In honor of Women’s History Month, we are thrilled to bring back a powerful conversation between two Black women anthropologists who are reshaping the way we think about education, identity, and community.

In this episode of Elephant in the Room Unboxed, host Suzette Chang sits down with the Dr. Brendane Tynes as they talk about the crisis in the American education system, the deliberate attack on critical thinking, and the importance of reclaiming our narratives.

Dr. Tynes shares her personal journey from being a first-generation college student in South Carolina to earning her doctorate, reflecting on the microaggressions and systemic racism she faced even as a high-achieving student. They explore the danger of putting people in boxes, the difference between Black feminism and womanism, and how anthropology serves as a vital tool for liberation and understanding the world around us.

In this episode you can learn about:

- The role of anthropology in developing critical thinking skills

- Navigating spaces as a Black woman in academia and beyond

- The difference between "politeness" and honesty in the South and "Charm City"

- The public education crisis: Racism, resource inequality, and the illusion of "learning loss."

Resources & Links:

Follow Dr. Tynes’ work and listen to her podcast, Black Loved and Free, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at blacklovedandfreepodcast.com.

Thank you for our partner, Respect Diversity Foundation!

What does it take to not just live side by side, but to truly understand, appreciate, and respect one another?

Revisit foundational episode of "Elephant in the Room-Unboxed" on the partnership behind the podcast with Suzette Chang, CEO and Founder of Thick Descriptions, and Noel Jacobs, Executive Director of the Respect for Diversity Foundation. Suzette and Noel get radically personal, sharing the pivotal experiences that launched their life's work and flesh-out why these two organizations do this work meaning discussing, understanding and offering solutions for what it means to be a human being, to have human experiences and how humans can have quality lives in Oklahoma and around the world.

Join Suzette Chang of Thick Descriptions for a compelling conversation with educator and activist Dr. Judith Coker. From witnessing "white flight" and teacher strikes in 1970s Oklahoma to analyzing today’s political climate in education, Dr. C shares firsthand historical insight and urgent concerns about the state of Oklahoma’s schools. They delve into community trust, the power of local engagement, and why respectful, uncomfortable conversations are vital for change. This episode explores how anthropology can reshape learning and what it truly takes to build schools where every child and teacher can thrive.

In this episode, host Dr. Noel Jacobs sits down with Reverend Sheri Dickerson, a pillar of the Oklahoma City community and executive director of Black Lives Matter OKC.

They dive into an essential and often uncomfortable conversation about what it truly means to create and sustain space for Black communities. Moving beyond abstract ideas, they discuss the historical erasure of Black success in Oklahoma, from Deep Deuce to Greenwood, and the ongoing challenges of gentrification, health disparities, and systemic barriers.

In this episode titled "White Supremacy and White Privilege” Jill Nagle talks about White Supremacy Mythology and the importance of understanding how history produces our mindsets and learning to move beyond them to enjoy greater clarity, sovereignty, and effectiveness at stopping harm and transforming injustice.

A longtime student and teacher of transformation and evolution, Jill Nagle's background includes Untraining White Liberal Racism with Robert Horton, Challenging White Supremacy with Sharon Martinas, and multicultural alliance building with the National Coalition Building Institute. She founded Evolutionary Workplace, Wisdom of The Body: Beyond Talk Therapy, and cofounded of Awake Parent Perspectives.

In this episode, she and Dr. Noel Jacobs, Health Service Psychologist and Executive Director of Respect Diversity Foundation in Oklahoma City, unpack the meaning behind White Supremacy Mythology, its effect on people’s mindset and how we can deal with it as a society.

In this episode, Bailey Perkins Wright defines why history matters to understanding the present and shaping the future, highlights significant moments in Oklahoma’s history and laws that feed into modern disparities, and unpacks recent legislation that has consequences to progress (specifically HB1775). Listen now to learn what we can do collectively and systemically to move us to progress.  

The host is Gulnaz Tabynbayeva - Marketing Assistant at Thick Descriptions, Community Engagement Exchange Fellow, and gender equality advocate.  Guest is Bailey Perkins Wright - Womanist, public policy advocate, and adjunct professor at a local community college. As an advocacy and governmental affairs professional, she’s dedicated to shaping state and federal public policy decisions and strengthening civic engagement in Oklahoma.

In this month's episode, we revisit the conversation about cultural anthropology and the power of projecting a "clear and confident voice" with vocal authority and teacher, Rena Cook. Graduate student and budding anthropologist, Veda Pai, gets in depth and personal with Rena about language, projection and techniques. Explore how clear and confident projection enhances interpersonal relationships and cultural understanding.

Rena Cook - a TEDx speaker, author, trainer, coach, and the founder of Vocal Authority, a training consultancy serving corporate clients including attorneys, politicians, teachers, sales teams, and CEOs, who want to use their voice in more commanding and authentic ways. She is a Professor Emerita at the University of Oklahoma School of Drama.

Did you know that over 70% of United States college freshmen require remedial reading? How does this fact prepare college students to complete and compete in higher academia and careers?

Suzette Chang sits down with DesJean Jones, Executive Director of Opportunities Industrialization Center of Oklahoma County, Inc. to talk about these facts and how adults can level up! Listen to a direct and upfront conversation about the state of adult literacy in the United States, challenges faced by college students with remedial reading needs, and how adults can level up their literacy skills for academic and career success.

"Elephant in the Room - Unboxed" with host Suzette Chang and guest Dr. Jennifer Caldwell dives into the importance of genetic testing, health equity, and community-centered research—especially for melanated communities often overlooked in medical studies.

Dr. Caldwell, a public health geneticist, shares her journey from aspiring doctor to advocating for culturally tailored health education. She discusses:

• Barriers in healthcare access and historical distrust in medical systems.

• Her groundbreaking projects, like the Genesis AI Project, which co-creates genetic education with communities.

• The Linking Gains study, exploring how genetic risk knowledge impacts health behaviors in Black communities.

• The urgent need for self-advocacy—from decoding family medical histories to challenging dismissive doctors.

The conversation also tackles cultural myths around food, diabetes, and body image, emphasizing that "knowledge is power" for healthier lives.

Dr. Caldwell is a human geneticist with an interest in combining genetic ancestry analysis and community engaged research strategies. Her research uses interdisciplinary research designs to observe genetic, environmental, and cultural factors that contribute to chronic health disparities. Based on her interest in epigenetics, Dr. Caldwell’s study designs combine observing genetic traits, social determinants of health and behavioral risk factors that impact health disparities.

How can anthropology become a tool for Black liberation and radical education? In this powerful episode of Elephant in the Room – Unboxed, host Suzette Chang sits down with Dr. Brendane Tynes — anthropologist, queer Black feminist scholar, storyteller, and healer—to unpack:

• Decolonizing Anthropology – How Dr. Tynes reclaims the field to center Black and Indigenous liberation, despite its oppressive roots.
• The fight for critical thinking in schools, why literacy alone isn’t justice, and how systemic racism shapes classrooms.
• Black Feminism vs. Womanism – The difference between these frameworks and why both matter in dismantling oppression.
• Spirituality as Resistance – Dr. Tynes’ work with Hoodoo and ancestral healing as acts of defiance and survival.
• The Power of Asking "Why?" – Why curiosity—not compliance—is the key to collective liberation.

From confronting micro-aggressions in academia to reimagining education beyond "the way it’s always been," this conversation is a call to question, connect, and reclaim power.

🔗 Follow Dr. Tynes: blacklovedandfreepodcast.com | IG: @blacklovedandfree

Brought to you by The Descriptions & the Respect for Diversity Foundation.