Speaking of Racism

In this mini-episode, Speaker, coach, and anti-racism educator, Tina Strawn joins Jen to talk about the importance of Black leadership in anti-racism spaces, an exciting announcement about the podcast, and what it looks like to live anti-racism work in action.

Dr. Candice Nicole Hargons directs the Center for Healing Racial Trauma, where they provide therapy services to the global majority and consulting services to organizations on anti-racism.   "Dr. Hargons (formerly Crowell) earned her PhD from the University of Georgia in 2015. She directs the RISE^2 Research Team (Relationships, Intimacy, and Sexual Enrichment | Race, Intersectionality, and Social justice Engagement), where they study sex, social justice, and leadership – all with a love ethic. Recent projects have included the Healing Racial Trauma project and studying the sexual narrative of Black students. Her work has been featured in various media, including the New York Times, Huffington Post, and Therapy for Black Girls."

We're closing out June with Permission To Be Podcast Co-Host and Speaking of Racism Advisory Board Member Tommy Allgood. 

Nandi Kayyy is a Queer, southern-born, non-binary musician & activist with a passion for Black liberation, soul music, and fried chicken. Nandi is the frontman of Nandi Kayyy & The They Agenda, an Alternative R&B band as well as the host of the 'Black Friends Dinner' podcast. Nandi serves as project manager at Hope & Hard Pills, a media collective founded by Andre Henry providing practical insight on racial justice and on the advisory board of the Speaking of Racism Podcast. Nandi's passion for equity spills over into their work in technology. Nandi is the Associate Product Manager at AboveBoard, a software technology company dedicated to increasing representation of underrepresented groups in executive leadership.  

June 19 marks Juneteenth, a day of remembrance for the Black community, specifically recognizing Emancipation Day. And while HIStory tells us on June 19, 1865, General Order No. 3 was read in Galveston, Texas there is so much more to be revealed. Historian, conflict mediator and podcast creator Lettie Shumate helps us impact the much deeper lessons and legacy of the sacred day.

Travis is a licensed psychologist and has served as a professor of psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver for the last 12 years. In July, he will become an Associate Professor at the University of Denver and assume co-directorship of the International Disaster Psychology: Trauma and Global Mental Health graduate program as well as serve as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Graduate School of Professional Psychology.   Past work he’s been involved with looked at shifting from a multicultural approach to counseling to one of cultural democracy that invites people to heal in mediums that are culturally near. His most recent work involves incorporating the work of Black abolitionist scholars into psychotherapy, community healing, and uprising.  His writing has focused on the use of rap music in narrative therapy, working with persons entangled in the criminal injustice system in ways that maintain their dignity, narrative practice stories as pedagogy, a co-created questioning practice called reunion questions, and community healing strategies. He is currently co-authoring the first book on Contemporary Narrative Therapy with David Epston and Tom Carlson. He has been fortunate to run workshops and speak in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Norway, United Kingdom, and the United States.   Thank you to Tolu Mejolagbe and Michael Zuch for sharing their insights on how it is like to practice decolonized therapy.

Tanya Ranchigoda grew up surrounded by her Sri-Lankan community in Southern California. It is through her immigrant family upbringing that she learned about collective and inclusive communities.   She took this worldview and professionalized it by becoming a social worker. She now carries people and community stories and histories and collaborates with them to show up as they choose to even in the face of adversity.   Her 20-year career spans oncology social work, private-client grief and trauma counseling, supervision, coaching, corporate training, and a decade as an adjunct lecturer in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Washington. 

Ji-Youn (she/her) is a justice-oriented therapist of Corean ancestry, located in what is colonially known as Vancouver, Canada. With collective liberation as her vision, she aims to disrupt oppressive practices of the mental health industry and its complicities, and envision new ways of mental health care rooted in abolition and community. She also deeply believes in embodied joy, ease, and liberation while in the pursuit of collective liberation.    Follow Ji-Youn on @itsjiyounkim   Thank you to Ellen Cline and Bryan Brown for offering their wisdom in sharing how they practice antiracism and decolonizing work in their clinical and healing practices.   RESOURCES adrienne maree brown - Emergent Strategy Travis Heath - Radicalizing Psychotherapy: From Multiculturalism to Abolition If You’re New to Abolition: Study Group Guide @SocialWorkersCanKissMyAss Todd, N. & Wade, A. (1994). Parallel objectifying practices: Domination, deficiency and psychotherapy. Calgary: The Calgary Participator.    Music in the episode by: https://www.bensound.com  

It is important to listen to the peoples of the Pasifika and Oceania during Asian Pacific Islander/Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and beyond.   Here, Gabes has a conversation with Sage Ke’alohilani Quiamno. Sage is an Indigenous Native Hawaiian award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and changemaker. She is the CEO & co-founder of Future For Us, a platform dedicated to advancing women of color. Sage has galvanized a nationwide movement to build a future of work reaching new levels of growth through diversity, equity, and inclusion.    After spending 7 years in Seattle, Washington, and now back home to her home in Hawai'i, Sage reflects on her time in having to contend racist and sexist spaces in the corporate world, while also reflecting on what it's like to process the present and ancestral grief and rage in light of her lived experiences of colonialism against her, her people, and the land.

We are back for a new season! For the month of May, we will have the honor of hearing from Gabes Torres. Gabes is a Filipino/a/x psychotherapist, organizer, and member of the Speaking of Racism community + Advisory Board. Melody Li joined Gabes for this episode to discuss de-centering whiteness in Therapy. Melody Is a colony-born migrant & settler, therapist of Color, and mental health justice activist. They created Inclusive Therapists (www.inclusivetherapists.com): a social justice-oriented mental health directory and community that celebrates the strengths & centers the needs of marginalized communities. They also lead a mental health justice movement to decolonize, disrupt and dismantle oppressive mental health practices. In community, they restore, reimagine & reclaim our healing. Melody believes that all people with all identities & abilities in all bodies deserve equal access to quality mental health care.

We are replaying this episode with Kathy Kang from March 22nd, 2020.   We stand in solidarity with the AAPI community and commit to end white supremacist delusion. Today's episode is with writer, speaker, yoga teacher, and social justice advocate Kathy Khang. Kathy joined Tina and Jen to talk about what life is like for the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the era of the coronavirus. They discuss the dangerous rhetoric coming from the president, the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes, and so much more.

Tune in to our final reflection for BHM with Myisha T. Hill of Check Your Privilege.

On this week's episode of Speaking of Racism, you'll hear from 5 of our Board Members as they reflect on Black History Month.  

We are kicking off our Black History Month series with Speaking of Racism owner and co-host, Tina Strawn. Tune in and listen as Tina highlights two people who have impacted her: Alice Walker, and her debate and speech teacher- Electra Kitchin.   Stay tuned for more BHM moments from our board members this month!    

Tressie McMillan Cottom joined Tina to talk about her book Thick: And Other Essays (2019), winning the MacArthur Foundation's Genius Grant, Black Sisterhood, and more. "Tressie McMillan Cottom, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Information, Technology and Public Life (UNC). Professor Cottom’s research spans higher education, work, race, class, gender, and digital societies. Lower Ed (2016) is her critically-acclaimed work on for-profit higher education and social inequality and THICK: And Other Essays (2019) was a non-fiction finalist for the National Book Awards. Among many other awards, she is the 2020 recipient of the American Sociological Association’s Sociology for Public Understanding of Sociology career award. She hosts a culture podcast with Roxane Gay, Hear to Slay, and lives in Chapel Hill, NC."  

On this episode of Speaking of Racism, Tina is joined by Jessica Care Moore to talk about her latest book- We Want Our Bodies Back. Jessica Care Moore is the CEO of Moore Black Press, Executive Producer of Black WOMEN Rock!, and founder of the literacy-driven, Jess Care Moore Foundation.  An internationally renowned poet, playwright, performance artist, and producer, she is the 2013 Alain Locke Award Recipient from the Detroit Institute of Arts. Moore is the author of The Words Don’t Fit in My Mouth, The Alphabet Verses The Ghetto, God is Not an American, Sunlight Through Bullet Holes, and a memoir, Love is Not The Enemy. Her poetry has been heard on stages like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the London Institute of Contemporary Arts. She has performed on every continent. Jessica Care Moore believes poems belong everywhere and to everyone.

In this week's episode, Tina speaks with Susanna Barkataki about her new book. An Indian yoga practitioner in the Shankaracharya tradition, Susanna Barkataki supports practitioners to lead with equity, diversity, and yogic values while growing thriving practices and businesses with confidence. She is the founder of Ignite Yoga and Wellness Institute and runs 200/500 Yoga Teacher Training programs. She is an E-RYT 500, Certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT). Author of #1 New Release and International Bestseller in Yoga in Nov 2020 Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice. With an Honors degree in Philosophy from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Education from Cambridge College, Barkataki is a diversity, accessibility, inclusivity, and equity (DAIE) yoga unity educator who created the ground-breaking Honor {Don’t Appropriate} Yoga Summit with over 10,000 participants. Learn more and take her complimentary masterclass to embrace yoga’s roots without appropriation: www.namastemasterclass.com

"Monique Melton is a highly sought-after anti-racism educator, published author, international speaker, and host of the Shine Brighter Together podcast. She is also the founder of Shine Brighter Together, which is a community dedicated to healthy relationships & diverse unity."   Monique joined Tina to talk about life, joy, and so much more for this week's episode of Speaking of Racism.  

Dr. Candice Nicole Hargons directs the Center for Healing Racial Trauma, where they provide therapy services to the global majority and consulting services to organizations on anti-racism.   "Dr. Hargons (formerly Crowell) earned her PhD from the University of Georgia in 2015. She directs the RISE^2 Research Team (Relationships, Intimacy, and Sexual Enrichment | Race, Intersectionality, and Social justice Engagement), where they study sex, social justice, and leadership – all with a love ethic. Recent projects have included the Healing Racial Trauma project and studying the sexual narrative of Black students. Her work has been featured in various media, including the New York Times, Huffington Post, and Therapy for Black Girls."

In today's episode, Jen is joined by Kina Reed, creator of The AntiBlackness Reader and Hug Your White Friends to talk about the book, When They Call You A Terrorist, A Black Lives Memoir. Joquina M. Reed thrives as an educator, researcher, writer, public speaker, and community advocate. Within all her spheres of influence, she attempts to A.C.T. right. She challenges herself to Advocate for self and others, practice critical Compassion, and move through spaces with a transformative Transparency. ​ Joquina is the creator and curator behind the social media platforms, The AntiBlackness Reader Project, and Hug Your White Friends. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies and is a published researcher, conference presenter and public speaker. Her public advocacy is largely inspired by her academic research relating to social power and race and gender identity constructions.  You can find her work at https://www.joquinareed.com/

As a follow-up to our November 3rd, 2019 episode on Rodney Reed, Tina spoke with Rodrick Reed, the brother of Rodney Reed, to find out how everyone is doing, get a status on the case, and learn about what kind of support they all need as they continue to fight for Rodney's freedom. To donate and support the family and their fight for Rodney, you can give directly:CashApp: $freerodneyreed.Venmo: @reedjusticeinitiative  

Tina and Jen introduce you to an exciting new podcast called Do The Work.

Tina and Jen are joined by friend and avowed political geek Johnathan Perkins of black& podcast to talk politics, the upcoming election, and what it looks like to engage the upcoming election from an anti-racist perspective.    

On this week's episode of Speaking of Racism, Tina and Jen are joined by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao, the creators of Race 2 Dinner. Tune in to learn more about what brought Regina and Saira together and how they are working to dismantle racism, one conversation at a time.    

In this episode of Speaking of Racism, Tina is joined by Decarceration Manager, Brittany White. Brittany is a formerly incarcerated Black woman who serves as the Decarceration Manager for the faith in action campaign- Live Free National. Brittany is passionate about shining a light on the experiences of women within the criminal justice system and equipping people with the tools to dismantle systemic injustice.   www.livefreeusa.org www.faithinaction.org IG @mzbrittbmw

Megan Torres and Janelle Faison stood up to their children's private Montessori school in 2019 after the director locked herself and Janelle's four-year-old child in a room the size of a closet.   Prior to this incident, Megan's 6-year-old son was asked to leave the school mid-year. Megan's son's contract was canceled by the Director the same day Megan complained of intimidation and tone policing from a different administrator, a woman of color. The abrupt timing of this dismissal resulted in the loss of over $50k in state-issued scholarship funds for Megan's son. Despite Ohio Senator Maharath making a statement to reconsider the scholarship due to concerns of bias, and a former teacher alleging bias, the state agency in charge of the scholarship and finally, governor Mike DeWine denied reconsideration. (It's worth noting that DeWine's communication advisor is on the school board of directors and that the Director of the Montessori worked in the past as the Assistant Bureau Chief of the Childcare Division at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the same division charged with investigating the alleged misconduct involving one of the children.)   With the help of local organizers, both mothers held a protest on the first day of school to draw attention to the use of seclusion in schools and tone policing Black women. They rallied a robust antiracist online community using the hashtag #weseeCMEC to highlight unfair and often unconscious bias from white people that cause trauma for Black parents and children at school. Their story was picked up by NPR. Megan's story used as a case study for unconscious bias at last year's American Montessori Society national conference by Montessorians for Social Justice.    Their story is a case study for bystanders in what to do (and what not to do) when you find yourself observing blatant injustice. 

EbonyJanice is the founder of Black Girl Mixtape, a multi-platform safe think-space, centering the intellectual authority of black women in the form of a lecture series, a podcast, and an online learning institute lead by black women scholars. Learn more at her website www.thefreepeopleproject.com

We are reposting Tina's favorite episodes.In this episode, Myisha T from Check Your Privilege joins Jen to discuss the book How To Be Less Stupid About Race by Crystal M. Fleming. The book is a must-read for anyone stepping into anti-racism work. Listen in as Jen and Myisha talk about their own experiences in anti-racism conversations and share their takeaways from the book. An excerpt from the Beacon Press Website sums it up well: "Fleming unveils how systemic racism exposes us all to racial ignorance—and provides a road map for transforming our knowledge into concrete social change."    

We are reposting several of our favorite episodes, and this one is from a conversation with Andre Henry. Andre is a writer and speaker with a passion for racial justice. He writes a weekly email giving practical insight on antiracism and nonviolent social change. In this episode, Andre joins Jen to talk about the power of everyday people, the importance of doing the work to create the world we want to see, why hope is essential in this movement, and how people can come together to build the world they want to live in.  Follow Andre: IG @theandrehenry. Website andrehenry.co Join the Hope and Hard Pills Community at andrehenry.co

...Alternatively Titled: "Hello Chelsea, It's Tina and Jen, Let's Talk About Your Privilege"Before Tina became the owner and host of Speaking of Racism, she and Jen did this episode on the Chelsea Handler documentary. It's one of our most popular episodes, so we are reposting it for all the new listeners. On Friday, September 13th, Chelsea Handler released a documentary on Netflix called "Hello Privilege, It's Me, Chelsea." Being the anti-racism educator she is, Tina Strawn decided to check it out, and within days Tina and Jen had watched the documentary two times, talked about it over the phone, and decided to do a podcast discussing it. If you've watched the documentary, plan on watching the documentary, or have absolutely no interest in watching the documentary- this episode is an essential listen as Tina challenges us to greater depth and accountability in the work of dismantling white supremacy and privilege. Be sure to follow Tina Strawn on IG @tina_strawn_life or email her at tinastrawnlife@gmail.com

Jermaine Fowler is a public educator, historical storyteller, writer, and founder of The Humanity Archive- a media company committed to telling the stories of history in the most compelling way possible. Much of his work deals with unsettling history and the current reality of today’s world: post-industrial cities stricken by poverty, racism, inadequate healthcare, and educational inequality. In this episode, Jermaine joins Jen to talk about The Humanity Archive, his passion for bringing history to life, the importance of featuring voices traditionally erased from the past.  Our special guest-host, Corey Leak from Existential Podcast, sat down with Jermaine to talk about what it's like in Louisville Kentucky surrounding the Breonna Taylor killing. 

Myisha T is an awesome and sometimes exhausted mom to 3 different-ability children. She is an anti-racism guide, mental health activist, speaker, and entrepreneur who is passionate about women’s mental wellness and empowerment. A passionate advocate for mental wellness, Myisha T believes that when people get real, they can begin to heal. She founded the “Check Your Privilege” (CYP) movement, an online community, and a series of workshops that support women all over the world in exploring their relationships with power, privilege, and racism. A proponent for womxn of color having access to healing she’s co-leads Brown Sisters Speak a mental health peer support and women's empowerment movement for BBIWoC.

In this episode, Tina is joined by Rebekah Borucki, to talk about her children's "Big Messy Books" series, the importance of diversity and representation in publishing, and her own experience as a Black Biracial author. Rebekah "Bex" Borucki, the founder of BEXLIFE® and the BLISSED IN® wellness movement, is a mother of five, author, TV host, meditation and yoga guide, and birth doula. She has taught meditation as a profound act of self-care that can be executed effortlessly and effectively to hundreds of thousands of individuals online and in live workshops and public events. Rebekah’s mission is to make mental-health support and stress-management tools accessible to all. Most recently, Rebekah started her own publishing imprint, Wheat Penny Press, to publish her children’s “Big Messy Books” series. Go to www.bexlife.com for more information.

If you're like us, you've likely signed a petition with Change.org but aren't quite sure how to organize or start one of your own.In today's episode, we talk to two campaigners- Ansa and Rashawn from Change.org to learn about the organization, their roles, what goes on behind the creation of a petition, and how people can better use this as a platform to create change. Here's a petition we are encouraging everyone to sign:  https://www.change.org/p/shutdown-parchman-prison-in-parchman-mississippi

In this episode, Tina and Jen talk about the book Just Mercy.  If you've been planning to see the movie or read the book, but haven't had a chance to yet, this podcast episode will not ruin anything for you.   

We are bringing you a special marathon of episodes for this time of national pause and quarantine. Today's episode is with writer, speaker, yoga teacher, and social justice advocate Kathy Khang. Kathy joined Tina and Jen to talk about what life is like for the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the era of the coronavirus. They discuss the dangerous rhetoric coming from the president, the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes, and so much more.

Beatrice Dixon, the founder of The Honey Pot Company, joined Tina and Jen in this episode. Beatrice talks about her company, her partnership with Target, and what it was like to be the recipient of racist attacks after a Target ad featuring her and The Honey Pot Company went viral.  This episode celebrates Beatrice, The Honeypot Company, and the power of representation.    

On this episode, Jen is joined by Gabes Torres to unpack concepts behind colonialism, its lasting impact on all people, and the power of healing, hope and community.Gabes is a researcher, speaker, theologian, singer-songwriter, and psychotherapist in training. Her life’s work is to show how there’s nothing “post-” about postcolonialism, and that the impact of historical and oppressive conquest continue to manifest in the ideologies, cultures, languages, literature, human behaviors, inter- and intrapersonal relationships, and spiritual practices we have today. You can learn more about Gabes on www.gabestorres.com, and you have the power to help her in continuing her work of decolonization by supporting and/or sharing www.gofundme.com/help-Gabes-Stay

Historian Lettie Shumate joins Tina and Jen to talk about her recent trip to the EJI's National Memorial For Peace And Justice and Legacy Museum, her life and work as a Historian, and the importance of historical literacy.  

In this episode of Speaking of Racism, Tina is joined by Decarceration Manager, Brittany White. Brittany is a formerly incarcerated Black woman who serves as the Decarceration Manager for the faith in action campaign- Live Free National. Brittany is passionate about shining a light on the experiences of women within the criminal justice system and equipping people with the tools to dismantle systemic injustice.   www.livefreeusa.org www.faithinaction.org IG @mzbrittbmw

In today's episode, Tina and Jen talk about their trip to L.A. to meet in person. They share stories from their time together, talk about the Food For Thought Dinner Party Jen hosted, and discuss how essential community, rest, and joy is in anti-racism work.

In today's episode, Tina and Jen talk about the movie Just Mercy, how it moved them to action, and the complexity with how it's taking the nation by storm. If you haven't watched the movie, fear not- there are no spoilers in this episode.   

Today's episode is from the early archives of the podcast. Jen shares her thoughts on an MLK event she took her kids to and continues a conversation with Noah Lomax about racism in the North and the myth that it doesn't exist as it does in the South.

It's a New Year, and we are bringing you a new podcast! Join Tina and Jen for the first official episode of season 2 as co-hosts. They talk about their favorite episodes from 2019, share their plans and words for 2020, tell you about next week's book giveaway, give info on upcoming Legacy Trips to Montgomery, and more!      

Trevor and Maria are the hosts of Lost Ones, a true-crime racial justice podcast that focuses on stories of injustice committed against people of color. They both live in New York City and work in the criminal justice policy reform space.   They started Lost Ones to uplift the stories of people of color which are often ignored by mainstream media.

Tayo Rockson is a writer, speaker, consultant, and media personality who runs UYD Management - a strategic leadership and consulting firm that helps organizations incorporate sustainable diversity and inclusion practices. As someone who has lived on 4 continents, he is an authority in communicating effectively across cultures. In addition to that, he's been named a "Top 40 Millennial Influencer" by New Theory Magazine. He hosts the popular As Told By Nomads podcast and his book Use Your Difference To Make A Difference is based on how to connect and communicate in a cross-cultural world. In this episode, Tayo joins Jen to talk about diversity training, his book, and more.   Book: https://www.amazon.com/Use-Your-Difference-Make-Cross-Cultural/dp/1119590698 Podcast: https://tayorockson.com/podcast

In this mini-episode, Speaker, coach, and anti-racism educator, Tina Strawn joins Jen to talk about the importance of Black leadership in anti-racism spaces, an exciting announcement about the podcast, and what it looks like to live anti-racism work in action.

Lori L. Tharps is an assistant professor of journalism at Temple University, an award-winning author, freelance journalist and popular speaker. Lori joined Jen to talk about her book Hair Story: Untangling The Roots of Black Hair in America, as well as her passion for diversity. You can find Lori's blog and podcast here: www.myamericanmeltingpot.com  

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this urgent call to action. Rodney Reed has been on death row since 1998 for a crime he did not commit, and he is scheduled for execution on November 20th. Anti-racism educator and social justice activist, Tina Strawn joins Jen to discuss the details of the case and what you can do to help. We need to amplify this story and do all that we can to stop this execution. Please listen, share, and take the steps we've outlined in the show. Refer to www.innocenceproject.org for details from show and up-to-date information.

Perry Clemons (He/His) is an African-American third-grade teacher from Harlem, N.Y. He has created a board game called Inequality-opoly: The Board Game of Structural Racism and Sexism in America. Inequality-opoly is a custom property trading game that transforms recent national studies into a perspective-taking experience. In this game like, in the real world, certain players based on their perceived identity enjoy privileges while others face obstacles to building wealth. The mission of Inequality-opoly is to spread awareness and advance discourse about the effects of Structural Racism and Sexism in America. The objective of Inequality-opoly is to battle with or benefit from Structural Racism and/or Sexism to become the wealthiest player and partnership by buying, renting, developing property, and (most importantly) making deals. Whichever player or partnership has the most wealth at the end of the game wins. The idea for Inequality-opoly came when Perry attended diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings. During these trainings, Perry noticed the difficulties the facilitators faced in demonstrating the effect of racial and gender discrimination in a way that is engaging and personalized to all the people in the room. As an educator for over a decade, he knows the best way to teach or reinforce something is to make it a game. He thought that gamifying diversity training would make for deeper understanding and richer discussions. After 3 years of research, development, and playtesting, Inequality-opoly is now for sale thanks to a successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaign at www.inequalityopoly.com

Corey Leak is a pastor, activist, writer, and podcaster. In this episode, Corey joins Jen to talk about his new podcast, his passion for difficult conversations, what it was like to work in white evangelical spaces, and how his justice work and activism collided within evangelical spaces.You can follow Corey on Instagram at @coreyevanleak and @existentialpodcast. You can find him on Facebook and you can find his podcast on a number of platforms.