Critical Futures

On today's episode, we are joined by the Executive Director of the DiasporaDNA Story Center, Monica O. Montgomery, to talk about “The Future of the Un-Museum” -- or what it means to rethink and reshape museums to be spaces where visitors actively participate in the creation of our art, our stories, and our histories.This episode is part of an ongoing series titled THE FUTURE OF…, where we chat with experts in various sectors to learn about what they are doing to shift the critical now for a radical new future.Links:Episode WebpageEpisode Transcript

We talk to Ashley Winters and Darian Wigfall about their work on the Racial Healing + Justice Fund as members of Forward Through Ferguson's Community Governance Board. We discuss their efforts to “heal the core” – that is, to create space for communities to express narratives of oppression and grief; to create spaces for community members to find sources of support to build networks of resilience; and to find and exercise their individual and/or collective power.This is the first episode in an ongoing series titled Racial Community Healing, where we explore how the St. Louis region and other cities have developed community-driven solutions to racial injustices.Links:Episode webpageEpisode transcriptRacial Healing + Justice Fund webpage

We talk to scholar, community organizer, and activist Scott Emerson about the Future of Masculinity. Alongside a discussion of Octavia Butler's Afrofuturist classic Parable of the Sower (1993), Emerson discusses his theory of revolutionary masculinity -- a theory which lays the groundwork for moving beyond critiques of toxic masculinity and begins to imagine the possibilities for masculinities that revolve around flexibility, adaptability, and around using privilege to fight for radical change.This episode is part of an ongoing series titled THE FUTURE OF…, where we chat with experts in various sectors to learn about what they are doing to shift the critical now for a radical new future.Links:Episode WebpageThe Justice Fleet

We talk to R. Keli'i Abordo, Kekoaopololū Kealoha, Nikos Leverenz, & Maddalynn Sesepsara about their work with Hawai'i Health & Harm Reduction Center (HHHRC) to address social determinants of health and enact systemic change. Specifically, they discuss their efforts to reduce harm and stigma surrounding a number of health issues in Hawai'i communities, including HIV, hepatitis, homelessness, substance use, mental illness, and poverty – focusing on marginalized LGBT and Native Hawaiian communities, amongst others.This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:HHHRC website

We talk to Amani Allen, Wilhelmenia Wilson, and Suzette Chaumette about their work with organizations such as Healthy Black Families to address social determinants of health through anti-racist health policy. Moreover, we discuss their efforts to build partnerships with community meaningfully and ethically – avoiding interactions with community that are rushed and transactional.This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:Episode webpageHealthy Black Families websiteFood Indy website

We talk to poet and researcher Thokozani Mbwana about the Future of Queering and Transing the World. We discuss the importance of gender interrogation within queer and trans spaces, but also how crucial it is to carry that work beyond those spaces.This episode is part of an ongoing series titled THE FUTURE OF…, where we chat with experts in various sectors to learn about what they are doing to shift the critical now for a radical new future.Links:Episode Webpage

We talk to Stephanie Baker, Lizzie Biddle, and Crystal Dixon from the Greensboro Health Disparities Collective (GHDC) about reaching systemic solutions to inequities in the healthcare system – and following the leadership of community partners to devise and implement those solutions.This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:Episode webpageGreensboro Health Disparities Collective

We talk to Kathryn Youker, Director of the Economic Justice Project at the Lawyers' Committee, and Ben D'Avanzo, Senior Health Policy Strategist at the National Immigration Law Center (NILC). We discuss how to navigate barriers to health equity at a variety of scopes, ranging from healthcare providers that are uncomfortable discussing race with their patients to institutions that fail to equitably collect disaggregated demographic data. This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Episode Webpage

We talk to artist and activist Wriply M. Bennet from the THORN Self Defense Project about the future of Trans Organizing. We discuss her efforts, in both her art and in her community organizing, to highlight the perseverance, strength, grace, and beauty of trans women and to address the ongoing epidemic of violence against Black trans women.This episode is part of an ongoing series titled THE FUTURE OF…, where we chat with experts in various sectors to learn about what they are doing to shift the critical now for a radical new future.Links:Episode Webpage Episode TranscriptArt and Short Stories by Wriply Marie BennetWriply M. Bennet's websiteVirtual art exhibit: Transfuturism

We talk to Arthur R. James and Johnnie (Chip) Allen about their efforts to combat structural racism in the healthcare system – and the deeply-embedded resistance they have navigated in pursuit of health equity.This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:Episode webpage: https://ihje.org/podcast/s1e8-navigating-resistance-to-health-equity/Op-Ed:"Finding the Courage and Will to Achieve Health Equity: Asking the Right Questions," Harvard Medical School Primary Care Review

We talk to Josue David Cisneros, Patrick Earl Hammie, and Jorge Lucero from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign about the future of graduate education. We discuss the problems facing contemporary graduate students and our guests' efforts to reimagine and recreate graduate school as an inclusive space where students can thrive through the Interseminars Initiative. This episode is part of an ongoing series titled THE FUTURE OF…, where we chat with experts in various sectors to learn about what they are doing to shift the critical now for a radical new future.Links:Website: Interseminar Event Series

We talk to Denise Octavia Smith (Executive Director, NACHW), Abdul Hafeedh bin Abdullah (Co-Founder, CHASM), and Rumana Shams Rabbani (Co-Founder, CHASM) about their efforts as Community Health Workers to advance access and equity in community health and healthcare. This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation. Links:The National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW)Community Healing through Activism and Strategic Mobilization (CHASM)

We talk to Jaden Janak (Assistant Professor, St. Olaf College) about the future of abolition. We discuss abolition as the theory and praxis of destabilizing the carceral state to liberate Black, queer, and trans lives – while also cultivating livable lives for all. This episode is part of an ongoing series titled THE FUTURE OF…, where we chat with experts in various sectors to learn about what they are doing to shift the critical now for a radical new future.Links:Website: jadenjanak.comArticle: "(Trans)gendering Abolition: Black Trans Geographies, Art, and the Problem of Visibility," (Lesbian and Gay Studies)Article: "Cultivating Solidarity from the Inside-Out: Abolitionist Efforts to Trans-gress Prison Walls," (Behemoth)Article: "Abolition is Here," (Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies)Article:"Finding Pride: Teaching Trans History in Secondary Social Studies," (Social Education)

We talk to Rhonda BeLue from University of Texas at San Antonio along with her community partner Michelle Lugalia-Hollon. In our conversation, we discuss how to cultivate alignment with community and for community when working to create more equitable healthcare systems.This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:College for Health, Community, and Policy (HCAP)Layers of Change, LLC

We talk to Joquina Reed from J Reed Consulting LLC about the future of the present – about what it means to live in this space right now and leverage these moments for alternative futures.This episode is part of an ongoing series titled THE FUTURE OF…, where we chat with experts in various sectors to learn about what they are doing to shift the critical now for a radical new future.Links:Podcast: Divesting from WhitenessPodcast: Please Say BlackThe Anti-Blackness Reader project

We talk to Pat Matthews Juarez and Paul Juarez from Meharry Medical College along with their community partner Neely Williams from the Tennessee Community Engaged Alliance Against COVID-19 (TN CEAL). In our conversation, we discuss how to establish and maintain long-term community partnerships and transdisciplinary alliances that are built upon trust.This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:Research article: "COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake Among Minority Populations in Tennessee"YouTube channel: “#FollowtheScience with Dr. Paul Juarez”

We talk to Selome Araya from Root Alchemy Institute about the future of healing and therapy and about how to move towards holistic approaches to health and wellbeing.This episode is part of an ongoing series titled THE FUTURE OF…, where we chat with experts in various sectors to learn about what they are doing to shift the critical now for a radical new future.Links:Selome Araya's websiteProgram: Healing at the RootRoot Alchemy Institute

We talk to Melody Goodman from the Center for Anti-Racism, Social Justice, and Public Health about engaging community partnerships as a means of fostering antiracism in research.This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:Center for Anti-Racism, Social Justice, and Public HealthArticle: “The Health Disparities Industry: Is it an Ethical Conundrum?”, Shaw-Ridley & Ridley

We talk to Xavier Morales from the Praxis Project along with his community partner Judith LeBlanc from Native Organizers Alliance about leveraging community partnerships to drive change and realize health as a human right.This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:Praxis ProjectNative Organizers Alliance

We talk to Brian Smedley from Urban Institute along with his community partner Kasey Dudley about how to approach community partnerships and prioritize equity, trust, and transparency. This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:Urban Institute Event: "Unequal Treatment at 20: Accelerating Progress Towards Health Care Equity"Article:"Ending Health Care Inequities Is a Moral and National Imperative"Project: Bloomfield Commission on Civil Rights

We talk to Faybra Jabulani from Forward Through Ferguson along with her community partner Michelle Barbeau about how to reimagine community partnerships.This episode is part of an ongoing series where we chat with members of the Anti-Racism Consortium. These conversations are between organizations and their community partners to highlight how to deeply work with community in a way that shares power and that moves us all towards liberation.Links:Episode TranscriptThe St. Louis Regional Racial Healing + Justice FundTransforming911Still Compromising: The Disparate Impact of COVID-19 in St. LouisStill Separate, Still Unequal: Education Inequity in St. Louis