Battle Fatigue

Last summer, we saw a worldwide movement for Black lives and a resurgence of Black Lives Matter. This brought many who considered themselves allies much visibility. Now, as conversations around social justice, allyship, and advocacy are brought into spaces they weren’t in before, we take a deeper look at the often self-proclaimed moniker of “ally”. Should allies self-identify? Should you get a pat on the back for being an ally? In this episode, Dalin and AJ explore what allyship looks like from their individual perspectives. They’ll also have a candid dialogue about hesitation around deeper friendships with white folks and how the risk of racial trauma can weigh heavily on that potential relationship. This one's definitely a ride!

It’s been a while, but that Disney Money Energy is officially in full effect with a brand new logo and brand new theme music, dubbed Powerline Funk! Your favorite Blerds are back and ready to give y’all “what I did over the summer” essays like we used to do in school...but with way more laughter. Season 2 kicks off AJ and Dalin being themselves and finding safety and solidarity in each other. So basically, the friendship continues! You’re about to hear about all kinds of life changes and adventures, like the trip to the heart of the Confederacy to find the burial location of a spy; true story when half your squad is a certified Historical Scavenger Hunter. So come press play and have a check in with Battle Fatigue. We love that you’re here!

***BATTLE FATIGUE RE-RELEASE ALERT! Its the anniversary of our August 28th Episode about...August 28th! Take another listen to one of our favorite episodes on it's one year mark. We have new episodes coming very soon!***

“What we're gonna do right here is go back, way back, back into time...” The month of August holds an incredible amount of Black history in it, particularly August 28th. From the murder of Emmett Till to the March on Washington to our forever President, Barack Obama, accepting the Democratic nomination, August 28th holds a generational connective tissue in the fight for Black freedom. In this chapter, Dalin and AJ discuss when and how they were affected by these symbolic moments in the timeline and take a deeper dive into some of the lesser-known parts of these stories.

Guess what! It’s the season finale and we are incredibly grateful you let us in your ears for all this time. But like Pringles, we couldn’t stop at just one so the friend goals that is AJ and Dalin... will return for season two! [movie trailer voice] “And this time, it’s personal.” We’ll be back with more Blackness, more therapy, more history, more laughs, more flats vs drums and did we mention more Blackness? Whew! Ok, all that said, how about one more ride to wrap the season properly? In this episode, AJ and Dalin dig into Marvel making Blackness more canon with series like The Falcon and Winter Soldier. They’ll make some very real life ties to our healthcare system and it’s experimental history with Black people, which leads to the question: to vax or not to vax? We had a blast with you this season and can’t wait to do it again. Be sure to keep it locked on our Twitter/FB/IG @BattleFatiguePC for more news and shenanigans. See you there! SHOW NOTES: Little Marvin on why he created Them:

https://collider.com/little-marvin-interview-them-amazon/#:~:text=And%20so%2C%20first%20and%20foremost,hasn%27t%20stopped%20since%20then. Marsai Martin article on what type of content she will not produce:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/naacp-image-awards-marsai-martin-reveals-no-black-pain-project-rule-4154489/ Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome:

https://www.joydegruy.com/post-traumatic-slave-syndrome Will Smith's Emancipation:

https://deadline.com/2020/06/antoine-fuqua-will-smith-emancipation-runaway-slave-movie-package-the-scourged-back-photo-timely-virtual-cannes-market-title-1202959110/ Gabrielle Byndloss’s Role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:

https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/atlanta-actress-gabrielle-byndloss-enters-marvel-cinematic-universe-with-small-role/GI7MTUWPTFASDPZUGWOLEZ5PFM/

Class is in session! In our final episode for this year’s Women’s History Month, Battle Fatigue goes into a little more History 101 on the Civil War and talk about the brilliant, elusive, larger than life being who is THE Conductor of the Underground Railroad. Join us on a journey that explores the self-liberation Black folks have always engaged in and learn about how an illiterate, formerly enslaved Black woman led one of the most successful and daring raids during the Civil War. AJ and Dalin were on one this episode, with disrespect and recklessness levels on full display. Come peep game and laugh with us before we get sent to the Principal’s Office.

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SHOW NOTES:

Black American Sign Language: https://splinternews.com/asl-and-black-asl-yes-theres-a-difference-1793840928

"Lincoln’s Address on Colonization to a Deputation of Negroes” https://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/lincoln5/1:812?rgn=div1;view=fulltext

The Emancipation Proclamation https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation#:~:text=President%20Abraham%20Lincoln%20issued%20the,and%20henceforward%20shall%20be%20free."

It’s Women’s History Month and boy, do we have an story for you! In a world, where America was in Civil War and the country was on fire. The South was trying to keep Black folks in bondage and the North was trying to keep Black folks in bondage...but way less. Both sides with ulterior motives and in the center, as always, the often political statement that is Black people. But in the midst of all that, we learn about two women who women’d in a way only badass women can women. Feel free to let that sink in then come with us on a trip  of suspense and intrigue crafted and curated by Battle Fatigue’s very own historical scavenger hunter, AJ. It’s a tale of espionage unlike any we have ever heard.  This episode goes deep undercover. Bring your secret decoder ring. Passwords at the door.

It all started with Carter G. Woodson and Negro History Week in February, 1926. Now here we are, 94 years later, at the tail end of another Black History Month. And although BHM is everyday for these two, AJ and Dalin wanted to dedicate time to put some “respek” on the lesser-known names that inspire them. In this episode of Battle Fatigue, the dashing duo take a winding Black road through some major moments in history. From a lawyer to a rock and roll innovator to a poet laureate,  listen as this pair revel in the joys of Black brilliance - the Battle Fatigue way.

It was bound to happen and the time is finally here, you know, four months later! In the latest episode, AJ and Dalin choose violence and chaos with another Debate Mixtape. Last time, their friendship hung in the balance over pizza toppings and movie classifications. This time it’s...well, still pizza toppings and movie classifications; but it's also ranch vs BBQ sauce, the battle of Black women, and more. Before all of that though, the argumentative and yet somehow friendsome duo pause to give Amanda Gorman her flowers. Dalin will also don the historical scavenger hunter mantle (borrowed from AJ) to share some facts on past inaugurations and their infrequent relationship with poetry. Will the friendship survive another low down, dirty deliberation? Does Dalin just decide to keep the mantle? Is AJ still team bougie pizza? Will ketchup enter the chat before it’s too late? Find out in the next (this!) episode of Battle Fatigue Z!

Originally planned to be released just after the holidays (before the January 6th insurrection), AJ and Dalin had a great deal of words and feelings about Pixar’s film, Soul. As they hearken back to the first episode of Battle Fatigue – Mic Check 1,2 1,2 – the duo gives their thoughts about the film’s depiction of Blackness, while exploring their own impressions of representation in the medium. It’s a conversation older than Uncle Remus and Br’er Rabbit and one that can’t seem to stop rearing it’s ugly, prejudicial head over and over again. So let’s talk about it! SHOW NOTES: 

https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/8/22149552/soul-pixar-interview-character-afterlife-designs - Dana Murray interview discussing the fact that Joe wasn't originally Black. https://youtu.be/w9AelHh5zwg - Honey deleted scene and why they physically left her out of the movie.

New year, same BS. The start to 2021 was, to no surprise, a continuation of 2020’s shenanigans. The first week was met with Whiteness storming the Capitol in a months-planned effort to throw Congress and prevent the presidential transfer of power. It was a production-freezing moment in time where all eyes were glued to the nearest screen for live-streaming and doom-scrolling at light speeds. But in the midst of all off the madness, our bodies and minds were collecting and processing trauma that, for some, may have been a heavier burden than usual. To witness the treatment and actions of the “patriots” and Capitol Police alike was to watch an almost collaborative effort to slap Black activism in the face. How is it that a White insurrection was met with more peace and humanity than a Black protest? It was a lot to take in, but again, not surprising. In this episode of Battle Fatigue, AJ and Dalin search through the emotional debris of January 6th. Tune in to hear how they saw that day and the effects it held on them in the aftermath. **SHOW NOTES**

Andrew Yang Interview about living situations durIng the pandemic Article

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