Today, we present you with an extra-special episode! We are joined by friend and fellow podcaster, Tobe Mlemchukwu, to discuss all things family. We start off by discussing our familial setup and childhoods, while also exploring the role that our Nigerian culture played and continues to play in our familial interactions. Then, we discuss the boundaries we’ve set with our families and various ways that COVID-19 have impacted our interactions this year.As always, let us know your thoughts! What role does your family play in your life? Have you had to set stricter boundaries as you’ve become an adult? How has COVID-19 impacted your family interactions this year? Share your thoughts via our Instagram page! We can be found @inprogress_pod. 

Special thanks to Tobe for not only participating in the podcast, but for being our first guest! Check him out at @longlivetobe, @ccsmackpodcast, and @urbantheology_ on Instagram.

Our two most recent episodes about the#EndSars movement have been quite heavy, so we decided that today, we’re just going to chat. It has been a while since we discussed COVID-19 and how we feel about current events, so we took some time to catch up. Unfortunately, as public health officials had  predicted, the rate of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has risen significantly and continues to heavily impact our day to day lives. We hope you’re all well! It’s been a tough year, but we also recognize that many people have gained invaluable knowledge and perspective. Let us know your thoughts! Find us on Instagram @inprogress_pod.

In part two of this series, hosts Christine and Emily discuss the role of social media in the End SARS movement and the aftermath of the Lekki Tollgate Massscre. What we know is this—- Nigeria will never be the same. People are upset and fed up with their living conditions. They deserve change and most importantly, they’re demanding change. In other words, all over the world, people are actively working to put an end to systems of oppression and systems of injustice. Our hope is that peace, justice, and equality will prevail.

Nigeria, the native home of hosts Christine and Emily, is indescribably beautiful, overwhelmingly abundant, and rich in both talent and culture. However, as many of you well know, despite the beauty and the abundance, police brutality and harsh conditions have also plagued Nigeria for many, many years. Recently, these issues came to a head with the #EndSars movement. SARS, or the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, was created in Nigeria in 1992 and tasked with handling armed robberies, kidnappings, and other similar violent crimes. Rather than reducing crimes, instead, SARS officers themselves have inflicted the same crimes on Nigerian citizens as they have been tasked to prevent. Nigerian citizens, especially the Youth, have been arrested, tormented, harassed, and even killed for a number or trivial reasons, including but not limited to: their choice of clothing, their hairstyle, appearing to be “rich,” owning nice things, appearing to look like a “criminal,” owning technology, etc. In October 2020, the Youth decided to fight back by having peaceful protests all throughout Nigeria. The demand was simple: Freedom for all, peace and justice for all, and better pay, training, and psychological evaluations for officers. After two weeks, a curfew was put in place on October 20, 2020, and many protestors continued protesting at the Lekki Tollgate. While protesting, all lights in that area were turned off and in the pitch darkness, the army arrived and started shooting the unarmed, peaceful civilians. Many were injured and many were killed.  The Nigerian government has only recently acknowledged their role in this heinous act, and the actual count of those affected by this incident is still a mystery.

So far, in 2020, it seems that there’s been a major social or political event every. single. day. So for Episode 2, we discuss several recent events,  including COVID-19, changes to USPS and the resulting chaos, Black lives in the U.S., and Megan thee Stallion. In the midst of this global pandemic, we’ve witnessed more loss and change than ever before. Not just of people, but of our former ways of life and former modes of operation. Unfortunately, the only change we haven’t seen is total, unified recognition of the humanity of Black lives here in the U.S. Breonna Taylor’s murderers still roam free, as do Elijah Mcclain's murderers, and so many others---more than we can count. Until we know justice, we won’t know peace. Our greatest hope is that much like the changes we've seen in our day-to-day lives, policies, and systems, we will see laws at the federal level that ensure the freedom and humanity of all marginalized populations.

Thanks for listening! If you’d like to share your thoughts, hit us up on social media or by email. We’d love to hear from you.

S1.E1: In Episode 1, we discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and our new normal. From MD stats, to masks, to mental health and everything in between. Life as we know it has totally changed and in this episode, we took time to check-in. We hope you’ve been able to take a moment to reflect and we hope you’re all well too. If you’d like to share any thoughts or questions, please email us at [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

*Please excuse our audio issues in the beginning of this episode. We are actively working to provide you with consistently high quality episodes.

Always learning, always evolving, always In Progress ...