At The Intersection

To ring in the new year, Brian & Marion get personal about their own experiences with that most millennial of conditions -- burnout. But oddly enough, most conversations about millennials and burnout have a very narrow, very white perspective on it...They also talk about how mental health can literally be life or death, and how policy can actually help our society take mental health as seriously as it needs to. CONTENT WARNING: suicide, self-harm. 

Brian & Marion are BACK in the studio to talk about the already interminable 2020 election season and how primaries work. They also dive into the concept of "electability," which has come to mean "appealing to imaginary but somehow very important white folks." 

Also, the merch has dropped! Head to www.attheintersection.bigcartel.com to get a "how do you want your reparations?" t-shirt or mug! Wear responsibly. 

Brian & Marion are back from their unscheduled hiatus with something light and frothy for the summer: voter suppression! They delve into the history of gerrymandering, current disenfranchisement, and the swindling of a Supreme Court seat. They also go on a hella tangent about hanging chads, so enjoy that angry jaunt down memory lane. 

Brian & Marion talk to public health expert Dr. Ciara Zachary about how systemic racism is killing Black mothers at an alarming rate. (They also go on a semi-relevant tangent about facial recognition software, so look forward to that coming up again in a future episode.) Brian also talks to his wife Brianna about her own experience being a Black mother in America. 

Brian & Marion discuss the hottest trend that's showing up in cities from D.C. to Brooklyn to Durham, NC -- gentrification! They get into the difference between gentrification and revitalization, what your responsibility is as an individual to fight gentrification, and whether there are any communities out there who are actually getting it right. Marion also gets profane talking about The Sims, which is shockingly relevant; and Brian takes us on a history detour to 9th-century Ethiopia.  

Brian & Marion dive into the surprisingly rich and complicated history of Black representation in horror movies, starting with The Birth of a Nation and ending (for now) with Us. Marion has a LOT to say about Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman's new Shudder documentary Horror Noire, and Brian surprises everyone by giving a world-class history lesson. They also answer that eternal question - what's your favorite scary movie?

Brian and Marion answer your questions! Well, technically *answered* - this episode was recorded in December, so the takes aren't as piping hot as they could be; but they're still pretty hot so what is your damage? Be sure to vote us in as Best Local Podcast at www.indyweek.com! 

Brian & Marion finally dedicate a whole episode to reparations. They talk historical context, cultural opposition, and how reparations has gone from a throwaway to a presidential litmus test in ten years. They also discuss how each presidential candidate so far has answered the reparations question; and discover that right now, Marion doesn’t particularly care for any presidential candidates or perennial almost-candidate Joe Biden. 

Marion talks to disability justice activist Talila A. Lewis about the often erased or ignored intersections of disability and other marginalized identities. They also talk about the myth of productivity as a value, and a deeper form of reparations. Transcript available here, and find more about Talila's work here.