Welcome to the (AfAm) House

Join Selena and Titi as they discuss finals season at Yale! Topics mentioned in this episode: Time management, rigor of finals, and mental health resources!

In this episode, we sit down with author and professor Elias Rodriques to discuss his debut novel, All the Water I've Seen Is Running—a hauntingly beautiful story of memory, grief, identity, and the complexity of returning home. Set in rural northeast Florida, the novel follows Daniel, a queer Jamaican American man grappling with the loss of a high school friend and the unresolved emotions of his past.We talk with Rodriques about the emotional and geographic landscape of Florida, the symbolic weight of water and running, and what it means to grow up Black and queer in a region that's both loved and survived. The conversation also dives into the mental tug-of-war that many young people face during their college years, challenging the myth that this period should be the “happiest time of your life.” Together, we reflect on the power of Black literature to hold space for stories that are complicated, unspoken, and deeply human.

In this episode of Welcome to the House, hosts Selena Williams (Yale College – Trumbull '28) and Steven Shepherd (Yale College – Branford '27) sit down with Sydney Feeney, M.S., the Assistant Director of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale, as she embarks on her first Black History Month in this role.Born and raised in New Haven, she shares her journey from growing up in the city to her early career and education, highlighting the experiences that shaped her passion for student life and engagement. We dive into her motivations for working in cultural spaces like the AfAm House, her vision for supporting students, and what this month means to her personally and professionally.We also break down the Black History Month lineup at the AfAm House, discussing the impactful programs, speakers, and events that will celebrate and uplift Black culture, history, and community at Yale.Tune in for an inspiring conversation about leadership, legacy, and the power of cultural spaces in shaping student experiences!

In this episode of the AfAm House's student-run podcast, hosts Steven Shepherd and Selena Williams sit down with two special guests— Jesse Mullins and Lauren Grant From adjusting to new classes and balancing busy courseloads to coping with New Haven's winter weather, we're diving into the highs and challenges of starting the semester strong. We also chat about the upcoming housing draw, share tips for staying engaged and motivated, and explore fun things to do on and around campus. Whether you're a first-year navigating your first spring at Yale or a seasoned student reflecting on how far you've come, this episode has something for everyone. Tune in for laughs, real talk, and advice to help you make the most of the semester ahead!

In this episode the host, Steven Shepherd (BF '27), is in discussion with two families. Isabella Green (SM '28) and Marissa Chapman (SY '28) are joined by their parents Luis A. Chapman and Tiffany Brown to discuss the admissions and application process, college transition, camp yale experiences, and prospectives majors. This episode is intending to shed light on current campus life and to provide information for prospective students on the black student perspective. Instagram: @stevenssshep @bella._ag @marisaa.22 @tiffany_brown154

In this episode, we explore what it means to cultivate and maintain Black spaces at a predominantly white institution like Yale. Steven Shepherd (BR ‘27) Featuring Dean Timeica Bethel (JE ‘11) of the African American Cultural Center, Aubrey Vaughn from Detroit (BR ‘27), and Keith Pemberton (BR ‘27) from North Carolina, we dive into their experiences navigating Yale's PWI environment. Together, we discuss the importance of community, cultural identity, and the role of Black-led organizations in fostering a sense of belonging and resilience on campus.   @stevenssshep @aubreyysimone @keith_pemb22 @dean_bethel

For this episode of Welcome to the AfAm House, we present a Middle-Ground inspired episode in which we discuss different dialogues with 2 current first-years and 2 current seniors. We spoke with Dani Doss '24, Zada Brown '24, Hunter Robbins '27 and Miles Kirkpatrick '27 about their experiences at Yale and asked their opinions on certain statements. You can keep up with them by following them on Instagram at @danid6707, @zada.b_ , @hunnashane_, and @miles.kir.

Happy Black History Month!  In this episode of Welcome to the AfAM House newest podcast team member, Steven Shepherd speaks with three fashion-forward Yale first year students, Christian Daniels ‘27, Marame Diop ‘27, and Kellsie Lewis ‘27 about fashion while in college and some of their fashion hot takes. Diop and Lewis are also cofounders of a  new fashion group called FLY (Fashion Lifestyle at Yale) that functions as an outlet for creative and stylistic expression for students on campus . You can keep up with Christian, Marame, and Kellsie by following their instagrams, @christiandaniels_, @marame.ee, @Kellsielewis, as well as the FLY instagram @fly.yale. 

In this episode of Welcome to the AfAm House, we speak with Pennsylvania State Representative Chris Rabb ‘92 about his experiences as a Yale undergraduate in the 80s and 90s as well as his family genealogy. Representative Rabb is a descendant of the Livingstons— a wealthy slave owning family for which one of Branford College's courtyards is named after. In this episode, we untangle race, family genealogy, and Yale what that means in our current political moment. You can keep up with Representative Rabb on instagram @RepRabb. 

For this episode, we spoke with Malachi Beasley, Anaiis Rios-Kasoga, and Caleb Dunson about their work as Black creatives and what it means to be a Black artist at Yale and in the world at large. You can keep up with their work by following their Instagram @_malachibeasley, @anaiisrioskasoga, and @caleb.dunson.

In this episode, we speak with Assistant Dean of Yale College Risë Nelson about her tenure as Director of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale. We discuss her journey to Yale, how she ushered in a renaissance at the AfAm House, and her plans for the future as the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Yale University Library.

In this episode, Welcome to the (AfAm) House speaks with professional basketball player Damen Bell-Holter. Damen Bell-Holter was raised in Hydaburg, Alaska and has played for both Fortitudo Agrigento of the serie A2 and the Boston Celtics. Listen in to hear Bell-Holter's reflections on being Black and Indigenous, redefining the concept of masculinity, and lessons he has learned over the course of his life and career. To learn more about Bell-Holter and his work, go to his website at https://www.damenbellholter.com/.

Happy Black History Month! For this month's episode, we spoke with the Yale Sr. Associate Athletic Director Nathalie Carter as well as two Black student athletes, Laila Booker (women's soccer) and Audrey Leak (women's volleyball) in order to get insight into their experiences as Black administrators and athletes within the world of athletics at Yale University, as well as how they are working to improve this space for future generations of Black collegiate athletes. You can keep up with Yale Athletics by visiting their website at yalebulldogs.com as well as following their social media @Yaleathletics on both Twitter and Instagram!

Happy Indigenous People's Month! It is important that we uplift and support Indigenous peoples and Indigeneity across the world not just during the month of November but year round. You can support Dr. Ifunanya Nwanonyiri by listening to her podcast “Ọjị Abịala: An Igbo podcast” on Spotify and Soundcloud, and you can also keep up with the podcast by following their Twitter and joining their Clubhouse.

Ericka Hart Instagram: @ihartericka Website: http://ihartericka.com/ Wear Your Voice - They need to hit their patreon goal by Nov 30! Twitter: @WearYourVoice Patreon: @wearyourvoice patreon.com/wearyourvoice Baldwin 2nd Generation - Instagram Link to My Gender is Black article mentioned in the podcast

Rachel Naa-Du Laryea is a doctoral student in the joint degree program in Anthropology and African American Studies at Yale University and the founder of Kelewele, a plantain based food company. In the definition of culture, food is one of the main components. In her work with Kelewele Rachel continues a long tradition of connecting the African Diaspora through a known and beloved super food, plantain. Get Rachel's recipe book A Plantain Love Story here

From the 1960s-1980s, a group of Togolese women cloth traders were among some of the most powerful people in Togo. Their influence spanned the economical, social and political spheres. One of them became such an icon and inspiration, she was featured in Ebony magazine, a premiere magazine for African-Americans in the USA. We are learning about them from Marius Kothor, a PHD student in History at Yale University writing about the Nana Benz for her dissertation. Check out Marius' twitter here. You can check out pictures of mentioned Nana Benz member Eunice Adabunu here. Episode music if from Free Music Archive. The song is entitled Bless-Ups by Ketsa.

Our guest today, Nandipa Sipengane, join us today to talk about the importance and beauty of her indigenous language isiZulu.

Tanisha Townsend has cultivated a community of wine enthusiasts through an unyielding passion for oenology. As Chief Wine Officer of lifestyle agency Girl Meets Glass, Tanisha leads wine classes and tours in Paris (and virtually). She also hosts the podcast, Wine School Dropout. Her goal is to empower individuals with an advanced knowledge of wine & spirits in order to build confidence in their tastes and make choices as a better informed consumer.

Happy Earth Week! We need the Earth. Farmer and founder of Off Grid in Color, Chantel Johnson joins us today to talk about the ways Earth is communicating with us and ways we can more lovingly communicate with the Earth. Episode Questions What is the origin of the land you currently live on? Who were the original stewards of the land? What is/are your daily practice(s) for taking care of the Earth? How do you communicate with the Earth? How do you support Earth keepers? How are you disengaging from capitalism? Stay in touch with and support the work of OGIC! Website:www.offgridincolors.com Email:offgridincolor@gmail.com IG: www.instagram.com/offgridincolor/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/offgridincolor Farm Raiser: https://gofund.me/f2c8ccb1 Become a Sustaining Donor: https://pages.donately.com/offgridincolor/form/frm_ba7e87b92c77 Resources Learn more about the history of land left from Black farmers here Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing by Michele Elizabeth Lee Check out and support the work of other Black women farmers such as Tanya Fields of the Black Feminist Project, and organizations dedicated to Black farmers such as Acres of Ancestry

Emily Bernard is the the Julian Lindsay Green & Gold Professor of English at the University of Vermont and an award winning author. In this episode, we explore the concept of vulnerability, a powerful theme present throughout her latest book Black is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine. Episode Resources Emily Bernard’s website Why I Finally Forgave My Fathers Mistress by Emily Bernard Episode Question What does vulnerability mean to you? What are some of the ways you incorporate vulnerability into your life? Who are you able to be vulnerable with? What is the purpose of vulnerability? What makes you feel powerful? Is feeling powerful important to you? What story are you writing about yourself?

Ife Desamours Adeyeri is a PhD student at Yale University studying Microbiology. She joins us to talk about what it was like growing up in six different countries as the daughter of a UN Human Rights lawyer, and the many fascinating experiences she had during her gap year. Episode Questions 1) What are the places you want to travel to? What do you want to do when you get there? 2) How do you decide which places to travel to? What are your safety considerations? 3) When is the last time you did something new? Credits This episode was hosted, edited and produced by me, Shantrice King. Special thank you to the Afro American Cultural Center at Yale and our guest Ife Desamours Ayederi. Music provided by pixabay.com

Dr. Margo Okazawa-Rey aka DJ MOR Love, Joy is an activist and educator working on issues of militarism, armed conflict and violence against women. Margo was a member of the historic Black feminist Combahee River Collective. She is a founding member of the Afro-Asian Relations Council, East Asia-U.S. Women’s Network Against Militarism, and the Institute for Multiracial Justice and the International Network of Women Against Militarism. She has a long standing relationship to social justice work in South Korea and with the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling in Palestine. Episode Questions 1) What do you love? 2) What brings you joy? 3) How are you working to be in service of others? Resources Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities Breakdown of wealth gaps amongst Asians in the US Feminist Freedom Warriors by Mohanty & Carty (2018) http://feministfreedomwarriors.org/book.php Gendered Lives: Intersectional Perspectives by Kirk & Okazawa-Rey (2020) https://learninglink.oup.com/access/kirk-okazawa-rey-7e Credits This episode was hosted, edited and produced by me, Shantrice King. Special thank you to the Afro American Cultural Center at Yale and our co-sponsor for this episode, Asian American Cultural Center. Music provided by pixabay.com

James Forman Jr. is J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He attended public schools in Detroit and New York City before graduating from the Atlanta Public Schools. After attending Brown University and Yale Law School, he worked as a law clerk for Judge William Norris of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court. Professor Forman’s first book, Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America, was on many top 10 lists, including the New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2017, and was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Episode Questions 1) What is your role in making the world safe? What solutions are you working on? 2) In your new free world, who and what is present? Who and what is absent? 3) What work do you do and ho is it supported by the criminal legal system? Resources Center for Law and Racial Justice at Yale https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/10/21/salovey-announces-creation-of-new-center-for-law-and-racial-justice/ Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s Drum major instinct sermon Transcript : https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/drum-major-instinct-sermon-delivered-ebenezer-baptist-church Audio- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mefbog-b4-4 Lawyers for Black Lives http://www.law4blacklives.org/about-us Black History Buff episode on Mrs. Coretta Scott King https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1412528674?i=1000423095580&at=1000lSDb National Bail Out https://www.nationalbailout.org/

Rosa Clemente has been an organizer since the 1990s, working on and studying Black and Brown liberation efforts in the US. Her work has taken her from hip hop centered organizing with youth in Brooklyn as a part of the Malcom X Grassroots Movement to campaigning across the country as a Vice Presidential candidate in 2008 for the Green Party. Through it all, one thing that has always remained, her determination to show up and be her most authentic self. Bio Rosa Alicia Clemente is a Black-Puerto Rican woman born and raised in the Bronx, NY. She is an organizer, producer, independent journalist and scholar-activist. Rosa was the first ever Afro-Latina woman to run for Vice-President of the United States in 2008 on the Green Party ticket. She and her running mate, Cynthia McKinney, were to this date the only women of color ticket in American presidential history. She is a frequent guest on television, radio and online media, as her opinions on critical current events are widely sought after. As president of Know Thy Self Productions, she has produced several major community activism tours over the last 20 years. As a co-founder and national coordinator of the first ever National Hip-Hop Political Convention in 2003, Rosa helped bring together more than 3000 activists to create and implement a national political agenda for the Hip-Hop generation. She also co-founded the REACH Hip-Hop Coalition, a Hip-Hop generation-based media justice organization. You can learn more about her and her work on her website. Episode Questions 1) How does authenticity show up in your life? 2) Are you a part of any social movements? Do those spaces affirm you and allow you to show up as your whole self? 3) What are ways we can be sure to uplift our community members and comrades? 4) What has been authentic cost you? 5) What do you think you gain by being authentic? Resources Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines edited by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Mai'a Williams, China Martens Don't Leave Your Friends Behind: Concrete Ways to Support Families in Social Justice Movements and Communities by Victoria Law During our full interview Rosa talked about the Green Party's radical platform, here is a link to it. Credits This episode was hosted, edited and produced by me, Shantrice King. Special thank you to the Afro American Cultural Center at Yale and our co-sponsor for this episode, La Casa Cultural de Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center. Music from the episode is from bensound.com

A Tribute to the Black Yale graduating class of 2020. Special thank you to Alyssa Ince for sharing her rich experiences at Yale with us on this episode.

Alyse Robinson and Raajii Daniel are the Co-Presidents of the Black Student Alliance at Yale (BSAY). This interview provides a glimpse into their experiences as Black students and Black leaders at Yale . Stay up to date with BSAY by following them on their instagram, BSAY instagram, or checking out their website, BSAY website. Find out more about the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale by checking out our website and following us on instagram.

Two Black Churches, same city, different work. Music in this episode is by Universal Jubilaires and the song is entitled childhood days

This week's episode of Welcome to the (AfAM) House explores traditions of healing amongst Black people in the United States. Our guests for this episode are Dr. Deidre Cooper Owens, Thema Haida, Hanifa Nayo, and Leonne Tanis. Through their rich knowledge, we delve into the stories of the earliest known Black healers, Black women, and move through history to investigate how Black people have retained traditions that keep them healthy and cared for. Guest Speaker Bios Dr. Deidre Cooper Owens is the Charles and Linda Wilson Professor in the History of Medicine and Director of the Humanities in Medicine program. She is also an Organization of American Historians’ (OAH) Distinguished Lecturer. Her first book, Medical Bondage: Race, Gender and the Origins of American Gynecology (UGA Press, 2017) won the 2018 Darlene Clark Hine Book Award from the OAH as the best book written in African American women’s and gender history. Professor Cooper Owens is also the Director of the Program in African American History at the Library Company of Philadelphia, the country’s oldest cultural institution. Stay connected and learn more about her by visiting her website. Thema Haida is the co-founding Practitioner of One Village Healing. is a certified Usui/Holy Fire Reiki Master Teacher, a 200hr Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Instructor, and a certified Advanced Metaphysical Healing Practitioner. While holding a space of non-judgement and care, Thema combines Reiki with intuitive energy assessments to facilitate and guide people on their healing journey to wholeness. Her practice as a energy healer and yoga instructor has focused on supporting community activists, artists, healers, and people of color- the people that hold and bring life to communities that are most affected by racism, systematic oppression and inequality. . Hanifa Nayo Washington is the Principle Organizer and co-founding Practitioner of One Village Healing. She is an award winning cultural activist, storyteller, singer songwriter, performing artist, and a certified Usui/Holy Fire Reiki Master Practitioner who graduated from Beloit College in 2001 with a B.A. in Communications & Russian & Soviet Studies. Hanifa is a former Arts Fellow of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund and currently works with The Word Poetry, Co-Creating Effective and Inclusive Organizations (CEIO), serves as an Intern for Beyond Diversity 101, and is a leader of the New Haven Community Leadership Program. As a cultural activist Hanifa views her creativity as a radical tool for liberation, healing, and community building. Most recently Hanifa was awarded a Phenomenal Woman in the Arts Award by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. Leonne Tanis is a change agent, evolving leader, former finance executive and current student midwife. Leonne Tanis left her 15 year financial career to pursue her calling in midwifery. Leonne’s mission is to change the birthing profession for birthing people especially black women and persons and people within the LGBTQIA community. Leonne believes that birthing care should be centered around the person giving birth and her/his/their chosen support structure. Leonne is a Haitian-American with an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a Master’s of Science in Nursing candidate at the Yale School of Nursing a Board member of the National Association to Advance Black Birth. This episode is hosted, written and produced by Shantrice King.