This is Not Reality: Recent Episodes
This is Not Reality
This is Not Reality is a podcast hosted by boston-based artist and podcaster Amber Torres.
Amber speaks to experts, artists and everyday people about finding success and happiness in an everchanging world.
The name of the podcast is Amber’s personal motto-- a play on words based on a painting that she learned about in highschool called “The Treachery of Images” by french artist Rene Magritte (1928) —a painting of a pipe with french text written underneath it that translates to, “this is not a pipe”.
Afterall, what we see is not a pipe, it is a painting of a pipe.
Amber has always cherished the painting as a reminder that People have all sorts of linguistic and social tools that we use as shorthand to communicate/ navigate our values. This is Not Reality is about comparing our different illusion(s) of success and happiness in order to live more fulfilled lives.
In 2015, when I was a Junior at Hamilton College, I received the Emerson Collaborative Research Grant to research gentrification in Washington D.C.I used those findings to develop my senior thesis and take a deeper dive into Urban Planning and migrations trends in the U.S. That research project, first titled Selling the City and later renamed to Saving the City, allowed me to better understand the origins of gentrification in order to combat it in Boston.There was so much overlap between my research and the other grant projects and creative ventures I was pursuing at the time, curating art shows for emerging artists of color in Boston. Before I wrote Saving the City, I completed the Levitt Research Center's Social Innovation Fellowship at my college where I planned and pitched the creation of a local art gallery and studio to support black and brown artists competing in the creative economy. This research has been integral to my ongoing work in the arts and the city.Saving the City challenges the prediction commonly made by early social theorists that globalization would eventually diminish the importance of place in society. I found that globalization has actually made place more valuable. My research led me to wonder how local government, entrepreneurs, and visionaries can leverage the value of place and placemaking in the 21st century to combat the gentrification and displacement of disenfranchised communities.
Featuring Curtis Santos & Eilakeisha Spencer Founders of the Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation Organizers of Boston Urban Pride
I spoke to Curtis Santos and Eilakeisha Spencer who are the founders of the Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation, which provides, “programs and activities supporting mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health in urban communities helping them to improve a healthier lifestyle”. They are the organizers behind Boston Urban Pride and Boston LesbiGay Urban Events aka B.L.U.E. During our conversation, we reflect on the controversy surrounding the dissolution of Boston Pride, how Curtis & Eilakeisha are working with a coalition of queer organizers of color to reallocate resources, what it was like coming of age as queer in the city, Lil Nas X and homosexuality in hip hop and more.
For more information about their programs and events follow the Boston Lesbigay Foundation @boston_urban_pride or visit their website https://www.lesbigayurbanfoundation.org/about
Timestamps Below: 4:20 - What the foundation does
6:20 - Socializing and Serving community
7:40 - The Sacred ritual of gathering
8:30 - Starting during the pandemic
9:15 - Boston Pride
10:10 - Boston Pride boycott
12:40 Lack of access to funding
13:30 Boston Pride dissolving
16:50 B.L.U.E (Social Engagement)
22: bisexual community
26 organizational mission and structure
“Social engagement is really of a huge priority when we talk about social determinates of health…when we talk about folks living a healthy lifestyle when we talk about what does health and wealth looks like in urban communities, social engagement is at the #1 spot”.
38 Lil nas X & LGBTQUIA representation in Hip Hop
Music by Blessin @blessinindisguise and Lubiggz @Bahnanabites For updates on new episodes of This is Not Reality follow @ambersafro www.ambersafro.com/thisisnotreality
Ft. Zeisa, owner and creator of Zeisa’s Haircare
Amber spoke to Zeisa, owner and creator of Zeisa’s Haircare. The conversation touches on natural hair do’s and dont’s, curly hair in the cape verdean community, the impact of natural hair influencers and more. Visit zeisahaircare.com to purchase organic hair care and beard care products. If you’re in New York stop by House of Skillz Beauty, 2065 Fulton St in Brooklyn.
“It’s always been about the style and the style only…your not actually doing anything to take care of it before you do the style” 11:15
Timestamps below: 9 mins styling your hair vs. caring for your hair | 12 mins you’re gonna learn your hair | 16 mins keeping perm in her closet, just in case | 19 mins influencers | 21 mins hair types | 26 mins family hair care, creating new traditions | 29 mins nyc vs Boston | 30 mins cabo verde | 40 mins business owner and educator; turn over in charter schools | 43 mins Zeisa’s Hair Care now in stores, what’s next?
Music by Blessin @blessinindisguise and Lubiggz @Bahnanabites For updates on new episodes of This is Not Reality follow @ambersafro www.ambersafro.com/thisisnotreality
Ft. Lorenzo Recupero, creator of the Chelsea Poetry Walk
Over 20 small businesses in Downtown, Chelsea will be participating in the Chelsea Poetry Walk , from August 7th-September 30th, displaying poems written by residents of all ages in their window fronts. The creator, Lorenzo Recupero is a Chelsea Native, a writer for the Everett Leader Herald and more. He stopped by to talk about journalism, growing up in Chelsea and more.
Timestamps below: 0-10 min| the inspiration behind the event and the grant writing process. 15 mins| Lorenzo’s introduction to journalism, writing for the Boston Globe, Heavyweight champion John Ruiz article, Reporting on the opening of Encore casino & it’s impact. 30 mins| the state of Journalism today, the difference between opinions and journalism. 40 mins| Lorenzo tells the story of his mother giving birth to him at home in Chelsea (literally born & raised in Chelsea, not a big hospital in Boston) & how his father became a city councilor in Chelsea. 52 mins| growing up as a 1st generation Sicilian - Puerto Rican. 1 hr| we nerd out and Lorenzo shares 2 of his favorite historical facts about Chelsea.
Music by Blessin @blessinindisguise and Lubiggz @Bahnanabites For updates on new episodes of This is Not Reality follow @ambersafro www.ambersafro.com/thisisnotreality
0- 10 min The Broadway vs The Musical | Lin Manuel Miranda and The Impact of In the Heights (and Hamilton)| the overwhelming negative critique | 10 min how Latinos have historically been portrayed in media | All I had was Dora: the struggle of understanding my latino identity through pop culture in the 2000's | 23 mins My journey to embrace my Latinidad | shout out to local latino Ethnoburbs like Washington Heights: Chelsea, Ma, Jamaica Plain, the South End, Dudley Park, & all over the city.
My Room’s a Mess & This is not reality Podcast Cross-Over .
"Like a Messy room, life is all over the place"… & I definitely talked about anything & everything in this cross over episode with hosts Vic and Jason- Art, Philosophy, Kanye West, Immigration and more! They brought the heat this year--with their most recent guests including Flawless Real Talk, finalist of Netflix’s 2019 hit show, Rhythm + Flow......... and me ;) (to name a few). The hilarious trailer for season 2 of My Room’s a Mess features various shots of Jason (and Vic…. kinda lol), 2 Chelsea natives, running past popular landmarks like Chelsea Highschool, and the Tobin Bridge. For a few years now I’ve called Chelsea home, while acting very much like a stranger, but since I got this co-sign from My Room’s a mess, that makes me legit now right? Y’all go subscribe to My Room’s a Mess & follow them on social media. Thank you for welcoming me into the Messy Room, it was quite neat actually.
@ourmessyroom https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQierS2CtpLj04hUFLAewGQ/featured
Music by Blessin @blessinindisguise and Lubiggz @Bahnanabites For updates on new episodes of This is Not Reality follow @ambersafro www.ambersafro.com/thisisnotreality
Featuring My brother’s Keeper 617, a non-profit based out of Dorchester, created to provide mentoring to young men and boys in the Boston community aged 8 and up. The goal is to show the youth that they can make choices that will increase academic growth and professional opportunities. By pursuing these opportunities, they will grow to become an asset to the community and leaders of the next generation. MBK617 @mybrotherskeeper617 , was founded in 2014 when six men raised in Dorchester came together to make a change in the neighborhood (not to be confused with Obamas My Brothers Keeper Alliance).....Having grown up in the neighborhood and experienced the struggle from Boston's streets, these six men were uniquely familiar with the pressure to go down the wrong path. My interview with Mario & Tony begins with Mario asking how my moms doing because no big surprise, each of us in the interview are related in someway (that’s being Cape Verdean in Boston for you). We go on to speak in depth about the immigrant experience, gang violence & how MBK aims to expose the community to more opportunities in life. From snowboarding, to baseball games at Fenway Park, to starting & running a business MBK does so much !
@mbk617 www.mbk617.org
Music by Blessin @blessinindisguise and Lubiggz @Bahnanabites For updates on new episodes of This is Not Reality follow @ambersafro www.ambersafro.com/thisisnotreality shorturl.at/ruDJP
FT. Bella Noka, an activist and member of the Narragansett Tribe located in what we now call Rhode Island. In 2003, members of the Narragansett tribe were attacked and arrested in a “raid” of a tax-free smoke shop on their land. On that day, the Narragansett chief sachem, the medicine man, a tribal police officer, Bella Noka, her children and her husband, who was the first councilman were bombarded by over 50 police officers, brutally attacked and arrested on “disorderly conduct” charges. A federal judge later claimed that the tribe had been operating the smoke shop illegally and that the state had the right to tax sales of cigarettes on tribal land. I am so grateful that Bella chose to recount such a traumatic event in order to educate my audience on the concept of tribal sovereignty and demystify aboriginal culture. Bella speaks on some of the issues that tribes continue to face and the work she’s done across causes and communities to combat white supremacy. From human trafficking, to police brutality, to environmental justice and more. As a 2nd generation immigrant to this country, Standing Rock was one of the first times in MY lifetime that the issues of aborignal people were at the forefront of public discourse, and with this interview I hope to keep these issues & conversations going. Available on Spotify, Youtube, Apple Podcasts & my website.
To learn more about the Narragansett Tribe and ways to support them visit: http://narragansettindiannation.org/#
FT. Shimmy, (Ernst Jean-Jacques) a Boston based activist who was wrongfully accused of and arrested for the assault of an elderly woman at a counter protest of a Trump rally in Swampscott MA, last December.
"Not only was this entire interaction caught on video, the aggressor was also filmed admitting to a police officer that she instigated the altercation unprovoked because his dancing was “making her mad”. The aggressor is not facing repercussions, despite the video evidence and admission of guilt to the Swampscott officer. Since the arrest, Shimmy has received threats on social media and has been suspended from work without pay for the duration of the court proceedings.
Shimmy's legal team eventually put out a press release on his behalf, detailing the true events of the incident; that press release has since been reshared thousands of times online. Videos and photos of the incident have been posted all over tik tok and instagram. And while some traditional media outlets have chimed in, others have chosen to stay silent or misrepresent the case.
In January, Swampscott police finally announced an internal investigation, claiming that they could have handled the situation more constructively.
Still Shimmy awaits pre-trial on Feb. 24th and for the charges to be dropped.
Listen to the full episode to learn more about the true events of Dec.12th and to learn about all of the important work Shimmy has done, and continues to do for creatives and everyday people, especially through the Freedom Fighters Coalition.
If we are not vocal about injustice, we can be easily silenced ---- and we won’t let that happen.
@shimmymakeishhappen @ffcof2020
Featuring Dev T. Smith, a content strategist and producer based in NYC, that has worked for major brands such as Revolt Tv, Tidal, Ebay Enterprise, Black Enterprise, Fuse Tv and more.
Overtime brands have turned to black creatives for insight on how to improve online presence and engagement, particularly to engage black audiences but also because black culture moves EVERYTHING. As Dev puts it-- your social strategy doesn't matter if your content is wack. But how do we REALLY ensure that black creatives are compensated for their impact ?
From founding a platform for creatives in North Carolina, to navigating struggle & success in New York City, to his experience working for Revolt TV & the power of Black Culture & Influence -- Dev touches on major projects, ideas and parts of his journey in this interview.
@devtsmith www.devtsmith.com
Music by Blessin @blessinindisguise and Lubiggz @Bahnanabites For updates on new episodes of This is Not Reality follow @ambersafro www.ambersafro.com/thisisnotreality shorturl.at/ruDJP
Featuring Rachel Domond, an Artist and Organizer for the Party for Socialism & Liberation, a revolutionary marxist party in the United States .
The Pandemic has shown us that now more than ever, the working class is in desperate need of real transformation in this country. I invited Rachel, a fellow young artist and woman of color to break it down for me and my audience in familiar terms. She goes in depth about how socialism addresses many of the issues in this country.
From growing into the identity of an artist, to having to work through high school and college, to advocating for the working class as an organizer for PSL--Rachel touches on various parts of her journey in this 40 minute interview.
@pslweb @bostonpsl @muvagaia
Music by Blessin @blessinindisguise and Lubiggz @Bahnanabites
For updates on new episodes of This is Not Reality follow @ambersafro www.ambersafro.com/thisisnotreality
Featuring Noble, Creator of The Museum Tv-- an online media platform that exhibits the stories of The Culture's creatives in Boston & Beyond through Interviews, music video Reposts and more.
Amber worked with Noble for 3 years as a host for the Museum TV from 2016-2019 and invites Noble as her first guest to share his unique perspective on the renaissance in art, media and business ownership.
We celebrate The Museum Tv's wins and constant growth, Nipsey Hussle's Legacy, gatekeeping in the arts, college, thriving during the pandemic.... thriving in general, the 1st/2nd generation american experience and more.
Noble @le_goolord The Museum Tv Instagram @themuseumtv Website https://tmtv.world/
Music by Lubiggz@Bahnanabites
For updates on new episodes of This is Not Reality follow @ambersafro https://www.ambersafro.com/thisisnotreality