Huskie Conversation Cafe Podcast

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Café Podcast, we present a recorded lecture on the legacy of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable featuring Dr. Courtney Joseph. This lecture, recorded in October of 2021, brought the NIU community together to discuss the importance of oral history and storytelling in research and preserving the legacy of important historical figures such as Jean Baptiste Point du Sable who might otherwise be forgotten in the common practice of whitewashing history. Dr. Joseph provides some history of du Sable’s life before diving deep into her work. The episode concludes with a Q&A with Dr. Joseph and a call to action: visit the newly dedicated du Sable Hall on the NIU Campus!

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Find Dr. Joseph’s oral histories project here: https://hamoc.libraryhost.com/exhibits/show/joseph-oral-histories
Check out the Haitian American Museum of Chicago here: https://hamoc.org/
See more of Dr. Joseph here: https://www.courtneypjoseph.com/
Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://calendar.niu.edu/department/academic_diversity_equity_and_inclusion

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Cafe, your host J Pappas (they/them) is joined by NIU Police Department officer Andrew Sotomayor (he/him).

J and Andrew discuss ways to challenge bias in police, how a legacy of police brutality creates generational trauma, and alternative models of engagement with civilians that are more aligned with the values of protecting and serving. They reference chapters 13, 17, and 18 in today’s episode.

Debrief Questions
What are your reactions to Trevor’s experiences with the police in his community?
Do you see any parallels between South African and American law enforcement strategies? Why or why not?
What alternative models to traditional law enforcement do you think may be successful?
In what ways can we make an impact in our local law enforcement against racism, violence, and oppression?

Episode Sources
https://media.africaportal.org/documents/paper42.pdf
Mengistu, Berhanu; Pindur, Wolfgang; and Leibold, Marius (2000) "Crime and Community Policing in South Africa,"African Social Science Review: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/assr/vol1/iss1/2

Continue Engaging!
Find Andrew and his colleagues here: https://www.niu.edu/publicsafety/index.shtml
Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://calendar.niu.edu/department/academic_diversity_equity_and_inclusion
Register for a CODE workshop here: https://www.niu.edu/diversity/education-training/code-workshops/index.shtml

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Cafe, your host J Pappas (they/them) is joined by fellow Huskies Maliyah Davis (she/her), Ayan Manning (she/her), Dallas Douglass (he/him), Nani Quezada (she/they), Justin Smith (he/him), Parth Chokski (he/him), Devon Wenger (he/him), and a student who wished to remain anonymous.

J and their guests discuss the opportunities that have shaped their lives, side hustles, and what institutions of higher education can do to better support their students. They reference chapters 12, 15, 16 in this episode of the podcast.

Thanks to Dulce Hernandez (she/her/ella) for conducting several of the live interviews that you will hear in today’s episode.

Debrief Questions
What was your socioeconomic status while growing up? How did that impact the way you moved through the world?
Did you ever or do you now have a “side hustle?” Do you feel that this is a necessary tool for younger people in America today?
What financial or social support structures have helped you throughout your life?
In what ways can we make an impact in our communities against poverty?

Episode Sources
https://bit.ly/3i3aYDY
https://bit.ly/3o3e2na
https://bit.ly/39C7TWy
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/south-africas-economy-in-5-charts/
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-DeKalb-Illinois.html
https://bit.ly/3lX0ua1

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Find the Huskie Food Pantry here: https://www.niu.edu/food-pantry/get-food/using-pantry.shtml
Find other DeKalb community resources here: https://www.niu.edu/food-pantry/get-food/community-resources.shtml
Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://calendar.niu.edu/department/academic_diversity_equity_and_inclusion
Register for a CODE workshop here: https://www.niu.edu/diversity/education-training/code-workshops/index.shtml

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Cafe, your host J Pappas (they/them) is joined by fellow Huskies Erin Marie Barker (she/her), Scott Tyler (he/him), Abby Byer (she/her), and Brian Griffin (he/him).

J and their guests discuss what family means to them, how we know that a community values us, the NIU community, and what their dream future communities might look like. They reference chapters 6, 7, 8, and 10 in this episode of the podcast.
Thanks to Dulce Hernandez (she/her/ella) for conducting several of the live interviews that you will hear in today’s episode.

Debrief Questions
How did your family dynamics growing up shape the way you see the world today?
What messages, phrases, or sayings did you hear commonly growing up?
What is a community that is important to you? What makes it important to you?
How do you know that you are in a community that values you and wants you there?
In what ways can we make an impact in our communities against racism, violence, and oppression?

Episode Sources
https://wp.bridgewater.edu/mtembo/articles/the-traditional-african-family/
https://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/South-Africa.html

Continue Engaging!
Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://calendar.niu.edu/department/academic_diversity_equity_and_inclusion
Register for a CODE workshop here: https://www.niu.edu/diversity/education-training/code-workshops/index.shtml

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Cafe, your host J Pappas (they/them/theirs) is joined by Dr. James Cohen (he/him/his), an associate professor of ESL/Bilingual education at Northern Illinois University.

J and Dr. Cohen discuss education, the importance of access and representation in the classroom, ways to teach with inclusion in mind, and why knowing yourself is critical for social justice, equity, and inclusion. They reference chapters 5 and 11 in this episode of the podcast.

For NIU education majors, check out Educate Global here: https://www.cedu.niu.edu/educate-engage/educate-global/index.shtml
Read more about antiracism here: https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist/
Read more about our nation’s history here: https://www.isabelwilkerson.com/, https://www.ibramxkendi.com/stamped

Debrief Questions
Think about your own educational experiences. What was your favorite class in school? Why did you enjoy it?
Did you ever have a time in your educational journey where you felt “othered” like Trevor? What happened?
What would make your classrooms a better place for learning? What would you change about schools?
In what ways can we make an impact in our school communities against racism, violence, and oppression?

Episode Sources
Research conducted by Dulce Hernandez (she/her/hers/ella), Graduate Assistant for Social Justice Education.
https://web.stanford.edu/~jbaugh/saw/Lizet_Education_Inequity.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35427853
https://stanfordmag.org/contents/education-after-apartheid
https://borgenproject.org/south-african-education-crisis/

Continue Engaging!
Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://calendar.niu.edu/department/academic_diversity_equity_and_inclusion
Register for a CODE workshop here: https://www.niu.edu/diversity/education-training/code-workshops/index.shtml

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Cafe, your host J Pappas (they/them/theirs) is joined by Pastor Joe Mitchell (he/him/his), Senior Pastor at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb, IL!
J and Joe discuss religious practice, the intersections of racial and religious communities, the role of gender in religion and faith, and how religious communities can be a central force in healing and reconciliation. They reference chapters 1 and 3 in this episode of the podcast.

Find more about New Hope Missionary Baptist Church here: http://www.newhopeofdekalb.org/
Join in a community discussion on public safety at New Hope on September 8th, 2021, from 6:30-8:00pm. Be a part of the conversation on how to make our communities more inclusive and safe!

Debrief Questions
What communities are you a part of that make you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself? What makes you feel that way?
How do you see religion and spiritual practice being accepted or not accepted in your communities?
In what ways can religious communities support work for social justice and community uplift?
In what ways can we make an impact in our religious communities against racism, violence, and oppression?

Episode Sources
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/african-traditional-religion
https://web.archive.org/web/20180612163044/https://www.ipsosglobaltrends.com/importance-of-religion-or-faith/
https://www.gcis.gov.za/sites/www.gcis.gov.za/files/docs/resourcecentre/pocketguide/004_saspeople.pdf
https://crlcommission.org.za/
http://www.africana.ru/biblio/afrocentrism/12_Harnischfeger.htm
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/major-religions-in-south-africa.html
http://www.ips.org/africa/library/publications/ips_culture_religion_and_genderhandbook.pdf
http://countrystudies.us/south-africa/53.htm
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/religion-by-country

Continue Engaging!
Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://calendar.niu.edu/department/academic_diversity_equity_and_inclusion
Register for a CODE workshop here: https://www.niu.edu/diversity/education-training/code-workshops/index.shtml

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Cafe, your host J Pappas (they/them/theirs) is joined by Dr. Mehdi Semati (he/him/his), Professor and Chair in the Department of Communication at Northern Illinois University.

J and Mehdi discuss culture and language, how the two create one another, the importance of common language, and communication and humor as a form of civic engagement and activism. They reference chapters 4 and 14 in this episode of the podcast.
Find Dr. Semati’s new co-authored book, Iran and the American Media, here: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030748999

Debrief Questions
Where do you see language informing culture in your community?
How is language weaponized in our communities today to increase othering?
In what ways can we make an impact in our communities regarding language and culture? How can we be more inclusive of different languages?

Episode Sources
https://southafrica-info.com/arts-culture/11-languages-south-africa/#:~:text=Afrikaans%20became%20an%20official%20language%20in%20South%20Africa,make%20up%2013.5%25%20of%20the%20country%E2%80%99s%20total%20population.
https://www.dhet.gov.za/reports%20doc%20library/development%20of%20indigenous%20african%20languages%20as%20mediums%20of%20instruction%20in%20higher%20education.pdf
https://libcom.org/history/1976-the-soweto-riots
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/june-16-soweto-youth-uprising
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4168870.pdf
http://salanguages.com/timeline.htm
https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/language-policy-and-oppression-south-africa

Continue Engaging!
Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://calendar.niu.edu/department/academic_diversity_equity_and_inclusion
Register for a CODE workshop here: https://www.niu.edu/diversity/education-training/code-workshops/index.shtml

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Cafe, your host J Pappas (they/them/theirs) is joined by Tamara Boston, (she/her/hers) a proud double alumna of Northern Illinois University and seasoned project coordinator for the Office of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
J and Tamara discuss the history of apartheid, the parallels between South Africa and America, raising a biracial child in both cultural contexts, and why the history of apartheid is still relevant today. They reference chapters 2 and 9 in this episode of the podcast.

Debrief Questions:
What did you know about apartheid before this book? What do you know now?
Do you see any parallels between Trevor's’ and your own life and communities? What do they look like?
In what ways do violence and oppression over race still happen worldwide today?
In what ways can we make an impact in our communities against racism, violence, and oppression?

Episode Sources:
https://buzzsouthafrica.com/apartheid/
https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/apartheid-1948-1994/
https://www.history.com/news/apartheid-policies-photos-nelson-mandela
https://www.history.com/topics/africa/apartheid
https://www.oneearthfuture.org/opinion-insights/truth-and-reconciliation-south-african-model

Continue Engaging!
Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://calendar.niu.edu/department/academic_diversity_equity_and_inclusion

Register for a CODE workshop here: https://www.niu.edu/diversity/education-training/code-workshops/index.shtml

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Café, your host J Pappas (they/them/theirs) is joined by Northern Illinois University associate professor and author of White Fatigue: Rethinking Resistance for Social Justice, Dr. Joe Flynn (he/him/his).

In the final of two episodes of this interview, J and Joe discuss white fatigue, identity development, social justice education, activism, antiracism, and the role of white folks in movements for racial justice and equity.

On White Fatigue:
“White Fatigue: Rethinking Resistance for Social Justice explores how what passes for multicultural education in schools is often promotion of human relations and tolerance rather than a sustained critical examination of how race and racism shape social, political, economic, and educational opportunities for various groups, both historically and currently. Simultaneously, our nation’s social mores have changed over time and millions of White Americans find racism morally reprehensible. This book illustrates that despite that shift, it is not uncommon to experience White Americans―in classrooms and other spaces―struggling to understand how racism functions. White fatigue is an idea that helps explain and differentiate this struggle for better understanding among White folks who feel racism is wrong but do not yet have an understanding of how racism functions. White Fatigue ultimately argues that if we are to advance our national conversation on race, educators must be willing to define reactions to conversations about race with more nuances, lest we alienate potential allies, accomplices, and leaders in the fight against racial injustice.” -Peter Lang Publishers

Register before April 9th for the Hateful Things Exhibit at the NIU Pick Museum: Hateful Things exhibit at the Pick Museum - Northern Illinois University (niu.edu)

Find White Fatigue: Rethinking Resistance for Social Justice here: White Fatigue (peterlang.com)

Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://go.niu.edu/sjeregistration

Register for a CODE workshop here: https://www.niu.edu/diversity/education-training/code-workshops/index.shtml

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.

Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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CW: Discussions of sexual assault, hate crimes, racial violence, suicide ideation, and terrorism.

This week on the Huskie Conversation Cafe, your host J Pappas (they/them) is joined by cohosts Jasmine Ivy and Starr Lee from the office of Academic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for an exclusive conversation with Dr. LaVonya Bennett.

In this full-length interview, J, Jasmine, Starr, and LaVonya discuss racial trauma, insidious trauma, healing, intersectionality, and how the current socio-political climate impacts folks with marginalized racial identities.

On Dr. LaVonya Bennett:

Dr. LaVonya Bennett attended the University of Oklahoma where she obtained her bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in African and African American studies, master’s in human relations with a counseling emphasis, and doctorate in Counseling Psychology. Dr. Bennett is currently completing a post-doctoral fellowship at the largest medical facility in the nation, where she is the LGBT Interprofessional Care resident. Her areas of research center intersectionality, identity, and trauma/anxiety among marginalized and oppressed communities. Specifically, her published and in progress research has been on LGBTQ+ equity, police brutality and trauma responses, insidious trauma and race-based traumatic stress, white fragility and complacency, and healing spaces for women. Her clinical expertise parallel her scholarly endeavors. Clinically, Dr. Bennett’s areas of expertise include affirmative therapies for LGBTQ+ and racially marginalized individuals, interventions for race-based traumatic stress, anxiety, and trauma.

Find Therapy for Black Girls here: https://therapyforblackgirls.com/

Find Kevin Nedal’s work here: https://www.kevinnadal.com/books

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.

Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This week on the Huskie Conversation Café, your host J Pappas (they/them) is joined by Northern Illinois University associate professor and author of White Fatigue: Rethinking Resistance for Social Justice, Dr. Joe Flynn (he/him/his).

In the first of two episodes of this interview, J and Joe discuss how early racialized experiences impacted his adult perspective, the process of writing a book and curriculum development, and the surprisingly positive experience of writing a book on this topic at this moment in history.