‘Welcome to our podcast, bitches.’

Meet Matisse Laida and Mary: two young, funny, unapologetic, twenty-one year-old, black women with … some things to say. Mary, who is South Sudanese (and a Taurus) and Matisse, who is Mauritian (and a Pisces), met during a Braided workshop and instantly gelled. ‘So we decided to keep talking.’ The result is Vibe—a fast, feisty, candid exchange that pulls no punches.

What began as a plan to discuss an experience they have in common—navigating share-house dynamics as a young, black person—shifts into something else when Matisse describes a recent frustration. She found herself in lockdown during the recent, global Black Lives Matter protests in a household of predominantly white people. ‘I [was] losing my mind.’

As the banter continues, Mary and Matisse discover in each other an outlet to air the things most pressing on them at this time: the death of George Floyd and the ensuing discussions sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement. They speak to systematic oppression, challenging the status-quo, and their own first-hand experiences of racism.

Hear these women tell you how to check your friends, ‘start learning about the culture, take accountability’ — and vibe with these two.

Also in this episode: reminiscing on a 90’s Spice Girls cassette; Agum checks in with Jenny from season one; and Reggie talks gender fluidity via onyx black fingernail polish in the third instalment of Reggie’s Update. 

Credits:Vibe: Matisse and MaryWith music from Jesse Sullivan, The Desolettes, Savage the GirlAlso in this episode Musings from Jenny Curran, Reggie, Danny, Agum and Elijah singing us out.