Olivia drops some knowledge about Bonnie St. John, an entrepreneur, disabled skier, and the first Black American to win medals in the Paralympic Winter games.

Reference:

Bonnie St. John was the first Black American to medal in the Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games

https://usopm.org/from-san-diego-to-vermont-to-harvard-to-innsbruck-to-oxford-and-beyond-paralympic-skier-bonnie-st-john-was-no-joke/

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

https://twitter.com/I_SquaredPod

Facebook page,

http://www.fb.me/ISquaredPod

Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/isquaredpodcast/

Olivia and Raven talk about the stresses and responsibilities of being the first or the only member of a community in a space.

Discussion Summary

0:33: Episode begins, and opening the discussion with some noteworthy points from Morgan Jerkins’ book “This Will Be My Undoing.”

03:54: Breaking down the quote: "you are thrust out into the open to perpetuate the lie that America is the land of equal opportunity."

09:06: How tokenism can benefit people in marginalized groups, and the responsibility this puts on tokenized individuals.

11:34: The inability to be viewed as an individual when you’re tokenized.

14:28: The balancing act of fighting for change, but also being broken down by others’ resistance to change.

21:08: Viewing inclusion as an enriching or educational experience.

28:29: The lack of consideration for emotional labor and time when asking personal questions.

34:51: What it means to play offense and defense when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

39:33: When requesting accommodations or additional support is considered ungrateful, and Olivia shares her thoughts on the term “accommodations.”

45:02: Having to choose your battles when advocating for change, and the expectation to accommodate the majority when you belong to a marginalized group.

51:53: The validity of responding to questions with “Google is free.”

53:19: Outro.

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

Facebook page,

Instagram.

Music credits: Opening: Goestories - Noir Et Blanc Vie

Closing: First Class - DJ Williams

Raven highlights Edmonia Lewis, the first sculptor of Black American and Native American descent to gain international fame. She was recognized for her neoclassical sculptures of abolitionists, Native American and anti-slavery scenes, and copies of Italian Renaissance sculpture.

References:

Edmonia Lewis

https://americanart.si.edu/artist/edmonia-lewis-2914

Sculptor Edmonia Lewis Shattered Gender and Race Expectations in 19th-Century America

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sculptor-edmonia-lewis-shattered-gender-race-expectations-19th-century-america-180972934/

13 Important Black Visual Artists Everyone Should Know

https://ruthmillington.co.uk/important-black-visual-artists/

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

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Music credit: "Chill Wave" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Olivia and Raven share their views on criticisms of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the problems with celebrating Frances Scott Key, and the way Americans tend to worship the US flag.

Discussion Summary:

00:34: Episode outtake.

00:48: Episode begins, and thoughts on the repeated usage of the word “freedom” in “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

04:23: Claims that the song is racist because it mentions slaves and sending slaves to their graves.

07:53: Addressing the fact that the 3 latter verses of the song were excluded when it became the national anthem.

11:52: History behind why “The Star-Spangled Banner” became such a special song.

15:19: The fixation on worshiping the flag in the US.

20:26: Contention over which song to choose for our national anthem prior to deciding on “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

23:10: History of Frances Scott Key and what he stood for.

32:33: What’s problematic about representing the US as a country of war.

35:02: The cognitive dissonance of thinking it’s un-American to criticize the national anthem and the flag’s meaning.

38:09: Outro.

References:

The Star-Spangled Banner

https://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx

A Short Analysis of Francis Scott Key’s ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’

https://interestingliterature.com/2019/09/a-short-analysis-of-francis-scott-keys-the-star-spangled-banner/

The ugly reason ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ didn’t become our national anthem for a century

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/10/18/star-spangled-banner-racist-national-anthem/

BRITISH CORPS OF COLONIAL MARINES

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/british-corps-colonial-marines-1808-1810-1814-1816/

Francis Scott Key, the Reluctant Patriot

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/francis-scott-key-the-reluctant-patriot-180937178/

War of 1812

https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-1812

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

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Music credits: Opening: Goestories - Noir Et Blanc Vie

Closing: First Class - DJ Williams

Olivia offers her thoughts and experiences with feeling ashamed of having a disability, and learning to accept living with blindness.

Summary:

00:28: Episode begins, a brief history of Disability Pride Month.

01:19: Struggling for self-acceptance when society treats disabled people like outsiders.

10:05: Why celebrate Disability Pride?

11:21: Outro.

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

Facebook page,

Instagram.

Music Credit: The Bone Train - Slynk

Olivia and Raven share their criticisms of Congress’s rush to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Discussion Summary:

00:33: The controversy of timing and Juneteenth.

09:43: How the black community has been asking for more impactful legislation, not a holiday.

17:36: Outro.

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

Facebook page,

Instagram.

Music credits: Opening: Goestories - Noir Et Blanc Vie

Closing: First Class - DJ Williams

Raven shares her thoughts on why there’s a need for greater disability acceptance, the struggle to be unashamed of different aspects of living with a disability, and how to have pride in being disabled.

Summary:

00:27: Episode begins, a brief history of Disability Pride month.

01:07: Why there’s a need for disability acceptance.

04:51: Struggles disabled people face that make it difficult to accept themselves and the disability lifestyle.

27:27: The guilt experienced by some people with invisible disabilities.

30:58: How exactly do you take pride in being disabled or living the disabled lifestyle?

40:56: Outro.

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

Facebook page,

Instagram.

Music credit: Thanks to purple-planet.com!

Olivia and Raven tackle whataboutism, or “what about us?”-ism, the many ways it’s included in today’s discourse, and how it relates to the controversy surrounding freedom of speech. They detail how what aboutism comes up in discussions regarding race, disability, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Note: There’s a thunderstorm in the background of Raven’s audio two-thirds of the way through the episode.

Discussion Summary:

00:33: What is “whataboutism,” and some examples.

04:23: Acknowledging there are certain populations whose stories are suppressed.

05:41: Revisiting the recently common claim that people in majority groups are being censored, and how this claim minimizes the struggles of marginalized communities.

21:42: Feeling drowned out when black people speak up about problems affecting the black community.

23:03: Disabled people feeling left out of movements against injustice against black people.

32:11: When black people speak up, other communities want to latch onto our causes, or downplay our struggles.

40:24: The hypocrisy of people claiming there’s a gay agenda and trans agenda to feminize men and destroy the nuclear family.

46:20: The failure of critics of LGBTQ+ individuals To advocate against their mistreatment.

48:47: When whataboutism is justified.

52:30: Outro.

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

Facebook page,

Instagram.

Music credits: Opening: Goestories - Noir Et Blanc Vie

Closing: First Class - DJ Williams

Olivia talks about N. K. Jemisin, an author who’s won numerous awards, is an anti-racist blogger, and considered the most celebrated Sci-Fi and fantasy writer of her generation.

Reference:

1. K. Jemisin

https://nkjemisin.com/about/

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

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Instagram.

Music credit: "Chill Wave" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

In this second part of our discussion on respecting personal boundaries when assisting disabled people, Olivia and Raven talk about how family and friends often cross personal boundaries. They also discuss the downside to helping disabled people by always doing things for them, the double standards regarding mistakes made by disabled and nondisabled people, and appropriate ways to refuse unwanted help and respond to those who turn down assistance.

Discussion Summary:

00:35: Discussion intro.

01:03: Friends and family being some of the biggest offenders of disrespecting disabled people’s personal boundaries.

08:50: The occasions in which it’s not as inconsiderate to grab a disabled person in order to be helpful.

11:45: Familiars sharing personal information about a person’s disability with strangers, and what to disclose to members of the public about your disability.

16:46: How revealing your disability to others can do more harm than good.

20:29: Instances where people do things for a disabled person, thinking it’s faster or easier, and how that influences the belief that you’re unable.

25:00: Becoming discouraged, and the double standard for reactions to mistakes made by disabled and nondisabled people.

31:19: Responding to unwanted or intrusive help.

41:18: The most ideal ways to ask how to help someone, and appropriate responses to people refusing assistance.

44:43: Outro.

Social media: Twitter @I_squaredpod,

Facebook page,

Instagram.

Music credits: Opening: Goestories - Noir Et Blanc Vie

Discussion intro: "Leopard Print Elevator" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Closing: First Class - DJ Williams