Anti-Racism Studies – Week 1 & 2 Recap

I figured that my Work from Home (WFH) series needed a title change to better align with what’s been happening in the past few weeks. But rather than detail my experiences – let me be more specific – rather than detail my white passing experiences, I will elevate the voices of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) who are doing amazing work and have been far before white people’s recent awakening to racism. So, here are some of my favorite voices from the past two weeks:

The Stoop – Ep. 34: The Black Introverts

This episode in particular drew me in right away and is the first one of this podcast I listened to. It brought to my attention my own narrow views and prejudices that I wasn’t even aware of. Beautifully narrated and produced, this episode breaks down what it’s like to be a Black introvert with the hosts sharing their own experiences and interviewing others. Here is their description of this episode:

Why might things be different for a Black introvert? When write Sequoia Holmes broke it down in her essay “Black Women aren’t allowed to be Introverted” we wanted to stoop this out some more. So we sent our introverted producer Jessica Jupiter out to find answers. In this episode, we’re digging into how it can be different to be an introvert while Black. We also hear from nonprofit organizer and educator Kelly Wickham Hurst who has focused on correcting the ways we treat introverted Black students.

The Stoop

While only 25 minutes in length, this episode is filled to the brim with important information and poignant stories. I encourage you to take 25 minutes to listen:

I Weigh with Jameela Jamil Ep: ALOK

With the increased awareness of the rate at which Black people are murdered in this country, I’ve also become more keenly aware of the violence that befalls the transgender community, in particular the BIPOC transgender community. I’ve been so incredibly ignorant to these injustices and there is no excuse for it. In particular when listening to Jamil’s episode during which she interviews ALOK, a “…gender non-conforming writer and performance artist“, my heart broke repeatedly as they detailed the violence they’ve had to endure simply because they do not to conform to the socially constructed gender binary. Furthermore, the two of them dive deeply into the history of the transgender community, gender fluidity and the gender non-binary. Here is a quick description of the episode:

Indian-American writer, performance artist, and media personality ALOK joins Jameela this week to discuss all things Trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary, the problem with those who are gender-critical & TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists), and how to be a better ally to those that are shunned by the rest of the world.

Earwolf & Jameela Jamil

I highly recommend this episode to anyone who finds themselves ignorant to the these issues:

Dave Chappelle – 8:46

I’m having a difficult time putting into words exactly what this show is about. So I’ll give you a snippet of the Chicago Tribune’s review:

He talked about the tape of Floyd’s murder, the hubris of cops who had their hands in their pockets as Floyd, calling for his dead mother, was being choked to death. From there Chappelle tackled the bravery and leadership of protesters, and ripped on CNN anchor Don Lemon’s call for celebrities to step up: “(He) expects me to step in front of the streets and talk over the work these (protesters) are doing … as a celebrity?” asked Chappelle. “Answer me: Do you want to see a celebrity right now? Do we give a … what Ja Rule thinks? No!”

Lorraine Ali

Truly, this is not so much a comedy show as it is Chappelle expressing his frustration and exhaustion at the continued state of racial injustices in this country using history, current events and personal stories. Regardless of what you may think of Chappelle or his comedy, this is a set you must listen to:

---

What are some of your favorite BIPOC voices? Share them in the comments below.