Black & Blonde

Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they talk about the concept of white saviors. We know that the work is internal and not external. Understanding that will eliminate the idea of a white savior. As they say in A Kid's Book about Empathy - Take a breath; listen; ask questions; and imagine. We hope this topic gives white listeners something to think about as they engage in the work.

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Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss the concept of refugees. This conversation was undoubtedly spurred by the current situation in Ukraine; however, we know the situation with refugees is much more vast. There are wars in Syria, Yemen, Afghan, and other countries and nations. These wars displace people who are seeking shelter and hope in other countries. One question kept surfacing for us - are we more likely to care about refugees if they look like us?

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Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they try to unpack a slew of racist incidents at Minnesota high schools. While incidents such as these are not new, they do seem to be brought to light more often than in the past. While one episode isn't enough to talk about kids and the environments they are in everyday, we hope this episode provides an opportunity for action - to be a domino. Talk to your kids. Be aware of the systems around you. Have a voice in your schools and communities.

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Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss Andrea Elliott's book Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City. It's rare we spend time talking about a book and its story - but this time we dig in. This is a book that is so powerful. It is the story of Dasani and her families life and struggle through poverty, homelessness, and addiction in American society. It's worth a conversation about the abject failure of our systems. If you want to be a domino, this book might give you the motivation to do so.

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Two amazing humans navigate the grey as the break down the domino concept. This came to us from a listener who turned us on to a TedTalk by Luvvie Ajayi Jones entitled Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable. In her TedTalk, Luvvie talks about being a domino and how sometimes you have to be the first one to fall and others fall with you. It isn't done without fear or discomfort, but we can make change if we "fall" first. This related so much to many of the things we talk about on the pod and how we can make lasting change.

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Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they talk about the recent killings of black men in the Minneapolis area. Amir Locke was shot by Minneapolis Police executing a no-knock warrant. Jahmari Rice was shot by two other teens following a dispute at a Minnesota school. All this in the wake of the impending verdict of the three officers involved in George Floyd's murder and the upcoming sentencing of Kim Potter who murdered Daunte Wright. The thing we have to do is talk about it. We have to engage in conversations with those that look like us, those that don't, those that are close to us, and those that aren't.

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Two amazing humans navigate the grey as we discuss the highway system. You heard that right, highways! But stick with us, we think this is a powerful topic. When we think about our own convenience and the ways we travel, we often fail to notice or think about the structural racism that is literally embedded in the very structures we use for our travel. We talk about how highways displace people of color, reinforce segregation, limit access and resources, create environmental hazards, and allow others to complete avoid passing through.

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Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss Loving v. Virginia and interracial relationships. While 2022 doesn't look the same as 1967, we still know that we all have biases and narratives when it comes to interracial relationships. Despite the fact that we're in one, we have our own first thoughts, that we hope don't become our last thoughts. Despite the fact that only 61.6% of Americans identify as white-alone, we have still got a long way to go to move beyond our beliefs in terms of who people should be in a relationship with.

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Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they discuss their upcoming day off - Martin Luther King Jr. day. What does the day mean? Has it become a caricature of the man himself? How do we celebrate? How do we honor his legacy as we head into a federal holiday? Ultimately, we call for intentionality and education. 

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Two amazing humans navigate the grey as they spend some time talking about how they move through their work - one black, one white. We talk about how difficult and daunting it can be to come up with pod topics, even though race is everywhere. It's not that we're without topics, it's more about how hard it can be to do it every week. Granted, we know living is harding than talking! It comes down to intentionality and humanity.

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