Demystifying Diversity

In this Q & A episode of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, Daralyse and AnnaMarie delve more deeply into the topics discussed in Muslims & Media: An Exploration of How Biased Depictions Contribute to Islamophobia in America. They discuss how media spin can act as a weapon and a catalyst for the perpetration of Islamaphobia in America, especially since the media portrays information about Islam that is against the true teachings of the faith. Daralyse and AnnaMarie also discuss how the media amplifies and magnifies certain identity markers of Muslim and Muslim-identified individuals. This is misleading. Islam is not a monolithic religion and there is a wide spectrum of observance and interpretation. There are individual ways of practicing one's religion and spirituality, and the American media does not do a good job of depicting nuance.

In this episode, Daralyse and AnnaMarie talk about the importance of allyship and urge listeners to be upstanders, as opposed to bystanders.

In the listener participation portion, listeners ask questions and share insights that will inspire you to think more deeply about the intersectionality of identity. As you listen, you may begin to think about how you can practice de-centering your own experience and to recognize there is no “norm,” but rather a spectrum of faiths, ideologies, and practices.

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Resources to explore

Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity by Daralyse Lyons

Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up With Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents by Noelle Howey, Ellen Samuels, Margarethe Cammermeyer and Dan Savage

CAIR Website

Muslims and the Making of America by Amir Hussain

I Speak for Myself: American Women on Being Muslim, a series of essays written by 40 American Muslim women.

Suzanne Barakat's Ted Talk – Islamophobia killed my brother. Let's end the hate

Channing Joseph's assigned articles to USC students: ;

George Bush's Speech

In this episode of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, Daralyse Lyons interviews members of the Muslim American community about their personal and professional experiences. Daralyse speaks with community leaders, advocates, and experts about their lived experiences practicing Islam in the United States and their efforts to fight against Islamophobia. By examining the irrational and baseless fear of Islam in the United States, Daralyse illuminates the culpability of political leaders, everyday Americans and the modern media in perpetrating discrimination. She discusses the increase of Islamophobia that occurred after 9/11, as well as the increase in discrimination that occurred after the 2016 election, and the devastating, Anti-Muslim laws that were passed.

It is imperative that hope and faith be accompanied by action. Through the stories and experiences of the voices in this episode, you will be asked to examine your own actions, or lack of actions, and to examine your beliefs and biases.

Activism starts with discomfort and self-reflection, and it is only by becoming attuned to our own identities and experiences that we can develop empathy for others.

As we move forward, it is essential to ask yourself in what ways you have been assuming your experience to be the “center” or “norm” and how you can make an effort to get to know others for who they are, and not for what you think they represent?

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Voices Featured:

-Aliyah Kabir

-Asma Rehman

-Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu

-Dr. Mona Masood

-Nihad Awad

-Salima Suswell

-Hediya Sizar

Episode sponsors:

Next Level Trainings. For $50 off on Shift, their introductory virtual training (and a FREE voucher to their in-person Discovery training), go to and enter the promo code diversity.

Lavin & Associates, a branch of Primerica. Contact Jon Lavin directly at 610-453-2331 or email him at for a free Financial Needs Analysis.

Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity

Thank you so much for being a Demystifying Diversity Podcast listener. Today is Election Day in the United States. Since so much of the focus this week is likely to be on the results of this election, we have made the decision not to release a new episode until next week.

If you have some time this week and want to listen to a previous episode, we hope you'll do that. And if you have a minute and feel able and willing to give us a 5-star review that'd be great.

If you live in the United States, we hope you have taken the time to cast your ballot. Your voice and your vote matter. Wherever you are, please practice kindness and empathy and make sure to tune in next week for our next episode Muslims and Media: An Exploration of How Biased Depictions Contribute to Islamophobia in America. You won't want to miss it.

In this Q & A episode of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, Daralyse and AnnaMarie delve more deeply into the topics discussed in Episode 3, Asian Studies: An Examination of How the Model Minority Myth Has Contributed to the Virus of Hate Afflicting Asians in America.

They speak about the profound impact of language and how words have the power to weaponize or unite. They explore the interconnection of oppression that afflicts Black and Asian communities, revealing how the “model minority myth” is a way to create division between communities of color. And finally, they talk about hope and unity and how our capacity to love becomes strengthened by our capacity to step outside of our comfort zones.

In this episode, you will be asked to think about the ways in which you can shift your language and your perspective to ensure that your thoughts and words are in alignment with your true values.

Learn more at:

Resources to explore

Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity by Daralyse Lyons

I'm Mixed! by Maggy Williams (Daralyse Lyons' pseudonym)

The Meng Resolution

Vanderbilt Race and Racism PDF

UCLA Report

Episode sponsor

VitaSupreme. For 20% off your supplement order, visit vitasupreme.com/pages/diversity and enter the code: diversity

In this episode of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, Daralyse Lyons looks at the ways in which the model minority myth has contributed to the ongoing oppression of Asians in the United States. During the outbreak of Covid-19, anti-Asian bias has been increasing in intensity and severity, yet there is a long and painful history of othering that Asians in America have endured. Daralyse explores the physical and emotional violence that is plaguing Asian Americans in the United States and how these hate crimes have been fueled by national and local leadership.

As we move forward, it is essential to become aware of the model minority trap, and to educate ourselves and others about the danger of stereotyping. We must examine the ways in which all racism is interconnected and how White supremacy is integrally embedded in our system.

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Voices Featured:

-On-cho Ng

-Dave Kyu

-Dr. Hahn Bui Keating

-John Wang

-Don Wyatt

-Cinder Kuss

-Paul Reese

-Jon Quénard

-Armee Grace Campos

-Michelle (Chelle) Campos-Velez

-Juan Rosa

-Elizabeth Hasegawa Agresta

-Thomas Agresta

-Nikky

-Ben

Episode sponsors

Next Level Trainings. For $50 off on Shift, their introductory virtual training (and a FREE voucher to their in-person Discovery training), go to and enter the promo code diversity.

Lavin & Associates, a branch of Primerica. Contact Jon Lavin directly at 610-453-2331 or email him at for a free Financial Needs Analysis.

Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity

In this Q & A episode of Demystifying Diversity Podcast, Daralyse and AnnaMarie delve more deeply into the topics discussed in Black and Blue: An Exploration of the Inequities in a Broken Criminal Justice System.

They speak about how the horrific deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and others have spurred worldwide protests as part of the largest social justice movement in United States history, review statistics of wrongful and conflated convictions of BIPOC, and speak about how the criminal justice system advantages wealth persecutes poverty.

In this episode, Daralyse and AnnaMarie discuss de-escalation techniques, such as “calculate, locate, communicate, breathe, and exhale”, a system utilized by Dr. Howard Stevenson, who teaches police officers how to bring mindfulness practices to charged racial moments, and discuss the importance of reimagining the relationship power dynamics that traumatize communities of color and traumatize law enforcement officers.

In the listener question segment, listeners call and email with a host of questions some of which include: How can BIPOC transcend the trauma inflicted by the criminal justice system and find personal empowerment in the wake of horrible situations? What specific police reforms are being taken by the Radnor police department? What does it mean to “defund the police”? And Is Black Lives Matter a movement or an organization? (Spoiler alert: It's both.)

This episode will inspire you to interrogate your biases, embrace more anti-racist perspectives, and question the status quo.

Learn more at:

Resources to explore:

Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity by Daralyse Lyons

Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland by Jonathan Metzl

Mixedracefaces

Serial: Season 3 Podcast

Anti Police-Terror Project

Association of Black Psychologists

Episode sponsor:

VitaSupreme. For 20% off your supplement order, visit vitasupreme.com/pages/diversity and enter the code: diversity

In this episode of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, Daralyse Lyons looks at the ways in which institutional racism creates power dynamics that support brutality against Black and Brown Americans. She explores how and why unexamined biases make us a danger to ourselves and others and how introspection, reflection, and exposure to diversity are imperative if we hope to create a better system. The guests in this episode divulge important information about the mass incarceration of Black males in America and how the enduring impacts of slavery continue to place Black and Brown people at risk.

Black Americans account for 12 percent of the U.S. population, yet they make up approximately 40 percent of the nation's prison inmates. Until we own and acknowledge the deeply rooted nature of racism, we will never put an end to the cycle of violence and victimization.

This episode explores how police officers are not only often inflicting pain on communities of color, but also on themselves and how officers of color find themselves in the painful predicament of being forced to choose between their Black identities and their blue uniforms.

As we move forward, it is essential to ask ourselves: How can we create structures that promote vulnerability and prevent against brutality?

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Voices featured:

-Captain Edward Cobbs, Jr

-Russell Murray

-Dr. Howard Stevenson

-Salaah Muhammad

-August Terrier

-Senator Sharif Street

-Superintendent Christopher Flanagan

-Paul Reese

Episode sponsors:

Next Level Trainings. For $50 off on Shift, their introductory virtual training (and a FREE voucher to their in-person Discovery training), go to and enter the promo code diversity.

Lavin & Associates, a branch of Primerica. Contact Jon Lavin directly at 610-453-2331 or email him at for a free Financial Needs Analysis.

Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity

In this Q & A episode of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, Daralyse and AnnaMarie delve more deeply into the topics discussed in Biraciality: Embracing the Nuanced Nature of Race, Ethnicity, and Identity.

They review the lingering impact of the one-drop rule, the constructed and learned definitions of race, and the ways in which individual and societal perceptions can shift over time. Together, they discuss the ways in which more expanded understandings of race can help break down internal and external barriers.

In the listener participation portion, listeners ask questions and share insights that will inspire you to think more deeply and inspire you to move beyond limited conceptions of race and identity.

Learn more at:

Resources to explore

Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity by Daralyse Lyons

I'm Mixed! by Maggy Williams (Daralyse Lyons' pseudonym)

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

A Chosen Exile: A History of Racial Passing in American Life by Allyson Hobbs

“I'm More Than An 'Other'” by Meghan Markle

Treasured Locks

Raising Biracial Babies

Hair Love by Matthew Cherry

Big Hair, Don't Care by Crystal Swain-Bates

Episode sponsor

VitaSupreme. For 20% off your supplement order, visit vitasupreme.com/pages/diversity and enter the code: diversity

In this episode of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, Daralyse Lyons interviews a variety of Biracial individuals about their experiences navigating life with multiple, intersecting identities. She asks: How has the enduring impact of slavery and ongoing systemic racism contributed to how people identify in terms of race? How does race act as a social construct? Why is there a broad spectrum of blackness and a narrow spectrum of whiteness, and is it possible to embrace more non-binary, nuanced conceptions of race?

Through the stories and experiences of the voices in this episode, you will be asked to examine skin privilege, race, and the ways in which the bigoted one-drop rule still infiltrates our conceptions of ourselves and each other. When it comes to racial and ethnic identity, there are no easy answers, but we need to be asking ourselves questions about the ways in which historical power dynamics continue to show up in the lives of Biracial people.

As we move forward, the most important question may be: How can we own and embrace all aspects of our identities, and what is lost when we don't?

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Voices featured:

-AnnaMarie Jones

-Russita Buchanan

-Isabel Ballester

-Jose Gonzalez

-Malcolm Burnley

-JoAnn George

-Sunny Taylor

Episode sponsors:

Lavin & Associates, a branch of Primerica. Contact Jon Lavin directly at 610-453-2331 or email him at for a free Financial Needs Analysis.

Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity

Diversity is such an important topic and yet it can be difficult to know where to go for reliable information that amplifies the voices and the viewpoints of those who have direct experience dealing with diversity, equity and inclusion. In season one of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, we have done the work of researching, learning, listening, and interviewing. We've spoken to more than a hundred individuals and have compiled ten episodes on a variety of topics, featuring a variety of voices.