My Awakening Podcast

Tony helps us recognize some of our blindspots and suggests how we might work to become more open minded thinkers. Better understanding those in our community who don't look like us will greatly help us all to become more effective anti-racist citizens.

Our first Zoom recorded episode attempts to broaden our understanding of Housing Inequity resulting from longstanding systemic racism. This episode highlights the issue of homelessness, but briefly touches on many other aspects of Housing Inequity.

Turner shares a moving testimony of his youth experiencing homelessness and other challenges and then being favorably impacted by key adults who invested in his life during some critical times. He also shared a bit about how he is now paying it forward in the work he is doing as a key staff person with Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center in Tacoma.

Guest Antonio McLemore shares his perspectives on Racism and the Church and some of his personal experiences on church staff in dealing with this issue.

Richard and Deborah Ferguson share some of their lived experiences and provide their perspective on Breonna Taylor and Defunding Police.

In this episode Joe and Jarvis discuss their views on the distinction between Black Lives Matter the organization and the movement.

Joe Foss, the host of My Awakening Podcast, shares more specifics about this podcast and website.

Clarence Presley helps us to understand the power that most of us may be unaware we actually have and he helps us to know the distinction between racism and prejudice. Clarence's sharing of his perspective of these important realities helps us to more fully grasp why there is such a racial divide in our country that many of us white citizens don't even recognize or understand.

In this episode Clarence shares his thoughts on the very recent Seattle PD budget reductions and the retirement of Police Chief Carmen Best. He also provides important perspective on what it means to be uncomfortable and always watchful for the safety of his family in navigating our majority white society.

If you would you like to increase your racism IQ, this is a great place to begin. Marcus wrote an awesome poem called 'iS' in 2018 that he and I team read in the beginning of this episode. This is a special moment that you will want to hear. Plus he shares more enlightening pieces of his own racial journey that will fill in some important blanks in our understanding of this racism issue.

Marcus shares some powerful and traumatic experiences of racism that he experienced growing up in Chicago and Little Rock. He reminded us that "we don't have to change, we get to choose change" and that "we should learn how to become comfortable with being uncomfortable". This episode contains so much to ponder for ourselves that we have made two episodes from this conversation. Episode #10 will be part 2 of Marcus' conversation with us. You will definitely want to hear Episode #10 as well.

Zelda brings us a heavenly perspective of current events and encourages us to seriously consider what bigger picture that God may be really wanting us to see through this pandemic and the unprecedented racial unrest in our country. As you listen please think about what your personal and truly unique role might be in helping America through these challenging times. To bring it home most of us can play our part with our families and in our own communities.

Phillip shares early childhood experiences in a segregated community and a de-segregated school. In this brief episode he also shares a powerful example of how parents pass racism on to their children. Listen to hear how we all can pass along attitudes and biases to our children that may not be healthy for them or the community at large.

Chris and Adrina share some very heartfelt truths regarding differences in raising a black child compared with raising a white child in our community. Several concerns, specifically regarding their young son, are shared that us white folks wouldn't normally consider that help us to understand some real challenges they have to navigate to keep their family safe. Other important conversation includes issues such as teaching black history and comparing racial conversations between black friends and white friends. This episode highlights many important distinctions between the black experience in our community compared to the white experience.

Jeff shares his dramatic change of heart in recognizing the reality of systemic racism after watching the full video of George Floyd's killing. Jeff, Josh, and Joe have conversation about how Jeff's heart change came about and why recognizing and acknowledging racism is so difficult for the white majority of Americans.

Our daughter Jamie shares her lived experiences as a brown girl adopted as an infant from India and then growing up in our white home. Jamie's experiences highlight how us white, less aware, parents missed how our brown children were treated differently by society than our biological children. Jamie gives thought provoking examples of how she navigated growing up as an adopted East Indian girl raised in a mostly white community.

Jarvis shares his very personal thoughts about racism in America. His insightful and interesting experiences highlight for us how he arrived at the views about racism that he has.

Makalai shares her lived experiences as a young black girl and provides heartfelt personal insight on what is happening in America today with unprecedented levels of protest. Listen in to gain a very personal perspective on living in a majority white society as a young black mother.

In this podcast Josh shares his life experiences as a black American growing up in Tacoma Wa. Josh's experiences highlighted in dramatic fashion that America's systemic racial injustice has been ongoing for generations.

Trailer introducing this new podcast.