Off Color

Off Color is still on hiatus, due to pandemic. Sorry! But Rebekah aka the Tan Tigress is recovering from the traumas of the past year and has begun work on some new and dope projects including partnership with Culturs Magazine! This minisode is an interview with Korean adoptee and artist A.D. Herzel. 

The 2020 Election is almost over and with all the anxiety in the air we took some time to sit down and reflect on 2016. Rebekah and Janece didn't know it then, but Trump's victory was the catalyst that would bring them together on Off Color. We also spoke to Dr. Tania and Emma Teng about being first time voters in this historic election.

In 2016 Kaepernick took a knee as a protest for racial justice and eventually lost his job in the NFL. Today, players on almost every major sports team are kneeling and wearing gear branded with messages about Black Lives Matter and ending racism in America. What happened and how much work is there still left to do? Special Guests Bisi Johnson - NFL Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Justin Adams - CBS 4 Denver Sports and News Reporter

Being a parent is tough, being a parent during a pandemic is torture. On this episode we interviewed moms and a dad at various points on the privilege spectrum to ask how they are holding up now that (virtual) school is back in session.

The 2020 election will be here before we know it and it’s time to talk about vote shaming, third party candidates, party loyalists and progressive youth “radicals”. Not to mention that complications of voting during a pandemic and systematic dismantling of our postal service. Get ready kids, this one is going to be a wild ride.  Special Guests: Saira Rao- Former Democrat candidate for US House and now registered Independent Hashim Coates - Vice Chair of AAICD and “card carrying Democrat loyalist”

A very personal and intimate conversation about intersectionality in the activist community including anti blackness, conflict between black and brown organizers and LGBTQIA issues. We get face to face with the the pervasive sentiment in minority activist communities that "We show up for THEM, but they never show up for US!" But at the end of the day, we are oppressed in the same ways with different impacts and as soon as we acknowledge that the sooner we can fight together against a common oppressor. Special Guests: Lorena Garcia - Community Organizer, Former Candidate for US Senate, Tezcatli Diaz - Director of Youth Civic Engagement at Student Voice, Student Vote Elizabeth Torwudzo - Veteran, March Organizer,  Brianna Hall - Employee at American Indian Science and Engineering Society Shenika Carter - Actionist, Accountant, President of Caravan for Racial Justice 2: 30 - Guest Intos 12:30 - Why is it ok for allies to be in positions of power in some minority and activist organizations and not in others? 17:30 - I have never been asked “how do you identify” before. 19:00 How do we do it all? 20:40 - We show up for THEM but they don’t show up for US! 29:40 - What in the world is Black Lives Matter? 32:30 - We don’t know what each other’s struggles look like 35:30 - Caravan for Racial Justice 36:40 - Just Show up! 38:10 - I’m preaching to the choir 40:00 The bridges need maintenance 44:00 - Spending time together beyond the marches and protests 45:20 - Compassion and Humanity 47:00 - Simple doesn’t mean easy 48:30 - Closing thoughts, hopes for the future 59:10 - Surprise call in guest

Part one was WILD! In part two we get a little more serious in a powerful conversation with a former veteran and public health worker about what gun rights mean to minorities that have seen authoritarian oppression first hand. We discuss the Patriot Act, 4 year olds with swords, cancer, prep-ers and using the military's tactics against them. Special Guests: Charlie Watkins - Army Vet and NRA certified pistol instructor Nami Thompson- Public Health Planner, Mother and gun owner Content Links: https://www.redneckrevolt.org/ https://www.facebook.com/AIODefense    

America loves guns! When New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the civil lawsuit against the NRA we decided to find some gun owners and ask what they thought about it. This episode is part one of two. Special Guests: Comedian and podcaster Christie Buchele, Food Truck and Army Veteran Damon Tobias and Tai Chi Instructor Brother Sha Bazz

A short bonus episode that expands on our discussion in Episode 3 about going back to school during a pandemic. Covid has teachers and students worried about their physical and mental health, but there are still opportunities and reasons for hope.  

A Facebook LIVE conversation about the new name for the neighborhood formerly known as Stapleton in Denver, Colorado. What does it mean to be neutral in a white supremacist culture and how can we move towards anti-racism? Special Guests include, Dr. Apryl Alexander and Vince Bowen of Black Lives Matter 5280, JC Futrell the grandson of John and Edna Mosley, Kim Brewer from #RenameStapleton, and Brian Diggs.

A discussion about what public education means in the United States of America during a global pandemic, recorded on July 18th, 2020. Listen as we get schooled by Vice President of the Denver Public Schools Board and Colorado House of Representatives District 7 Candidate, Director Jennifer Bacon. Then Dr. Tania Reis, Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus gives us insight into being a scientist, immigrant and mother of two DPS students during these unprecedented times.    2:50 - Dr. Tania Reis introduction   5:00 - Director Jennifer Bacon introduction   10:00 - Public schools make rocket scientists   12:00 - How opening decisions were made   19:35 - The ‘rona is amplifying inequities    20:40 - What about the teachers?   24:00 - How Portugal handled the data   26:30 - Quaran-team pods   29:00 - What schools do for this city   32:30 - “I know what’s at stake!”   37:30 - “Our mind set would have to shift”   39:00 - Antibacterial vs Antiviral memo   41:00 - Cultural shift away from meritocracy and individualism   42:30 - Neighborhood schools   47:20 - We all need to eat, even if it’s not the perfect diet   50:00 - Portugal’s Pie in the Sky   53:30 - All kids can learn, what differentiates them is access and “things”   56:40 - Local Elections Matter!   59:00 - School is not the salvation we think it will be   1:00:00 - We learned these same lessons with AIDs   1:04:20 - The great equalizer

The global pandemic of Covid-19 has left us with a lot of unanswered questions. In this episode we decided to ask a medical professional, and close personal friend, about how we can sort through all of the confusion of misinformation and systemic racism in the medical system. Dr. Benzi Kluger is a researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York and Director of the Neuro-Palliative Care Division in the new Palliative Care Research Center. He is also working on a book called “Dangerous and Expensive Bullshit” which will empower the average citizen to take responsibility for their health through information literacy. Links:  Ibram X. Kendi - How to Be an Antiracist  https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist-1 FLICC- 5 Techniques of Science Denialism: https://www.skepticalscience.com/history-FLICC-5-techniques-science-denial.html Stephen Law - Believing Bullshit https://www.google.com/books/edition/Believing_Bullshit/n9oRBTVZdWsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover Time Stamps: 2:28 - DR Kluger Intro   4:50 - How has COvid-19 Affected your work and the Medical Center you are in? 8:00 - Telehealth and Equitable access 10:30 - Dr. Kluger’s study on Parkinsons  15:00 - Inner City Rochester or Peru? 16:40 - Intersection of Race and Class 21:25 - Being an antiracist in medical research 26:40 - Dangerous and Expensive Bullshit 31:00 - Building a Basic Bullshit Detector 31:35 - Is Colloidal Silver Bullshit? 35:25 - Which Bullshit should I buy? 38:40 - Science Denialism - FLICC 41:15 - Covid-19 Questions from the “Audience” 41:20 - “Should I wear a mask?” 42:56 - “Should I Wipe Everything Down?” 44:16 “Can Cannabis Prevent Covid-19?” 49:30 - The Last Time You Sh*t Your Pants

Season 4 kicks off with a COVID-19 catch up sesh with the Tan Tigress and her intrepid producer Janece(who gives an emotional pep talk to the Tan Tigress). This episode was recorded remotely on a Friday in July...what day is it anyway? Should we open schools? Should your neighbors pay you for the service of telling them about themselves? What is Truth & Conciliation and why should you take the pledge? These are just some of the questions we know must be on your mind, because they are on our mind.  We've missed you Off Color family and we hope this episode will be "a ray of light".  And wear a mask FFS. And vote. Always with the voting. 

We've been on a self imposed hiatus due to COVID-19 aka SARS2 we will be taking trying some new stuff and we hope you will have a listen, subscribe and give 5 stars ONLY. This episode also includes bonus content from Rebekah's storytelling debut at the Narrators live storytelling event in Denver, CO. 

This episode was recorded at the House of Pod, which is now shut down in order to slow community spread of the COVID-19 virus. The country is in a state of emergency and we need to be there for each other in our communities. We interviewed actor, playwright, rapper, and poet Jeff Campbell, assisted by students visiting from the audio engineering program at Northeast Early College ( A Denver Public Schools High School). The kids are alright but they feel the same stresses we do. 

Women only conversation bonus episode, with special guest host Shay J and Congresswoman Deb Haaland via the telephone but first we get spicy as we try to connect. But  NEVERTHELESS WE PERSISTED. We addressed the realist shiz. Vote for Elizabeth Warren. WHUT.  

For this episode we were joined once again by  independent presidential candidate Mark Charles via phone. He caught us up on his candidacy and gives some intense love lessons on healing the wounds that created our nation as it is today.  We know we live in a two party system but man, Mark Charles has a compelling and powerful message that is worth hearing. 

This episode was recorded on January 22, 2020 at the House of Pod. We hosted an intimate screening of All Mixed Up: Our Changing Racial Identities and then chopped it up with one of the films participants Rebecca Mendoza-Nunziato and the founder of Curls on the Block  and author of Harriet's Jacket  Annalise Harris. 

For this episode we discussed representation in the media. Again! Because we gotta keep on talking and if you keep listening you might just see the light!  Special guests include Regan Byrd, Danette Hollowell, Aubrianne Hollowell, Mo Alexander & Janae Burris! Bonus content available on our Patreon! 

We continue our conversation about the myth of malicious intention when one is operating in a white supremacist society. We have special guest Danilo Ballardes a community organizer from New Orleans, Samuel Gonzalez  returns and the late great Dr. Gregory Digg's brother Brian Diggs joins us via phone from Los Angeles to give us the lowdown on his highly racist dance teacher. Rebekah talks about her ongoing fight to eradicate white supremacy in her neighborhood(which is named after a Ku Klux Klansman) by running to be a write in candidate on the neighborhood board. It's all you could want in an episode and so much more. 

For this episode we took a deep dive into the myth of malicious intention when one is operating in a white supremacist society.  So deep we had to divide it into part 1 and part 2. It wasn't our intention but that was the impact! We learn all about Rebekah's sudden and surprising entrance into the political fight of her life! That pesky KKK named neighborhood name gets her down but it can't keep her down! We dip into Lizzo's cheeks, beauty pageants, dominant culture beauty standards and all kinds of other stuff! Guest include: by U.S. Senate Candidate Dr. Stephany Rose Spaulding, founder of Ecoinclusive  Parker McMullen-Bushman, Samuel Gonzalez  Bianca Mikhan. 

Season 3 is carrying on the tradition of gathering incredible guests to chop it up in an authentic way. In this episode we take a deep dive into our dying oceans. Special guests: At Peace Makita Water Warrior, Dr. Diana Bray, Noe Organz, Jared Bynum and Dana Miller of Extinction Rebellion. We ask the question...is there hope? 

For this first episode of season 3 we gathered a variety of people with extensive knowledge related to trauma and healing. The holidays can be a time of stress, grief, sadness and unresolved conflicts for many people and a time of heightened tension because of expectation. We spoke with healer & dominatrix Lady Speech, Colorado Senate Candidate(and clinical psychologist) Dr. Diana Bray, cultural change consultant,Samuel González and professor and healer Dr. Lisa Vallejos. If you have anxiety about the holidays this episode is for you. And if you don't, it's also for you. Happy Holidays bishes. Subscribe, review and five stars only. 

Rebekah Henderson aka the Tan Tigress went in for an orientation at the House of Pod and wanted to try out the new studio space. Lucky lucky that Rebecca Mendoza Nunziato Community Manager at House of Pod, was nice enough to sit down with Rebekah & producer Janece Matsko to try out the equipment and get Off Color up to speed on what's good at House of Pod. Season 3 Drops SOON! 

Mark Charles is an Independent candidate running for President of the United States. Rebekah spoke with him via Skype Thursday October 3, 2019. Tune in for this very in depth discussion. 

Rebekah chopped it up with NYC based author Natasha Diaz to discuss her debut novel Color Me In  and she also updated her friend and business partner Leah on current events. Make sure you subscribe and give us five star only reviews. 

Rebekah aka the Tan Tigress still has not tasted the famed chicken sandwich but the craze inspired this short work of fiction. Please enjoy!  

MTOB(More Than One Box) is an annual event that takes place in Denver Colorado with  the intentional focus to provide space for those identifying as mixed race and people who love them! This episode was recorded  for MTOB and features, actor, writer, filmmaker would be dancer/chemist Nobu Adilman of Food Jammers Fame and Choir! Choir! Choir!  Nobu skyped with the Tan Tigress to discuss his childhood, career and the  incredible short documentary Short Round Up.   

More Than One Box (MTOB) is an annual gathering that takes place in Denver Colorado that is intentionally celebratory of all people. This interview with Crystal Chan was part of MTOB's 2019 program.  

September 28th is the March for Black Women Denver. Rebekah aka the Tan Tigress chopped it up with two of the organizers of the march. Guest were Tish Beauford and Tiya Trent and they filled us in on the goings on of the March for Black Women. For more information follow & like the Facebook Page You can find out all the details and make sure you rate us FIVE STARS.   

On the latest episode of Off Color we chopped it up big time with politico Hashim T. Coates and community organizer Terrance Roberts aka T-Rob. We talked about the worstest trashest parody of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the racist ass orange phlegm in the White House, a sprinkle of local politricks, Tupac's Number 1 fired fan, and the GREAT Ava Duvernay. 

Chh-chhh-chhhanges Greetings Off Color Fam! Off Color is going through somewhat of a transformation as Rebekah figures out how to produce and edit the whole show. In this episode Rebekah aka the Tan Tigress marches with school board candidate at large Tay Anderson   in Park Hill's Fourth of July Parade. She chopped it up with citizen activist Andrea Chavez plus two of Colorado's "Historic Eight" legislators; Representative James Coleman and Representative Leslie Herod. U.S. Congresswoman Diana Degette got in on the fun too when the Tan Tigress asked her what she's doing to help with the concentration camp in Aurora.     

This episode of Off Color was recorded LIVE at Versa Colorado's headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Our guest host was Black Queen of Comedy Janae Burris and our artist in residence was Kid Astronaut. We. Chopped. It. UP. Please make sure you follow us on the sosh meeds and start rating this show fam. @offcolorpod  

This episode was recorded live at Versa Colorado's headquarters located in downtown Denver. We welcome back Montyy Taj host of the podcast Comfortably Excluded and we had the honor of having Candi CdeBaca in her first interview after her historic win on June 4th. She is now officially Councilwoman Elect for Denver's district 9! 

This episode was recorded live at Versa Colorado's headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Rebekah Henderson AKA the Tan Tigress and Hasira "H-Soul" Ashemu take a deep dive into local issues that have universal themes, education of our youth, polotricks and what we can actually do about the most pressing problems facing our communities. Buckle up buttercups this might be the rillest.

This episode of Off Color was recorded live at Versa Colorado's headquarters. Off Color Powered by Versa Colorado explores topics around race and identity with a splash of wine. Your host Rebekah Henderson AKA the Tan Tigress, takes deep dives with dope guests. This episode covers the Royal Baby, colorism, the Denver elections and MORE! Special guest Emmy award winning journalist and documentarian Tamara Banks returns for another real a$$ conversation. 

Today we come to you live from the First Unitarian Society of Denver, where activist, union organizer, and mother Jeanette Vizguerra is living in sanctuary. Jeanette was recently named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People, and is now suing ICE to block her deportation. We discuss her case, as well as her work with the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition. We are also joined by Greg Mortimer of Casa de Paz, an organization that sends volunteers to visit with prisoners in Aurora, Colorado's for-profit ICE detention center.

This episode was recorded live at Versa Colorado headquarters in downtown Denver! If you want to see the video you can peep it on youtube  or FB WATCH  Tonight's guest is singer Danette Hollowell. We getting into real talk about recent hate crimes, Black people and conspiracy theories, local politics, and more. Follow us on Twitter @OffColorPod for updates. Join the Patreon! Support community-created content!

The Off Color Live series continues at one of our favorite Denver restaurants, there... on the Northside. Rebekah and Danette welcome guests Brother Jeff Fard (www.brotherjeff.com) and Montyy Taj (www.comfortablyexcluded.com) to discuss gentrification in Denver, the rise of the reparations movement, and the debate over the GOAT female rapper.

On February 23rd, comedian Janae Burris (@negativenegro) hosted BLACKSTRAVAGANZA, a Black History Month celebration at The Black Buzzard in Denver. We recorded a live variety show-sepisode of Off Color featuring some incredible guests: Danette Hollowell, Kerrie Joy, Crystal Hawkins, Jovan Mays, and Hashim Coates. This episode has a little bit of everything: music, poetry, politics, and a lot of laughs!

We're boycotting the NFL, so we went down to the basement with singer Danette Hollowell and comedian Janae Burris (@negativenegro) to talk about Colin Kaepernick, governors in blackface, and our upcoming live episode on February 23rd. This episode is sponsored by Stapleton Vines & Spirits (www.stapletonvines.com).

To kick off season two, we took the show live on video with a packed panel: Hasira "Soul" Ashemu, Hashim Coates, Danette Hallowell, and Kerrie Joy. We discuss "Surviving R. Kelly", the cancelation of Kevin Hart, and the persistent myth of a "gay agenda."

Tonight we celebrate one year of Off Color by wrapping up our season with a Thanksgiving dinner. We're blessed to have a table full of wonderful guests: historian Jameeka Lewis, community organizer Ean Thomas Tafoya, journalist Allan Tellis, and singer Danette Hollowell. We discuss the power of ritual, the ever-controversial topic of hair, the whitewashing of MLK, and the question of whether America is even possible. Thanks for being with us through struggle and joy over the past year. We look forward to seeing you in 2019, but in the meantime feel free to leave us questions at (719) 377-6219 or tweet us @offcolorpod!

Today we welcome award-winning poet Dominique Christina to the basement to discuss her new book Anarcha Speaks, the relationship between politics and poetry, and the deep pathos of Kanye West. Before that, though, Rebekah and James listen to some listener questions from the new Off Color hotline. Give us a call at (719) 377-6219 so we can chop it up with you on the air!

For our Halloween special, we dug into the archives to bring you an unheard episode with the late Dr. Gregory Diggs. But first, Rebekah and James go down the Colorado ballot and tell you how to vote. Got a problem with any of our Rebekahmendations? Yell at us at @offcolorpod.

In the spirit of Rebekah's new film project Running With My Girls, we invite two brilliant Black women who are running for office in Denver: Shontel Lewis (@Shontel4RTD) and Shayla Richard (@ShaylaRRichard). We discuss the Kavanaugh confirmation, Bette Midler's offensive tweet, and the co-opting of Black women's struggle. Stick around until the end to hear some bars from Shontel.

Today we have a packed house, with three incredible women joining us in the basement: activist/academic Lisa Calderón, Denver City Council candidate Candi CdeBaca, and poet Kerrie Joy. We get into some current events including the Botham Jean murder, the infamous Serena Williams cartoon, and the brilliance of Cory Booker and Kamala Harris during the Kavanaugh hearings.

For the second half of our talk with lawyer-turned-engineer Sonia Gupta (@soniagupta504), we move away from Twitter controversies and onto larger questions about how to take meaningful action in the era of Trump. We also revisit Boots Riley's incredible (and controversial) film Sorry to Bother You and get Sonia's take on it.

Today we welcome our first-ever white guest, actress Catherine Erhart, to discuss Spike Lee’s hit film “BlacKkKlansman”. We debate what the film says about Charlottesville, the “toothless yokel” Klansman stereotype, and the puzzling sex appeal of Adam Driver. We also share a few thoughts about our dear friend Elisabeth Epps and her legal struggles.

This is the first half of our conversation with Sonia Gupta (@soniagupta504), lawyer turned software engineer turned "mid-level social media influencer". We discuss Sonia's repeated run-ins with racist internet trolls, and ask whether Twitter's benefits outweigh the toxicity of its culture. Tune in on Monday August 27th to hear Part 2!

Colorado Democratic Party consultant Hashim Coates joins us in the basement to discuss the new Boots Riley film "Sorry to Bother You", the upcoming elections, innovative forms of protest, and the best place in Denver to get a bean pie.