy Richardson were so kind and humble recently and spent time having an honest conversation with me about their own antiracist journey. They even shared some vulnerable ideas and personal moments when it comes to their own awareness of white privilege and microaggressions.

Kurt Law is a good friend of mine, and he recently took the time to chat with me and share his perspective of recent events as both a white male and former law enforcement officer. We talked about George Floyd, no-knock warrants, the recent protesting, blue lives matter and black lives matter, the future of policing, and so much more.