Talk of the Hill: Recent Episodes
Hillary Nguyen & Tabatha Armstrong
Talk of the Hill helps you to step out of your comfort zone by digging deep into varied perspectives on topical issues. Discover more about our communities through conversations with special guests that cover everything from history and culture to entertainment and life advice. This podcast series is a collaborative work between UNB's International Student Advisor's Office and the Faculty of Arts. Your hosts are Hillary Nguyen and Tabatha Armstrong. We recognize and respectfully acknowledge that the UNB student experience takes place on unsurrendered and unceded traditional lands of Wolastoqik
Perfect timing for this episode to be released since it's almost time that a lot of our fresh grads are looking for jobs and their career paths after graduation. In this episode, Raven and Tosin discussed how we can examine and speak up about racial injustice, tokenism, EDI and delve deeper into why black employees are sometimes hesitant to open up in corporate settings, how to help employees overcome challenges, and ways we can all strengthen allyship in the workplace.
Visit Tosin's start up company, Welkom-U: https://www.welkom-u.ca | The focus is about providing tailored solutions to improve settlement and integration experiences for immigrants.
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
Welcome back to Talk of the Hill Podcast! It's been a whirlwind year but now we've returned with an important conversation along with our amazing guest speakers, Shogonya, Kola and Harmony. Following the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, an unarmed black man who pleaded that he couldn’t breathe while he was held down with a knee by a police officer, America is on fire. All across the US as well as Canada, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in demand for justice and police accountability.
Social media activism is a form of protest or advocacy for a cause that uses social media channels. Because hashtags play a central role in mobilizing movements, the term is often used interchangeably with hashtag activism.It includes promoting awareness and showing solidarity through the use of hashtags, posts, and campaigns. Genuine social media activism is supported by concrete actions, donations, and measurable commitments to change but there have also been a lot of performative activism in media and arts.
In this episode, we discuss how social media users interact with #BLM and, thus, modify the framing of the movement. And everyone reflects on their perspective as newcomers of Black Lives Matter and shares their new knowledge and point of view and how we can move forward from here. This episode is the first in a two-part series on Black Lives Matter.
Check out Harmony's music album via this website https://www.przmlabel.com/press/all
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
In this episode, we invited Disha Bisto who's a UNB alumna to share with us about her journey unlocking her intersectional identity after she arrived in Canada and how this journey has helped her to fully integrate who she is with the needs of this world.
Learn more about Disha's non-profit organization 'Written Support Ecrit SB Foundation' | https://www.writtensupportecritsbfoundation.org
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
In this episode, we sat down with Ty MaGee (President of St. Thomas University Student's Union), Sofia Mehlitz (Internal Coordinator of the 203 Centre) & our favourite drag queens in the Fredericton area, Freeda Whales and Succubus to deep dive into the topics around 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, being queer in New Brunswick, coming out and the ongoing issues in these spaces including racism and transphobia. Freeda and Succubus also opened up about their experiences in the drag community and shared some tips on how people can get involved as a performer - "show up to our shows and have fun, we want to get to know you", said Freeda.
Queer spaces in Fredericton area:
- On-campus: 203 Centre, UNBSU LGBTQIA2S+ representative, Diversity within Engineering (Engiqueers).
- Off-campus: Monarch (Nightclub & Drop-in Centre), Imprint Youth, Fredericton Gender Minorities Group, QT Fatties NB, AIDS NB, Fierte Fredericton Pride, BIPOC Pride, 2 Spirit Association in Fredericton
Social media handles:
The 203 Centre | Facebook | Instagram
Freeda Whales | Instagram
Succubus | Instagram
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
In this episode, co-hosts Xiuming and Niko chat with Hayden Richardson and Caen Squires from UNB’s Human Rights and Positive Environment Office (HRPEO). Their conversation highlights important resources and collaborative initiatives, including the new Chosen Name and Gender Identity Policy and EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) framework, that contribute to building a more compassionate, inclusive, and diverse campus community. HRPEO and their initiatives have a vital role to play in all of this and so do you; in fact, it all starts with you.
https://www.unb.ca/initiatives/equity-diversity-inclusion/index.html
https://ccdi.ca/ - UNB is an employer partner
With Halloween right around the corner, TOTH Podcast comes out with a short episode focused on this spooky holiday. We’ll explore the Celtic origins of Halloween and Jack-o-lanterns and hear the classic ghostly tales and legends from Vietnam and China. We recommend you to listen to this episode in the dark.
You can follow the timestamps below for each one of the story:
Halloween and Jack-o-lanterns - 0:54
Beijing No.375 Bus - 5:37
The ghost of the empty can (a spooky children’s game) - 10:00
Sources:
Harrison’s Pumpkin Sacrifice: https://thebruns.ca/2021/10/11/pumpkin-sacrifice-tradition-spans-over-four-decades/
Roman God Janus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janus
Stingy Jack https://www.history.com/news/history-of-the-jack-o-lantern-irish-origins
The Story of the Jack-o-lantern (Jessica Traynor) https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/the-story-of-jack-o-lantern-if-you-knew-the-sufferings-of-that-forsaken-craythur-1.4065773
Mummering https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummering
Trick or Treating https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating
What is Samhain? (Cady Lang) https://time.com/5434659/halloween-pagan-origins-in-samhain/?utm_source=pocket_mylist
Samhain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain
The 5 most famous urban legends in China https://pandayoo.com/2021/01/17/the-5-most-famous-urban-legends-in-china/
3 thrilling spooky games in Vietnam https://saigoneer.com/saigon-culture/2556-3-thrilling-vietnamese-games-to-play-during-the-month-of-ghosts
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
We have an announcement to make - Tabatha and Hillary will be retiring from their roles as co-hosts for Talk of the Hill Podcast. However, we're thrilled to introduce you to our brand new co-hosts who will be taking over the stage, bringing more perspectives and continuing the enlightened conversations starting from...now! Listen to this short episode to learn a little bit about Ridhi, Niko and Xiuming.
Niko Coady (She/Her/Hers), she's a fifth year arts student doing a double major in psychology and gender & women’s studies, and a certificate in family violence issues.
Xiuming "Xiu" Shi (She/Her/Hers) is a 2021 graduate from Renaissance College. She's the co-founder and co-president of Shades of Change—an organization that creates initiatives to fill the gaps for racism and discrimination education.
Ridhi Sharma (She/ Her/ Hers) is in her third year of Nursing. As a co-host, she wants to facilitate and collaborate on candid conversations that bring light to issues seen in our community but haven't received their due limelight yet.
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
Music used in this episode:
By The Light of the Silvery Moon by E's Jammy Jams Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...Music provided by FreeMusic109 https://youtube.com/FreeMusic109
Track: We Were Young — Vendredi [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: youtu.be/apBsft8E-hc
Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/we-were-young
Your co-hosts decided to mix things up this summer with a book review! We read Nghi Vo's magical realism retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Both stories are set in the hazy heat of a New York summer in the 1920s making for excellent summer time reading. Nghi Vo's reimagining of the classic is told through the eyes of Jordan Baker, an enigmatic side character in the original. Vo expands Jordan character to explore themes of race, sexuality, class, and magic with the hot and uproarious setting of New York becoming a literal underworld of intrigue. Listen in to hear our thoughts! Note - there will be spoilers so keep that in mind if you haven't yet read the book.
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
Music used in this episode:
By The Light of the Silvery Moon by E's Jammy Jams Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...Music provided by FreeMusic109 https://youtube.com/FreeMusic109
Track: We Were Young — Vendredi [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: youtu.be/apBsft8E-hc
Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/we-were-young
What does it mean to indigenize and decolonize our communities? How about our universities and academic disciplines? With the recent (and heartbreaking) discovery of hundreds more unmarked graves containing the remains of children taken by the Canadian state and placed in residential schools, these questions are being given increasing and long overdue attention across Turtle Island (and Canada). In this episode, our guests explore their own perspectives on indigenization & decolonization through the lens of their experiences as students in Forestry and Environmental Management at UNB.
Resources:
Native Land Digital - https://native-land.ca/
The Wabanaki Collection - https://www.wabanakicollection.com/
4020 Capstone Projects - https://www.unb.ca/fredericton/forestry/current-students/hands-on-learning/4020-capstone-projects.html
The Medicine Walkers: A Guide to Indigenous Plants at the UNB Woodlot - https://medicinewalkers.wixsite.com/projectdescription
Meskeyi ("to make it right" - a word used in both Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqey) Working Group - https://www.facebook.com/UNBMeskeyiStudentSociety
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
Music used in this episode:
Track: We Were Young — Vendredi [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: youtu.be/apBsft8E-hc
Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/we-were-young
Anti-Asian discrimination and racism have a long history in the U.S. and Canada and tend to worsen during periods of tension and fear. In honor of Asian Heritage Month this May, we’re hosting an array of diverse voices discussing their experiences and thoughts on historical events that highlight the challenges and struggles Asian immigrants and Asian Canadians have experienced for decades in Canada. By sharing these perspectives, we hope to promote understanding of others’ experiences to help celebrate and advocate for Asian communities. Let’s continue to educate, speak out, and uplift.
Trigger warning: Some audiences may find this episode upsetting. Please listen at your own discretion.
Special thanks to Shades of Change and our guest speakers in this episode:
Xiuming Shi
Sohan Kobiri
Jharana Luitel
Bhavya Pratap Malhotra
Sue Tran
Anna Lee Leblanc
Gurleen Bansal
Tashi Yangzom Dorji
Shina Hoang
Tram Ngo
Zainab Salman
Wenxin Xue
Ella Nguyen
Winnie Shi | The Voice Podcast (Voice of Immigrant Canadians)
Shifa Taj
Duc Le
Ankita Menon
Nina Long
Asian Heritage Month Resources:
- Government of Canada—Important Events in Asian Canadian History
- CBC website: Canada’s Asian Heritage Month - RCI celebrates and highlights the Canadian histories and issues pertinent to Asians in Canada. This Website includes an audio clip of Vivienne Poy speaking about the origins of May as Asian Heritage Month. This website also offers resources that focus on Japanese Canadian, Chinese Canadian, and Vietnamese Canadian histories.
- Canada's Asian Heriage Month - This website highlights how different Canadian provinces are acknowledging and celebrating Asian Canadian history during the month of May.
- NFB Asian Content Films - NFB films that focus on Asian Canadian and Asian Diasporic content.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia—Racial Segregation of Asian Canadians
- Government of Canada - Asian Heritage Month website highlights resources such as posters and video clips featuring histories and current content pertaining to Asian Heritage and Canadians of Asian descent.
- Radio Canada International: Asian Heritage Month website provides information on Asian Heritage celebrations in major countries across Canada.
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
One of the most highlighted celebrations in March is International Women’s Day on March 8. To keep the conversation going beyond just one day, Episode 3's discussion focuses on intersectional feminism. The goal of feminism is to achieve gender equality and justice for people of all genders. To this end, feminism investigates and challenges gender-based injustice, inequality, and oppression. Intersectional feminism emphasizes the need to understand, acknowledge and challenge the ways in which gender-based oppression and discrimination are influenced by a person's social and political identities. It acknowledges that systems and forces oppression like racism, classism, ableism, and more intersect to affect one's experience in the world. In this episode, we chat with four members of the University Women's Centre (UWC) to explore their perspectives on the current feminist movement, intersectionality, tokenism, inclusivity, activist work in our community, and the services & support offered by the UWC.
Timestamps for trigger warnings:
Mention of sexual violence on campus 10:31 - 11:16 | Mention of Atlanta shooting and the Anti-Asian racism 19:16 - 22:43
Email: universitywomenscentre@gmail.com | Instagram: @uwomenscentre | Facebook: @universitywomenscentre
Website: https://uwomenscentre.wixsite.com/2020
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
Music used in this episode:
Track: The Valley — tubebackr [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: youtu.be/gFfJN7GSNHg
Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/valley
Track: We Were Young — Vendredi [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: youtu.be/apBsft8E-hc
Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/we-were-young
In recent years, the realities of campus sexual assault (and sexual violence in general) have been gaining visibility and generating important discussions. More than ever before, survivors are speaking out about their experiences. Despite growing public discussion and awareness, some voices are still going unheard in this conversation. Chief among them are the voices of international students. This episode delves into the unique perspectives of international students and the challenges they face related to sexual violence. Our guests opened up about their upbringings, opportunities they have had to be educated about topics related to sex and sexual violence, and how their perspectives have changed since moving to Canada.
Sexual Assault Support And Resources: https://www.unb.ca/initiatives/sexualassault/
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
Music used in this episode:
Track: The Valley — tubebackr [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: youtu.be/gFfJN7GSNHg
Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/valley
Track: We Were Young — Vendredi [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: youtu.be/apBsft8E-hc
Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/we-were-young
Matthew MacLean has been a counsellor for 10 years focusing on large-scale, mental health and resilience interventions through the development and sharing of resilience narratives. He also developed and coordinates several peer-based programming initiatives at the University of New Brunswick. In this episode, we discuss his journey as a mental health strategist, finding balance between taking care your own mental wellness and helping others and how to stay well during the pandemic.
Follow Matt on Youtube: bit.ly/36JYA6q
Find more mental wellness resources and information: www.unb.ca/fredericton/student…llness/counselling/
Questions about our podcast? Email isao@unb.ca.
Music used in this episode:
Track: The Valley — tubebackr [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: youtu.be/gFfJN7GSNHg
Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/valley
Track: We Were Young — Vendredi [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: youtu.be/apBsft8E-hc
Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/we-were-young