Since the start of the pandemic the Asian-American community has faced heightened discrimination, racism, and violence. In this episode I give concrete examples of what it looks like to stand up against this racism and how we can model these anti-racist actions for our children. We then transition into my conversation with children’s author Andrea Wang to learn how we can bring Chinese culture into our homes and get involved with the Chinese community in our area. Andrea shares ideas for learning about and celebrating Lunar New Year. Not only is Andrea a talented, hilarious writer, she also has two boys and an advanced degree in environmental science. It was such a joy to connect with someone I admire so much! 

During our conversation we cover:

• Her path to becoming an author and her inspiration behind writing The Nian Monster 
• Lunar New Year, her favorite Lunar New Year traditions, and how families who don’t usually celebrate Lunar New Year can get involved 
• Her experiences growing up in a predominantly white community 
• The importance of teaching our children about implicit bias and how to help your children dispel stereotypes they may have about the Chinese community
• The #ownvoices movement in which authors of color and other marginalized groups are advocating for themselves and fighting for the space to tell their own story
• The importance of having an inclusive bookshelf
• Using the OurStory App to find inclusive books
• The issues with the book Tikki Tikki Tembo and Grace Lin’s essay about the book 
• The projects that Andrea has coming up in the next few years

Check out Andrea’s Books!

How to get in contact with and keep up with Andrea

The Event Kit & Teacher Guide for The Nian Monster

PBS Documentary: The Chinese Exclusion Act

Speaking Up Against Racism Around the New Coronavirus by Learning For Justice 

How To Respond To Coronavirus Racism 

Purchase Bite-sized Black History 

Bite-sized Black History is a program that empowers you to teach the little ones you love about 12 brilliant Black Americans that have been largely overlooked by our history books.

These 12 bite-sized podcast episodes, coloring pages, and reflection questions are your key to a meaningful Black History Month celebration in your home or classroom!

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community Make sure to join our Patreon Community to take part in our monthly Q&A sessions and download the detailed notes from this episode!

First Name Basis Website

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“Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN

Are you feeling a little overwhelmed when it comes to celebrating Black History Month? In this episode I share the key to a meaningful Black History Month celebration. If you’re not sure where to start, listen in for some concrete steps you can take to foster a love for Black History and culture in your home and classroom. This episode also includes a sneak peek of the Bite-sized Black History program! 

Purchase Bite-sized Black History 

Bite-sized Black History is a program that empowers you to teach the little ones you love about 12 brilliant Black Americans that have been largely overlooked by our history books.

These 12 bite-sized podcast episodes, coloring pages, and reflection questions are your key to a meaningful Black History Month celebration in your home or classroom!

First Name Basis Website

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community Make sure to join our Patreon Community to take part in our monthly Q&A sessions and download the detailed notes from this episode!

Join us on Instagram 

“Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN 

Unfortunately, Dr. King's dream has not yet come true. In this episode I explain the second phase of his dream that we are still working on today.

Sign up for updates about Bite-sized Black History

Bite-sized Black History is a program that empowers you to teach the little ones you love about 12 brilliant Black Americans that have been overlooked by our history books.

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community Make sure to join our Patreon Community to take part in our monthly Q&A sessions and download the detailed notes from this episode!

First Name Basis Website

Join us on Instagram 

“Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN 

We have the opportunity to celebrate one of America’s greatest heroes this month, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During the month of January host Jasmine Bradshaw will help you learn about and understand the untold story of Dr. King and give you the tools you need to confidently teach your children about his life and his legacy. 

In this episode she covers:

-His background and upbringing 

-His time in college/graduate school

-How he came to be the spokesperson for the Montgomery Bus Boycott and then go on to be a prominent leader in the Civil Rights movement

-His influence on the election of President John F. Kennedy 

-How he was viewed as a threat to the nation and investigated by the FBI

-His philosophy of nonviolent resistance that carried him through and inspires us all 

Sign up for updates about Bite-sized Black History

Bite-sized Black History is a program that empowers you to teach the little ones you love about 12 brilliant Black Americans that have been overlooked by our history books. 

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community Make sure to join our Patreon Community to take part in our monthly Q&A sessions and download the detailed notes from this episode!

First Name Basis Website

Join us on Instagram 

The Radical King, edited and introduced by Cornel West*

Podcast: Code Switch, Episode: The Original Blexit

John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Phone Call that Changed History

John F. Kennedy and the Civil Rights Movement

Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail 

MLK’s Speech Attracted Intense FBI Attention

The Threatening Letter Written and Sent to Dr. King from the FBI 

Season 3 Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN 

*Amazon Affiliate Link

If someone asked you “what is racism” how would you respond? Would you be able to help them understand the different ways that racism rears its ugly head in our society? In this episode we are getting back to basics and breaking down the three components of racism: implicit bias, overt interpersonal racism, and systemic racism. I will teach you how to spot each of these components in your everyday life and illustrate how they work together to form the system of oppression that we are fighting so hard to dismantle. 

Sign up here to be the first to know when Bite-sized Black History is released!

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community Make sure to join our Patreon Community to take part in our monthly Q&A sessions and download the detailed notes from this episode!

First Name Basis Website

Join us on Instagram 

This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell

Understanding Implicit Bias-Kirwan Institute

Talking About Race-National Museum of African-American History & Culture

Woman Accuses Teen of Stealing Her Phone

Man who is shopping at Old Navy is accused of stealing a jacket 

Black man renting an Air bnb, white couple walks in and questions him 

How COVID 19 Unmasks Inequality In Our Society-First Name Basis Podcast, Season 2 Episode 8

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN 

When we really take a moment to step back and think it’s easy to agree that Jesus had brown skin because he was from the Middle East. If that’s the case, why is Christ so often depicted as white with light skin, hair, and eyes? In this episode we uncover the roots of white Jesus and explain the impact this depiction has made on us and our communities. 

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community Make sure to join our Patreon Community to take part in our monthly Q&A sessions and download the detailed notes from this episode!

First Name Basis Website

Join us on Instagram 

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 2, Episode 24: “Cancel Culture Part 3: Removing Statues”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 2, Episode 15: “Diversity & Inclusion In LDS Art”

Where Did ‘White Jesus’ Come From?

‘Color of Christ’: A Story of Race and Religion in America Terry Gross interview with Edward Blum

How Jesus Became White And Why It’s Time To Cancel That by Emily McFarlan Miller

What’s The Difference Between Puritans and Pilgrims?

The Harlem Renaissance 

Colonel Henry Stanley Todd, The Priory, and the Nazarene

Psychologist Simon Howard from Marquette University

Dylann Roof Appeals Death Penalty in South Carolina Church Massacre 

Archaeologists In Turkey Believe They Are Digging Up The Original Santa Claus

Megyn Kelly: Jesus & Santa Are White

Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN 

Are you serving or trying to save? In this episode I unpack white saviorism and the detrimental effect that it has on communities in our backyard and across the globe. If you want to transform your good intentions into confident action consider these 5 reflection questions:

1. Is the organization I’m partnering with led by BIPOC?
2. Where am I on my anti-racism journey? What preconceived notions do I have about the community I am serving? 
3. When and how am I going to learn about the history of the community I am serving? 
4. What is my attitude towards the people I am working with? 
5. What am I going to do if my service begins to look more like saviorism? 

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community Make sure to join our Patreon Community to take part in our monthly Q&A sessions and download the detailed notes from this episode!

First Name Basis Website

Join us on Instagram 

Sources:

What Is A White Savior Complex

Me & White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

Britt Hawthorne Patreon Community 

The White Savior Industrial Complex by Teju Cole

No White Saviors 

“Kill the Indian, Save the Man” Captain Richard H. Pratt

How the US Stole Thousands of Native American Children

LDS Indian Placement Program

Things No One Tells You About Going On Short-term Mission Trips

When Helping Hurts

Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN

You asked and we answered! Carter and I are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and in the most recent General Conference Church leaders began to speak more directly about racism, unity, and inclusion. Many of you asked us to share our reactions to two talks in particular, so in this episode we break down our thoughts and feelings about President Oaks & Elder Cook's General Conference talks. We also answer three of your questions:

1. How do we "point out the mess" without invalidating the good?
2. How do we give mercy to leaders trying their best?
3. Is the Church making progress? How should it move forward?

President Oaks: Love Your Enemies 

Elder Cook: Hearts Knit in Righteousness and Unity 

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community Make sure to join our Patreon Community to take part in our monthly Q&A sessions and download the detailed notes from this episode!

First Name Basis Website

Join us on Instagram 

Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN 

You know that feeling you get when you’re surrounded by pine trees, breathing the crisp mountain air, and feeling the stresses of everyday life slowly melt away? Well, unfortunately that feeling is not afforded to everyone. Studies have shown that BIPOC families do not spend as much time enjoying national parks and public lands as white families do. This fact can be traced back to racism, a lack of representation, and our nation’s history of segregation. In this episode Preethi Harbuck of @localpassportfamily and I unpack the study “People of Color and Their Constraints to National Parks Visitation” and discuss ways that families can make the outdoors more inclusive. 

Connect with Preethi at Local Passport Family 

People of Color and Their Constraints to National Parks Visitation

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Vandalized With ‘Black Lives Don’t Matter’ Sign

9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher 

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community Make sure to join our Patreon Community to take part in our monthly Q&A sessions and download the detailed notes from this episode!

First Name Basis Website

Join us on Instagram 

Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN 

The story that we learned about Christopher Columbus could not be further from the truth. He was a colonizer, enslaver, and sex trafficker who committed genocide against Indigenous Peoples. Don’t believe me? Listen in and decide for yourself.

In this episode we discuss:

• Common myths about Christopher Columbus
• The 3 reasons why Columbus’ crusade was different from others who had traveled to the Americas 
• What happened once Columbus arrived 
• The origins of Columbus Day in the United States
• Ideas about what we should do in response to this violent history 

**Trigger Warning** Violence against BIPOC

Free Thanksgiving Teaching Resource & Harvest Festival E-book

Join the First Name Basis Patreon Community

Join us on Instagram

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen (affiliate link) 

Rethinking Columbus

How Columbus Sailed into U.S. History, Thanks to Italians

Who Were the Olmec?

Whose History Matters? Students Can Name Columbus, But Most Have Never Heard of the Taino People

Taino: Indigenous Carribeans 

Christopher Columbus and the Doctrine of Discovery

Resource Guide: Abolish Columbus Day: Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples

UN Definition of Genocide

The History of Columbus Day

Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN