Dream Nation Love

This is the Second Episode in our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn Series. This podcast is focused on data and what Indigenous activists are doing to help humanize MMIW data.

At the end of the day, data is a collection of stories. Stories about individuals, events, and places. Providing a window into the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. When it comes to data gathering, a difference exists between the Indigenous and the Western approach. The approaches can have a vast effect on bringing relatives home. On the episode, we’ll hear from people working to decolonize data. As well as how activists are using Tik Tok to create awareness about the crisis and avoid being censored.

Stories determine what percentage of cases are solved by authorities. Or in most cases, not solved. Missing person searches and murder investigations often depend on how well they are tracked and logged by various authority groups. Since 2016 there have been 5,712 reported Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases. Out of those, only a tiny number — 116 have been opened by the U.S. Department of Justice for investigation. Even when reports are filed, racism still plays a factor in the cases pursued by the authorities. 

On the show you will hear from Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty. Delegate Crotty spoke about decolonizing data and how the MMIW crisis is affecting the largest reservation in the US. Annita Lucchesi who is the Founder and Director of Research and Outreach at Sovereign Bodies Institute shared how she put together the first MMIW database in the US. Meghan Leinhauser spoke about Instagram, Tik Tok, and Censorship. Meghan is an ally who recently published an honors thesis at the University of Dayton. It’s titled “TikTok and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People Movement.” Liz Marin who is the Program Director of Seeding Sovereignty spoke about how Instagram censored her posts on May 5, 2021 which is the National Day of Awareness of MMIW. Dr. Charlene Aqpik Apok joined the discussion from Alaska to talk about her work decolonizing data as the Executive Director and Founder of Data for Indigenous Justice. An Alaskan Native and Womxn led non-profit which is home to a database for missing and murdered Indigenous womxn, girls and relatives data.

Many thanks to everyone for amplifying awareness around the MMIW crisis and indigenous data gathering. The stories are powerful and I am so grateful to Melissa Spence who was the Producer and Editor on the series. It would not exist without her care and meticulous attention to detail. Thank you to Patrick for setting up the interview with Amber Crotty.

Please listen, please share, and please care.

Kae Burke is the Co-Founder of House Of Yes in Bushwick, Brooklyn. As well as the Creative Director of Yes Etc Creative Agency. HOY was recently named the #2 Best Thing To Do in the World by Time Out New York. The venue is internationally celebrated for fostering self-expression and nurturing emerging artists of all genres. Their events lead the way for developing safer spaces and consent culture.

On the show Kae talks about going to fashion school with Anya Sapozhnikova and how they created HOY. Kae also speaks about how the House Of Yes fosters an inclusive culture and how costumes and self-expression go hand-in-hand. As well as how the pandemic has changed the party landscape and we delve into the ways people have started to be more mindful of their consumption. Her new Creative Agency is called Yes Etc and we talk about what it was like to open an experiential agency during a pandemic and where she finds inspiration.

Y-Vonne Hutchinson is an Author, former international human rights lawyer, and Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Founder of ReadySet, a diversity and inclusion training firm that helps tech giants, political leaders, media outlets, and Fortune 500 companies speak more productively about racism and turn talk into action. Y-Vonne also hosts a podcast called Time To Act about Diversity and Inclusion.

On the show, we talk about her latest book HOW TO TALK TO YOUR BOSS ABOUT RACE: Speaking Up Without Getting Shut Down. This episode is a conversation on race, inequality, and how race is fluid. A candid discussion from a global perspective that leaves the viewer with concrete advice that they can use in their work life.

Part memoir, part actionable guidebook, this book equips employees with a framework to think about race at work, prepares them to have frank and effective conversations with more powerful leaders, helps them center marginalized perspectives, and explains how to leverage power dynamics to get results while navigating backlash and gaslighting.

Alexandra Fine is the Co-Founder and CEO of Dame which launched in 2014 after joining forces with Janet Lieberman, an MIT-trained engineer. Dame is a woman-powered company in every way and that’s why you’re hearing this story during March 2022 which is also Women’s History Month.

Al is a lifelong student of sexual health, having earned her Master’s in clinical psychology with a concentration in sex therapy from Columbia University. A Forbes’ 30 Under 30 awardee, Al has transformed her role as a CEO into one of a dedicated activist for women’s health, gender equity, and prioritizing pleasure.

On the show, Alexandra talks about sexual wellness, closing the pleasure gap, non-binary perspectives, The Sims BDSM, and a ton more. Our conversation is mostly focused on Dame’s three-year-long court battle against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Their historic triumph over the MTA validates both the existence of the woman-owned company as well as of female pleasure and wellness. Ensuring that company has the right to advertise on subways, buses, and commuter rail. Places that have long welcomed male-focused brands like Ro (Roman), Hims, as well as breast enhancements, and more. This is a big deal since the MTA transports over 11 million passengers a day. That’s a lot of customers. This is also a giant win for free speech and anti-censorship. Congrats to Dame Products and the team.

Ethan Zuckerman is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (my alma mater), where he teaches Public Policy, Communication, and Information. His work focuses on designing and advocating for versions of social media that have positive social and civic impacts. Which means moving beyond existing models of funding and governance.

On the show, Ethan talks about the Metaverse, trust, Facebook vs Apple, making the Metaverse a safe space, governance of online spaces, data ownership, what the biggest piece missing from the Metaverse conversation is, Omar Wasow and Black Planet, and technical barriers when it comes to storytelling access on various platforms.

Ethan founded the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure to explore the ideas previously mentioned. It’s a research group studying and building alternatives to the existing commercial internet.

Previously Ethan was at the MIT Media Lab working at the Center for Civic Media, researching the relationship between media and social change, and building tools to study how ideas spread in the media, and how citizens can better participate in their civic lives. He is also the inventor of pop-up windows.

Ethan has many hats but the one that he wears the most is that of a blogger/writer. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, CNN, Wired and others. He also has a Ted Talk about listening to global voices.

Over the years, he’s been a tech startup guy (with Tripod.com), a non-profit founder (Geekcorps.org) a peace Corp for geeks, transferring tech skills from geeks in developed nations to geeks in emerging nations, especially entrepreneurial geeks who are building small businesses. He is also the Co-founder of Globalvoices.org which is a global blogging community.

He’s has written two books: Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them and Rewire: Digital Cosmopolitans in the Age of Connection, both published through W.W. Norton.  And is an alumnus of the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard, the MIT Media Lab and Comparative Media Studies at MIT, Geekcorps, and Tripod.

Ben Curtis is a magician, award-winning actor, musician, and public speaker. He is also a Creation Coach dedicated to creating more love, compassion, and permission to go after your dreams with abandon.

You also probably recognize Ben as the iconic "The Dell Dude” from the Dell commercials in the early 2000s. Dell recently brought him back to kick off a new campaign. I can’t help but feel like somehow this is the circle of life. It truly is magical.

Ben and I have been meaning to record this podcast for quite some time since we are neighbors in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. What most people don’t know about “The Dell Dude” is that Ben is a really talented actor. Having studied at the best institutions. He attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts on an acting scholarship based on his audition. He studied at Tisch's Experimental Theater Wing (both in America and Amsterdam). Ben also attended the Lee Strasberg Institute & the Atlantic Theater Company.

This podcast was really inspiring and happened right when his Dell spots went live. It was inspiring to speak about dreams past and present. Dream on and share this episode with someone who would appreciate it.

Alina Zavatsky is a vegan mom, runner, three-time marathoner, weightlifter, and champion of a whole-food, plant-based diet. Alina runs an awesome blog called Vegan Runner Eats and I really love her newsletter. It's filled with useful information for anyone interested in veganism, an active lifestyle, and tips on raising a vegan family. Alina was born in Uzbekistan – a country that used to be a part of the Soviet Union so it was interesting to speak with her about our shared experience of living in that part of the world. We talked about social media, body positivity, staying fit, and raising vegan children.

The video jump-cuts on my end are because I'm not filming in a studio. I'm slowly building out a studio as I travel. Hang tight and thanks for watching.

Alina Zavatsky is a vegan mom, runner, three-time marathoner, weightlifter, and champion of a whole-food, plant-based diet. Alina runs an awesome blog called Vegan Runner Eats and I really love her newsletter. It's filled with useful information for anyone interested in veganism, an active lifestyle, and tips on raising a vegan family. Alina was born in Uzbekistan – a country that used to be a part of the Soviet Union so it was interesting to speak with her about our shared experience of living in that part of the world. We talked about social media, body positivity, staying fit, and raising vegan children.

Suzy Batiz is the founder of Poo~Pourri, Supernatural, and ALIVE OS. She is an incredibly inspiring human who’s overcome many obstacles to create her vision. You might have heard her story on other podcasts or read about it in a magazine. Since the story exists on other platforms, on this show, we’re going to focus on ALIVE OS. An 8-week course developed by Suzy showing you how to create the life of your dreams. Think of it as a radical upgrade to your human operating system. Suzy wrote this program and it’s full of paradigms, processes, and practices to help you lead a TURNED ON life. From figuring out what resonates with you to make your own ALIVE ideas come true. Propelling your dreams into reality. On the podcast, along with speaking about the course, Suzy talks about returning to Poo-Pourri as CEO, manifestation loops, Ayahuasca, raising kids while running a business, alive ideas, and the difference between resonance and dissonance.