Interrupting Racism

In this episode we are talking about the anticipated sequel Coming 2 America. Join me and Ellie for our takes on what we felt the movie had to offer. Much respect goes out to this project that created over 6,000 jobs during the production of this film which to me is yet another reminder of how many people it takes to create and how many job options and opportunities their are within this industry.

Spoiler alert! We go into detail about the film so don't listen if you intend to watch.

Support this podcast! Check out the NEW www.InterruptingRacismPodcast.com

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive!

You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast on Twitter @IntruptinRacism or email at [email protected]

In this episode, me and my guest Rodney, Creator and Host of Welcome To AR House chopped it up for a crossover show to post on both of our respective podcasts! I'm so excited to have been able to sit down with another childhood friend to talk about our feelings, the struggle of understanding and being allowed to explore your emotions while growing up in many Black homes and neighborhoods, relationships and more.

Rodney is the first guy I've brought to the show, I'm excited for you all to hear his perspective on things. Please join us for this crossover event as we continue to Interrupt Racism! Be sure to check out Rodney's show when you get a chance.

Recommendations of the Week:

Rodney's suggestion - Book - The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Alexandria's suggestion - Book - The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

Support this podcast! Check out the NEW www.InterruptingRacismPodcast.com

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive!

You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast on Twitter @IntruptinRacism or email at [email protected]

In this episode I've invited two of my fellow performing arts friends, Alexa and Ricky to chat with me about All Things Bridgerton! Have you watched the new Netflix series? If you haven't I wouldn't dare listen to this episode until you've finished HUGE spoiler alert! We're talking about the plot, the set, actors, characters---All Things Bridgerton.

We're also talking about what its like to be actors, how the industry needs to start making bigger strides towards true diversity and equity and so many things in between. This was a very fruitful conversation, I hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording.

**Content Warning** we're talking about consent or the lack thereof in an infamous scene within the show

Recommendations of the Week

Alexa's suggestion -Books - Any Jasmine Guillory book & Year of Yes: How To Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

Alexandria's suggestion - Songs - The Bridgerton official playlist, specifically: "thank u, next", "Girls Like You" and "In My Blood" classically covered by Vitamin String Quartet 

Ricky's suggestion - Book- The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Support this podcast! Check out the NEW www.InterruptingRacismPodcast.com

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive!

You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast on Twitter @IntruptinRacism or email at [email protected]

Its Black Futures Month and I am celebrating by dropping additional episodes! In this episode we are talking about anti-blackness, how it shows up in all aspects of our lives, some anecdotes of some of my experiences, and ways we can check in with ourselves about our participation in anti-black thought.

**Content/Trigger warning** In remembrance of the Black, Latinx, Trans and or Non-Binary folks whose lives have been stolen in recent times, I name "say their names". You can skip to the 4:00 minute mark to pass this portion if you feel it necessary. Information for these people was pulled from an interactive Aljazeera post Know Their Names, from Them.us a community platform where they address a range of topics "through the lens of today's LGBTQ community and from Out.com a "Gay and lesbian perspectives on style, entertainment, travel, fashion, arts, politics, culture, music, film, celebrities and the world at large".

Sites Mentioned

Formal definitions of Anti-Blackness by Urban Dictionary and Merriam-Webster

The Am I Anti-Black Checklist via @CafeConAzucarShop on Instagram

Quotes from Dr. Tamura Lomax author and professor of African Studies at Michigan State University and Nikita Haynie author, educator and assistant editor of The Pedestal Project were used in this episode via the article, From Gorilla Glue to 'The Bachelor': Why is it so hard to give Black women grace? by Kamilah Newton

Recommendation of the Week

Alexandria's suggestion - advice- Create your 5-year plan, be specific, and begin to manifest what you want out of life.

Support this podcast! Check out the NEW www.InterruptingRacismPodcast.com

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive!

You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast on Twitter @IntruptinRacism or email at [email protected]

Issa movie review! I hope you've had a chance to watch Netflix's Malcolm & Marie. If not, you may want to go and watch before you listen to this episode unless you love spoilers. I'm giving my 2 cents about the film, the actors, characters, relationships and more. Later in the show, Taniqua will join to continue the conversation about relationships, vulnerability, boundaries, codependency, Black love, how society sees Black art--and we're getting personal. Tune in! 

Black business mention of TasteofGrace.com by @Chef_Chrissy (Instagram) who is an Atlanta based personal chef/caterer.

Support this podcast! Check out the NEW www.InterruptingRacismPodcast.com

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive!

You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast on Twitter @IntruptinRacism or email at [email protected]

In this episode, I've brought another two of my fave Black women together to chat with me about the virtual high school they founded, Making Us Matter. This school is very important to me because I believe in the mission and I am an educator with the program!

Within this episode we are speaking about the school they started, what is taught, the importance of Black educators, breaking the stigma about therapy in the Black community, reprioritizing Black knowledge, beauty standards and much more!

Recommendations of the Week:

Eghosa's suggestions - book - Parable Of The Sower by Octavia E. Butler; documentary - The Black Power Mixtapes; movie - The Forty-Year-Old Version (you won't hear these in the audio due to tech issues.

Gertrude's suggestions - advice- Seek therapy and heal your traumas. If you are Black, do your best to find a Black therapist who understands your position in this world.

Eghosa mentions Foresight Therapy as an affordable option to seek a therapist if you don't already have one.

Alexandria's suggestion - Celebrate Black History month by thanking a Black educator or influential person in your life for their contributions to your success. Words are powerful but only if they are heard.

If you would like to support Making Us Matter or even become an educator, check out their website www.MakingUsMatter.com where you will find lots more information. Also, follow @MakingUsMatter on all the socials!

Support this podcast! Do you like what you hear? Consider becoming a listener supporter a one of 3 supporter levels so that I may continue to bring you fun and informative episodes, invite new guests and increase the quality of this podcast https://anchor.fm/alexandria-j-smalls/support

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive!

You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast on Twitter @IntruptinRacism or email at [email protected]

The insurrection that happened at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was nothing short of terrorism committed by racist, white supremacist, and white nationalist terrorists. The actions of this group affected the entire nation, put the safety of elected officials, officers and quite frankly, our national security at risk.  I sat down with my good sis Taylor to talk about what it felt like to see everything unfold on the 6th and there after. Our conversation takes a casual tone, speaking about our experiences and personal opinions about what took place, what it feels like living in the U.S. following this event and some good recommendations for all of you listeners to get into. This episode is entitled Domestic Terrorists because while some may see it as an inflammatory name, we know this to be the truth of what took place on that day. The same people whose delusional aim was to "stop the steal" of a fair election and "uphold law and order" in this country, are the same people who attempted to bring it to the ground by way of violence and numerous other criminal acts. 

Recommendations of the Week: 

Alexandria's suggestions - Book: White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo.  This book was suggested for white people to engage with white studies and to understand the power and damaging effects of white supremacy, racism, white guilt and more. It is also a recommended as a tool to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) people to offer their white counterparts when they have exhausted themselves trying to teach others about these topics. 

Music: Please Mr. Postman by The Marvelettes, I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye, A Change Gone Come and Chain Gang by Sam Cooke 

Taylor's suggestions - Book: Kindred by Octavia Butler 

Mentioned in this episode is a news article from The Guardian via Yahoo News, "I had no qualms": The people turning in loved ones for the Capitol attack The Culture Segment mentions 2 Instagram posts, one by Amanda Seales and the other by The Daily Show. 

Support this podcast! Do you like what you hear? Consider becoming a listener supporter a one of 3 supporter levels so that I may continue to bring you fun and informative episodes, invite new guests and increase the quality of this podcast https://anchor.fm/interruptingracismpodcast/support 

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive! You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast , on Twitter with the handle @IntruptinRacism or email me at [email protected]. The interruptingracismpodcast.com website is coming soon!

In this episode I'm speaking with Bernetta and Kat, two women that I met during my academic career. They are both currently PhD candidates at different stages in their journey. We're talking about the good, the bad and the ugly of The Academy. You'll get to understand why they chose their graduate program, what keeps them going, how it affects their personal life, the obstacles that stand in their way and so much more. I hope you learn to love them as much as I do. 

Both of these women are working on so many creative projects outside of their academic pursuits. As soon as those projects drop, I'll be sure to update this description with the information to their work! 

Recommendations of the Week: 

Bernetta's suggestion - book: Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins 

Kat's suggestion - music:  Anything that connects you to your people and your heritage. Some of hers included Bob Marley and other artists that take her back to her Afro-Guyanese roots. 

Support this podcast! Do you like what you hear? Consider becoming a listener supporter a one of 3 supporter levels so that I may continue to bring you fun and informative episodes, invite new guests and increase the quality of this podcast https://anchor.fm/interruptingracismpodcast/support 

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive! You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast , on Twitter with the handle @IntruptinRacism or email me at [email protected]. The interruptingracismpodcast.com website is coming soon!

This week's episode is a continuation of our conversation with myself and my 3 college sista friends Ellie, Lorice and Taylor. In this Part B episode we will talk a bit about some of the stereotypes and barriers standing in Black women's way of career, relationships and life in general.  

Ellie mentions her company, Autipacha Studios which "is one bean shop based in Providence, RI specializing in digital and print design for every application. 

Mentioned and explained in conversation is a meme/flowchart adapted from: "The Chronicle of the Problem Woman of Colour in a "Non-Profit" by the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence  

Recommendations of the Week:  

Lorice's suggestions - books: No Disrespect by Sister Souljah; The Midnight Series by Sister Souljah; A Moment of Silence by Sister Souljah (and any book written by Sister Souljah) 

Taylor's suggestion: - book: all about love by bell hooks 

Ellie's suggestion - album: The Oracle by Angel Bat Dawid 

Support this podcast! Do you like what you hear? Consider becoming a listener supporter a one of 3 supporter levels so that I may continue to bring you fun and informative episodes, invite new guests and increase the quality of this podcast https://anchor.fm/interruptingracismpodcast/support 

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive! You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast , on Twitter with the handle @IntruptinRacism or email me at [email protected]. The interruptingracismpodcast.com website is coming soon!

Even when the world gets crazy; even though Black people are being attacked on so many fronts, I wouldn't change being Black for anything in the world! In this episode, I invited 3 of my close friends to chat with me about the joys and struggles of being Black in general, being a Black woman in particular, and all things in between. Part A of "Black Girl Magic"  is where you will learn a bit about who these incredible women are, how we all met, what makes them tick, our thoughts on self-care, the uplifting of seeking therapy and more. 

Ellie mentions her company, Autipacha Studios which "is one bean shop based in Providence, RI specializing in digital and print design for every application.  

Lorice mentions her use and success with Taraji P. Henson's mental health services with the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation and recommends it to others. "Henson founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018, focusing on providing options for therapy to Black men in particular; [Tracie] Jenkins leads the Foundation. And this winter, they’re launching a Facebook Watch show, Peace of Mind, to share candid conversations about mental health. During the pandemic, they’ve seen how critical this work has become." - Raisa Bruner [Time]. "The impact of the pandemic has really brought more people to the forefront...If you’re Black in America—you’re Black anywhere, really—you’re feeling this.” -Tracie Jenkins. 

Recommendation of the Week: Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper

Support this podcast! Do you like what you hear? Consider becoming a listener supporter a one of 3 supporter levels so that I may continue to bring you fun and informative episodes, invite new guests and increase the quality of this podcast https://anchor.fm/alexandria-j-smalls/support

Please be sure to subscribe/follow this podcast on your streaming service so that you are always first to know when new episodes arrive!

You can follow Interrupting Racism Podcast on Instagram with the handle @interruptingracismpodcast or email me at [email protected]