Active Allyship...it's more than a #hashtag!": Recent Episodes

Sunni Dayz & Lisa Davis, MPH

Active Allyship... it’s more than a #hashtag! Now is the time for honest, unfiltered conversation. For authentic voices and their stories. And for connection. Join Sunni and Lisa as they confront the moment head-on with a podcast that’s as substantive, passionate, and as real as the lives behind the headlines."Active Allyship… it’s more than a #hashtag!" goes beyond the likes, the retweets, and the hashtags, making space for the vital dialogue necessary for racial justice. Allyship calls for self-reflection, support for other perspectives, and hearing other voices. Sunni and Lisa dig deep in each episode, getting to the heart of: What it takes to be an ally How racism exists in ways you don’t see The dos and don’ts of talking to friends and family about racism How good intentions in fighting for racial justice aren’t always enough How racist feelings or biases aren’t just reserved for the KKK or hate organizations Guilt and the myth of the white savior* The steps everyone must take to dismantle systemic racism in everyday life.Allies matter. Together—through honesty, tears, laughter and good faith—we make a difference. The vital healing, collaboration, and uplift humanity needs depends on allies. Are you ready to become an active ally?

Sunni and Lisa are taking a hiatus from the podcast. Please continue to follow us on instagram @activeallyship.podcast

We appreciate you!!

Lisa is solo and is joined by Kate Sloan who talks about her upcoming book, 200 Words to Help You Talk About Sexuality & Gender. Based in Toronto, Canada, Kate Sloan is a journalist, blogger, podcaster, and educator who has been writing about sex online and in print for over five years. On her blog she writes twice a week about sex, kink, relationships, fashion, beauty, writing, and mental health.

ABOUT 200 Words to Help You Talk About Sexuality & Gender

It's frustrating not having the proper vocabulary to describe how you're feeling.

Have you ever felt self-conscious when talking about a subject you aren't familiar with? Do you want to support your friends or loved ones when they come out to you but you don't want to say the wrong thing? Or maybe you're exploring your gender or sexual identity and can't figure out the correct term for what you're feeling.

Let 200 Words to Help You Talk About Sexuality & Genderhelp navigate those conversations. The newest offering from Laurence King and Kate Sloan guides readers through the sometimes overwhelming topics of sexuality and gender. By offering 200 definitions of frequently used terms, 200 Wordsbecomes the perfect guidebook to speaking with confidence on these topics.

Our list of words fall under multiple categories to cover the wide range of vocabulary. From topics such as Gender Identities and Expression to Attraction & Desire, you'll learn which words are inclusive and which are archaic and offensive. We know gender and sexuality can seem like a big subject to decode, let us guide you through it.

Sunni and Lisa talk about Kentajo Brown Jackson and more!

This is a re-play of an episode of our interview with Sunni and Lisa Propaganda about his book, Terraform: Building a Better World

From https://www.prophiphop.com:

…a poet, political activist, husband, father, academic & emcee With LA flowing through his veins & armed with a bold message, Propaganda has assembled a body of work that challenges and guides. Propaganda’s ideas stem from where he sits at the intersection. He sees how cultures cross and inspire one another, and can see the oneness of us all. Propaganda will cause you to nod your head, but more importantly he will stretch your mind & heart.

Book description: Terraform: Building a Better World

In this debut collection of essays and poetry, musician, speaker, and activist Propaganda inspires us to create a better, more equitable world.

“If we get to make the very cultures that shape who we are, then let us remake them in the best way possible.”

In this deep, challenging, and thoughtful book, Propaganda looks at the ways in which our world is broken. Using the metaphor of terraforming—creating a livable world out of an inhospitable one—he shows how we can begin to reshape our homes, friendships, communities, and politics.

In this transformative time—when we are redefining what a truly just and equitable world looks like, and reflecting on the work that needs to be done both in our spiritual and secular lives—Propaganda rallies readers to create that just world. He sheds light on how nefarious origin stories have skewed our views of ourselves and others and allowed gross injustices, and demonstrates how great storytelling and excellent art can create and shape new perspectives of the world and make all of us better.

Sunni and Lisa talk share their thoughts on the situation with Will Smith and Chris Rock.

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Mary Ann Sieghart, the author of The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Taken Less Seriously Than Men and What We Can Do About It .

Book description: The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Taken Less Seriously Than Men and What We Can Do About It .

Imagine living in a world in which you were routinely patronized by women.

Imagine having your views ignored or your expertise frequently challenged by them.

Imagine people always addressing the woman you are with before you.

Now imagine a world in which the reverse of this is true.

The Authority Gap provides a startling perspective on the unseen bias at work in our everyday lives, to reveal the scale of the gap that still persists between men and women. Would you believe that female US Supreme Court Justices are interrupted four times more often than male ones...96 percent of the time by men? Or that British parents, when asked to estimate their child's IQ, will place their son at 115 and their daughter at 107?

Marshalling a wealth of data with precision and insight, and including interviews with pioneering women such as Baroness Hale, Mary Beard, and Bernadine Evaristo, Mary Ann Sieghart exposes unconscious bias in this fresh, feminist take on how to address and counteract systemic sexism in ways that benefit us all.

The Brady Bunch and a splash of the United Colors of Benetton, that’s what Heather Mathes, author of Paid to Be Perfect: The Secret to Finding Your Perfect was marinated in!

Lisa and Sunni have a follow-up conversation - Lisa originally interviewed Heather on her podcast Naturally Savvy. Heather’s story definitely goes beyond that conversation. The ladies get into Heather’s background which includes her adoption, which was extraordinary.

She was adopted by a white family who actually fought to make sure “Love” was at the center of the decision - Love over Race. Yes, I know!

Not to give too much away, but Heather’s biological parents were an interracial couple back in the day, like the 70’s. So you can imagine the thought process for adoptions. Listen up, so that you can get into this conversation - very insightful and enlightening! The richness of cultures in Heather’s family is all about Love!

Optimism-sauce, that’s what Brendan Slocumb was marinated in! What a phenom! An amazing violinist and author, his debut novel is called “The Violin Conspiracy”. According to Brendan, the book parallels his real life by like 92%, so it’s pretty close to real-life experiences - Brendan’s lived experiences actually.

The book, whew! This conversation! The connection that Sunni and Brendan have is akin to six degrees of separation - such a really small world! Lisa was fortunate enough to interview Brendan for his book tour, wait, did you listen? If not, you’ve got to be sure to listen, let’s call it the “Introduction - Overview - Interview”.

This black man’s gifts are super natural. Simple stated, he’s a creative who’s talents cross platforms seamlessly. Do you know where the roots from classical music came from? Have you been to a symphony before? We discuss the importance of “exposure” - it’s a theme during this conversation. Young, Seasoned, Black, White and everyone in between, classical music is for everyone!

Lisa is hosting solo and is joined by Brendan Slocumb, who talks about his book, The Violin Conspiracy.

Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was born in Yuba City, California and was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in music education, concentrations on Violin and Viola. While at UNCG, Brendan was the concertmaster for the University Symphony orchestra and served as the principal violist. He performed with numerous small chamber ensembles, including flute and clarinet choirs, and in the BESK string quartet.

As a musician, Brendan has performed on violin with the Washington Metropolitan Symphony, the McLean Symphony, the Prince George's Philharmonic, and the Alexandria Symphony. He currently serves as the concertmaster for the

NOVA- Symphony Orchestra. Brendan has been a frequent adjudicator and guest conductor for several district and regional orchestras throughout North Carolina and Virginia. He also performs chamber music with members of the Annandale symphony. He maintains a private music studio teaching lessons to students on violin, guitar and piano.

He is the founder of the nonprofit organization, Hands Across the Sea, based in the Philippines. After touring the Philippines with the Northern Virginia Chamber Ensemble and witnessing firsthand the conditions that many of the young music students and their families endure, Brendan founded the Hands Across the Sea to offer support to the Berea School of the Arts in Manila, by providing instruments, lessons, and monetary support. The organization also supplements school supplies and dental and medical assistance.

In his spare time, Brendan enjoys writing, exercising, collecting comic books and action figures, and performing with his rock band, Geppetto's Wüd.

BOOK DESCRIPTION: The Violin Conspiracy

Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. If he’s lucky, he’ll get a job at the hospital cafeteria. If he’s extra lucky, he’ll earn more than minimum wage. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music.

When he discovers that his great-great-grandfather’s beat-up old fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach. Together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Ray will have to piece together the clues to recover his treasured Strad ... before it’s too late.

With the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s great-great-grandfather asserting that the instrument is rightfully theirs, and with his family staking their own claim, Ray doesn’t know who he can trust—or whether he will ever see his beloved violin again.

Lisa is hosting solo today and is joined by Wayne Francis, who talks about the book he wrote with John Siebeling. Wayne Francisleads the New York City location of The Life Church and was the founder and lead pastor of the former Authentic Church, which merged with The Life Church in early 2020. Wayne and his wife, Claudene, have been married for twenty years and have two beautiful teenage daughters, Haleigh and Ryleigh.

For years, Pastors John Siebeling and Wayne Francis have led thriving congregations that are the embodiment of diversity; Siebeling in Memphis and Francis in New York City. Many churches and leaders have sought their counsel, hoping to emulate their success.

At the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in Summer 2020, they pooled their insights and experiences to help others facilitate conversations about racism. The guide they developed is the basis of God and Race.

Siebeling and Francis examine the White-Black tension from both perspectives and answer all the uncomfortable questions we’re afraid to ask—regarding ourselves, our families, our work and relationships, and the church. Most important, they provide practical steps anyone can take to become part of the solution.

Whether you are a church leader or just a caring person who wants to make a difference, God and Race provides inspiration and guidance to help you become an agent of reconciliation and change. These two wise pastors teach you how to find your voice and join in healing, to help bring our divided communities together with open minds, open hearts, and open hands.

Many Christian books on race either do not ask the hard questions or, if they do, speak as critics outside the mainstream church. Siebeling and Francis probe the meaning of racial reconciliation and reveal how the church can be a positive and effective leader to move us forward, beyond hate and injustice, to equality and love.

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Maya Washington who talks about her book THROUGH THE BANKSOF THE RED CEDAR:My Father and the Team that Changed the Game.

Maya Washington is the award-winning Writer/Director and Producer of Through the Banks of the Red Cedar and author of the memoir by the same name. Maya’s multi-media work has garnered fellowships and/or awards from Jerome Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Minnesota Film and Television, and others. She is a 2019 Commercial Directors Diversity Program finalist and workshop participant, and a 2019 McKnight Fellow in Media Arts. In 2021 she teamed up with Committee Films as a guest director for the Heidnik episode of the Fox series The Killer Next Door, and two upcoming episodes of History Channel’s new show, I Was There, which will debut in 2022. Her award winning film CLEAR, about a woman connecting with her teenage daughter after a 16-year prison sentence for a crime she didn’t commit, is streaming on Argo and KweliTV. Her award-winning narrative film, White Space (starring ABC Family Switched at Birth’s Ryan Lane) aired on network television as a selection of African American Short Films and is streaming on KweliTV. Maya began her creative career as a dancer turned musical theatre actor in the Twin Cities vibrant theatre community as a child performer. While at USC, she studied acting, directing, film and dramatic writing, which allowed her to explore her passion for storytelling in a variety of mediums, later pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at Hamline University. Her background on stage/camera and behind the scenes has given her the opportunity to work on everything from live theatre, commercials and print ads, to web series, films and television, and regularly publishes creative writing in esteemed literary journals and reviews. She gives back to the next generation as a speaker and workshop presenter, focusing on the development of youth, arts, and education. As the Creative Director of Running Water Entertainment, LLC, Maya is dedicated to projects that have a sense of “purpose” in the world, selecting stories that illuminate some aspect of the human experience that is untold, rarely seen, or might benefit from new approaches to issues of Diversity & Inclusion, primarily in America. Her projects have had a global reach, including Toronto, Budapest, Hong Kong, Berlin, and Rome.

Book Description

A warm and invigorating memoir about a daughter’s love for her father and her appreciation for how he and others changed the game of football forever.

Gene Washington’s football career ended long before his daughter Maya was born. She never saw the legendary powerhouse as anything but her dad. She didn’t yet grasp the impact he’d had on the sport—and on America. To understand his historic role in the integration of college football, witness his influence on generations that followed, and fully appreciate his legacy, Maya had a lot of catching up to do.

Maya retraces her father’s journey from the segregated south to Michigan State during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement and his journey as an NFL pioneer after the 1967 draft. She reflects on how her father’s childhood—and the racism he faced—shaped her upbringing and influenced his expectations of her. She also discovers how unbreakable the emotional bond between teammates can be. But above all, Maya and her father get to know each other. As their own bond deepens, so does Maya’s connection to the sport that changed the trajectory of her father’s life…and hers.

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Majora Carter who talks about her book, Reclaiming Your Community: You Don’t Have to Move out of Your Neighborhood to Live in a Better One.Majora Carter is a real estate developer, urban revitalization strategy consultant, MacArthur Fellow and Peabody Award winning broadcaster. She is responsible for the creation and successful implementation of numerous economic developments, technology & green-infrastructure projects, policies and job training & placement systems.

Carter applies her corporate consulting practice focused on talent-retention to reducing Brain Drain in American low-status communities. She has firsthand experience pioneering sustainable economic development in one of America's most storied low-status communities: the South Bronx.

She and her teams develop vision, strategies and the type of development that transforms low-status communities into thriving mixed-use local economies. Her approach harnesses capital flows resulting from American re-urbanization to help increase wealth building opportunities across demographics left out of all historic financial tide changes. Majora's work produces long term fiscal benefits for governments, residents, and private real estate developments throughout North America.

In 2017, she launched the Boogie Down Grind, a Hip Hop themed speciality coffee & craft beer spot, and the first commercial “3rd Space” in the Hunts Point section

of the South Bronx since the mid-1980s. This venture also provides a rare opportunity for local families to invest through SEC approved online investment platforms.

Majora is quoted on the walls of the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture in DC:

"Nobody should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one”.

Her ability to shepherd projects through seemingly conflicted socio-economic currents has garnered her 8 honorary PhD's and awards such as: 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs, Silicon Alley 100 by Business Insider, Liberty Medal for Lifetime Achievement by News Corp, and other honors from the National Building Museum, International Interior Design Association, Center for American Progress, as well as her TEDtalk (one of six to launch that site in 2006).

She has served on the boards of the US Green Building Council, Ceres, The Wilderness Society, and the Andrew Goodman Foundation.

Majora was born, raised and continues to live in the South Bronx. She is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science (1984), Wesleyan University (1988 BA, Distinguished Alum) and New York University (MFA). After establishing Sustainable South Bronx (2001) and Green For All (2007), among other organizations, she opened this private consulting firm (2008) - which was named Best for the World by B-Corp in 2014.

While at Sustainable South Bronx, Carter deployed MIT’s first ever Mobile Fab-Lab (digital fabrication laboratory) to the South Bronx - where it served as an early iteration of the “Maker-Spaces” found elsewhere today. The project drew residents and visitors together for guided and creative collaborations.

In addition, Majora Carter launched StartUp Box, a ground-breaking tech social enterprise that provided entry-level tech jobs in the South Bronx, operating it from 2014-2018. Majora Carter has helped connect tech industry pioneers such as Etsy, Gust, FreshDirect, Google, and Cisco to diverse communities at all levels.

BOOK DESCRIPTION: Reclaiming Your Community: You Don’t Have to Move out of Your Neighborhood to Live in a Better OneHow can we solve the problem of persistent poverty in low-status communities? Majora Carter argues that these areas need a talent-retention strategy, just like the ones companies have. Retaining homegrown talent is a critical part of creating a strong local economy that can resist gentrification. But too

Sunni and Lisa weight in on the Holocaust controversy with Whoopi Goldberg.

Lisa is hosting solo today and is joined by James Kilgore, an educator, writer and activist based in Urbana, Illinois to talk about his book, Understanding E-Carceration: Electronic Monitoring, the Surveillance State, and the Future of Mass Incarceration.

James Kilgore is an educator, writer and activist based in Urbana, Illinois. He writes widely on issues of mass incarceration and the politics and history of southern Africa. He has written four novels, all of which he drafted during his six and a half years in prison.

He is also the author of a primer on the prison-industrial-complex: Understanding Mass Incarceration: A People's Guide to the Key Civil Rights Struggle of Our Time. When he is not writing, he works in his community to fight against jail building and to open door of opportunity for people with felony convictions.

Book Description:

A riveting primer on the growing trend of surveillance, monitoring, and control that is extending our prison system beyond physical walls and into a dark future—by the prize-winning author of Understanding Mass Incarceration

“James Kilgore is one of my favorite commentators regarding the phenomenon of mass incarceration and the necessity of pursuing truly transformative change.” —Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow

In the last decade, as the critique of mass incarceration has grown more powerful, many reformers have embraced changes that release people from prisons and jails. As educator, author, and activist James Kilgore brilliantly shows, these rapidly spreading reforms largely fall under the heading of “e-carceration”—a range of punitive technological interventions, from ankle monitors to facial recognition apps, that deprive people of their liberty, all in the name of ending mass incarceration.

E-carceration can block people’s access to employment, housing, healthcare, and even the chance to spend time with loved ones. Many of these technologies gather data that lands in corporate and government databases and may lead to further punishment or the marketing of their data to Big Tech.

This riveting primer on the world of techno-punishment comes from the author of award–winning Understanding Mass Incarceration. Himself a survivor of prison and e-carceration, Kilgore captures the breadth and complexity of these technologies and offers inspiring ideas on how to resist.

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Celeste Headlee who talks about her latest book, Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism - and How to Do It.Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist who has appeared on NPR, PBS World, PRI, CNN, BBC and other international networks. She was formerly a host at National Public Radio, anchoring shows including Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. For many years, Celeste has been a mentor and managing editor for NPR’s Next Generation Radio Project, training young reporters and editors in broadcasting.

Celeste is co-host to the Scene on Radio podcast—MEN with the podcast’s producer, Duke University’s CDS audio director, John Biewen. John describes the season: “Co-host Celeste Headlee and I will take a similar approach to the Seeing White series, which explored the history and meaning of whiteness. With MEN, we’ll be asking questions like, What’s up with this male-dominated world? Is male supremacy inevitable? How did we get sexism/patriarchy/misogyny, and what can we do about it?”

Celeste will co-host new episodes of The Retro Report with Masud Olufani. Retro Report is a non-profit news organization that produces mini documentaries looking at today’s news stories through the lens of history and context.

Until February, 2017 Celeste was the Executive Producer and host of the daily talk show called “On Second Thought” for Georgia Public Broadcasting in Atlanta. You can listen live to On Second Thought, weekdays from 9 – 10 a.m. EST on the GPB News website. Click here for archives from past shows.

In 2014, Celeste narrated the documentary “Packard: The Last Shift” for the Detroit Free Press. She has won numerous awards for reporting from the Associated Press and SPJ. She was selected twice to be a Getty/Annenberg Journalism Fellow and was selected as a fellow with the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources. She was also among the first fellows in Reporting on Native Stories for National Native News.

Until September of 2012, Celeste was the co-host of the national morning news show, The Takeaway, from PRI and WNYC and anchored presidential coverage in 2012 for PBS World Channel.

BOOK DESCRIPTION - Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism - and How to Do It.In this urgently needed guide, the PBS host, award-winning journalist, and author of We Need to Talk teaches us how to have productive conversations about race, offering insights, advice, and support.

A self-described “light-skinned Black Jew”, Celeste Headlee has been forced to speak about race - including having to defend or define her own - since childhood. In her career as a journalist for public media, she’s made it a priority to talk about race proactively. She’s discovered, however, that those exchanges have rarely been productive. While many people say they want to talk about race, the reality is, they want to talk about race with people who agree with them. The subject makes us uncomfortable; it’s often not considered polite or appropriate. To avoid these painful discussions, we stay in our bubbles, reinforcing our own sense of righteousness as well as our division.

Yet we gain nothing by not engaging with those we disagree with; empathy does not develop in a vacuum and racism won’t just fade away. If we are to effect meaningful change as a society, Headlee argues, we have to be able to talk about wha

Lisa is hosting solo today and is joined by Howard French to talk about his latest book, Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War. Howard French is a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Prior to joining the Columbia faculty, in 2008, he was a reporter and senior writer for The New York Times, where he worked as a foreign correspondent for more than two decades. During this time, French served as the paper's bureau chief in Shanghai, Tokyo, Abidjan and Miami (covering Central America and the Caribbean).

French's documentary photography has featured in solo and group exhibitions on four continents, and collected by the Mildred Lane Kemper Museum in St. Louis.

For more information about his work, please visit his website: howardwfrench.com or follow him on twitter: @hofrench.

Book Description:Revealing the central yet intentionally obliterated role of Africa in the creation of modernity, Born in Blackness vitally reframes our understanding of world history.

Traditional accounts of the making of the modern world afford a place of primacy to European history. Some credit the fifteenth-century Age of Discovery and the maritime connection it established between West and East; others the accidental unearthing of the “New World.” Still others point to the development of the scientific method, or the spread of Judeo-Christian beliefs; and so on, ad infinitum. The history of Africa, by contrast, has long been relegated to the remote outskirts of our global story. What if, instead, we put Africa and Africans at the very center of our thinking about the origins of modernity?

In a sweeping narrative spanning more than six centuries, Howard W. French does just that, for Born in Blackness vitally reframes the story of medieval and emerging Africa, demonstrating how the economic ascendancy of Europe, the anchoring of democracy in the West, and the fulfillment of so-called Enlightenment ideals all grew out of Europe’s dehumanizing engagement with the “dark” continent. In fact, French reveals, the first impetus for the Age of Discovery was not―as we are so often told, even today―Europe’s yearning for ties with Asia, but rather its centuries-old desire to forge a trade in gold with legendarily rich Black societies sequestered away in the heart of West Africa.

Creating a historical narrative that begins with the commencement of commercial relations between Portugal and Africa in the fifteenth century and ends with the onset of World War II, Born in Blackness interweaves precise historical detail with poignant, personal reportage. In so doing, it dramatically retrieves the lives of major African historical figures, from the unimaginably rich medieval emperors who traded with the Near East and beyond, to the Kongo sovereigns who heroically battled seventeenth-century European powers, to the ex-slaves who liberated Haitians from bondage and profoundly altered the course of American history.

While French cogently demonstrates the centrality of Africa to the rise of the modern world, Born in Blackness becomes, at the same time, a far more significant narrative, one that reveals a long-concealed history of trivialization and, more often, elision in depictions of African history throughout the last five hundred years. As French shows, the achievements of sovereign African nations and their now-far-flung peoples have time and again been etiolated and deliberately erased from modern history. As the West ascended, their stories―siloed and piecemeal―were swept into secluded corners, thus setting the stage for the hagiographic “rise of the West” theories that have endured to this day.

Sunni and are chat about the article, What Made Black History in 2021? "After the tumult and triumphs of 2020, here are the achievements that shaped the first year following the country’s racial reckoning." By Dodai Stewart 12/17/2021

Here is the article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/17/us/black-history-2021.amp.html

Listen to here the highlights!

Sunni and Lisa are joined once again by Amy Bauer, the creator of www.karensdaughter.com

She is back to update us on her journey and much more!

This is from her website - Hi, my name is Amy and I’m a Karen. My truth is rooting in growing up in a white, patriarchal society that taught me the white male is.

If you’re reading this and do not think this is true, then I encourage you to ask yourself how have you benefited from a white patriarchal society. When I was 15, I was offered a job filing papers in the Accounting Department at the local Glass Bottling Manufacturing Plant. I had this job through high school and partially through college. This meant that I didn’t have to work fast food, retail, or in a bar/restaurant
because I had office experience.

Amy’s career has been eclectic. Starting in her teens working at a glass bottling manufacturing plant, to post college corporate public relations, to a decade building community in the music industry, to finally landing in the Bay Area start-up world. During the time of President Trump and a global pandemic, the world watched George Floyd murdered. Amy realized that in order to help others, she would first need to get her own house in order. With the help of a coaching program, a complete catatonic meltdown, having difficult conversations with her family about political, racial, and social issues, and working through the book, The Artist’s Way, the idea of Karen’s Daughter arose.

As a daughter of Republican parents (and ironically someone named Karen) Amy asked herself whether there are others out there like her: progressive white women with Republican families? Did they want to show up better in this world for those in marginalized communities
but lack the knowledge, resources, and skills to make an impact?

As a way to process her own journey as Karen’s daughter, Amy created KarensDaughter.com, to help remove the layers of unconscious bias and to show up as the person she was born as, not the person her family taught her to be. Amy’s hope is to build a supportive community of sacred spaces for white womxn who are willing to have these difficult conversations with family and continue to show up for marginalized
communities and work toward equality for all.

Are you Karen’s Daughter?If your parents have different values than the modern world you want to live in, then you, too, are Karen’s Daughter. My intention in starting this journey is to show up and put in the hard work as a white woman to make a better world for the generations that follow. I hope that by telling my story, I’ll encourage more people like myself to have these hard conversations and build a community that comes together to support each other.

Who is “Karen”?We all associate “Karen” with a privileged “Speak to the Manager” white woman but Karen can come in many different varieties. There is not a “one size fits all” Karen. Throughout this journey we’ll expand on Karen, as a person and a concept.

In the case of Karen’s Daughter, she represents my humble mother who would be too embarrassed to ask for the manager but may still have strong opinions about how things should be. She’s an honest woman who loves her family, but may have some fears and prefers the comforts of home.

My father is similar in a lot of ways. He is Karen’s Husband who we will call “Kevin” on this journey. I also have an older sister, who we’ll call Jennifer, the most popular girl’s name from 1970 - 1984. And that leaves me, the youngest in a family of 4. You can call me Katie**. Bonus points for those who figured out why I chose that name.

This is the story of Karen, Kevin, Jennifer and Katie. Welcome to our white middle-class family.

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Ash Beckham. Known for her viral Tedx Talk Coming Out of Your Closet, the “accidental advocate” for equality does not shy away from hard conversations. Her book Step Up: How to Live with Courage and Become an Everyday Leader(Sounds True, March 2020)is an empowering call-to-action to help mobilize all to embrace a different vision of leadership to create change in our workplaces, schools, places of worship, communities, and homes cultivated from both Beckham's personal and professional experiences.

Book Description:

A New Vision of Inclusive Leadership

What makes someone a leader? Someone you vote for, work for, or listen to for their expertise? With Step Up, equality advocate Ash Beckham challenges us to embrace a different vision of leadership―to stop focusing on external authorities and start reclaiming our own ability to create change. “What we need most are everyday leaders,” she writes. “We need people to step up and be the change they wish to see in the world. Anyone can do it. You can do it.”

Whether your path involves activism, political engagement, or simply being a positive voice in your workplace, home, and community, Beckham’s Step Up provides essential guidance on cultivating the eight pillars of everyday leadership:

Empathy―the art of relating to others with compassion for our shared humanity, regardless of whether we agree
Responsibility―how we can raise our awareness and consciously choose to behave in ways that heal instead of harm
Courage―understanding the nature of fear so we can move beyond our comfort zone one step at a time
Grace―how keeping our higher purpose always in sight helps us stop reacting with fear or anger
Individuality―learning to value and celebrate our uniqueness, including the parts of ourselves we often reject
Humility―ways to keep the ego in check and open the door to honest, collaborative relationships
Patience―guidance for disarming our tendency to rush ahead so we can act with greater deliberation and forethought
Authenticity―how we can embody our deepest truths and lead by example in any situation

For each pillar, Beckham shares engaging stories of her own journey from isolation and anger to a place of greater openness and connection―supported by scientific research and everyday practices to mindfully change the way you relate to yourself and the people in your life. Step Up is a powerful call to action―to speak when it feels easier to be silent, to do good without being self-righteous, and to create a world of inclusion where everyone has a voice and everyone belongs.

Step Up: How to Live with Courage and Become an Everyday Leader

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Dr. MarkAlain Déry who talks about structural racism in healthcare and his latest venture into health education via animation.

Dr. MarkAlain Déry, who is a nationally recognized HIV/AIDS advocate and Medical Director of Infectious Diseases and Chief Innovation Officer for Access Health Louisiana – the largest Medicaid-providing clinic system in Louisiana.

Throughout his career Dr. Déry has been dedicated to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and the social justice issues tied to it. His most current efforts include releasing a series of free, innovative animated videos aimed at conveying crucial health messaging surrounding HIV medications designed to destigmatize HIV and people of trans experience.

A truly exemplary infectious disease physician, even being named Internist of the Year by the American College of Osteopathic Internists, Dr. Déry remains steadfastly committed to working for human rights and social justice.

NoiseFilter — an educational platform that addresses health and wellness topics through creative storytelling — in conjunction with Access Health Louisiana (AHL) and theAIDS Education Training Center, is pleased to announce a new animation trilogy aimed at conveying crucial health messaging around HIV and HIV medications.

NoiseFilter is hosted by Dr. MarkAlain Déry, an infectious disease physician, and Dr. Eric Griggs (Doc Griggs), a community health specialist both of AHL. Through daily podcasts, engaging live streams and whimsical animations, the doctors explain complex health topics simply and creatively. Dr. Déry is also the Medical Director of Infectious Diseases and Chief Innovation Officer for Access Health Louisiana where he specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS at the Pythian clinic in New Orleans.

Alongside Dr. Déry and Doc Griggs, the new innovative animations — designed to destigmatize HIV while also amplifying the voice of people of trans experience — will also feature Milan Nicole Sherry, a trans rights activist and educator.

“Our goal is to change the stigma that still remains around HIV,” said Dr. Déry. “The colorful and compelling videos use creative exploration into the human body to explain HIV medications and how they protect individuals from transmission.”

In the first animation, Undetectable, Untransmittable and Undeniably Fierce! Déry and Doc Griggs journey inside Milan’s body to explain that people living with HIV, who are taking their medications, can have the same quality and quantity of life as individuals living without HIV, also known as U=U. The human immune system is depicted as an orchestra and illustrates how, when introduced, HIV causes chaos for the musical conductors.

Get in Step with PrEP, the second animation, also features Milan as she joins Dr. Déry and Doc Griggs inside of Dr. Déry’s body to explain how PrEp, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, prevents HIV transmission. In the video, PrEP is seen as a force field, targeting HIV once it enters Dr. Déry’s body. One of the key takeaways is that people living without HIV can take PrEP as a defense as the autoimmune disease.

The third animation, Little Miss Muffuletta (a reference to the popular New Orleans food staple), uses the classic nursery rhyme of Little Miss Muffet to explain nPEP or non-occupational post exposure prophylaxis. In this clever animation an HIV exposure has occurred and nPEP is needed to prevent HIV from replicating. When nPEP is us

Lisa is joined by Tamara Winfrey-Harris, a writer who specializes in race and gender and their intersection with politics, popular culture, and current events. She is the author of Dear Black Girl: Letters from Your Sisters on Stepping into Your Power, and she has been called to share her analyses in media outlets such as NPR's Weekend Edition and Janet Mock's So POPular! on MSNBC.com. Her work has also appeared in countless outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Times, Bitch Magazine, Ms. and other media. Winfrey-Harris is Vice President of Community Leadership and Effective Philanthropy at the Central Indiana Community Foundation, and she speaks at university campuses nationwide. She has dedicated her life's work to advocating for Black women and girls and defying destructive social narratives that limit their potential. She is co-founder of Centering Sisters, LLC, which unapologetically addresses the needs and issues of Black women, girls, and femmes. Learn more at TamaraWinfreyHarris.com.

Praised by The Washington Post as “a myth-busting portrait of Black women in America,” Tamara Winfrey-Harris’ The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America exposed the high cost of “misogynoir,” uplifted the experiences of real Black women and shed light on their quest to break free of enduring and vicious stereotypes.

Since then, the Black community continues to grapple with systemic racism, while the book has become a touchstone of Black feminist thought. With a television development deal in the works with Wise Entertainment and Gabrielle Union’s I’ll Have Another Productions, and an updated second edition, The Sisters Are Alright is more relevant than ever (Publication date: October 12, 2021; Berrett-Koehler Publishers).

While emancipation may have occurred more than 150 years ago, Winfrey-Harris argues that America still won’t let Black women be free from an insidious coven of caricatures: the servile Mammy, angry Sapphire, and lascivious Jezebel. Persisting to this day, these stereotypes continue to infiltrate newspaper headlines, Sunday sermons, social media memes, cable punditry, government policies, big-screen portrayals and hit song lyrics.

The latest edition of this bestseller features new interviews with diverse Black women. Alongside these authentic experiences and new voices, Winfrey Harris offers fresh Black feminist analysis of current events, politics and, popular culture--from “W.A.P.” and the rise of digital blackface to new civic activism and the risks of Black maternity. These include:

The evolution of stereotypes of Black women, with new real-life examples, such as the rise of blackfishing and digital blackface (which help white women rise to fame)

The media’s continued fascination with Black women’s sexuality (as with Cardi B or Megan Thee Stallion).
Black women and power and how persistent stereotypes challenge Black women’s recent leadership and achievements in activism, community organizing and politics.
Interviews with activists and civic leaders and interrogating media coverage and perceptions of Stacey Abrams, Vice President Kamala Harris and others.
Debunking vicious misconceptions rooted in long-standing racism, Tamara Winfrey-Harris elevates Black femme voices talking about marriage, motherhood, health, sexuality, beauty, anger, and power and more.

Lisa is solo today. Her guest is Douglas Abrams who talks about the book he did with Jane Goodall, The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times.

Doug Abrams is a multiple New York Times-bestselling author as well as an editor, literary agent, and film producer who is committed to helping catalyze the next evolutionary stage of our global culture. He co-wrote "The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World" with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu and "The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times" with Jane Goodall. He has coauthored many bestselling non-fiction books and has has written two novels, "The Lost Diary of Don Juan" and "Eye of the Whale", which together have been translated into over thirty languages.

Doug is the Founder and President of Idea Architects, a creative book and media company helping visionaries to create a wiser, healthier, and more just world. As a literary agent and editor, he has also worked with Bryan Stevenson on his #1 New York Times bestseller "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" and Stephen Hawking on his last book, the globalbestseller "Brief Answers to the Big Questions." He has had the privilege of working with many great thought leaders, visionary scientists, and humanitarians including Nobel Laureates Nelson Mandela, Jody Williams, and Elizabeth Blackburn. Doug has also worked with Desmond Tutu as his coauthor, editor, and literary agent for almost two decades.

Dialogue is key to Doug’s work, and he believes that genius is a collaborative process. His goal is to bring people together in a cultural conversation through books and media that transform lives and ultimately the world. Books and films he has developed have been credited with convincing then-President Bill Clinton to stop the genocide in Kosovo (THE BRIDGE BETRAYED), for launching the modern anti-slavery movement (DISPOSSIBLE PEOPLE), and for helping to expand a mass incarceration reform movement (JUST MERCY, a book and film starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx). Throughout all of his wide-ranging projects, Doug aspires to help build a prism through which life-changing conversations and experiences can be created and nourished. He has had the privilege of interviewing global heroes and icons including Jimmy Carter, Bono, Carlos Santana, Richard Branson, and many others. He was also on the founding team of JustGive.org, a philanthropy website that has pioneered new forms of giving and been responsible for giving over half a billion dollars to charity. He lives with his wife, Rachel, an integrative family physician, author, and lifelong conversation partner. He has three grown children, Jesse, Kayla, and Eliana.

Book description:

*THE INSTANT* NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*In a world that seems so troubled, how do we hold on to hope?

Looking at the headlines—the worsening climate crisis, a global pandemic, loss of biodiversity, political upheaval—it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed.

In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, the world's most famous living naturalist, and Douglas Abrams, the internationally bestselling co-author of The Book of Joy, explore through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In The Book of Hope, Jane focuses on her "Four Reasons for Hope": The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.

Drawing on decades of work that has helped expand our understanding of what it means to be human and what we all need to do to help build a better world, The Book of Hope touches on vital questions, including: How do we stay hopeful when everything seems hopeless? How do we cultivate hope in our ch

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Susan Verde who talks about her latest book, I Am Courage: A Book of Resilience (I Am Books).

Susan grew up in the heart of Greenwich Village in NYC. As a kid she kept a piece of chalk in her pocket (for spontaneous hopscotch) and her skate key around her neck, ready for the next adventure. She found inspiration everywhere and loved to write all about it!

Now, Susan lives by the sea in East Hampton, New York with her 3 children, their dog, Gizmo and a menagerie of other creatures. Here, she writes books for children of all ages and teaches kids yoga and mindfulness. She is a yogi herself and is still working on her headstand.

Her best-selling, award-winning stories range from explorations of music, art and museum visits to the concepts of serendipitous friendships, environmental issues, empathy and humanity with an emphasis on yoga and mindfulness. Susan’s stories celebrate the unique voices and experiences of kids and inspire adults to let their own inner child out…maybe for a spontaneous game of hopscotch every now and then. Susan’s books have been translated into multiple languages.

Susan loves to bring her knowledge of writing, yoga, and mindfulness to schools, libraries and yoga studios. She is also available to keynote events and offers workshops for educators, parents and aspiring writers.

Susan is a frequent contributor to MindBodyGreen, YogaDigest, and other online magazines and has appeared on multiple podcasts (livehappy and KidLitTv) speaking about writing, parenting, mindfulness, and yoga.

Book Description:

Encourage kids to find their inner strength with this companion to the New York Times bestsellers I Am Human and I Am Love!

I move ahead one breath at a time.
I act with bravery.
I am courage.
When we picture someone brave, we might think they’re fearless; but real courage comes from feeling scared and facing what challenges us anyway. When our minds tell us “I can’t,” we can look inside ourselves and find the strength to say, “Yes, I CAN!”

From the New York Times bestselling team behind the I Am series comes a triumphant celebration of everyday courage: believing in ourselves, speaking out, trying new things, asking for help, and getting back up no matter how many times we may fall. Grounded in mindfulness and awareness, I Am Courage is an empowering reminder that we can conquer anything.
Inside, you'll also find exercises to inspire confidence.

Sunni is back! Woo hoo! Sunni and Lisa are joined by Robert Allen is a mental health professional, growth coach, and author with multiple advanced degrees in the areas of business, counseling, education, divinity, healthcare, and leadership to talk about his book “Self Care: Let's Start the Conversation." With over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sector, Robert has served in various industries, from education, military, law enforcement, business, mental health, and ministry. He is the founder and CEO of New Dimensions Consulting Services, a company that specializes in helping businesses, entrepreneurs, and everyday people maximize their talents and leadership by engaging them through innovative mental health initiatives, trainings, and retreats.

His book “Self Care: Let's Start the Conversation” is a refreshing conversation on healthy self-care concepts and practices that not only exposes the myths but also provides sound, concise principles, and guidance for those seeking effective strategies for retreating, reflecting, replenishing, and restoring themselves at every level of their lives.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:
https://www.rwallenbooks.com and www.ndcssolutions.com

Lisa is solo today and is joined by Armando Lucas Correa to talk about his latest book, In Search of Emma: How We Created Our Family. Armando Lucas Correa is a Cuban writer, journalist and editor who resides in New York. His first novel, The German Girl (Atria Books, Simon & Schuster), is an international bestseller that has been translated to fourteen languages and published in more than twenty countries. His second novel, The Daughter's Tale (Atria Books, Simon & Schuster) was published in 2019. Correa is the Editor In Chief of People en Español and the recipient of various outstanding achievement awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications and the Society of Professional Journalism. Most recently, he was recognized by AT&T with The Humanity of Connection Award and as the Journalist of the Year by the Hispanic Public Relations Association of New York. More at: www.armandolucascorrea.com

Book description:

In the years before gay marriage was widespread and legal across the nation, the road to parenthood was difficult for gay couples - including for Armando Lucas Correa - the bestselling author of "The German Girl" and Editor in Chief of People Magazine en Español.

Exhaustively researching the possibilities, Correa eventually chose surrogacy—a long, arduous, and expensive method involving seemingly endless tests, paperwork, and difficult decisions. But with the help of science, a lot of patience, an egg donor, a gestational mother—and the unconditional support of her partner and family—Correa’s dream finally came true with the birth of his beloved daughter, Emma.

In his latest book - IN SEARCH OF EMMA is the moving, true story of a man who always wanted to be a father and the long emotional road to making his dream come true.

Born in Cuba and raised in the USA, Armando Lucas Correa epitomized the American dream. He had everything he wanted: an incredible job as the editor of People magazine, meeting and interviewing glamorous celebrities; a steady partner; and a comfortable life filled with travel. But with the new millennium, he realized something vital was missing. A child.

In the years before gay marriage was widespread and legal across the nation, the road to parenthood was difficult for gay couples. Though his family would not be traditional, Correa was undaunted. Every setback, each emotional challenge was fuel that drove him to fulfill his dream. Exhaustively researching the possibilities, Correa eventually chose surrogacy—a long, arduous, and expensive method involving seemingly endless tests, paperwork, and difficult decisions. But with the help of science, a lot of patience, an egg donor, a gestational mother, and the unconditional support of her partner and family, Correa’s dream finally came true with the birth of his beloved daughter, Emma.

Originally published in Spanish in 2009, In Search of Emma has been completely revised—available in English for the first time—and updated with a new introduction by the author to reflect Correa’s growing family, which now includes three children.

Ultimately, In Search of Emma is an inspiring and beautiful story of love, family, and fatherhood that reminds us of that, despite the odds, we must never stop fighting to achieve our dreams.

Sunni & Lisa are joined by John Blake Senior Writer and Producer at CNN.com to talk about hisrecent article, White Supremacy with a Tan.Read it here:

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/09/04/us/census-browning-of-america-myth-blake/index.html

Lisa is solo and is joined by ALBERTO A. GONZÁLEZ, JR., Senior Strategist for the Health Policy Project at UnidosUS to talk about a new survey finds continued concern from parents with emergency COVID vaccine authorization for kids under 12 on the horizon. 70% OF LATINO PARENTS SUPPORT COVID-19 VACCINE REQUIREMENT FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF

More than 5 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. As the Delta variant continues to spread across the country, risks for infection are increasing for Latino children who are back in school and remain unvaccinated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Latino children are more than three times as likely to be hospitalized for COVID than non-Hispanic white children. A new survey by UnidosUS (formerly the National Council of La Raza) of Latino parents about evolving perceptions of the pandemic and vaccines has found an overwhelming majority of Latino parents now support policies that require all students and staff to be vaccinated for in-person schooling. Survey findings include the following:

Most Latino parents (nearly 90%) are increasingly concerned that their children will become seriously ill from COVID-19.
7 in 10 (70%) expressed support for requiring that all students and staff be vaccinated for children to safely return to school.
More than 6 in 10 Latino parents (62%) have vaccinated their eligible children, compared to 41% of parents overall.
Nearly half (48%) of all Latino parents intend to vaccinate their children under age 12 as soon as possible once vaccine is made available to that age group.

UnidosUS, previously known as NCLR (National Council of La Raza), is the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Through its unique combination of expert research, advocacy, programs, and an Affiliate Network of nearly 300 community-based organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico, UnidosUS simultaneously challenges the social, economic, and political barriers that affect Latinos at the national and local levels. For more than 50 years, UnidosUS has united communities and different groups seeking common ground through collaboration, and that share a desire to make our country stronger.

Lisa is solo today and is joined by Marianne Larned to talk about COP26 in Glasgow where young climate activists from around the world prepare to confront world leaders with their demands. #WorldisWatching

Young people from Argentina, Mexico, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Uganda, the US, and countries worldwide are traveling to Scotland as youth delegates to the United Nations COP26 -- the most historic climate conference of their lifetime -- where they will present their demands to world leaders. They are painfully aware that our world is at a crossroads - and COP26 is a watershed moment. They've experienced firsthand the devastating impact of the climate crisis on their people, and on their countries. They now feel they must stand up for a whole generation of young people--and for the collective well-being of future generations.

They want world leaders to take immediate and meaningful action, with the sense of urgency the climate emergency demands. They are determined to work with these leaders to develop, fund and put into action concrete, effective, science-based policies and strategies to combat the effects of climate change—before it’s too late.

Marianne Larned is the best-selling author of the Stone Soup for the World series who uses the Stone Soup model to inspire people to work together we can build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. In her new book, Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes, she spotlights 100 climate change trailblazers, environmental justice changemakers, green inventors and entrepreneurs, sustainable business leaders, and intergenerational legacy figures.

Marianne is an innovative educator, thought leader, sustainability champion, and business strategist with a lifelong commitment to humanizing education to prepare future leaders to build a better world. In her role as the Founding Director of the Stone Soup Leadership Institute, she has used these educational tools and trainings with multicultural young people who are on the frontlines of climate change, social justice, and economic equity. She is recognized as a public-private partnership consultant, a Design Thinking pragmatist, and a sustainable workforce development strategist. As a pioneer in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), she has assisted Fortune 500 companies, Chambers of Commerce, and education, government, civic, and community leaders to develop triple bottom-line solutions for improving education, health care, and economic development. She directs the Institute's multicultural global team to develop the Institute's Sustainable Education Platform is a video-enhanced, content-driven, values-based, blended experiential learning environment to train young people to build resilient communities for a sustainable economy in the 21st century. It leverages the Stone Soup for the World series and companion curriculum and is dedicated to the Institute's long-time chairperson, Walter Cronkite.

www.sustainabilityisfun.net & www.stonesoupleadership.org

Book Description: Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes features the stories of 100 climate change trailblazers, environmental justice changemakers, educator champions, sustainable business leaders, intergenerational legacy figures, green inventors and entrepreneurs, and emerging island leaders from 38 countries around the world, and 32 U.S. cities who are creating sustainability solutions to the global climate crisis. Their stories inspire us and their Call to Actions invite us to support them and their organizations to maximize their impact in building a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.

Lisa is solo and is joined by Derecka Purnell. Derecka received her JD from Harvard Law School and works to end police and prison violence by providing legal assistance, research, and training to community-based organizations through an abolitionist framework. Her work and writing has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, The Atlantic, the Boston Globe, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, The Appeal, Truthout, Slate, and many other publications.

Book description:

For more than a century, activists in the United States have tried to reform the police. From community policing initiatives to increasing diversity, none of it has stopped the police from killing about three people a day. Millions of people continue to protest police violence because these "solutions" do not match the problem: the police cannot be reformed.

In Becoming Abolitionists, Purnell draws from her experiences as a lawyer, writer, and organizer initially skeptical about police abolition. She saw too much sexual violence and buried too many friends to consider getting rid of police in her hometown of St. Louis, let alone the nation. But the police were a placebo. Calling them felt like something, and something feels like everything when the other option seems like nothing.

Purnell details how multi-racial social movements rooted in rebellion, risk-taking, and revolutionary love pushed her and a generation of activists toward abolition. The book travels across geography and time, and offers lessons that activists have learned from Ferguson to South Africa, from Reconstruction to contemporary protests against police shootings.

Here, Purnell argues that police can not be reformed and invites readers to envision new systems that work to address the root causes of violence. Becoming Abolitionists shows that abolition is not solely about getting rid of police, but a commitment to create and support different answers to the problem of harm in society, and, most excitingly, an opportunity to reduce and eliminate harm in the first place.

Lisa is hosting solo. She is joined by Dr. Sheila Modir & Jeff Kashou, LMFT. Dr. Modir is a pediatric psychologist at a children's hospital providing therapy to children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with a medical and mental health condition. Dr. Modir’s research interests include the impact of racial trauma and risk and resilience factors in the context of this trauma, and she has presented at conferences, spoken on podcasts, and published articles on this topic.

Jeff Kashou is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who is a manager of clinical product and service design for a mental health tech company that provides telemedicine to those with serious mental illness. Jeff has also served as a Clinical Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors for the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, where he helped lead the association to support the field of Marriage and Family Therapy and those with mental health issues. They both consult as experts in mental health for television productions, including for Disney and Freeform, to ensure the accurate and helpful portrayal of mental illness and treatment in the media.

Book description: The Proudest Color.

For me, brown is more than feeling proud.
It’s the color I see when I see me.

Zahra sees the world in vivid color. When she’s happy, she feels a razzle-dazzle pink in her hands. When she’s sad, she feels a deep blue behind her eyes. But she isn’t quite sure how to feel about the color of her skin. Kids at school tell her she is different, but her mother tells her to be proud! From a diverse team and based on extensive research, The Proudest Color is a timely, sensitive introduction to race, racism, and racial pride.

Lisa is solo today and is joined by Rhonda V. Magee, author of The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulnes. Rhonda V. Magee (M.A. Sociology, J.D.)is a Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and an internationally-recognized thought and practice leader focused on integrating mindfulness into higher education, law and social change work. A prolific author, she draws on law and legal history to weave storytelling, poetry, analysis and practices into inspiration for changing how we think, act and live better together in a rapidly changing world.

Born in North Carolina in 1967, Rhonda experienced a childhood of significant trauma and challenge. Yet, she was gifted with the insight that through a life of caring engagement, self-development, and service with others, she could find a way up and out. She has dedicated her life to healing and teaching in ways that support others in a journey to wholeness and justice. A student of a variety of Buddhist and other wisdom teachers, including Norman Fischer, Joan Halifax and Jon Kabat Zinn, she trained as a mindfulness teacher through the Oasis Teacher Training Institute of the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness. She teaches mindfulness-based interventions, awareness, and compassion practices from a range of traditions. A former President of the board of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, Professor Magee is a Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, where she recently completed a two-year term on its steering council. She is a member of the board of advisors of the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness and the board of directors for the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute.

A professor of Law for twenty years (tenured since 2004), Rhonda teaches courses dealing civil actions for personal injury and insurance recovery; courses dealing with race and inequality; and a course she co-created on mindfulness and lawyering, Rhonda is experienced in interpersonal dynamics-informed small group facilitation (supported by training, retreats, and practice through a variety of programs, including Stanford University’s Interpersonal Dynamics Facilitator Program and Gregory Kramer’s Insight Dialogue). Rhonda’s teaching and writing support compassionate conflict engagement and management; holistic problem-solving to alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable and injured; presence-based leadership in a diverse world, and humanizing approaches to education. She sees embodied mindfulness meditation and the allied disciplines of study and community engagement as keys to personal, interpersonal, and collective transformation in the face of the challenges and opportunities of our time.

Rhonda has served as a guest teacher in a variety of mindfulness teacher training programs, including those sponsored by the Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (2017, 2018), led by Diana Winston, the Engaged Mindfulness Institute, led by Fleet Maull (2017, 2018), and the Center for Mindfulness (2017), led by Saki Santorelli and Judson Brewer. She serves as daylong or retreat co-leader and solo teacher at centers including Spirit Rock Meditation Center, the Garrison Institute, the Shambhala Mountain Center, the Omega Institute, Esalen and New York Insight Meditation Center.

Rhonda is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on mindfulness in legal education, and on teaching about race using mindfulness, including “Educating Lawyers to Meditate?” 79 UMKC L. Rev. 535 (2011), “The Way of ColorInsight: Understanding Race and Law Effectively Using Mindfulness-Based ColorInsight Practices”, 8 Georgetown J. of Mod. Crit. Race Perspectives 251 (2016), “Teaching Mindfulness with Mindfulness of Diversity,” in McCown et al, Resources for Teaching Mindfulness: An International Handbook (Springer, 2017), and “Community Engaged Mindfulness

Lisa is solo and is joined by Qian Julie Wang, author of Beautiful Country: A Memoir. Here is the book description:

In Chinese, the word for America, Mei Guo, translates directly to “beautiful country.” Yet when seven-year-old Qian arrives in New York City in 1994 full of curiosity, she is overwhelmed by crushing fear and scarcity. In China, Qian’s parents were professors; in America, her family is “illegal” and it will require all the determination and small joys they can muster to survive.

In Chinatown, Qian’s parents labor in sweatshops. Instead of laughing at her jokes, they fight constantly, taking out the stress of their new life on one another. Shunned by her classmates and teachers for her limited English, Qian takes refuge in the library and masters the language through books, coming to think of The Berenstain Bears as her first American friends. And where there is delight to be found, Qian relishes it: her first bite of gloriously greasy pizza, weekly “shopping days,” when Qian finds small treasures in the trash lining Brooklyn’s streets, and a magical Christmas visit to Rockefeller Center—confirmation that the New York City she saw in movies does exist after all.

But then Qian’s headstrong Ma Ma collapses, revealing an illness that she has kept secret for months for fear of the cost and scrutiny of a doctor’s visit. As Ba Ba retreats further inward, Qian has little to hold onto beyond his constant refrain: Whatever happens, say that you were born here, that you’ve always lived here.
Inhabiting her childhood perspective with exquisite lyric clarity and unforgettable charm and strength, Qian Julie Wang has penned an essential American story about a family fracturing under the weight of invisibility, and a girl coming of age in the shadows, who never stops seeking the light.

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Warren Bidford to talk about her book, Hear My Voice/Escucha mi voz: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States.

Warren Binford is an international children's rights expert who is both a professor of law and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado. She has traveled to over 70 countries and frequently works with children's organization worldwide to combat some of the toughest issues facing children and families in the 21st century, such as child exploitation and trafficking, children in armed conflict, children and families in migration, and more. She is known for her cross-disciplinary and solution-focused approaches to problems and has helped to build teams of doctors, lawyers, mental health professionals, artists, musicians, the media, documentarians, and others to focus their myriad talents together to help kids. Warren has a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School and a BA in Literature and Psychology, summa cum laude with distinction, and an Ed.M. in Early Childhood from Boston University. A former foster parent and inner-city teacher, she lives with her husband, children, horse, and rabbit in Oregon's Willamette Valley, and spends her free time hiking, backpacking, skiing, snowboarding, and occasionally, climbing mountains.

Book description:

The moving stories of children in migration—in their own words.

"In Spanish and in English, a devastating first-person account of children’s experiences in detention at the southern U.S. border.... A powerful, critical document only made more heartbreaking in picture-book form." —Kirkus Reviews starred review

Every day, children in migration are detained at the US-Mexico border. They are scared, alone, and their lives are in limbo. Hear My Voice/Escucha mi voz shares the stories of 61 these children, from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Mexico, ranging in age from five to seventeen—in their own words from actual sworn testimonies. Befitting the spirit of the project, the book is in English on one side; then flip it over, and there's a complete Spanish version.

Illustrated by 17 Latinx artists, including Caldecott Medalist and multiple Pura Belpré Illustrator Award-winning Yuyi Morales and Pura Belpré Illustrator Award-winning Raὺl the Third. Includes information, questions, and action points. Buying this book benefits Project Amplify, an organization that supports children in migration.

Lisa is solo today. She is joined by David Rubenstein the New York Times bestselling author of How to Lead and The American Story. He is cofounder and co-executive chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private equity firms. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Council on Foreign Relations. He is an original signer of The Giving Pledge and a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and the MoMA’s David Rockefeller Award. The host of The David Rubenstein Show on Bloomberg TV and PBS, he lives in the Washington, DC area.

Lisa asks about his interviews with Henry Louis Gated on Reconstruction, David. W. Blight on Frederick Douglas, Jia Lynn Yang - on the history of immigration, Billie Jean King on activism, and more.

Book description: The American Experiment: Dialogues on a Dream

The capstone book in a trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of How to Lead and The American Story and host of Bloomberg TV’s The David Rubenstein Show—American icons and historians on the ever-evolving American experiment, featuring Ken Burns, Madeleine Albright, Wynton Marsalis, Billie Jean King, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and many more.

In this lively collection of conversations—the third in a series from David Rubenstein—some of our nations’ greatest minds explore the inspiring story of America as a grand experiment in democracy, culture, innovation, and ideas.

-Jill Lepore on the promise of America
-Madeleine Albright on the American immigrant
-Ken Burns on war
-Henry Louis Gates Jr. on reconstruction
-Elaine Weiss on suffrage
-John Meacham on civil rights
-Walter Isaacson on innovation
-David McCullough on the Wright Brothers
-John Barry on pandemics and public health
-Wynton Marsalis on music
-Billie Jean King on sports
-Rita Moreno on film

Exploring the diverse make-up of our country’s DNA through interviews with Pulitzer Prize–winning historians, diplomats, music legends, and sports giants, The American Experiment captures the dynamic arc of a young country reinventing itself in real-time. Through these enlightening conversations, the American spirit comes alive, revealing the setbacks, suffering, invention, ingenuity, and social movements that continue to shape our vision of what America is—and what it can be.

Sunni is back! Since Sunni missed the first interview with Melvin Gravely, II the author of "Dear White Friend" on August 25th, she gets a chance to talk with Melvin about his book.

Lisa stays in the background and Sunni and Melvin have a great conversation that you don't want to miss!

Book description of Dear White Friend: The Realities of Race, the Power of Relationships and Our Path to Equity.

My friend, I do not believe you are a racist.

Melvin Gravely eloquently accomplishes what many have undoubtedly wished to do: talk openly to someone we know about race in the United States today. Gravely uses significant experience as a business and civic leader to express a rare balance in this timely message. Dear White Friend is a forthright, collegial conversation via chapters in the form of letters, each with a combination of personal reflection and meaningful hard facts. Gravely challenges the reader but without judgment or indictment. His depth of thought, deftness of expression, and clear, layman’s terms make for an urgent call to begin to close the gap between races in America. The book presents an invitation to understand three questions at the heart of the issue: What is really going on with race in our country? Why must we care? And what can we do about it together? In the end, Gravely calls on us to ask ourselves, “What is my role in all of this?” After reading Dear White Friend, readers will understand why their answer to his question can change everything.

Lisa is solo today and is joined by Melvin Gravely, II to talk about his book, Dear White Friend: The Realities of Race, the Power of Relationships and Our Path to Equity.

This part 1 of a series of interviews with Mr. Gravely.

Mel Gravely is the majority owner and CEO of a commercial construction company in Cincinnati, Ohio. As one of the largest construction companies in the region, it is a consistent member of the Deloitte 100 list of the largest privately owned companies.

An active business and civic leader who has chaired the board of the Cincinnati Regional Chamber of Commerce, Gravely served on the board of the United Way, was a founding board member of the Cincinnati Regional Economic Development Initative (REDI Cincinnati), and vice chairperson of Artswave, the largest community arts fund in the nation.

He co-chaired the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee, a group of 100 middle market CEOs working collectively toward meaningful civic action. He is also a board member of several private companies.

Gravely earned a BS in Computer Science from Mount Union University, an MBA from Kent State University, and a Ph.D. from the Union Institute and University. He has written eight business books. He is the father of three adult children and married to Chandra (Webb) Gravely. They have one granddaughter.

Book description:

My friend, I do not believe you are a racist.

Melvin Gravely eloquently accomplishes what many have undoubtedly wished to do: talk openly to someone we know about race in the United States today. Gravely uses significant experience as a business and civic leader to express a rare balance in this timely message. Dear White Friend is a forthright, collegial conversation via chapters in the form of letters, each with a combination of personal reflection and meaningful hard facts. Gravely challenges the reader but without judgment or indictment. His depth of thought, deftness of expression, and clear, layman’s terms make for an urgent call to begin to close the gap between races in America. The book presents an invitation to understand three questions at the heart of the issue: What is really going on with race in our country? Why must we care? And what can we do about it together? In the end, Gravely calls on us to ask ourselves, “What is my role in all of this?” After reading Dear White Friend, readers will understand why their answer to his question can change everything.

Lisa is solo today and joining her is Zakiya Dalila Harris who spent nearly three years in book publishing before leaving to write her debut novel The Other Black Girl which she and Lisa talk about in this interview. Prior to working in publishing, Zakiya received her MFA in creative writing from The New School. Her essays and book reviews have appeared in Guernica and The Rumpus. She lives in Brooklyn.

Here are some of the things Lisa asks Zakiya. Listen to the interview to hear all of the questions and answers:

In your book, a young woman Nella Rogers has been the only black person working at Wagner Books, a publishing house in Manhattan. She has to deal with a lot of microaggressions from her white co-workers and one day, another black woman shows up at Wagner. Nella is thinking, we can talk about black music, black hair, commiserate about micro-aggressions, but things go another way. Have you had an experience like Nella, feeling both hyper-visible and ignored?

Let’s talk hair. I love how you focused on the ways hair can both connect and divide black women.

Not only can hair be a divider but Nella and Hazel are pitted against each other in meetings, Hazel playing both sides, publicly siding with white insensitive co-workers and telling Nella in private that she supports her. Can you expand on this?

One of the things Sunni and I talk about is showing up to work, to life in general after the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmed Arbury, George Floyd and so many others. Nella feels the trauma but still has to show up to work with a smile. Can you talk about this in your own life?

One of the first things I noticed was the way you play with structure and how readers occasionally jump between the present and the past in different chapters. When did the structure come to you?

Book description:

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A Good Morning America, Esquire, and Read with Marie Claire Book Club Pick and a People Best Book of Summer

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Time, TheWashington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Parade, Goodreads, Fortune, and BBC

Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, The Other Black Girl is an electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing.

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career.

A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Yale Historian Elizabeth Hinton to discuss new book AMERICA ON FIRE: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s

Book description:

What began in spring 2020 as local protests in response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police quickly exploded into a massive nationwide movement. Millions of mostly young people defiantly flooded into the nation’s streets, demanding an end to police brutality and to the broader, systemic repression of Black people and other people of color. To many observers, the protests appeared to be without precedent in their scale and persistence. Yet, as the acclaimed historian Elizabeth Hinton demonstrates in America on Fire, the events of 2020 had clear precursors—and any attempt to understand our current crisis requires a reckoning with the recent past.

Even in the aftermath of Donald Trump, many Americans consider the decades since the civil rights movement in the mid-1960s as a story of progress toward greater inclusiveness and equality. Hinton’s sweeping narrative uncovers an altogether different history, taking us on a troubling journey from Detroit in 1967 and Miami in 1980 to Los Angeles in 1992 and beyond to chart the persistence of structural racism and one of its primary consequences, the so-called urban riot. Hinton offers a critical corrective: the word riot was nothing less than a racist trope applied to events that can only be properly understood as rebellions—explosions of collective resistance to an unequal and violent order. As she suggests, if rebellion and the conditions that precipitated it never disappeared, the optimistic story of a post–Jim Crow United States no longer holds.

Black rebellion, America on Fire powerfully illustrates, was born in response to poverty and exclusion, but most immediately in reaction to police violence. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson launched the “War on Crime,” sending militarized police forces into impoverished Black neighborhoods. Facing increasing surveillance and brutality, residents threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at officers, plundered local businesses, and vandalized exploitative institutions. Hinton draws on exclusive sources to uncover a previously hidden geography of violence in smaller American cities, from York, Pennsylvania, to Cairo, Illinois, to Stockton, California.

The central lesson from these eruptions—that police violence invariably leads to community violence—continues to escape policymakers, who respond by further criminalizing entire groups instead of addressing underlying socioeconomic causes. The results are the hugely expanded policing and prison regimes that shape the lives of so many Americans today. Presenting a new framework for understanding our nation’s enduring strife, America on Fire is also a warning: rebellions will surely continue unless police are no longer called on to manage the consequences of dismal conditions beyond their control, and until an oppressive system is finally remade on the principles of justice and equality.

Sunni and Lisa are joined by Michael Carter who does not believe allyship has been beneficial. We delve into this to learn more about why Michael feels the way he does and to get advice from him on what allies could do that would be beneficial.

Sunni is away this week so Lisa is hosting solo. Her guest is David Zucchino is a contributing writer for the New York Times. He has covered wars and civil conflicts in more than three dozen countries and is a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist for his reporting in Iraq, Lebanon, Africa, and inner-city Philadelphia. Zucchino won a Pulitzer Prize for his dispatches from apartheid South Africa. He is the author of Thunder Run and Myth of the Welfare Queen

Book description:

WINNER OF THE 2021 PULITZER PRIZE FOR GENERAL NONFICTION

From Pulitzer Prize-winner David Zucchino comes a searing account of the Wilmington riot and coup of 1898, an extraordinary event unknown to most Americans

By the 1890s, Wilmington was North Carolina’s largest city and a shining example of a mixed-race community. It was a bustling port city with a burgeoning African American middle class and a Fusionist government of Republicans and Populists that included black aldermen, police officers and magistrates. There were successful black-owned businesses and an African American newspaper, The Record. But across the state—and the South—white supremacist Democrats were working to reverse the advances made by former slaves and their progeny.

In 1898, in response to a speech calling for white men to rise to the defense of Southern womanhood against the supposed threat of black predators, Alexander Manly, the outspoken young Record editor, wrote that some relationships between black men and white women were consensual. His editorial ignited outrage across the South, with calls to lynch Manly.

But North Carolina’s white supremacist Democrats had a different strategy. They were plotting to take back the state legislature in November “by the ballot or bullet or both,” and then use the Manly editorial to trigger a “race riot” to overthrow Wilmington’s multi-racial government. Led by prominent citizens including Josephus Daniels, publisher of the state’s largest newspaper, and former Confederate Colonel Alfred Moore Waddell, white supremacists rolled out a carefully orchestrated campaign that included raucous rallies, race-baiting editorials and newspaper cartoons, and sensational, fabricated news stories.

With intimidation and violence, the Democrats suppressed the black vote and stuffed ballot boxes (or threw them out), to win control of the state legislature on November eighth. Two days later, more than 2,000 heavily armed Red Shirts swarmed through Wilmington, torching the Record office, terrorizing women and children, and shooting at least sixty black men dead in the streets. The rioters forced city officials to resign at gunpoint and replaced them with mob leaders. Prominent blacks—and sympathetic whites—were banished. Hundreds of terrified black families took refuge in surrounding swamps and forests.

This brutal insurrection is a rare instance of a violent overthrow of an elected government in the U.S. It halted gains made by blacks and restored racism as official government policy, cementing white rule for another half century. It was not a “race riot,” as the events of November 1898 came to be known, but rather a racially motivated rebellion launched by white supremacists.

In Wilmington’s Lie, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Zucchino uses contemporary newspaper accounts, diaries, letters and official communications to create a gripping and compelling narrative that weaves together individual stories of hate and fear and brutality. This is a dramatic and definitive account of a remarkable but forgotten chapter of American history.

Lisa is solo today with the incredible Precious Brady Davis. Precious Brady-Davis is an award-winning diversity advocate, communications professional, and public speaker. She currently serves as the associate regional communications director at the Sierra Club. She served for three years as the assistant director of diversity recruitment initiatives at Columbia College Chicago, her alma mater, implementing the campus-wide diversity initiative and providing leadership and oversight of national diversity recruitment and inclusion policy initiatives. She also served as the youth outreach coordinator at the Center on Halsted, the largest LGBTQ community center in the Midwest. During Precious's tenure, she launched a $1.6 million CDC HIV prevention grant, which provided outreach, education, youth programming, and testing services to over three thousand young African American and Latinx gay, bi, and trans youth. Precious is married to Myles Brady and lives in Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago, where they are raising their daughter, Zayn. In her free time, she enjoys online shoe shopping, travel, and fine dining with friends. For more information visit www.preciousbradydavis.com.

Precious talks about her book, I Have Always Been Me: A Memoir.

Here is the book description:

Precious Brady-Davis remembers the sense of being singular and grappling with “otherness.” Born into traumatic circumstances, Davis was brought up in the Omaha foster care system and the Pentecostal faith. As a biracial, gender-nonconforming kid, she felt displaced. Yet she realized by coming into her identity that she had a purpose all along.

In I Have Always Been Me, Brady-Davis reflects on a childhood of neglect, instability, and abandonment. She reveals her determination to dream through it and shares her profound journey as a trans woman now fully actualized, absolutely confident, and precious. She speaks to anyone who has ever tried to find their place in this world and imparts the wisdom that comes with surmounting odds and celebrating on the other side.

A memoir, a love story, and an outreach for the marginalized, Precious’s sojourn is a song of self-reliance and pride and an invitation to join in the chorus.

Lisa and Sunni interview Toni Pettus who shares her experience as a Black LBGTQIA+ as a truck driver in the mostly white male dominated industry.

She also shares her self-care rituals which help her handle the stress of her work environment.

We will be back to our Did You Know" segment in September,

Lisa is joined by Dr. David Campt. David is an engaging speaker, a master facilitator, and an expert in the process of transformative dialogue. David also has significant substantive thought leadership in diversity, inclusion and equity areas related to anti-racism. His proficiency in advancing compassionate dialogue to create a more equitable world resulted in offering his thoughts and commentary in numerous articles, radio, podcasts, as well as national television appearances.

Through his exclusive R.A.C.E. Method, David is known most for educating and coaching participants in a disarming, amiable, and practical way. His keynotes and courses provide the following insights that are transferable from the family, to the workplace, and to the community:

Best practices in anti-racism activism

The Power of Dialogue

Persuasion based on neuroscience theories

Conflict resolution through dialogue

Addressing political polarization

Dr. Campt touches on some of these issues in this interview as well as helping Lisa communicate with a friend's husband who watches Tucker Carlson and talking about his new group on Clubhouse, "White People Whispering."

Lisa is solo this week and is joined by Theodore R. Johnson a Senior Fellow and Director of the Fellows Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, where he undertakes research on race, politics, and American identity. Prior to joining the Brennan Center, he was a National Fellow at New America and a Commander in the United States Navy, serving for twenty years in a variety of positions, including as a White House Fellow in the first Obama administration and as speechwriter to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His work on race relations has appeared in prominent national publications across the political spectrum, including the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the National Review, among others.

He is here today with Lisa to talk about his incredible book, When the Stars Begin to Fall: Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America.
Below is the book description:

“Racism is an existential threat to America,” Theodore R. Johnson declares at the start of his profound and exhilarating book. It is a refutation of the American Promise enshrined in our Constitution that all men and women are inherently equal. And yet racism continues to corrode our society. If we cannot overcome it, Johnson argues, while the United States will remain as a geopolitical entity, the promise that made America unique on Earth will have died.

When the Stars Begin to Fall makes a compelling, ambitious case for a pathway to the national solidarity necessary to mitigate racism. Weaving memories of his own and his family’s multi-generational experiences with racism, alongside strands of history, into his elegant narrative, Johnson posits that a blueprint for national solidarity can be found in the exceptional citizenship long practiced in Black America. Understanding that racism is a structural crime of the state, he argues that overcoming it requires us to recognize that a color-conscious society—not a color-blind one—is the true fulfillment of the American Promise.

Fueled by Johnson’s ultimate faith in the American project, grounded in his family’s longstanding optimism and his own military service, When the Stars Begin to Fall is an urgent call to undertake the process of overcoming what has long seemed intractable.

The Did you know Segment… it’s back! Where is it? What happened to it? Ok, it’s really back, just not this week. smile**

Happy belated Father’s Day to our listeners!

Lisa shares her experience attending the Juneteenth celebration this year versus last year the mood was different for a number of reasons. Clearly, 2020 was unprecedented on so many levels, no one could’ve foretold the life changing events!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! The ladies discuss Juneteenth! It’s officially recognized as a Federal Holiday!!!! A huge “Thank you” to Ms. Opal Lee for all of your efforts to make this happen!

Listen to her story!

Sunni and Lisa discuss the importance of having this information shared broadly… hint: Critical Race Theory. This would be a whole other show and we do plan to discuss it in-depth as well. Trust.

Lisa shares a blog discussing disappointing with the “paid” holiday and what it doesn’t do. Of course you’ll have to listen to hear the opinion. Sunni isn’t having any of it… yikes. Ease up on the current Administration, they came in office with a huge disadvantage, huge!

Social media will set you up! Do your research folks, do your research and use trusted sources. Otherwise, it’s a distraction from the real issues. Don’t be distracted.

How about we all celebrate Juneteenth - having the day off to do better and be better holistically - European Americans can take this as a day of learning, by committing to understanding another community for the benefit of humanity.

O yea, checkout www.brainpop.com for information that is not whitewashed and offers the real deal!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

The Did you know Segment… it’s back! Where is it? What happened to it? Ok, it’s really back, just not this week. smile**

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! The ladies converse with Propaganda…

Propaganda was marinated in multi cultural communities in Los Angeles, California. He’s hilarious and gives all the props to his mom for it and his sarcasm.

Terraform… what is it, is that what you’re inclined to ask? The book, you’re wondering what’s all this talk about? Trust us… this book is magical AF! Sunni had a whole moment with “If Coffee Were a Man”… whew! You’ve got to listen! O wait, the story of how it came to be… wow!

This dude is the absolute TRUTH! His thought process, his ability to bring his thoughts to life, through pen and paper, through voice, through lyrics and melodic tones… so rich in flavor, the flavor of community, of culture, of lived experiences.

The silliness of culture, are you familiar with this term? Even if you are, you got to listen to this conversation. Propaganda is a phenom! He does not disappoint. Listen to the show, purchase the book, check out his other interviews… indulge… a very rich experience.

And the scarcity model… whew! So many have been hypnotized by this, without even realizing it!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

The Did you know Segment… it’s back! Sigh… “Karen’s” geez and geez… what’s with the racist behavior… immediately followed by a lame ass apology…and “white” tears! So, this “Karen” owns a hat store and thought it was a great idea to use the Star of David as an anti-vax symbol…this genius hails from Nashville, TN. In other DYK news, Amy Cooper is back in the news, you know the lady that called that police on the African American man birdwatching in Central Park and lied and cried more “white” tears. Well, apparently, she’s suing her former employer for racism. No words. Shifting gears… if you have not seen High On The Hog (Netflix), see it. If you’ve seen it, see it again! Yes, it’s that good!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! The ladies converse with Karen’s Daughter founder - Amy Bauer! What an incredible conversation, like seriously, no exaggeration!

On the question of marination, Amy Bauer is working on undoing some of that marination… it really isn’t her truth. What an awaking!

Like who knew? An actual initiative for the good of humanity titled “Karen’s Daughter”…if you haven’t picked up what’s being put down by now… The name “Karen” has become synonymous with European American women aka white women (and men) behaving badly based on their racist beliefs. But wait, Amy expounds upon “Karen” as a person and a concept, you’ve got to listen!

Just when you thought you knew what “Karen” was all about, here comes Amy Bauer to educate you on the total and complete miseducation of her up close and personal engagement. How have you dealt with relatives that have propraganda’ish mindsets and behaviors? O wait, wait! As a European American woman/man - How about healing…have you thought about your own healing journey and how it can be transformative for your role in humanity and being or becoming an ally?

**Bonus… You’ve got to listen to the story of Amy and the stranger on the park bench… it might make you feel like someone’s cutting onions… but LISTEN anyway… Please.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

Our "Did You Know" segment returns shortly.

On this episode of Active Allyship...it's more than a #hashtag!" the ladies chat with Purpose Coach, Joey Chandler. Joey helps actors, writers and other creatives develop their characters and get unstuck in their lives. His approach is based on the idea that the more you know about yourself, the more you can bring to your craft. His Purpose Survey is the foundation of his work. It takes less than 5 minutes and you learn more about yourself. Sunni and Lisa took his Purpose Survey and it was spot on! Joey goes over the results in this episode. To take the survey, go here: https://joeychandler.net/purpose_survey

Joey opens up how he realized he was being a "good liberal" but knew he had to go deeper. He feels strongly that anti-racism work and purpose work go hand in hand. Joey's authenticity really shines through.

Here is an article by Joey Chandler on this topic:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-anti-racism-work-purpose-go-hand-in-hand-joey-chandler-he-him-?trk=public_profile_article_view

If you aren't already, please follow us on IG/Twitter @activeallyship.podcast And of course there's our Facebook page, Active Allyship...it's more than a #hashtag!. Drop us a line or two...be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share the podcast!

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On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! The ladies chat with Christopher Kilgour, founder of Color In The Outdoors, an outdoors DEI activity and advocacy organization. His organization is focused on creating opportunities for people who either have never spent time outdoors, but didn’t have a good experience in the process OR who consider themselves avid lovers of the outdoor world and want to continue to expand their experiences and skillsets.

Christopher Kilgour was marinated in all things outdoors… being in the outdoors is a part of his core. Recentering and fine tuning is second nature. He grew up in Wisconsin, in a family of educators… learning about the land… learning how everything is intertwined and interconnected.

He started Color In The Outdoors around 20 years ago, he was lucky enough to grow up very close to parks and was immersed in the outdoor world.

The conversation is layered, access and cost may be issues that prevent folks from participating in the outdoor world. What’s clear is… there are levels to this… the Great Outdoors is expansive and can be experienced in many ways. Common threads and themes for why people don’t participate in the outdoor world are also discussed. Let’s just set the record straight… it is not a white thing.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa converse with Riaz Meghji, a human connection keynote speaker, author and an accomplished broadcaster with 17 years of television hosting experience. He joins the show to talk about his book, Every Conversation Counts: The 5 Habits of Human Connection that Build Extraordinary Relationships.Not only is this a must listen. interview, it is also a must read book. Sunni and I discuss something he writes about in his book about Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper and you don't want to miss it!

If you are curious about the book, here is the book description:

You are one conversation away from changing your life. We all crave connection. We were never meant to live alone or communicate only in “likes” and retweets. In Every Conversation Counts, TV host and human connection keynote speaker Riaz Meghji digs deep into the dangers of isolation and loneliness, our social pandemic, that have been brought into sharp relief by the coronavirus crisis. He tackles a uniquely modern question: why are we so connected, and yet so alone—and how can we reconnect?

Sharing personal insights from powerful interviews and years of on-air experience, Meghji offers 5 simple habits for building extraordinary relationships. He explains how to spark authentic conversations, win trust, create new business, and collaborate effectively. Meghji points a way forward to a better future—one in which we express genuine curiosity about others, listen with our whole hearts, show up as our authentic selves, and make every conversation count.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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The Did you know Segment… will resume in June.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! The ladies chat with Professor Sherridan Schwartz about the challenges of helping medical professionals better understand the complexities of social justice and racism in the public health sector.

Professor Schwartz, Strategist, Policy Analyst, and Educational Leader was marinated in “bar-b-que sauce”! Seriously, you’ve got to listen to hear the complete story!

Houston, Texas has one of the largest medical professional populations. Right now, they’re having to deal with dual pandemics, yes, dual. The COVID crisis and the racial injustices within the medical system.

The ladies discuss the role of medical professionals during the murder of George Floyd, specifically, the refusal of Derek Chauvin to allow medical treatment for George Floyd. Can you imagine?! Whew! So much to unpack, it’s exhausting, but necessary, absolutely necessary.

In summation, this episode includes discussions about the insurrection, people of color protesting peacefully, law and order for folks with the complexion for the connection vs. people of color, goals for being a better ally. Listen to hear more…

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa talk about their experience on a recent Clubhouse Room… it was very moving. O yea, did you know about the two new African American muppets?! Let’s talk about Universal Studios Officers for a moment! How is it that officers wrestled a woman and her child to the ground…like what in the absolute fcuk?! We’ve got to do better! Come on Disney! O yea, then there’s Lt. Colonel Grossman.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! The ladies discuss Lisa’s interview with Anthropologist, Sustainability Expert and author Philip Loring. He’s the author of Finding Our Niche: Toward a Restorative Human Ecology.

Philip was marinated in a desire to be curious and kind and time and respect for the outdoors. He was also a natural systems thinker from a young age and attributes those skills to his mother.

Identity Protective Rationality… Indigenous People and the Environment… Colonialism… Cultural and Ecological Genocide… Ecology, The Environment and Racism… Environmental Policy… Hunting, Fishing… The Colonizer… these are examples of some of the terms used during the interview and follow-up discussion.

Philip discussed the advantages of having the benefit of meeting people who live “alternate ways of living or being”…. Energy Security, Jobs… The manifest Destiny… The Savior Complex… The Premise that we’re right… The White Savior Complex…. Settler Colonialism… Flag Sticking… Assuming the space can be “ours” too… Culture Clash… Eco Modernist… Modernism… Overcoming…Animism… Natural Living System. Indigenous People. If these terms don’t pique your curiosity… whew!

Philip also discussed how he identifies with living on Indigenous Land. What’s the connection between sustainability and the Indigenous Land? You’ve got to listen.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss the harm of white women showing up and attempting to “own” spaces filled with trauma stricken Black and Brown people. It is an imperative for white women to show up to support and hold space for people of color… also using their privilege for purpose. Understanding your role is critical to the survival of your well intentioned efforts. The ladies also discuss Jane Elliott’s “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes” exercise with her students. Jane is a legacy and leader in spaces influenced by racism, providing many unpopular anecdotes.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa converse with Kimberly Seals Allers an award-winning journalist and author turned global maternal and infant health advocate. Kimberly's own motherhood journey inspired her to pivot her creative focus and analytical mind to writing about motherhood and the intersection of race, culture, policy and commercial interests.

She was marinated in her Dad’s Jim Crow experiences based on his journey through this era in the South. Her work ethic comes from an expectation that she has to over achieve and her awareness of privilege in her spaces… very interesting marination.

Recently, Kimberly launched her podcast, Birthright and also launched Irth, as in "birth" but without the "b" for bias. Irth, also launched last week, is a new (Yelp-like) digital platform where Black and brown women (and their partners) can get real-time ratings for their OB/GYN, hospitals, and pediatricians.

This conversation is very intense, eye-opening and disheartening at the same time. The disparity in medical treatment and experiences in hospitalization with black and brown people needs extreme improvements… what about an overhaul? O wait, what are your thoughts on mid-wifery or doulas to assist with the birthing process? Yup, this is discussed too!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a Hashtag!… Sunni and Lisa discuss at length, the Guilty Verdict reached in the trial of Derek Chauvin. The former Minnesota Police Officer accused of murdering George Floyd was found guilty on all three counts.

Finally, there is a collective sigh of relief… for an incident that took place almost one year ago. The trauma of reliving the moment that will be forever etched in the memories of so many people is real. The moments leading up to the death, correction, the murder of George Floyd was witnessed by millions.

Lisa and Sunni thought it best to dedicate this entire episode to this necessary discussion. While there is a feeling of relief for the verdict, there’s still an eerie, uneasiness surrounding the most recent murders of black and brown humans by those sworn to protect and serve. It feels so intentional. Like honestly, how do you mistake a gun for a taser with more than 25 years of policing and serving as a “trainer”?… this is rhetorical of course.

For sure it’s bittersweet. Understanding that the term “happy” is relative, but doesn’t seem quite fitting for this moment… Sunni and Lisa discuss the nuances, the feelings, the emotions and how they’re coping with all that has happened. Words are elusive, evaporating in mid-air… it’s just been so overwhelming.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On this segment of Did you know… Sunni and Lisa acknowledge the transition of both, DMX and Prince Philip. If you haven’t heard about the discrimination that took place Kids R Kids daycare in Roswell, GA… you’ve got to tune in. So, all the controversy surrounding the perceived disrespect of the flag by kneeling and how the soldiers fought for our freedom… it appears that the police in Virginia have no respect for our soldiers… especially after pepper spraying and physically assaulting an African American/LatinX soldier during a traffic stop. deep, really deep breaths

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa talk to Linda Gordon, author of The Second Coming of The KKK, The Ku Klux Klan Of the 1920’s and the American Political Tradition.

Linda shared what she was marinated in… both her parents were immigrants. She shares her experiences growing up in a progressive home and how that shaped her views.

Linda shares with the ladies how this book came to be! It wasn’t originally a whole ass book. She uses words like “brilliant” and “social movement” to describe this organization. Puzzling? Absolutely! listen to hear the explanation

Linda shares the origins of the KKK, the secrecy of it and how the next generation of klans men/women were a social movement. Very interesting conversation, the KKK is and will always be a terrorist organization.

Conspiracy theories? Yes! What’s interesting is that many of the strategies used in the 1920’s are being used today. Any community that isn’t Anglo is a prime target. Fear-mongering. Intimidation. Inadequacies. Oz Syndrome.

Structural Racism? Systemic Oppression? Infiltrating local, state and federal government. Yes. It’s real.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On this segment of Did you know… Sunni and Lisa discuss the current state of affairs, i.e. the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. This conversation led to a discussion regarding the NYPD and the lack of accountability. Now on to Qualified Immunity… yesssssssss! O and… the new law in place regarding marijuana… all this and more…Whew! You’re going to have to listen!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa talk to Actor, writer, Rafael Alejandro! Rafael was marinated in the essence of Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage. Listen to his story of growing up and maturing… Hint: President. New York Yankee. Actor.

He shares his anger regarding the 9/11 events that unfolded in NY and his determination to examine his way of thinking about the muslim community. The events of 9/11 forever changed the way we live and operate today, almost 10 years later.

Rafael shares his political views and vulnerability as it relates to war and oppression and occupying other spaces, countries around the world. Sunni contends that hate, racism and power all come from the same place. It has everything to do with the individual and perhaps, what they’ve been marinated in or not. Hint: The Wizard of Oz. Think about it! Seriously! He also shares an example of this privilege and being in spaces that allowed him access that he may not have otherwise had.

Protesting… there’s an interesting conversation that takes place about the effectiveness of protesting… understanding that protesting doesn’t only mean showing up in a physical space.

O yea, “they want our rhythm, but not our blues”… you’ll have to listen to get the context. If Spike Lee wasn’t Spike Lee… trust! So much to unpack, so much!!!!!

Rafael also shares some of his experiences in acting and the roles he has gotten which are largely stereotypes.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On this "extra long” segment of Did you know… Sunni and Lisa attempt (albeit unsuccessful) to unpack the lunacy of folks and their absolute blind ambition to succeed at becoming lower than a snake’s belly! The ladies discuss a number of atrocities committed against children in the Black Community. Curious: 1) the 6 year old kid who was arrested and made to appear in court for picking a fcuking tulip! 2) the 5 year old kid whose teacher made him pull toilet paper and feces from the toilet and 3) the “headmaster” who made the 11 year old kneel and apologize! The common denominator, wait for it - white adults and black children! Just know that Sunni loses her chit discussing these atrocities… you’ve been warned. The ladies also discuss the violent events that are happening in the Asian Community. Understand that the show’s hosts stand in solidarity and hold space for underrepresented communities. It’s going to take people from every culture and background to make that hate machine disappear for all eternity!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa talk to Bruce Reyes-Chow, author of “In Defense of Kindness…”. What an amazing human- being! singing “It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood…” Seriously! The ladies were wondering where he was with the book during the 2019 Presidential campaign…it was most definitely needed! The context, the layout, the calls to action after each chapter… Yesssssss!

When Bruce shares what he was marinated in, you can immediately make the connection to his life’s journey and the book. Insightful! Wait, he’s a comedian too, he is hilarious!

Admittedly, one of the hosts stated that she didn’t want to read the book because she thought it was going to be too mushy and airy fairy. Yea, no… what a totally different experience. Of course you’ll have to listen to know who said what…but you can take a guess!

When you think of ways to show kindness, the ladies would be willing to bet “a dime to a dollar” that you wouldn’t think of Saviorism or Privilege or Resistance or Competition or Institutional Change! These discussions and so much more! You will not regret listening to this episode (or any of them really). O wait, it’s extra long so, take a really long walk or drive or prepare dinner or shucks, do nothing… but listen!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss the one year anniversary of the Breonna Taylor’s murder by the Louisville, Kentucky Police Department. Breonna and her boyfriend were none the wiser when white plain clothes police officers burst into their apartment while they were asleep, on a no-knock warrant. The charges against her boyfriend has sense been dismissed. Seriously, authorities spent more time trying to charge/convict an innocent man than they did pursuing the actual murderers of Breonna Taylor. Before Breonna Taylor, there was Ahmaud Arbery, then George Floyd and countless other people of color suffering at the hands of rogue law enforcement officials. The ladies also discuss the newly released NYPD’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (police misconduct database) information.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa converse with Jesse Ross, Diversity and Inclusion Leader, Executive Coach, and an International Speaker amongst other hats he wears.

Jesse shared that he was marinated in community activism at a really young age. He was the kid under the table when his mom held meetings with community leaders looking for solutions for challenges that are still present today. You already know that you’ll have to listen to hear his response.

One of the incredible ways Jesse uses his gift, is by facilitating conversations with white women and men on privilege and racial inequalities. You already know Sunni asked if he thought that there were supporters of the previous president in attendance. Jesse doesn’t refer to this platform as a “safe space”, instead it’s a space to get comfortable, sitting with discomfort and vulnerability for the majority population.

You’ll also hear Jesse’s up close and personal account regarding the moments following the murder of George Floyd! Yes, he lives very close, he even shares how white supremacists began to patrol his neighborhood!

Hear the conversation regarding Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. vs. Social Justice. What say you, are they the same?

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss Lisa’s newfound love with the social media platform - Clubhouse! Geez Luweez! Sunni’s on there too, but she’s attempting to exercise some balance, which sometimes seems unattainable…lol. Seriously though, Clubhouse is a great space for conversations about any and everything! Real connections are made too! Now, please understand that bullshit comes with all social media platforms, to include Clubhouse…our advice - filter, filter, filter. Moderators, stages, rooms, hallways, hand raising… yup! O wait, you can only access Clubhouse via IOS. Sunni is super excited to have received her invite from our prior guest Leslie Short!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa converse with Dr. Melissa Clarke, author of the popular patient advocacy book “Excuse Me Doctor, I’ve Got What?”. She’s a seasoned Emergency Medicine Physician and pioneering leader in population health for Fortune 500 companies, academia and hospitals. Passionate about empowering individuals to be their own best health advocates, she has been a leading voice in the COVID 19 pandemic regarding health equity for vulnerable populations. Dr. Clarke is a graduate of Harvard University, the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, and residency at Georgetown and George Washington Universities.

O wait! You’ve got to tune in to Dr. Clark’s Monday night Live on Facebook and Youtube! You will not be disappointed, lots of answers given and knowledge shared!

And of course, Dr. Clarke shares what she was marinated in…yup, you’re going to have to listen! Hint: Caribbean spices too!

Health Disparities vs. Healthcare Disparities, do you know the difference? What about the term “other them”? The ladies are hopeful that the majority population has opened their eyes to the ongoing disparities that black and brown people have been dealing with for eons! Sunni shares her experiences dealing with the healthcare system… some things that she’d just like to forget, but feels fortunate to have the opportunity to engage and try to turn things around. Bedside manner, missing, empathy, absent, compassion…what’s that?! THEN, there’s Covid and the Black Community! You’ve got to tune in to hear it all! Let’s say this…lack of trust and trauma in the healthcare system.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

Yes, you noticed the brevity in the description…great!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss the alleged death bed confession of retired NYPD officer - Raymond A. Wood. He allegedly penned a letter describing his involvement in the set-up and assassination of Malcolm X. In what seemed like almost 24 hours after the Tamara Payne interview - this was breaking news! According to washingtonpost.com headlines: An NYPD cop allegedly confessed to aiding in Malcom X’s assassination. His daughter says his letter is fake. You’ve gotta listen to this!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa converse with Tamara Payne, primary researcher for The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X. Ms. Payne started out as a researcher on this project with her beloved father, Les Payne, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Mr. Payne transitioned before the book was finished, even so, his daughter Tamara Payne was determined to see it to the finish line!

And of course, Ms. Payne shares what she was marinated in…yup, you’re going to have to listen!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

Yes, you noticed the brevity in the description…great!

On the Did you know Segment… Black Inventors…according to history.com The Electret Microphone, was Co-Invented by James E. West in 1964. Even for those who aren’t quick to pick up the mic during karaoke, microphones are used every day to communicate over distances far and wide. And more than 90 percent of the microphones used today, including the microphones used in phones and cameras, use a microphone co-invented by a Black man. Dr. James E. West was tasked with creating a more sensitive and compact microphone while working at Bell Labs in 1960. Only four years later, the new microphone was in wide production and was being used in hearing aids, tape recorders, most telephones and baby monitors.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa converse with Ms. Leslie Short, CEO of The Cavu Group and author of Expand Beyond Your Current Culture: Diversity and Inclusion for CEOs and Leadership. Most definitely a woman of influence - Leslie’s parents taught her that she could be whatever she wanted to be! She was introduced to amazing opportunities through her classical ballet journey, not even realizing at such a tender age how this would be pivotal in preparing her for the world adventures ahead.

Early in the conversation, Ms. Short, expanded upon her thoughts around the two words 1) Diversity and 2) Inclusion. You’ll already know that you’ll have to listen to get the deets on this distinction! BTW, Ms. Short is working on a workshop to show you how to have a valid voice - understanding that when you speak, the audience has no option, but to listen.

Inequities, what the hey?! Ms. Short shares with us when she realized she had a voice and what she did with it! What an amazing story she shared about her journey to dance! Geez! This story is amazing! Whew! People can be so unkind! But Ms. Short is without a doubt a badass in her own right! Hint: Be prepared to walk away!

Always the one to stick up for others, Ms. Short used her voice, advocating for the betterment of everyone! Oh yea, the FUBU story, she shares the inside scoop with that…hint: Gap commercial with LL Cool J! Who remembers?! Listen, Ms. Short has been in some rooms and places with some folk and events that will blow your mind! Yup! Be prepared to have your mind blown! Perception, yea, folks with the complexion for the connection tried to talk her out of moving forward with her desires, THEN… those same folk came back asking for favors! Question: What’s in your bag? Who are you? What is your added value? Rhetorical of course!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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Sorry we didn't post a show last week! The good news is we have some incredible guests coming up! Listen to this 1 min 32 second preview to find out (one of the upcoming guests is Charles M. Blow!!!!!!!!)

On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa are recognizing and celebrating Black|African American History Month by sharing stories of inventors of everyday items! On this episode it’s the light bulb! Yup! According to history.com - The light bulb itself was invented by Thomas Edison, but the innovation used to create longer-lasting light bulbs with a carbon filament came from African American inventor Lewis Latimer. Latimer, the son of formerly enslaved people, began work in a patent law firm after serving in the military for the Union during the Civil War.

Mr. Latimer’s successes would garner him further attention from the the U.S. Electric Lighting Company, putting him at a company in direct competition with Edison, in 1880. While there, Latimer patented a new filament for the light bulb, using carbon instead of more incendiary materials, like bamboo, that were commonly used for filaments. The addition of the carbon filament increased the life span and practicality of light bulbs, which had previously died after just a few days. In 1884, he went on to work with Edison at the Edison Electric Light Company. Who knew?!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa discover the ABC’s of Black History with author Rio Cortez. Ms. Rio is multi-talented artist, she’s a writer, poet and is Pushcart Prize - nominated. She has appeared in Mother magazine, The Miami Rail, The Los Angeles Review, and many other publications.

Sunni asks Ms. Rio what she was marinated in… she the uniqueness of her experience growing up in Salt Lake City Utah. Her family was the first founding black family in the state of Utah after the reconstruction - a very unique experience indeed.

You have got to get this book for your kids (honestly, it’s for adults too)! What an amazing tribute to the history and contributions of African Americans! This book illuminates the global Black experience. Sunni could hardly contain herself, reading aloud, secretly wishing she had a room full of young kids to read to! Lisa’s daughter was mesmerized by the book, opting for it over television! O wait, the illustrations, the spectrum of Blackness… phenomenal! You’ve got to see it! And the story of how Ms. Rio met the illustrator Ms. Lauren Semmer… uncanny! People and topics are covered from A-Z, seriously. You’ve gotta listen…no more clues!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa are recognizing and celebrating Black|African American History Month by sharing stories of inventors of everyday items! On this episode it’s the ironing board! According to history.com Improved Ironing Board, Invented by Sarah Boone in 1892 ~ The ironing board is a product that’s used possibly just as much as it’s overlooked. In the late 19th century, it was improved upon by Sarah Boone, an African American woman who was born enslaved. One of the first Black women in U.S. history to receive a patent, she expanded upon the original ironing board, which was essentially a horizontal wooden block originally patented in 1858. With Boone’s 1892 additions, the board featured a narrower and curved design, making it easier to iron garments, particularly women’s clothing. Boone’s design would morph into the modern ironing board that we use today.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa converse with Denise Woods, author of The Power of Voice. Ms. Woods is one of the nation’s most sought after vocal coaches (keep reading, we’re going to make it, make sense), she has worked with tons of celebrities, i.e. Will Smith, Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba and many others. Ms. Woods is more than a vocal coach, she is light, she vibrates at such a high frequency. Sunni asks Ms. Woods what she was marinated in, how she became the person she is today? What a fascinating story she shares of her upbringing, hint she uses the term “gumbo”.

There’s so much to unpack, even with two episodes, it felt like the ladies wanted more! Ms. Woods shares anecdotes for trauma and how using your voice helps with the healing process. She also shares her experience with trauma and how she took command by breathing, allowing herself to breathe deeply. What does culture have to do with your voice? You’d be surprised! You already know you have to listen to get this tea! Funny thing, Sunni had a revelation and will never look at the ocean the same… it’s uncanny just how connected we are… the earth, nature in its purest form.

How to encapsulate this episode (thinking), trauma, healing, rap music aka hip hop, culture and voice, oceans, prejudice, call centers, vibrations… you have to listen! Trust! The Ladies make it, make sense.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss some great news! According to USAToday.com, more than 170 entertainers have launched a group to combat racism and anti-semitism, The group is called the Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance (BJEA). Some of the celebrities include Tiffany Haddish, Billy Porter and Mayim Bialik. The BJEA launched on February 1, 2021, the first day of Black|African American History Month.

In addition, and in celebration of Black|African American History Month, Sunni shares stories of inventors of everyday items that we all use, i.e. the traffic light, the green, yellow and red one! We are highlighting Garrett Morgan on this episode!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa converse with Denise Woods, author of The Power of Voice. Ms. Woods is one of the nation’s most sought after vocal coaches (keep reading, we’re going to make it, make sense), she has worked with tons of celebrities, i.e. Will Smith, Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba and many others. Ms. Woods is more than a vocal coach, she is light, she vibrates at such a high frequency. Sunni asks Ms. Woods what she was marinated in, how she became the person she is today? What a fascinating story she shares of her upbringing, hint she uses the term “gumbo”.

Ms. Woods discusses the expectations of her mother and growing up, she and Sunni can relate to that Black Momma energy! Lisa want signing lessons and shares her experience as a Senior in High School, now she’s thinking about the second chance she has by reading Ms. Woods book. Juilliard, who’s familiar? Yes, Ms. Woods shares her time at Juilliard and the racial and class overtones that the students of color were expected to conform to - either their way or the highway. Wait until you hear about the discussion around Juilliard having a jazz component at the school…Geezus!

What a fascinating story of how Ms. Woods helps Lonnie Rashid Lynn (Common) unlock and access the magic of his voice, his gift. Understanding the placement of your voice is mind-blowing! Ms. Woods, breaks it all the way down! Who knew?! Time was not on our side during this interview, so there will be a Pt. II, it has to be!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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Sunni and Lisa delve right into The Inauguration of our 46th President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Vice President Kamala Devi Harris. This inauguration was definitely different on so many levels. This time and for the first time since anyone can remember, there weren’t thousands of spectators on the grounds of the mall and surrounding areas. Due in part to the continued spread of COVID and the extra precautions related to the January 6, 2020 storming of the Capitol by extremists, white supremacists and domestic terrorists… I think you get the point! According to the Washington Post, “Inaugural field of flags on the Mall could be seem form space…” yea, no spectators this time.

The ladies discussed various aspects of the event, according to CNN, An Inauguration Like No Other: Notable Moments of a Momentous Day. There were a number of stand out moments, first and foremost, President Biden’s inaugural speech was everything, EVERYTHING! It was so needed, just what the country needs right now, unity. Let’s talk about Ms. Amanda Gorman, Poet and Activist for a moment, what an amazing story she has, amazing! Her delivery of such a moving and timely poem was phenomenal. Of course Sunni and Lisa discuss Amanda’s performance during a Grand Slam contest, very moving…you can find it on YouTube, it’s called “Roar”.

Looking ahead to the future, it feels as bright as a thousand suns! It is understood that President Biden is not the great white hope. He instead is the President for these United States of America. The hope is that unity will win over the darkness that has cloaked us and gripped the U.S. like that of a one thousand pound Burmese python over the past four years! The ladies are hopeful and hope that you are too! There’s much work to be done! Now is not the time to rest. Yes, catch your breath and indulge in self-care, but do not stop! Our voices must be heard, we’ve seen it, we know that our voices make a difference.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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Sunni and Lisa observe Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday in song…then proceed to discuss his energy and efforts under the umbrella of Social Justice. If peace means a willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated and segregated, I don’t want peace. If peace mean being complacently adjusted to a deadening state quo, I don’t want peace. If peace mean keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don’t want peace. Peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but the existence of justice for all people. ~ Dr. Martin Luther King

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa interview Mike Africa, Jr. member of The Move Organization and the Black Philly Radical Collective. He is the son of two political prisoners, who were each sentenced to 100 years in prison. Mike was secretly born in a Philadelphia prison following a raid on his family’s home. 40 Years a Prisoner is currently on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. This documentary will render you speechless and ready for action at the same time! Maddening! Unbelievable! Geez! Listen, trigger warning… be sure to put your seatbelt on!

We hear Mike’s views regarding the criminal justice system, social injustice, police brutality, Defund the Police, the office of the President, the systemic racism, black men as the face of… , voting, disparities in sentencing, the healthcare system and so much more! Mike’s Never Give Up attitude is infectious.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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Disclaimer: The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts.

On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss The U.S. Capitol Coup Attempt… what on earth?! On January 6, 2021, the sitting president incited a riot and civil unrest with his base. He encouraged them to march down to the U.S. Capitol to remind congress that the election was stolen. He even told them he would be with them… yea, no! More importantly, the U.S. Capitol was breached, those inside were in fear - for their safety and lives, several supporters and two Capitol Police Officers paid the ultimate price. Not to mention, those who have now tested positive with COVID-19, a direct result of sheltering in place with folks who refused to wear a mask. We don’t even know what the fallout will be as it relates to the spread of COVID nationally. What we do know is, many have been identified, arrested, terminated and unable to fly those friendly skies, now labeled “Domestic Terrorists”. Almost forgot to mention, the crowd of Domestic Terrorists was comprised of those who swore to protect and serve (law enforcement), military, elected officials, a gold medal olympian and celebrities! Whew! The fallout continues…

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa try to unpack the gravity of the attempted coup on the U.S. Capitol with Marcia L. Dyson (yes, wife of Michael Eric Dyson). Marcia has an upcoming memoir titled, Irreverent Memoir of A Grown Ass Woman, she’s also an Ordained Minister, Civic Social Activist and Founder of Women’s Global Institute. Marcia shares what she’s currently marinating in…quieting her Spirit, Spirituality and mediation.

The ladies have so much to discuss, they can hardly wait to jump right into the conversation. Which by the way, covers a lot of ground! There’s so much to process and digest in these times, these very uncertain and concerning times. Talk about analogies and parallels, this episode is full of them!

Aside from the breach, the absolute fear that gripped those inside the Capitol and the willingness of uniformed police officers to be ever so gentle with the rioters, what might you ask was missing? How about mace, clubs, rubber bullets and an army of law enforcement personnel at the ready! We all witnessed the atrocities associated with the Black Lives Matter Peaceful Protests, we all know what happened, repeatedly.

This riot had all of the necessary ingredients: sinister participants, bomb makers, murderers, demonizers of anything non-white, anti-Semitic language and racism. The white nationalist posturing was UNfcukingbelieveable! Let’s be clear, they had help from the inside! Not open for debate either!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss another Karen incident! This time against another young black kid in a Soho Hotel in the Big Apple! The long and short of it is… another person with UNearned racial privilege accuses a young black kid of stealing her phone. Listen, this story is so fcuking warped sigh. Karen accused this kid of stealing her phone, with NO evidence, none! Keyon Harrold, Jr. was victimized by this thug, who by the way has a criminal past. Keyon’s father, by the same name, is a famous jazz musician, he was with his son at the Arlo Hotel when the incident occurred. They both sustained injuries, Dad’s more physical and his son, well, he’s now in therapy dealing with the trauma of this assault. Cursing Alert. Sunni is hotter than a thousand suns about this incident and doesn’t hesitate to share her thoughts, curse words and all!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa discuss the matter of raising African American boys with Christopher “Chris” Braman, who’s white, gay and married with a bi-racial family. Now, you may be wondering why such a description is necessary, that’s fair. You know the show has layers and textures and nuances, so you’ll have to listen to the show to find out.

You already know the drill, the ladies asked Chris what he was marinated in, whew! It’s fair to say the whiteness of a small white town in Wisconsin. You’ll have to listen to get the deets, but you already know that too.

Chris shares his journey as a dad to his adopted sons, Alex and Isaiah. He’s experienced gawks and stares and folks have even had the nerve to question his interaction with the kids! But wait, his story of the incident with Alex in a New York department store is reminiscent of the incident with Keyon Harrold, Jr. However, no physical altercation or harm took place, but the sense of entitlement, white privilege, degradation and disrespect took place. Chris shares the deets of the story and his response. He also shares stories about his parents, their parents, his children and husband, in essence, how he came to be who he is today.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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Sunni and Lisa decided to end the year with a compilation of excerpts from several of this year’s episodes. It was hard to decide which episodes because there were many insightful, candid and moving conversations between the two and their guests. Those discussions provided insight, hope and resilience.

As they peered in the rearview mirror of 2020, an Unprecedented year to say the least, it offered a time for reflection. Lisa put out a call to the Universe for a co-host, Sunni heard the call and responded Hint: “What Were You Marinated In?” has the deets. Now 6 months and over 25 episodes later, here they are with an active Social Justice platform! Because of their passion, the ideation process was easy enough, the name was tweaked several times until they settled on “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!

Simply stated, the goal of the podcast is to “Inform. Engage. Educate. Act.”

2020 in review:

How it started: a pandemic, a crazy ass Presidential race for the White House, the murders of Ahmaud Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless other innocent BIPOC victims. These victims died at the hands of a law enforcement culture that offers no consequences for police brutality. (at least that’s how it’s seen in the eyes of too many)

How it ended: a vaccine for the pandemic, Biden-Harris will be leading the country and an ongoing movement by and for the people: A Revolution! (It is being televised by the way)

Here’s a list of the episode experts…

What Were You Marinated In?
The White Ally Toolkit w. Dr. David Campt
Against All Odds: Prince Edward County’s Refusal to Educate (Systemic Racism in Education)
The Umbrella of Racism
Mindfulness During the Revolution w. Dr. Monea
The 21 Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge w. Debby Irving
Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgements in Our Lives w. Howard Ross
What are you doing to End Racial Inequality w. Karen Fleshman
Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America w. Michael Eric Dyson

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two…

Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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n the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss some good news! Ben and Jerry’s (the ice cream guys) is a huge proponent of justice, equality and equity, huge! They also have a new vegan ice cream inspired by Colin Kaepernick called “Change the Whirled”.

Ben and Jerry compiled a series of good news stories on their IG page…stating “We’re not sad to see 2020 go. But despite the pandemic and all the other challenges, some good things really did happen this year…”. Some of the stories include: Record number voter turn-out, the Miami School System invested in Students (ikr, seems like a no-brainer), Renewable Energy hit a new high and LGBTQ Candidates won big all over the country in this years election. During the segment, the ladies also discussed St. Louis’s Workhouse Project. According to news.stlpublicradio.orgThe name “Workhouse” dates back to 1843. The city’s ordinance at the time said those committed to a similar institution would work off a fine or forfeiture before he or she could be released. In the early 1900s, the Workhouse was on St. Louis’ south side and inmates worked in nearby quarries, according to the St. Louis Public Library.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa discuss the holidays and what it means to them. Lisa is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah and Sunni is non-denominational, celebrating Christmas in a way that many might consider non-traditional. Sunni is of the mindset that her presence and Love is sufficient, especially since she’s a giver throughout the year. Lisa on the other hand, shares Jewish traditions and one in particular that involves latkes and potato chips!

Holiday traditions, television shows, music etc. Lisa is fortunate enough to have snow and go sledding with the family… Sunni on the other hand, there is no snow, none! She’ll hangout with her boyz (standard poodles) Mr. Brown and Max and her big sister for the holidays!

The ladies also offer hints for next year’s podcast and what you can expect in the ActiveAllyship.Podcast IG space.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss the most recent rally featuring none other than the Proud Boys, you know, Trump’s boys, “Stand down and Stand by”. According to the Washington Post, the Proud Boys showed up and wreaked havoc in the Nation’s Capital! The Proud Boys incited chaos leading to property damage and physical altercations, there were multiple stabbing victims, at least 23 arrests…the list of mayhem is longer! To be fair, there were also counter protesters in attendance. (That’s all I’ll say about that).

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa discuss Lisa’s interview with Michael Eric Dyson! Yes! None other than the legendary professor, actor and author of Twenty-Three books.

Just as all guests on the show are asked, he too was asked, what were you marinated in? Michael Eric Dyson shares highlights of his upbringing in Detroit. He was marinated in love and self-respect, born from a black womb. (Trust me, you’ll want to hear with your own ears!)

Michael Eric Dyson shares his passion for black excellence and his love for everyone, no matter their color. His latest book "Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America" is set-up beautifully with letters to a number of innocent people of color who were murdered in America. Those letters were crafted to the likes of Emmett Till, Elijah McCain, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland. Dyson shares his thoughts on what it means to be a martyr. He also shares his thoughts on cancel culture, pretty much, it doesn’t deliver what it promises. Provocative and enlightening are a few of the words that come to mind for his efforts in creating this phenomenal book!

Here’s a very fitting, timely and brilliant quote from Dyson, “The next white allies are not easily dissuaded from the task at hand, their feelings not easily hurt, their determination to help is not easily derailed and their desire to make progress towards racial justice is not easily discouraged.” ~ Michael Eric Dyson

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss one of the hottest topics on social media, former President Barack Obama’s audible thoughts on the “Defund the Police” term. Let’s be clear, he doesn’t have issue with the movement, his concern is the ability of the movement to reach far and wide. According to stltoday.com (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), “Obama is right. The “Defund the Police” slogan just makes reform more difficult.” Social Media has been up in arms over his comments…Tune in to hear the entire discussion!

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa converse with Rozella “Rosie” Kennedy, Project Founder of the Brave Sis Project and inspired leader. What a remarkable woman! As evidenced by her upbringing, she has lots of layers and textures, she’s most definitely a package of personality! You already know that Rosie shares what she was marinated in as a child on into her adulthood ~ living in a space of duality. And right on cue, the discussion of assimilating and code-switching comes into play (hint). Great Conversation!

The Brave Sis Project, Rosie shares her journey to discovering the need for and developing this journey journal for women of color. It’s very engaging, very! She shares her experience looking for a planner and tada! So many unsung heroes representing women of color …it was created for the people she knows. So multidimensional! Rosie shares her vision for the mission and future of the Brave Sis Project and the next exciting ventures for Brave Sis! You can hear the excitement and Love in Rosie’s voice when she shares the birth and future of her “third daughter”! Please visit www.bravesis.com to read the full “Story of Brave”. Rosie also shares how Kathy Caprino’s book"Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman’s Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion Power and Purpose," helped her to get back on track when she wasn’t sure which way to turn, feeling a sense of hopelessness. What a rebirth! Phenomenal conversation about arriving! Being fearless! Moving forward in spite of… the magic negress mindset!

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss a major decision made by the Supreme Court on behalf of the Indigenous People located in Oklahoma. According to NPR …The Supreme Court recognizes sovereignty in much of Oklahoma. NPR goes on to state that… a recent Supreme Court ruling has given Native Americans in Oklahoma renewed sovereignty over their tribal lands - an area of roughly 19 million acres. The land in question marked the end of the “Trail of Tears” for the five tribes that underwent forced relocation in the mid-1800s: the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole and Muscogee Creek. They built a new life in eastern Oklahoma, only to have their land stripped away, bit by bit, over the next century and a half.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa recognize Indigenous People by honoring their truth, heritage and culture. Their story must to told - the true story of what really happened, i.e. Columbus Day, Thanksgiving and broken treaties etc. The “whitewashed” versions are perpetuated and forced upon millions of students via text books across the nation. Unfortunately, the lies have become reality for many around the country. The rich history of Native Americans, the perpetrators, invaders, terrorists; the atrocities and broken treaties have not been told. Well, buckle up and listen, the truth is told on this episode.

You will be awe struck by the unfiltered conversation between the ladies and Simon Moya-Smith (Oglala Lakota Nation), writer, activist and professor of new media. Simon shares what he was marinated in - he grew up knowing the truth about the role of the invaders! While others in the country were being spoon-fed lies about the heritage and culture of the Indigenous People, the elders made it their business to ensure the truth would be kept alive. As Simon says, “there’s a difference between bullshit and lies”…of course you’ll have to tune in to get the full story.

Sunni and Lisa felt that it was not only super important, but super impactful to highlight the truths about the rightful landowners of these “United States”.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… According to CNN, Sacramento County has declared Racism a Health Crisis! The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the resolution and outlined ways to promote racial equity.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Sunni and Lisa finally met Karen Fleshman! What an amazing woman! Karen is a mentor, activist, entrepreneur, attorney, author, educator, proud San Franciscan, and a single soccer mom. She’s also the founder of Racy Conversations, a workshop facilitation company, to inspire the antiracist generation. Her first book White Women We Need to Talk: Doing Our Part to End Racism, will be published by Sounds True in 2021.

First things first, they hear what Karen was marinated in… let’s start with her growing up in a “Sundown Town”. Do you even know what that is? Let’s just say she didn’t realize it until much later. We are thankful that she is using her experiences to propel her to the Racy Conversations and other platforms. We discuss all the places that systemic racism shows up to include housing opportunities or the lack thereof for people of color. They also talk about “enrichments” for whites aka “white welfare”.

Lawd Geezus, the ladies discuss the voting percentages of white women, at 55% while, white millennials and gen-Zs were not far behind in casting their votes for Trump. This leads to another conversation related to the disconnect between white woman and women of color. Where is the sisterhood? Where is the disconnect? Of course you’ll have to tune in to hear this! Ladies, Ladies, Ladies…there is much work to be done!

There’s also excitement around learning that President Elect Biden’s platform and priorities include Racism as a top priority for his administration.

“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house”…what a layered , textured conversation and most definitely gem dropping!

O wait, if you aren’t already, please follow us on IG|Twitter @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two… Be sure to Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. the podcast!

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On the Did you know Segment… It’s Transgender Awareness Week! According to Gladd.org…each year between November 13-19 the Transgender Community highlights news and issues impacting the LGTBQ. November 20th is a day of remembrance, honoring Transgender people whose lives were lost and acts of anti-transgender violence that took place on a particular year.

Lisa and Sunni share movies and docu-series watched on HULU and HBO specific to the Transgender Community. Great educational resources! We are allies for everyone! We Inform. Engage. Educate. Act.

On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! - we converse with Dr. David Campt, author of the “White Ally Toolkit” about the way forward. I’m sure you know by now that the election has been called for Vice-President Elect Biden. However, the sitting president and his supporters, are unrelenting in their quest to dismantle the election system and the voice of the American people as we’ve come to know it. Chile, you’ve gotta listen to this!

We get it, just as is with Sunni and Lisa, some are exhausted, some have disconnected for their peace of mind and sanity. No pun intended, but this race was/is not for the faint of heart!

There’s so much more that could be written in this description, but we know that you’re going to tune it for the rest!

O wait, if you aren’t already, please follow us on Twitter|IG @activeallyship.podcast! And of course, there’s our Facebook Page, Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Drop us a line or two…

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The ladies were so excited about this episode, they didn’t even discuss the “Did You Know Segment”. Heck, the whole 2020 Election is a “Did You Know?”

Sunni and Lisa waste no time jumping right into the 2020 election results, the impact and what’s to come! And the winner is… Joe Biden President - Elect w. Kamala Harris, the first ever woman and to boot woman of color as the Vice President Elect!!!!!! Make no mistake, the country is clearly divided with a margin of only 4 million ballots to determine the winner (sad AF right?!).

The raw emotion of so many from all walks of LIFE… ALL cultures, communities, heck, everyone was represented! The all out street parties and fireworks took place literally, world-wide! New York, Washington, DC, London, Paris… our allies from other countries even expressed jubilation over the election results!

Minorities as a collective could finally breathe a long awaited sigh of relief. African Americans, Latinos, immigrants, Muslims, so many, so many felt their shoulders relax just a little knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Where were you when you found out the results of the 2020 election? Who voted for who? Whew! Lisa and Sunni discuss the voting percentages of white women and men. It’s pretty scary that so many are of the “Dying White” mindset. You’ll have to listen to hear the discussion, but you already knew that…lol

Sunni and Lisa delve into the baseless “fraudulent” claims by the republican party that will most definitely adversely impact the ability of the President/Vice- President Elect to ensure a smooth transition. Even the General Services Administration is in on this debacle, what in the entire fcuk are these folks thinking?! Of course the ladies share their thoughts!

There is light at at the end of the tunnel. Chime in on our facebook page… Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Well, don’t just chime in, follow us as well smile

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On the Did you know Segment… Lisa and Sunni discuss… the UNprecedented early voter turnout for young people and Texans! Exciting news - an estimated 7 million young voters between the ages of 18-29 did the damn thang! According to National Geographic “many young voters were specifically driven by racial inequality, gun violence and climate change.

And those Texans, you know they like to do things big! Texans cast 9 million early ballots, topping the state’s total turnout for 2016! They ain’t playin! Folks are not playing, there’s so much at stake! And as suspected, this wasn’t going to be an easy one! This indeed is a nail-biter! Who knows, it could be another few days or weeks before we actually know the results. The question is, what then?! (But that a topic for another time, maybe the next time)

Our guest this week is Pavel Paulinich, he’s civil rights activists for all, to include the LGBTQ community. Paul is also the flipp’in creator of Karens Going Wilds on instagram! If you haven’t seen those videos, fasten your seatbelts! I betchu didn’t know Karens Going Wilds has over 700k followers on IG! There are also YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook platforms.

First and foremost, Pavel shares what he was marinated in as a child growing up in Peru. Yes, he’s Peruvian! He migrated to the United States when he was young. Of course you’ll have to listen to get the deets! Anyhoo, Pavel shares the cultural perceptions of skin tones based on the ideology of his elders. We all (well minorities for sure) know that subconscious programming via television and media outlets is pervasive. Meaning, even a culture that has little to no representation of folks with blonde hair and blue eyes, will find themselves tuning into commercials, soap operas and the like with people that do not resemble the majority population.

Moving right along, newly acclimated to the US, unbeknownst to him, racism was right around the corner, ready to raise its ugly head and strike! Be sure to take deep breaths while Sunni and Lisa delve into this conversation with Pavel! How could they not want to know more? Have not forgotten, bet you want to know just how the “Karens Going Wilds” came to be? That’s what Sunni wanted to know too!

If you have suggestions for topics you’d like to hear, simply chime in on our facebook page… Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Well, don’t just chime in, follow us as well smile

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On the Did You Know segment… which is the framework for today’s show. Sunni and Lisa discuss current events. Re-Imagining the Police: Responding to Mental Health Crisis, San Francisco’s The Caren Act, The Upcoming Election: BIPOC and Voting, Active Allyship in Action!

On this episode, Lisa and Sunni discuss yet another very recent killing of a black man - this time in Philadelphia, the victim’s name is Walter Wallace Jr. who was having a Mental Health Crisis. His family called for intervention, instead, their son was killed right in front of them! Lawd Geezus

Sunni is uber expressive regarding the continued assault on men of color and the BIPOC population PeriodT. Discussing the differences between the arresting officers and their interactions with white people versus their interaction with minorities. Both Lisa and Sunni agree, something has got to give! fcuk

These ladies are excited to know that San Francisco is aggressively making strides to enact legislation that will ensure the criminalization of calls to the police based on LIES and RACISM. sing it with me You about to lose your job (and go to jail)!

There is light at the end of the tunnel, discussion around the opportunity to be an “Active Ally” in real life is based on Keraun Harris’ encounter with a white woman and her camera. Chime in on our facebook page… Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Well, don’t just chime in, follow us as well smile

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” … On the “Did you Know?” segment, Sunni and Lisa share two great news articles related to the voter process! According to Good Black News - NBA Legend Michael Jordan and his Jordan Brand Donate $2.5 Million to Combat Black Voter Suppression and The NAACP and LeBron Jame’s “More Than A Vote” Initiative Attracts 10,000 Volunteer Poll Works. We all know that there’s voter suppression, in addition to voter suppression, we are in the midst of a pandemic where people are feeling unsafe and vulnerable.

Our guest Vanessa Codorniu shares her marination as a Latinx person in this country. She shares the pain, the process, the nurturing, the healing and the wisdom of her journey. Love is Love and that is made clear when she shares the story of her father’s unexpected interaction on a New York subway train. What an amazing journey and life changing story!

Vanessa is called The Urban Priestess, who is a bilingual educator and wellness activist. She is an acclaimed Latinx teacher of intuition and clinical hypnosis, with over 27 years of experience and more than 10,000 individual sessions. Vanessa shares her heritage discussing an array of sensitive topics. Who knew that Sunni’s vulnerability would show up the way it did? Not even Sunni excepted the raw emotions to present during the taping. You already know you’re going to have to listen. What things are you carrying? Just now, Erykah Badu’s “Bag Lady” came to mind. Vanessa shares her vulnerabilities as a Healer and learning to protect herself as an immigrant and BIPOC from those with misconceptions based on programming and stereotypical beliefs. We realize that people are dealing with unprecedented levels of grief, collective trauma and fear of the unknown at the moment. Are you interested in healing your trauma? Do you believe in alternative healing? Have you considered alternative healing? How about ancestral healing? The root of your trauma can be hard to pinpoint, which means it’s easier to be triggered or rekindled. You’ve got to listen to this show, especially if you’re interested in individual and collective healing. Be sure to follow us and chime in on our facebook page ~ Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” … Lisa flies solo with guest Howard Ross, the author of "Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgements in Our Daily Lives." Howard Ross is lifelong social justice advocate, and is considered one of the world’s seminal thought leaders on identifying and addressing unconscious bias. Howard has delivered programs in 47 states and over 40 other countries to audiences including Fortune 500 companies, colleges and universities, and major institutions within healthcare, government, and non-profit sectors.

According the Howard J. Ross, to be human is to be biased. Lisa and Howard explore the biases we each carry within us and talk about how unconscious bias impacts our day-to-day lives. The good news? Howard shares ways that we can engage to disengage the impact of their own biases.

After the interview, Sunni and Lisa share a positive story in this weeks "Did You Know."
from www.goodblacknews.org about authors N.K. Jemisin and Jacqueline Woodson who are among the 2020 MacArthur "Genius" Fellows who are awarded a no strings attached $625K grant!

"Every year, the MacArthur Fellows Program awards its recipients a $625,000 “no strings attached” grant, an investment in a person’s originality, insight, and potential so they may continue to “exercise their own creative instincts for the benefit of human society.” In 2020, nine of the 21 “geniuses” that have been selected are Black."

Enjoy the show!

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On the Did You Know segment… Sunni and Lisa discuss President Trump’s COVID diagnosis and the actions that followed. alarming According to the New York Times… the White House Is Not Tracing Contacts for “Super-Spreader” Rose Garden Event - Since President Trump’s Covid diagnosis, numerous associates have tested positive, but the White House has not aggressively investigated the outbreak. sigh

On this episode, Lisa shares her struggle with a lifetime friendship and the wedge that politics has driven between the two. At the end of the day, is it really about your political affiliation or your moral compass or both?

Lisa admits to being an @sshole in the beginning, but then decided to use techniques suggested by Dr. Campt on one of our previous episodes to engage in an effective discussion. Do you think it’s too late? Can fences be mended? Would you be able to end a lifelong friendship over politics? Wait, do you believe there’s a connection between your morals, values and politics? For the sake of friendship, would you reconsider your political ideology? Well, would you? That’s a tough question, honestly. It does make you wonder, how did two lifelong friends become so polar opposite in their beliefs?

Things get really real on this episode. Vulnerability would be the appropriate word. I’m sure Lisa isn’t the only one struggling with this issue right now, what say you? Chime in on our facebook page… Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Well, don’t just chime in, follow us as well smile

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” …our "Did you hear" segment comes at the end of the show.

Sunni and Lisa decide to “free style” in this episode, discussing the importance of mindfulness. What are they doing to manage their time, because we all have tons of it! They share what they’re doing in our spare time…lol and how were coping with the current events!

What lights you up? For me, it’s meditation and living in my most authentic life. We offer simple suggestions for how to get started with a mindfulness practice. You got 3 minutes? Then you’ve got time for mindfulness! You owe it to yourself!

You’ve got to listen!

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” …

Before we get into this episode, Lisa shares her experience with a newfound therapy…too funny! On the “Did you Know?” segment, Sunni and Lisa discuss the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg aka Notorious RBG and the significance of her death on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Not only is her passing unfortunate, the timing couldn’t be worse. This administration’s shenanigans are unimaginable, but not unmistakable!

Dr. David Campt is the author of the “White Ally Toolkit”. Before we delve into the tools for Allies, we hear what Dr. Campt was marinated in during his childhood upbringing, it all started in Detroit!

Do you even believe that racism exists? What does it mean to be an Ally? One thing for sure, it means commitment! Know matter how daunting you may believe it to be, you’ve got to stay committed. What it isn’t - is giving up when things become really tough! Dr. Campt offers advice for those who believe they are Allies and those who aspire to become an Ally. Are you ready to be vulnerable? Dr. Campt dissects both Sunni and Lisa’s experiences and perceptions about race and race relations. Dr. Campt says that he keeps his hopes high and his expectations low! Come on now, you know you’ll have to listen to find out what he’s referencing. Do you believe that white people are adversely impacted by racism? Yup, you’ll have to listen to find out the answer to this question too. Hold on to your thought about it. Are you interested in engaging in discussions about race? Are you interested in knowing how to effectively communicate with folks who do not believe in racism? This is definitely the episode for you! Put your seatbelt on, oh wait, you might not want to drive while listening to this episode, you’re going to want to pull over!

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” …

On the “Did you Know?” segment, Sunni and Lisa discuss the occupant of the White House’s LIES regarding COVID-19!!!!!! According to CNN, Play it down Trump, admits to concealing the true threat of coronavirus in the new Woodward book called “Rage”. Trump actually admitted (out loud) that he was knowledgeable about the seriousness of COVID-19 and intentionally downplayed it!!!!! What in the entire FCUK could he have been thinking?! You’ve got to listen!

Of course, Sunni and Lisa start the show by hearing what Anne Boudreau was marinated in as a child - she was bullied relentlessly. Thankfully, there’s so much more to the tapestry that makes her the beautiful person she is today! Makes you think, if white people can be so mean to each other, do other races really stand a chance (but I digress)?

Anne is the author of A Human Mosaic: Heal, Renew & Develop Self-Worth. During our conversation, we discuss ways in which we can more effectively deal with the craziness of the world today, specifically 2020! People can and do change, we are capable of embracing change and growing from it. She shares her experience from the eyes of a six year old who realized that mean people are this way because they have low self-value and zero, zip, zilch self-worth. Imagine that! Have you ever wondered if you have the ability to change? Like, change your thoughts, your beliefs (real or imagined) about others? Well, there’s this thing called Neuroplasticity that basically helps you rewire your brain. Does it work, absolutely! Don’t just take our word for it, there are former white supremacists, i.e. kkk, neo-nazis etc. who can attest to the validity of it. At the beginning, middle or end of the day, as human beings, we should be accepting and tolerant, minimally. Do yourself a favor if you haven’t already… ask yourself… Am I accepting and tolerant of others, if not, why? Check yourself, that’s where the love begins. Challenge yourself, DO NOT allow your brain to take the “shortcut”!

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” …

On “Did you Know?” segment, Sunni and Lisa discuss the current administration’s efforts to dismantle Diversity and Inclusion efforts by banning Diversity and Inclusion Training. WTF?! I know right? Breathe, we’re breathing, taking very deep breaths woosah

According to the news, "Trump Bans Diversity Training, Claiming It’s Divisive, Anti-American Propaganda." If this administration considers Diversity and Inclusion training divisive, y'all better get ready for what’s on the horizon! Put those headphones on!

First and foremost, we hear what Edwina M. Williams was marinated in as a child, clearly there’s some comedic talent there…lol. Edwina shares stories from her experiences from her thirty year career as a law enforcement professional. She wore many hats during her tenure, it doesn’t stop there! She’s more talented than we could’ve imagined! If you’re wondering whether systemic racism exists within the police force, buckle up! Have you ever wondered if there are two separate tracks for disciplinary action for those of color and European Americans (Whites). Oh wait, do you understand the original purpose of the police force? What about the Kerner Commission Report? Yup, we discuss that too!

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” …

On the newly introduced segment called, “Did you Know?” Sunni flies solo sharing the latest news of the Louisville Metro Police Department’s efforts to offer a plea deal to Breonna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend (Jamarcus Glover) to say that she was a part of an organized crime syndicate. Nope, you did not read that wrong! Crazy af right?!

On this week’s episode (short, but powerful) we discuss a question that Lisa’s brother asked… with everything going on…how?! Broken beyond repair? That’s a very important question and an opportunity for us to examine how we’re feeling during these unprecedented times, need we list them, two (2) pandemics (COVID and White Supremacy) and a Revolution! While overused, the word unprecedented is most fitting. Sunni and Lisa discuss how they’re feeling, hopeless or hopeful.

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This week, Sunni & Lisa did an episode about Jacob Blake, another innocent black man shoot (7 times) in the back. Due to a recording error out of our control, we lost the interview. So we decided to re-post our first episode rather than skip this week.

Sunni & Lisa talk about what they were marinated in. We'd also love for you to share what you were marinated in. Go to our facebook page, "Active Allyship...it's more than a #hashtag!" and share your story.

Here is the original description below:

On the debut episode of "Active Allyship...it's more than a #hashtag!" Sunni & Lisa talk about what they were marinated in growing up.

They also talk about what this podcast is about, why it is so imperative, and why it is WAY past time to dismantle systemic racism.

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” … flies solo with guest Juliana McCarthy.

On the newly introduced segment called, “Did you Know?” Sunni shares a New York Post story regarding the backlash Oprah Winfrey recently received for calling out “white privilege” since she’s rich. Really? That means there’s obviously some confusion around the meaning. Put those headphones on!

First and foremost, we hear what author of “The Stars Within You”, Juliana McCarthy was marinated in as a child. She had a very interesting upbringing I might add.

Astrology - the sun, the moon, the stars and planets, what on earth does this have to do with “The Revolution, the pandemic and the Presidential Race or anything for that matter? The interconnectedness of the current events and the alignment of the astrological synchronicities is astounding. I’m sure your interest is piqued, if it isn’t, read on… During this conversation we discuss the precipice of the Black Lives Matter movement, George Floyd’s death and the global impact on humanity, and white guilt. Does the name Richard Spencer ring a bell? Hint: Tiki Torches and Khakis. This was an eye-opening discussion for sure! You already know that you’re going to have to listen to get this information. Based on the astrological data readily available, Juliana provides us with a glimpse of what’s likely to come with the next presidency and the pandemic. Astrology is a language. If you understand this language, the sky speaks to you ~ Dane Rudhyar.

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” Sunni and Lisa discuss moments of awakening in the realm of social justice with Debby Irving during The 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge interview. On their newly introduced segment called, “Did you Know?” Sunni and Lisa tackle another painful reminder of what it’s like to be black in America - the Aurora Police incident in which a black mother and her children were wrongfully detained and made to lie facedown on hot asphalt. Straight B.S., but you’ll have to listen to get our thoughts on the matter.

There is so much taking place in these United States of America, to include being in the midst of “two pandemics and a revolution”. We know you’re wondering, what two pandemics? Well, put your earphones on and have a listen! Hint: white supremacy is a pandemic! Anyway, we wanted to share tools that would be useful in assisting to bridge the gap, creating a better understanding. The 21- Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge interview with Debby Irving is informative, eye-opening and quite honestly, rather revealing. Debby shares what she was “marinated” in as a child growing up in white suburbia and the impact it had on her life, mentally, emotionally and physically. Transparency is the word that comes to mind when listening to this conversation. Debbie is very transparent about her upbringing and the connection to her “awakening”.

Now, back to The 21- Day Racial Equity Habit Challenge, (which by the way, “was first hatched by Dr. Eddie Moore Jr.” fingers crossed, we’ll have him on the show as well), this tool provides a variety of options for engagement and learning - “For 21 days, do one action to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression and equity.” If you haven’t already, join our Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag! Facebook Group to participate in the challenge we are launching. Our goal is to inform, engage and act! Yes, the word “ally” is a verb, requiring action - no nouns around here!

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” …Sunni and Lisa introduce a new segment called “Did You Know?!” and we will ask each guest what they were marinated in. During the "Did You Know?!" segment, we share newsworthy topics that you may not have been aware of, trust us on this one! We will also be asking our guests the question, "What were you marinated in?"

We all know that the Revolution is a marathon, not a sprint; it’s a movement, not a moment. Mindfulness During the Revolution with Dr. Monea is required listening. What an informative discussion, some of the revelations are jaw-dropping! We delve into what Dr. Monea was marinated in, and her metamorphosis into such an incredible wife, mom, yogi and resource. Dr. Monea shares experiences along her journey to educate the masses and to amplify the voices of some of our most vulnerable. She shares tools for mindfulness during the Revolution for both Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and our Allies. We promise, you do not want to miss this episode either, especially when Dr. Monea realizes as a young child that she was different in the eyes of the privileged… and the “Village” that created a safe space for her to morph into her truest, most authentic self. Dr. Monea is a modern day super-woman who understands the importance of making time to nurture herself. She knows that the effort to inform, engage and act requires resilience. Dr. Monea shares the three “Rs”, I bet you want to know what they are, come on now, you know you have to listen to find out!

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” …Sunni and Lisa discuss the Umbrella of Racism: What exactly does racism mean? Like, really, what does racism mean? Not what it means to you, but what does it really mean? We delve into several definitions, written by experts (Ijeoma Oluo and Dr. Ibram Kendi) to arrive at one that examines and accurately reflects the behavior and structures. We also examine racism, the Big “R” and the little “r” according to Dr. Steven Robbins. Listen, racism isn’t simply a word, it’s a cancer! Are you familiar with structural, institutional or even the term systemic, all words inserted before the word “racism”? Sunni shares some of her personal experiences dealing with micro and macro aggressions and how she dealt with them.

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On this episode of Active Allyship...it's more than a #hastag! ... Sunni and Lisa discuss past and recent incidents of white women (and men) weaponizing their whiteness. When white women (and men) unleash their whiteness, privilege and sense of entitlement, it is dangerous! We discuss the calls to the police with false accusations solely based on race. This venomous behavior has got to STOP!

Newly introduced legislation would make calls to 911 with false accusations a crime. On the left coast (California) "The Caren Act" would make racially biased calls illegal and in the Big Apple (New York), the "Amy Cooper Bill" would make it a hate crime when callers make false accusations based on race, gender and religion. Hopefully, this legislation won't die waiting to be passed and will be passed unanimously. Wait, we actually need to introduce legislation to ensure consequences for white folks to STOP calling the police with lies, damn!

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On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” …Sunni and Lisa hear first hand accounts of Norman C. Neverson’s (Sunni’s Uncle) journey from hardship to haven through an educational system, specifically designed to exclude him. Honestly, it feels like you’re eavesdropping as little known facts are revealed, get ready for the big twist!

Here is some information on the Closing of Prince Edward County's Schools from www.virginiahistory.org Our guest, Norman Neverson was one of the children affected.

After Virginia's school-closing law was ruled unconstitutional in January 1959, the General Assembly repealed the compulsory school attendance law and made the operation of public schools a local option for the state's counties and cities. Schools that had been closed in Front Royal, Norfolk, and Charlottesville reopened because citizens there preferred integrated schools to none at all. It was not so in Prince Edward County. Ordered on May 1, 1959, to integrate its schools, the county instead closed its entire public school system.

The Prince Edward Foundation created a series of private schools to educate the county's white children. These schools were supported by tuition grants from the state and tax credits from the county. Prince Edward Academy became the prototype for all-white private schools formed to protest school integration.

No provision was made for educating the county's black children. Some got schooling with relatives in nearby communities or at makeshift schools in church basements. Others were educated out of state by groups such as the Society of Friends. In 1963–64, the Prince Edward Free School picked up some of the slack. But some pupils missed part or all of their education for five years.

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On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!” Sunni, Lisa and Dr. David Campt, author of "The White Ally Toolkit Workbook: Using Active Listening, Empathy, and Personal Storytelling to Promote Racial Equity" discuss the application of tools to support White Allies. They also discuss why white allies must take over the work of “woking."

Description of "The White Ally Toolkit Workbook: Using Active Listening, Empathy, and Personal Storytelling to Promote Racial Equity."

How does a white person who aspires to be an ally against racism talk to their friends and family who are in denial about racism against people of color? The White Ally Toolkit Workbook gives people concrete guidance about how to respond a wide variety of statements that racism-denying white folks make everyday. In addition, the workbook presents a sequenced curriculum that an ally can use if they want to purposefully change someone in the circle of influence as well as reflection and self-assessment tools that will help allies see themselves more clearly. These tools help allies refine their interactions with others so they can move the needle on the large-scale racism denial among the whites about American’s most pressing and long-standing problem.

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The White Ally Toolkit Workbook: Using Active Listening, Empathy, and Personal Storytelling to Promote Racial Equity

On the debut episode of "Active Allyship...it's more than a #hashtag!" Sunni & Lisa talk about what they were marinated in growing up.

They also talk about what this podcast is about, why it is so imperative, and why it is WAY past time to dismantle systemic racism.

Cali by Wataboi https://soundcloud.com/wataboi
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/wataboi-cali
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/qXptaqHIH5g