Let's Talk About It: Whatever "It" Is

It is no secret that here at Let’s Talk About It: Whatever It Is, our goal is to foster safe spaces for talking about the “its” that, often, no one wants to talk about. This April, hosts Olejuru and Paula and each of their guests will be delving into the topic of faith/religion as it relates to things like questioning, friendship, and conflict. 

In this first episode of our Faith(s)? series, Paula and Olejuru reflect on the ups and downs of their individual faith  journeys, the ways their friendship has presented an open invitation to ask difficult questions regarding faith/religion, and how they have helped each other to grow and shift  in their understandings of and relationship with God. 

Is growth even growth if no one sees it? What does it look like to hold space for another person’s brokenness? How do we “deal” with our grief? Can faith and questioning go together? 

Today, Paula and Olejuru wrap up their COVID-19 Professional’s Reflect Series with some reflections on  their own lessons learned, many of which are still in process. Together they wonder about the tension between searching for hope and acknowledging pain in an authentic way, having grace for ourselves and others, and resisting the urge to put a timestamp or formula on the healing process.

In the second episode of our professional’s reflect series, we are joined by Dr. Anozie. He is medical doctor with forty years of experience in the fields of medicine and public health. During this episode, Dr. Anozie reflects on what the pandemic has been like for him as a frontline healthcare worker; how he has relied on his faith to walk through fear, uncertainty, and the pressures of burnout; and what activities have helped him cope with the stress of knowing that a simple work mistake could put his family at risk. 

With the beginning of COVID-19 now a year behind us, Olejuru and Paula invite professionals from different sectors to provide their insight on what the year has been like for them, what lessons they have learned, and how they have found ways to cope through it all. 

In this first episode of our professional’s reflect series, we are joined by Alyssa Kopec. She is a teacher at St Joesph's Collegiate in Brooks Alberta. During our conversation, Alyssa recounts her experience of becoming a new teacher during the pandemic, and how she uses jokes, lots of them, to keep her students' spirits high. 

Join Olejuru and Paula in this last episode of their Black History Month series as they reflect on how they've been doing this Black History Month and why it feels different,  teacher's and learner's  fatigue, diversifying your friend circles, what to do with the pressure to maintain momentum for change, and the importance of self care. But first, Paula poses one of the most difficult "serious" intro questions yet. What will Olejuru agree to give up? Her desire to go to Australia or her love for ice cream? 

This is the 3rd episode of our Black History Month series. This week, Olejuru and  Paula speak with Kayla, a sociology major at Mount Royal University and Olejuru's friend. Kayla is a  lover of all things sports, kids, and learning about cultural diversity.  Kayla tells us what she has learned on her journey to become more educated on issues of race, discrimination, and white privilege. In this open and honest conversation, we dive into the importance of not only educating ourselves, but being willing to initiate conversations on race, and then patiently listen with humility. 

Kayla's List of Recommended Resources: 

• Instagram page: "Privilege to Progress"  @privtoprog 
• "Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race" by Renni Eddo-Lodge
• "Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present" by Robyn Maynard

In this episode, Paula and Olejuru are joined by Iyanu Soyege. As a Political Science and African Studies student at McGill University, Iyanu is incredibly involved with her community and serves as a political coordinator for a number of organizations. During our conversation, Iyanu talks to us about what Black History Month means to her.  Through her stories about growing up in both Canada and Nigeria, and what it was like  to have to navigate multiple identities, we learn more about how racism and systems of power affect the daily lives of people of colour. Iyanu spouts pure wisdom as she offers practical ways we can all work towards a more equitable society (see literature list below). Grab a paper and pen, there is plenty in this episode that you’re guaranteed to want to remember for later!

Resources referenced in this episode:

Books, Writers, Ideas and Scholars:
"Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie 
"Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi
"Who Can Say [the ] N [word]?"  by Randall Kennedy 
"Black Racialization and Resistance at an Elite University" by 
Rosalind Hampton 

Rita Felski (Recognition/Mis-recognition) 
Kimberlé Crenshaw (founder of the theory of Intersectionality) 

Social Media Accounts: 
African American Policy Forum (Twitter) 
Black Student Network (Instagram and Twitter) 

In this introduction to Black History Month episode, Olejuru and Paula share a zoom conversation they recorded in June 2020 while still processing the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Listen in as they express their thoughts on who bares the responsibility of education on issues of race, how they dealt with differing expectations of the “right” way to stand against anti-black racism, and the ever complicated intersection of social media activism and personality types. 

In this episode, Paula's entrepreneurial brother, Sebastian, joins Olejuru and Paula to talk about taking risks. From moving to a new country, to learning how to play football and speak a new language, to having to both start and stop the set up of his new business during COVID-19, Sebastian walks us through how he makes big decisions, and how he deals with disappointment.   

We had a lot of fun recording this episode and we hope you have just as much fun listening! 

In this episode, Olejuru and Paula sit down with Paula’s co-worker William to talk about his love for the mountains, his perspective on purpose, and how he has learned to navigate the societal pressures that tell him how he “should” want to live his life.