Kuumba Hineni: A Podcast On Intersectionality More Than Just Skin Deep: Recent Episodes
Jewfolk, Inc.
Enzi Tanner, a black, trans, Jewish community organizer in Minneapolis, hosts the show that dives into the intersectional lives many in the Jewish community lead, and how those intersections come together and inform. The title is a combination of the Swahili word Kuumba, which means "to create," and the Hebrew word Hineni, which literally means "I am here," but often is used to denote presence.
Enzi and Graie wrap up a busy Black History Month (or Black Futures, depending on how you look at things), including a historic Super Bowl, and Viola Davis gaining EGOT status. Plus they take that joy and bring us into Adar, the Jewish month of Joy.
As host Enzi Tanner turns 39, he and returning guest Graie Hagens talk about outliving expectations as black men in America, poignant poetry that discusses the black experience, and the joy of looking to the future -- not just the past.
Who are you? Who do you want to be? And can you get to that place in an authentic way? In the first episode of 2023, Enzi encourages us to begin to think about living our lives authentically. And really being willing to challenge the status quo, not just externally but also internally.
On the final episode of 2022, Enzi looks back at what has been a year of big changes for him and looks ahead to what he hopes can be in 2023. What are you hoping to see next year?
As it's getting dark earlier and the nights last longer, it's the perfect time to sleep more to recharge. But it's also the month of Kislev -- the month of dreaming. Enzi talks sleep, dreams, and the power of renewal with Reuven McCullough, a sleep technician and rabbinical student at ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal.
Text study https://assets.nationbuilder.com/jewishaction/pages/16462/attachments/original/1670619738/Bend_the_Arc_Hanukkah_Text_Study.pdf?1670619738
Terms discussed:
Kislev - a Jewish month at the edge of fall and winter. It is the month of Hanukkah.
Samekh - The 15th letter in the Jewish alphabet. The word samekh means "support" in Hebrew
Keshet - the word means "bow" like the rainbow or bow of 'bow and arrow.' It is also the Hebrew word for the constellation Sagittarius.
Kivah - An internal organ, some think the milk stomach of a ruminant.
Marah - the gall bladder
Graie Hagens is back this week to talk with Enzi about the shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs on Nov. 19, and the fear that comes from being black, trans and Jewish in public.
Enzi talks with Graie Hagens, one of the founding members of the Black Jewish Liberation Collective, about anti-Black racism and antisemitism, while addressing the social and political impact of the recent antisemitic remarks by Ye and Kyrie Irving. Note: this episode was recorded before the elections so some of the predictions didn't age too well!
https://www.blackjewishliberation.org/
Election Day is next week, and campaigns are always looking for volunteers to text, call or doorknock. How can you help do this vital work for your candidates of choice if you are neurodivergent? Enzi, who has talked about his fairly recent autism diagnosis, talks about he manages this stressful time of year.
We're back! After a hiatus getting used to life at a new job, Enzi talks with producer Lonny Goldsmith about his new job with Bend The Arc, and what topics he's planning to tackle on the new season!
Laura Monn Ginsburg, a board member of National Council of Jewish Women, talks with Enzi this week to discuss the recent leak of the Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, and the upcoming Jewish Rally For Abortion Justice.
If you’re unable to join be in Washington, D.C., tune in at 9 a.m. EDT for the livestream at jewishrally.org. Check @NCJW on social for more details.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is something many Jewish non-profit professionals may be able to take advantage of. Plus, in a Shmita year, why debt forgiveness is a Jewish value.
For more info: https://studentaid.gov/pslf/
This week, Enzi welcomes Kristina Berg, the director of engagement for Children's Home and Lutheran Social Services to discuss the fostering and adoption system in Minnesota, and how the Jewish community can play a part.
For more information: email welcome@chlss.org, or go to https://chlss.org
This week, in the wake of the Minneapolis teacher's strike settling, Enzi looks back at the 1968-69 strike in New York, the Jewish community's part in it, the Civil Rights movement coming to a head, and the myths about relationships.
In honor of Trans Day of Visibility, Enzi welcomes long-time friend Chris Paige to talk about how they observe this day and why increased visibility of the trans community is vital.
People and topics discussed on the show:
OtherWise Academy: https://otherwiseacademy.com/
“Transgender-Affirming Spiritual Care: A Bibliographic Essay” in Theological Librarianship (forthcoming, peer-reviewed, 15:1, Spring 2022): https://serials.atla.com/theolib
Jonathon Thunderword, From Christendom to Freedom: https://otherwiseengagedpublishing.com/2020/04/06/from-christendom-to-freedom-journey-making-with-a-black-trans-elder/
Liam Hooper, Trans-Forming Proclamation: https://otherwiseengagedpublishing.com/2020/06/23/trans-forming-proclamation-a-transgender-theology-of-daring-existence/
Transfaith: https://www.transfaith.info/
Lynn Young: https://www.transfaith.info/articles/two-spirit-my-journey-home
Bobbie Jean Baker: https://www.transfaith.info/articles/bobbie-jean-baker-memorial-fund-bjb
TransTorah: http://www.transtorah.org/index.html
Max Strassfeld, TransTalmud: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520382053/trans-talmud
Joy Ladin: https://joyladin.wordpress.com/
Louis Mitchell: https://www.revlouisjmitchell.org/
Virginia Mollenkott: https://www.virginiamollenkott.com/
Monica Roberts: https://transgriot.com/about/
Enzi talks about the ongoing situation with WNBA star Brittney Griner being jailed in Russia, and how race, gender and sexual orientation intersect in her on-going ordeal.
On this week's pod, Enzi welcomes his former boss, soon-to-be former Jewish Comunity Action Executive Director Carin Mrotz, to talk about organizing the Jewish community around issues of public safety.
https://www.pollenmidwest.org/stories/a-new-story-of-safety/
Enzi talks this week about the killing of Amir Locke by Minneapolis SWAT officers executing a no-knock warrant on the morning of Feb. 2. Can we reimagine the way we look at public safety?
To open Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, Enzi talks about the autism diagnosis he received last year, and how that has given him clarity on many of the challenges he has faced prior to learning this piece of himself.
Enzi is back after a brief hiatus of rest and recuperation to talk about grieving, how grief looks different to everyone, and how there is no timeline for how long you should be allowed to grieve. Also, Enzi talks about goalsetting for 2022, reflects back on goals he set last year, and teases a new class on Torah and abolition that he'll be teaching.
Transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/6xZ5d7mPRWe
For interfaith families, this time of year can be a really challenging one. Even with an early Hanukkah, the conflict that many families may have is still very real and even anxiety-producing. How can it be avoided?
This week, Enzi recaps the important St. Paul election referendum on rent control from Election Day by welcoming Jamie Kavanah from JCA and the Keep St. Paul Home campaign to talk about how being unhoused hits intersectionality in many different ways.
https://www.housingequitystp.org/ksph
https://www.housingequitystp.org/rent_hike_form
On a special episode, Enzi acknowledges Trans Day of Remembrance by reading the names -- that we know of -- of those whose lives were taken in anti-trans violence, while also challenging everyone to think about what it looks like to celebrate the lives of trans and gender-nonconforming.
Approaching 10 years since his conversion, this week Enzi answers a listener's questions that asks what was his journey that led him to join the Tribe.
This week, Enzi reads a new revision of his 2006 poem 'I Spit,' and shares some of the reasons for the choices he made in 2006, and why he made certain changes in the new iteration.
With National Coming Out Day less than a week away, Enzi tells his coming out story -- which is ongoing the more he learns about himself.
Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WjeCDXFNPapfHUi-U6UB93qVqjTW2-kxKh6Hm1DSei0/edit?usp=sharing
Enzi welcomes guest Jack Anderson, who talks about growing up in an Evangelical Christian world, and the dangers of Christian Nationalism to Jews and non-Jews alike.
In the spirit of Elul, Enzi talks about the documentary "Pray Away" and reflects on his own time immersed in Exodus International and conversion therapy.
This week, Enzi talks with Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg about being Jewish and living on Native land, and what allyship with Native Americans looks like.
Enzi talks with Cicely Hunter, a scholar, educator, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion professional who focuses on race, Black social movements, visual culture, and urban studies during the late 19th and 20th centuries, to discuss the importance of the Harlem Renaissance, historical memory, and Juneteenth becoming a holiday.
This week, Enzi does a deep-dive explanation of Disability Pride Month, and gives some helpful tactics to be a helpful ally without overstepping.
TRANSCIPT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1geSLcU_j79JNHYTrCxjac67NUIIR5HEbh7BhMnilPsA/edit?usp=sharing
This week, Enzi welcomes acclaimed author Elizabeth Hinton to talk about her newest book "America On Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s," as they discuss many of the societal issues that have led to so much of what we've seen in the past 50-plus years.
This week, Enzi is joined by Miriam Graham from J-Pride and Brandon Schorsch from Jewish Community Action, to cover important Pride Month topics, including how does yesteryear’s Nazism impact the rhetoric of today’s antisemitism and queerphobia.
https://www.facebook.com/JPrideMN/
https://jewishcommunityaction.org/
https://tcjewfolk.com/who-the-folk-brandon-schorsch/
https://tcjewfolk.com/who-the-folk-miriam-graham/
After marking the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre last week, Enzi talks about when he learned about it for the first time, how it connects to the horrors Jews faced in eastern Europe decades prior, and how by calling it a massacre rather than a "race riot," we give it the proper perspective on what took place.
https://forward.com/culture/470529/the-tulsa-massacre-wasnt-a-race-riot-it-was-a-pogrom/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NtKG68gup3nXZNmSZ_WvBdZGk4Q9Orti2PiJRm_YEI0/edit?usp=sharing
Welcome to Episode 1! Get to know our host Enzi Tanner, what intersectionality is, and why -- as we mark one year since the murder of George Floyd -- Minnesota is the right place to center some of these discussions. Plus Enzi drops a beautiful poem based on Psalm 23.
Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q7556pWc_JaNUwfCN-Ijx3IRfZVR7WblGjP9p1HK2Po/edit?usp=sharing