Battle Fatigue

It’s the conclusion of FUBU NOT U. In Part 2, the kid gloves are off! Dalin, AJ and Project Pilgrimage’s Nathan Hamlin Bean continue their conversation about allyship and whiteness. They discuss Black exposure in White upbringings and how that translates in adulthood. It’s a conversation that feels heavier and more intense than Part 1, culminating in a moment surrounding the question of what it is that White people didn’t know when White people say, “I didn’t know”.  With racism being so prevalent and so American, how has Whiteness developed excuses and other justifications in order to go on with their lives amidst normalized social injustice? Nathan offers a blunt insight to these questions and more as AJ and Dalin continue to hold nothing back. Additionally, they’ll talk Project Pilgrimage - a Seattle-based organization that aims to create conversations around race through intergenerational and interracial experiences. So come rock with us. Because this is one episode where the sequel is just as good as the original. 

For more information about Project Pilgrimage:

https://projectpilgrimage.org

1619 Project

It’s Episode 15 and we have our first guest! In this chapter, Dalin and AJ have a socially distanced Zoom chat with Nathan Hamlin Bean – the Community Relations Manager for Project Pilgrimage. The duo hears about Whiteness from the perspective of a New Hampshire-born White person whose only initial exposure to Blackness was tv and Spike Lee. Nathan talks about how his experience and origin story in the city of North Conway - or as he calls it: “the originator of Whiteness” – shaped a racial narrative that he would eventually learn to escape and discover a path to allyship.  This episode also digs into how some of that allyship looks in its infant stages and in what ways White folks can show up with consistency even after that proximity infatuation for justice starts to die down. There ends up being so much to examine, the topic turns into a two-parter. So be sure to check out the first half of this necessary dialogue and stay tuned for part 2, coming really soon!

SHOW NOTES:

Project Pilgrimage (Donate to support!) https://projectpilgrimage.org/

Resources for White Allies https://www.dismantlecollective.org/resources/

Don Cheadle, Bart Samson, and Mike Tyson, oh my! With the holiday season in full swing, the hosts with the most wanted to keep it light this episode. AJ and Dalin take a trip down memory lane with a little (it’s a lot of) randomness. Why does AJ hate horror movies? How did Dalin end up in the library all the time? What are the statute of limitations to pretending to be a Planeteer when you’re 10? These questions and so much more in-between gets discussed all before ending with a little moment of gratitude. Because if you can’t be thankful, then you must not be staying hydrated. See? Random. This one’s for the background while you’re driving, shopping, cooking, cleaning, or really, wherever we can add Lawry’s to your coming holiday weekend and beyond. Word to Wednesday Addams. 

Self-Care in the Black community is a slowly dissolving urban legend that’s learning to be more necessity and less luxury. But the work to get there involves undoing certain cultural stigmas and inviting the type of vulnerability we’re often not allowed to be about in the open. In this episode of Battle Fatigue, AJ and Dalin talk through the idea of self-care, how they identify with it, and how they can show up for each other during a year like this one. Grab a warm drink and let’s take a walk - with a few forks in the road - towards taking care of oneself.

Where does the responsibility in Black storytelling lie? How do we handle expressing our truth in film while also staying accountable to our bodies? In today’s episode, Dalin and AJ try to unpack the ideas, progression, and personal experiences when seeing Blackness portrayed in tv, film, and books. They’ll discuss stories they can’t get through or don’t want to experience again and how generations of post-slavery trauma dictates the culture and the way we see ourselves. Can our stories exhibit joy without being obligated to historical and present pain? With some intense dialogue and pockets of laughter, the formidable twosome try to navigate their way towards answers while staying grounded through the difficult moments. Don’t forget to self-care!

CHECK OUT BOOK IT REPERTORY THEATRE for Octavia Butler's Childfinder: https://book-it.org/2020/10/press-release-searing-short-story-opens-audio-season/

If you haven’t already been clued into the friendship between Dalin and AJ, prepare yourself! On this episode of Battle Fatigue, the duo decide to share where they land on certain pop culture topics. Through a game of “This or That”, you’ll get to see how much these two actually do not agree on much of anything. From pizza toppings to best Disney animated film, AJ and Dalin argue with their whole hearts and still aim to remain amazing friends. This one’s a lesson in how a little judgement, friendly debate, and contagious laughter are a surefire formula to keeping the friendship spicy.

At its core, Battle Fatigue is a podcast and safe space for Black folks to be in community as best we can. As it’s often said on the show, the Black experience is specific to the individual going through it, but there are always similarities. In this episode, AJ and Dalin wade into the concept waters of Whiteness and discuss how the institution affects them on a daily basis. Using a little history, a bit of personal stories, and a dash of hypothesizing, the duo cook up some authenticity and laughs as they navigate  their way through the emotional deep sighs that come with existing in White spaces, while being Black. Spoiler Alert: It’s not often easy.

Notes

William and Ellen Craft: The Escape

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/news/slavery-escape-william-ellen-craft

The Story of Homer Plessy

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/obituaries/homer-plessy-overlooked-black-history-month.amp.html

Underground Railroad Records:

https://www.hpb.com/products/the-underground-railroad-records-9781984855053

Welcome back, BF Community! By now, we know that AJ is against all things horror while Dalin is 100% all in and that dynamic makes for a unique take on their dive into the first four episodes of Lovecraft Country.

Caution: There will be spoilers! This week, they’ll talk the real history the series invokes, in addition to what it looks like when Black folks operate in the sci-fi/horror genre unashamed and untethered. From mythical monsters and Indiana Jenkins to James Baldwin and sundown towns, this is a series that explores multiple spectrums simultaneously. It’s so good, even AJ is willing to catch what she can in-between fingers over her eyes!

But before all that mess, the duo take a personal moment to honor the life of Chadwick Boseman, specifically his role in Black Panther and the connection it holds to their growing friendship.

SHOW NOTES

Seattle’s Segregated History 

https://www.seattlepi.com/local/opinion/article/Remember-Seattle-s-segregated-history-1222098.php

Article referencing Lovecraft Bobo and Emmett Till, shows a picture side-by-side https://metro.co.uk/2020/09/02/lovecraft-country-made-a-heartbreaking-reference-to-emmett-till-and-fans-had-no-idea-13215594/

History of Sundown Towns with reference to Lovecraft Country

https://slate.com/culture/2020/08/lovecraft-country-hbo-sundown-towns-real-history.html

Baldwin v Buckley Debate

https://youtu.be/5Tek9h3a5wQ

The racism of HP Lovecraft

https://lithub.com/we-cant-ignore-h-p-lovecrafts-white-supremacy/

“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.

A Kid from Coney Island:  https://www.netflix.com/title/81155851

NOTES:

Angus Johnston @studentactivism the tweet thread was from

July 18th 

Twitter breakdown: https://twitter.com/studentactivism/status/1284472208006545408?s=20

Look magazine by way of PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/till-killers-confession/

It’s been a month since Emmy nominations were announced and flowers need to be delivered: The Watchmen received an insane 26 nods! While Dalin and AJ try to process this achievement in Blackness, they end up down the melanin wormhole that is the Black actor’s career. From Hattie McDaniel to Regina King, they explore sci-fi magical negroes, Black men with swords, and even the identity of Wonder Woman’s sister (spoiler alert: she’s Black). Try to keep up because the nerd is extra strong in this one.