Just Conversations with Jamal and Nate

After its hiatus, Just Conversations with Jamal and Nate is back! This episode, the pair interview Chris Kerr, Executive Director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network, as well as Clarissa Aljentera, Director of Education for Justice, and AJ Rowe, ISN's Digital Communications Coordinator and the editor of the show.

Live from the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C., Nate and Jamal record this episode in front of a crowd of high school and college-level delegations from across the nation. The kickoff of season 2, Nate and Jamal take questions from their audience and hope to provide guidance towards many of the issues we face today when progressing in DEI work, and how that intersects with mission.

In this episode, the guys discuss their history of teaching and studying DEI+A throughout their careers, touching on both the roadblocks that they frequently encounter, as well as some strategies that they feel have been effective in overcoming them.

June 19, otherwise known as Juneteenth, liberation day, and other names, commemorates the official nationwide enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation and what is largely accepted as the end of the American Civil War. This episode, the guys discuss the cultural and contemporary relevance of the holiday well over 100 years after its occurrence, and dive into why the holiday's unofficial title of "liberation day" may, indeed, be misleading.

In the wake of the tragedy that was the Buffalo shooting, Nate and Jamal take a step back to discuss resilience and healing when confronted with the reality of racially motivated violence in the world around us.

This episode, Jamal and Nate are joined by close friend F. Douglas Brown, the author of two poetry collections, ICON (Writ Large Press, 2018), and Zero to Three (University of Georgia, 2014), winner of the 2013 Cave Canem Poetry Prize selected by US Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith. He also co-authored with poet Geffrey Davis, Begotten (URB Books, 2016), a chapbook of poetry as part of the Floodgate Poetry Series. Brown, an educator for over 25 years, currently teaches African American Poetry and African American Studies at Loyola High School of Los Angeles, where he serves as the Director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. When he is not teaching, writing or with his children, he is busy DJing in the greater Los Angeles area. Resources cited/read during the show: Affinity Literary Organizations: https://cavecanempoets.org/ (Cave Canem), http://www.kundiman.org/ (Kundiman), https://www.jmu.edu/furiousflower/index.shtml (Furious Flower Poetry Center), https://blackpoetsspeakout.tumblr.com/ (#Blackpoetsspeakout), https://www.cantomundo.org/ (Canto Mundo), https://lambdaliterary.org/ (Lambda Literary), https://macondowriters.com/ (Macondo Writers Workshop), https://www.vidaweb.org/ (VIDA), https://www.vonavoices.org/ (Vona) Books: http://www.fdouglasbrown.com/ (Zero to Three, ICON,) both by F. Douglas Brown; https://upittpress.org/books/9780822946953/#:~:text=Teaching%20Black%3A%20The%20Craft%20of,%2C%20playwriting%2C%20and%20literary%20criticism. (Teaching Black: The Craft of Teaching on Black Life and Literature) Schools: https://www.gesuschool.org/ (Gesu School Philadelphia) Music: The O'Jays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfJgc9cWjbQ (Message in our Music); Prince: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EdxM72EZ94 (Sign'O The Times) Essays: https://www.mitosmag.com/infideles/2018/9/26/postautonomous-literatures (Josefina Ludmer's “Literaturas Posautónomas”) translated by Shaj Mathew; https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K78harJDXpgy7RqgZQcBudQ0CSgDv_8w/view?usp=sharing (Susan Willis: “Eruptions of the Funk: Historicizing Toni Morrison)” Poems: Ishmael Reed: https://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/reed/onlinepoems.htm (“beware: do not read this poem”); Ross Gay: http://www.gabbyjournal.com/ross-gay/ (“Feet”); Geffrey Davis: “https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/king-county-metro (King County Metro)”; Mahogany Browne: “https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/poetry/write-poem-ferguson (Working Title)”; Jayne Cortez: “https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/90811/don39t-ask-1980 (Don't Ask/1980)”

On today's very special episode, we welcome our first guest to the show - Dr. Deborale Richardson-Phillips, the VP of DEI at St. Ignatius Cleveland with over 20 years of experience in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion space. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy and Human Development and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Delaware, a Batchelor of Arts from Salem State University, a Human Resources Certificate and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta. The three explore her career and education path, and ultimately hope to highlight her journey as a Black woman in education.

Today, Jamal and Nate discuss the importance of self-reflection as a necessary component of Anti-Racism. It's a process that often makes us deeply uncomfortable, but the amount of personal growth that can come as a result of this discomfort cannot be understated.

Today, Jamal and Nate tackle the concept of staying ready in the realm of racial justice, so you don't have to get ready. The two address many false ideas surrounding the topic and encourage constant vigilance and self-examination to ultimately lead you to the truth.

2022 is in full swing, and with it comes Black History Month. Jamal and Nate discuss the importance of the holiday, as well as how to celebrate it in a way that respectfully uplifts Black voices and experiences.

"When we learn something that we didn't know, as I was alluding to when we started this conversation, it's okay to sit in that discomfort and realize, you know what, I didn't know that. I've shared with people repeatedly, 'okay - we can't do anything about what you didn't know at this point, but what we can do, is focus on what we plan to do with that knowledge'. So the longer you sit in that, the longer you can plan what to do."

"What Anti-Racism does is highlight the fact that oppression, racism, and marginalization is systematic in society, and to that end, we are all responsible for addressing it and mitigating it. Anti-Racism shines a light on society and says, 'what are you willing to do to create the society in which you'd like to live?'"

"George Floyd moments happen every day. The question is do we see them when they take place and are we willing to act out and step out and stand on faith to do something."

Positioned at the nexus of faith & matters pertaining to race, justice, and Catholic education, Just Conversations is a podcast that highlights historical and current happenings in the realm of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Anti-Racism, while focusing on solutions, systems-change, and the amplification of voices working to create a more egalitarian society for all. Join educators Jamal Adams and Dr. Nate Sessoms as they engage in authentic, provocative dialogue seasoned with critical perspectives, scholarship, and life experiences. Together, they will conduct interviews and moderate panel discussions featuring campus and community leaders, interrogate issues related to mission & identity, and answer live questions from listeners. Just Conversations also aims to increase levels of awareness, while normalizing conversations on all forms of marginalization and oppression. There's room for everyone in the movement! So, no matter how much you know (or don't know), we invite you to engage with us! After all, these are Just Conversations!