Cultural Humility Podcast

Gloria Lucas discusses her work at Nalgona Positivity Pride (NPP) and her work to create an in-community eating disorders and body-positive organization dedicated to increasing visibility and resources for Black, Indigenous, Communities of Color (BICC). Rooted in Xicana indigenous feminism and DIY punx praxis, NPP will be launching a Harm-Reduction Eating Disorders program specifically for BICC, which Gloria discusses with me during this episode.

: Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh and I discuss the current events in Iran and what we need to understand about the communities there, what is changing, and what we can do here in the United States to support Iranian communities. Dr. Nasserzadeh also discusses her personal journey and current work with Iranian communities, both locally and globally.

Jessica discusses her new award-winning book, THE END OF BIAS—A Beginning: How We Eliminate Unconscious Bias and Create a More Just World. We discuss her own personal journey to understanding unconscious bias, methods to help individuals begin to address their own biases, and some creative programs that have begun to demonstrate promising practices, including with police forces. Jessica helps readers and listeners unpack how unconscious bias works, why it's so persistent, and, most importantly, reveals successful stories of bias reduction that have the potential to inspire replication everywhere.

Dr. Maria Espinola discusses how her background in human rights led her into a journey to promote health equity. She spoke with me about her work to reduce health disparities through systemic approaches, her public policy efforts to prevent trauma and support trauma survivors, and her work with diverse organizations to promote employee wellness.

I had a conversation in unlearning and relearning what it means to remain unfaithful to eurocentrism in my dialogue with marcela polanco.  marcela and I discuss the critical role language plays in our understanding of ourselves, others, the world, and the role it plays in the legacies of colonization.  If you want to hear about what it means to decolonize and think meaningfully about how you see yourself, others, and your work, take a listen.

Dr. Fish is invested in creating a psychology that is for and by Indigenous peoples by challenging oppressive narratives and developing systemic changes for Native American and Indigenous peoples. We discuss the power of storytelling and why decolonizing Western Eurosettlers principles are critical for the liberation of Native American and Indigenous peoples.

Dr. Lomay discusses her personal and professional experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the importance of going beyond land acknowledgements and how communities can support Native and Indigenous communities without continuing our colonial history and without imposing our own beliefs, particularly in communities with their own healing methods. When the pandemic is over, Dr. Lomay challenges us to ensure that our donations and offer to help Native American communities continue beyond the crisis of the pandemic.

Dani Solorio (they/them) is a renowned herbalist and the founder of Compton Heath Bar, an holistic wellness space in Compton, California. Driven by their mission to bring health to the hood, Dani helps people reconnect to ancestral healing practices through their all-natural herbal remedies. Since 2012, she has been at the forefront of the wellness movement in Compton, as well as for the Latinx and LGBTQ+ community across the country. Dani and their movement to make holistic health more accessible have been featured in a mini-documentary by BESE, along with dozens of features in PBS, Found/LA, Los Angeles Business Journal, Voyage LA, LatinX, and numerous podcasts. She is also the residential herbalist for Telemundo's hit show, Acceso Total. Dani discusses who gets to decide what is legitimate healing and how their own work has a deeply rooted, ancestral history, that is often erased and silenced by Western and mainstream outlets when considering evidenced based methods of restoring health and wellness. Indigenous and ancestral healing methods only become a valid source of evidence when it is culturally appropriated by Western and mainstream cultures. They also discuss the importance of treating the whole person, while not blaming them for the health challenges they are facing. Compton Health Bar has been gracious to offer Cultural Humility Podcast Listeners a 15% discount on all products that can be shared with family and friends. At checkout, please use type the word “humility” as the discount code. For more information about the Compton Health Bar, please visit: https://comptonhealthbar.com/

Dr. Hernández is Puerto Rican, bilingual and has worked for over 33 years in the health and human service field developing, implementing, and evaluating culturally and linguistically intelligent youth and adult health prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support programs.  He is a master trainer and facilitator and provides individualized technical assistance and support to organizations that provide Substance Use Disorder, Mental Health, and gambling prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery supports. Also, Dr. Hernández has over 30 years of experience in delivering mental health services, addiction counseling and clinical supervision to professionals in the field. Haner talks with me about Puerto Rican history, the legacies of colonization, and the current relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. Most importantly, we talk about the resiliency, resistance, and how Puerto Rican communities continue to survive and thrive in the face of continued oppressions within the context of being a “Territory” of the United States. https://fxb.harvard.edu/haner-hernandez/#:~:text=Dr.,treatment%2C%20and%20recovery%20support%20programs https://attcnetwork.org/centers/national-hispanic-and-latino-attc/home

Kim and Huong took me on a mini-educational journey to understanding pregnancy loss and its impact in women’s’ lives. We discuss their new book: All the Love: Healing Your Heart and Finding Meaning after Pregnancy Loss. I learned so much from my conversation with Kim and Huong, including why we need to break the stigma and change the narrative about pregnancy loss. We also took a mini-dive into the intersections of pregnancy loss and how it impacts LGBTQ+ communities. This conversation reinforces that the more I learn, the more I realize how much I do not know…and did not even realize it!

Richard and I attempt to make sense of the strong Christian support in the United States for what many have deemed “anti-Christian” attitudes and actions by those in positions of power. We discuss the “Religion of Americanism” and how white-body supremacy continues to play a key role in defining what it means to be Christian in the United States today by persevering the historical legacies of privilege and power.

Khloe talked with me about the needs of Latinx transgender communities, the founding of her organization, and the strengths and resilience in Latinx transgender communities. We talked about the importance of continuing to engage in open, honest, and transparent conversations about Latinx transgender communities to transform personal and public perceptions…and misperceptions.

Melanie and Roberto talk with me about their own personal connections to LGBTQIA+ communities. Learning about their personal journey’s was powerful for me personally, but also essential to changing the narrative towards LGBTQIA+ communities in society, and within Latinx families.

Carrie, Susana, and I reflect on Latinx Heritage month 2020, the importance of remembering our indigenous, ancestral, cultural foundations, what Latinx cultures can teach others about thriving in the midst of chaos, and how our creativity and resilience continue to provide us with sustenance to grow in uncertain times.

Jime, Rogelio, and I talk about what it means for us to be Latinx dads, our hopes for our children, what we have learned from our own parents, and why it is so important that as Latino men, we continue to shift and reimagine our roles and liberate ourselves from limited notions of what it means to be men and fathers.

Hufsa and I discuss how a system of White Supremacy has upheld some Asian communities as “model minorities,” thus pitting Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) against one another. We discuss the need to be allies in our fight against oppression and discrimination in all forms, in hopes of not perpetuating systemic racism. Most importantly, we discuss the need to openly talk about Brown Silence, while acknowledging that BIPOC face different challenges and levels of racism that also needs to be addressed.

Dr. Toporek discusses the role of White communities in taking an active role in addressing systemic racism. We also discuss the importance of White individuals not relying on Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) to do the work for them, or carry the burden of making sure they are okay as they navigate their own journey through understanding what it means to be White in a racist society. Finally, we discuss her recent co-authored book, “Taking action: Creating social change through strength, solidarity, strategy and sustainability.”

Ashley and I discuss her work as a White ally and what it means for other White folks to participate in social justice and antiracist work. Ashley talks about her privilege as a White person and how she attempts to get other White individuals to join her in combating White Supremacy.

Dr. Rico and I discuss why Black Lives should matter to all of us, the current health pandemic, and how systemic racism is at the heart of injustice across our healthcare, judicial, and political systems. Dr. Rico provides his perspectives on what needs to change in our healthcare systems and how All Lives won’t matter until we start affirming that Black Lives do. He also provides recommendations on how we can begin to heal and work better together moving forward.

Dr. Kevin Cokley and I discuss the current uprisings happening across the country, while attempting to identify ways to move forward. Dr. Cokley talks about how the senseless killings of unarmed black people reveals that “All people may be created equal, but we are not all treated equally.”

Dr. Shelly Harrell and I discuss the disproportionate rates of communities of color who are dying during our current health pandemic and how we can work towards “Being Human Together.” Dr. Harrell talks about her PEACE model and its applications to racial healing across relationships. https://soulfulness4life.com/

Join me as Dr. Doris Chang and I discuss the racial impact the coronavirus has had on Chinese and other Asian communities in the United States. Dr. Chang discusses her own personal reflections, while offering professional insights on how to understand the racialization of COVID-19 and the cascading effects in Asian communities. Dr. Chang also offers thoughts about what we can, and should, do towards the elimination of hate and bigotry, while providing suggestions on how Asian communities can cope during this unprecedented time.

Listen as Dr. Thomas Parham and I cover a wide-range of topics from the state of affairs in the United States, including our upcoming elections, to understanding how to develop better cross-cultural relationships. Dr. Parham offers suggestions on how we can move beyond our current state of racial paralysis, while working across cultural and ethnic boundaries.

21–Why is it so hard to have conversations about race, sexuality, gender, and ability?

20–How can we talk to kids about race and ethnicity…and should we?

19–A Latinx Adolescent’s Journey with Autism: A Look From the Inside Out

18–Surviving Clergy Sexual Abuse: A Survivor's Journey

17–Creating a More “Peaceful Society”: Reducing Ethnocentrism, Violence, and Hate Crimes

16–Implicit Biases and the Current Sociopolitical Climate

Listen as I discuss the work of Community Coalition, a community-based organization in South Central Los Angeles, with Paul Carter, Academic and Wellness Coordinator, and Makailah Jenkins and Ricardo Vargas, two high school students in South L.A. We discuss how Community Coalition is working to empower youth, increase advocacy, change neighborhoods, and change “the story of me to the story of us.”

Dr. Vivian Chavez discusses what cultural humility means in the context of today’s sociopolitical issues and the ramifications of not having the ability to “witness oneself from the inside out.” She discusses her own journey towards cultural humility and how she continues to help others do the same.

Listen as Ellen Ahn and I discuss Korea’s feminist movement, how it started, why it matters, and the implications for both Korean’s in South Korea and Korean Americans living in the United States.

Dr. Derald Wing Sue and I discuss racial microaggressions, why they matter today, and dispute the opinion that talking about micro and macro aggressions stifles our capacity to have courageous conversations on race and racism.

Dr. Yznaga discusses her work at the Texas-Mexico Border with immigrant communities, unaccompanied minors and families separated through the immigration process.  While the political narrative would have us believe that the lowest of low are attempting to enter the United States, and that we are only deported those who have committed heinous crimes, Dr. Yznaga tells a very different story about these families and children.  She also encourages us to see the humanity in these families and to see our responsibility to one another as we attempt to build walls to keep “others” out.

Listen as Guillermo discusses CLUE’s social justice agenda, framed within religious and spiritual foundations.  We discuss the work of CLUE, how CLUE has framed its work within multiple religious communities to liberate and humanize immigrants through their various programs.  Guillermo also discusses the relationship between biblical teachings and acceptance of the “other” as fundamental to the work of those from various religious backgrounds.

Dr. Plante and I discuss the psychological impact the Church’s sexual abuse issues can have on survivors of clergy sexual abuse, how we can better understand and help clergy who have offended vulnerable members of the Church heal, and most importantly, what we can learn from survivors of sexual abuse in order to heal and move forward as communities.

Listen as Dr. Rosen and I discuss the increase in Anti-Semitism in the United States, the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, where Jews fit in our discussions of diversity and multiculturalism, and what we need to know about being Jewish in the United States today.

Fr. O’Brien and I discuss the Catholic Church’s systemic structure and how the Church has unintentionally created a system that has oppressed vulnerable community members.  We also discuss what the Church can to do earn the trust of its members, heal as a system and help those who have survived sexual abuse heal in the wake of oppressive practices.

Drs. Cook, Parrott and I continue the dialogue that was elicited during our most recent Supreme Court Nominee’s Hearings. More specifically, we address the dangers in reinforcing men’s dominant positions in society, while further oppressing and silencing women.

Our most recent Supreme Court Nominee’s hearings elicited much debate about what are appropriate and inappropriate drinking behaviors, particularly as it related to drinking in excess, blacking out, etc.  Listen as Cynthia and I sort out the signs and symptoms of problem drinking behaviors, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and what people really need to know about substance use.

Mr. Munoz, one of the primary organizers of the Chicano Moratorium, and I discuss his views on the world today, the Chicano Movement, and how Latinx communities can use our presence in society to improve our quality of life and make an impact in our local social worlds.

Drs. Chavez-Duenas and Adames discuss what colorism is and how it impacts communities of color. They also discuss differences between colorism and racism to help listeners understand from their perspectives how these isms play a role in society at large. Finally, they provide recommendations on how we can move forward as a society.

Steve and I discuss what needs to happen for us to sustain conversations on racism.  Steve addresses his new book and talks with me about what role White communities and communities of color have in sustaining conversations on racism.

Paul and I discuss how we continue to perpetuate the same issues around racism today that have persisted for decades. Paul also talks about the role White communities have in addressing the injustices in our world, particularly around issues of racism. Most importantly, we talk about what needs to happen to begin to move forward and heal.

A Revolution in Human Connection, Compassion, and Cultural Conversations