Neem Talks Race: Interview Series

Today, I interview the talented multimedia artist Gabrielle Narcisse. Gabrielle and I talk about our thoughts on the experience of being an artist of color, expectations, and pressures we feel, the language we use to discuss BIPOC art, how white people perceive our work, and dive into Gabrielle's artistic practice. To keep up with her work, find her Instagram at @gabrielllenarcisse and art archive at @gabrielleglitters. As well as her organization @blackgirlfightclub

In the last episode, I talk with Jake about a racist incident that happened to me in middle school involving him and another person. I get to know more about Jake's upbringing as a white person in Portland and how that impacted his perception of racism, accountability for white people, how racism affects POC at a young age, ways to approach conversations when racist events happen, and overall reflect on the situation and how we've both changed.

Vanderbilt University has gained a lot of attention for being one of the main schools leading the Abolish Greek Life movement (also referred to as AGL). Julia, Lamar, and Joey discuss their personal experiences as BIPOC within greek life, why they dropped, reform vs. abolition, responses to those who are against AGL, performative activism, and lastly initiatives for colleges when greek life is abolished. To stay updated with AGL at Vanderbilt follow @abolishvandyifcandpanhellenic on IG

Part 2. We talk more about how qurantine has made us reflect on race and self-esteem, spend a lot of time discussing cultural appropriation vs. appreciation, the fashion industry, and social media. 

This is part one of a two-part episode where Hana, Leyla, and I, talk about beauty standards for BIPOC women. In this part, we talk about the fox eye trend, racial preferences, the Kardashians, personal experiences in a predominately white high school, and analyzing the racism behind statements about what it means to be seen as "beautiful".

Today, I discuss with Liem and Caleb about stereotypes they've grown up with as men of color in Portland, the role of art (rap & film-making) in combating stereotypes, and the intersections of masculinity and race. To keep up with Caleb's music you can find him on Spotify/SoundCloud under the name "Yung CED", and Liem's work on Instagram @liemackenzie.

Today, I meet with Zahra and Ahlam to talk about the stereotypes brown and black women face within our respective communities and white America. This episode in particular relates to black and brown first-gen experiences. We talk about media coverage, fetishization, stereotypes within education, sexism, personal stories, our least favorite stereotype, and ways in which we can reduce the use of harmful stereotypes. Keep up with them on Instagram @ahlam.pdf & @thezahradeshaw.

This week, I talk with Caleb, Emily, and Jamie, (BIPOC youth) to discuss anti-blackness amid the Black Lives Matter movement, the ups and downs of social media activism, predominantly white schools, gen z memes, and overall ways in which we reflect on anti-blackness in our respective communities and ultimately, ourselves. It's a bit on the longer side, so feel free to pause and come back. Enjoy!

Today I talk with Kellen and Kaiya to learn more about how they grew up talking about race, taking critical race studies, white feminism, and advice they have to other white people listening.

In this part, we all continue the conversation from part 1 and begin to discuss beauty standards for men and women of color, cultural appropriation within Highschool, and Portland at-large, and lastly discuss how we will move on after graduating. Thank you for listening!

Today, I talk with Liem and Leyla to reflect on our experience attending a dominantly white highschool (Lincoln Highschool) as students of color. We talk about social media activism, Lincoln culture, discussing race with friends, and more. This is the first part of a two-part episode.