Sisters on a Sofa: Recent Episodes
Reina and Rachel McKenzie
A lifestyle and culture podcast by sisters Reina and Rachel McKenzie. They delve deeper into their experiences as two of few young Black people growing up in a predominantly White suburb of Chicago.
In this first installment of the Sisters on a Sofa Summer Survey Series, Reina and Rachel discuss the results of a recent survey posed to their followers who responded to the prompt: children should respect their parents no matter what.
Song sung briefly at the beginning is Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. We do not own the rights to this song.
After a few months of a break, Reina and Rachel give a life update on what they've been up to, how they've been handling the pandemic, and what life changes they're looking forward to in the upcoming months. In regards to finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for some of their goals, the sisters reflect on what they would tell their younger selves now that they have been able to push through some challenging times.
Song performed during outro is ATLANTIC by emawk. We do not own the rights to the music.
TRIGGER WARNING: Vulgar language
Language is powerful as a tool and as a weapon. In this episode, Reina and Rachel discuss the origins of the infamous "n word," how the Black community has reclaimed it and why as well as their own opinions of the word and the weight it holds.
Articles referenced in this episode:
If You Truly Knew What the N Word Meant to Our Ancestors, You Would NEVER Use IT: https://theundefeated.com/features/if-you-truly-knew-what-the-n-word-meant-to-our-ancestors-youd-never-use-it/
N****r (the word), a brief history: https://aaregistry.org/story/nigger-the-word-a-brief-history/
Reina and Rachel are both avid readers, and take some time to highlight their favorite Black fiction, fantasy and sci-fi authors. They discuss the importance of having representation in books, being able to see yourself in stories, and how others can relate to stories about diverse characters.
Author Websites
Tomi Adeyemi: https://www.tomiadeyemi.com/
NK Jemisin: http://nkjemisin.com/
Sharon M Draper: https://sharondraper.com/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/90229330-reina-fair?shelf=black-authors
Religion, faith, spirituality, God...what does any of it have to do with race? As it turns out, a whole lot. In this second feature episode, Reina and Rachel invite Love Out Loud Podcast host Holli to the sofa (virtually) to discuss how race impacted their religious and spiritual journeys.
Love Out Loud Links
Instagram: @loveoutloud595
Facebook: Love out Loud (Community)
YouTube: Love Out Loud
Podcast: anchor.fm/holli-leslie
Featuring our first feature episode! In this episode, Reina and Rachel revisit effects of racial bias, but go beyond childhood and into young adulthood and higher education. This episode features Megan Counter, a professional in the field of higher education, student affairs and social justice scholar. Megan discusses how to better educate oneself on matters regarding race and social justice; the harmful effects of racism on all of society; and steps to take towards remediating its harms.
In this episode, Reina and Rachel take a few moments to relax, and enjoy a game of Would You Rather...which ends up taking quite the toll on Rachel towards the end!!
Who remembers this line from the Beyonce song? In this episode, Reina and Rachel break down the basics of afro hair; their personal hair journeys and how long it took for them to embrace their natural curls; the cultural and historic roots behind head-wraps and cornrows; and the discrimination individuals face today for simply wearing their natural hair.
"Children are too young to learn about race. It's not appropriate for them to learn about racism." You may have seen these statements or similar ones floating around on the internet. You may have heard them from those in your social circles. Unfortunately, for Black children, they have to learn about race. They do not have the luxury of taking or leaving it. Reina and Rachel dive into some hurtful racism and biased remarks or behaviors they encountered as children as young as 2 years old, why it is appropriate to educate children on race, and five steps you can take to encourage conversations surrounding race in your home or classroom.
Songs referenced: Speechless (Magic Interlude) by sectiontoo
Black Owned Business Shout Out: Bask and Bloom
Books Referenced: Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson and Bringing the Outside In by Mary McKenna Siddals
Would you help someone you didn't know if it meant risking your own well-being? Can you live a normal life without lying? Reina and Rachel tackle these questions and more as they take a look at a handful of ethics questions in this "moral compass" episode.
COVID-19 has the whole world on lock-down these days, and it feels an awful lot like an apocalypse. Luckily, Reina and Rachel have been preparing for this very moment. In this thought-provoking episode, the sisters ponder what their life would be like in a dystopia, how they would handle these hypothetical situations, and how the world today mirrors an apocalyptic scenario.
What does it mean to be "one of the good ones?" What is the harm in separating people into the goods and the bads? What is implied when we are told that "insert race/gender/etc here" don't do this, that or the other? In this episode, Reina and Rachel tackle--very sleepily--one of the microaggressions they received often as adolescents and young adults.
Reina and Rachel are back!! After being deterred by technical difficulties, the sisters spent a year brainstorming for their grand comeback in 2020. This first episode back is lighthearted as a means to bring joy and a bit of laughter in the midst of the world-wide covid-19 pandemic. The sisters sing their own renditions of a selection of songs in a battle to see who can get the words "the least amount of wrong."
We do not own the rights to these songs.
Buttermilk by Beau Diako feat emawk
Vantablack by Novo Amor, Ed Tullet
Trophies by sectiontoo feat willie mason
John Redcorn by SiR
Can We Talk by Tevin Campbell
Hurry Up This Way Again by The Stylistics
School is for ABC's and 123's....but Black History? Not so much. Reina and Rachel talk about how race played a role in their schooling, what they weren't taught about their culture, and how they hope to educate others.
Reina and Rachel start with the statement they've gotten all through their lives, and dive deeper into what this implies, how it's harmful to people of color, the definition of microaggressions, and code-switching.
"What if I'm the first Black person this baby has ever seen?" That's just the first thought that kicks off this episode. Reina and Rachel discuss situations and conflicts that people of color think about on a regular basis.
Is there such a thing as "White people music" or "Black people music?" In this first episode, Reina and Rachel discuss how the music they listen to plays a role in their identities, why they listen to what they listen to, and randomly break out into song.