Light Banter

Episode No. 59: Welcoming Our New National Holiday . . . Juneteenth, Imagine finding a great job prospect. A perfect job for which you're uniquely qualified but then you discover that applicants from your state are disqualified from these remote national listings. Why? Because the state in which you reside requires employers' to be transparent regarding pay scales in their listings. Rebecca Gross leads the conversation about the gender wage gap and how equal pay transparency is a step toward overcoming the ongoing battle for wage equality.

Four anti-racists white women led by Chrys Withrow learn about and enthusiastically discuss our new national holiday . . . Juneteenth.

The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth

On “Freedom’s Eve,” or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. At the stroke of midnight, prayers were answered as all enslaved people in Confederate States were declared legally free. Union soldiers, many of whom were black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom in Confederate States. Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation end slavery throughout the United States.

But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.

The post-emancipation period known as Reconstruction (1865-1877) marked an era of great hope, uncertainty, and struggle for the nation as a whole. Formerly enslaved people immediately sought to reunify families, establish schools, run for political office, push radical legislation and even sue slaveholders for compensation. Given the 200+ years of enslavement, such changes were nothing short of amazing. Not even a generation out of slavery, African Americans were inspired and empowered to transform their lives and their country.

Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day. Although it has long celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans.

The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a community space where this spirit of hope lives on. A place where historical events like Juneteenth are shared and new stories with equal urgency are told.

Source: The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture

https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth

Episode No. 58: Equal Pay Transparency Has Started, Imagine finding a great job prospect. A perfect job for which you're uniquely qualified but then you discover that applicants from your state are disqualified from these remote national listings. Why? Because the state in which you reside requires employers' to be transparent regarding pay scales in their listings. Rebecca Gross leads the conversation about the gender wage gap and how equal pay transparency is a step toward overcoming the ongoing battle for wage equality.

Episode No. 57: West Hollywood Pride: A View From Bottega Louie's, While there weren't any organized locally sanctioned Gay Pride events again this year, there were plenty of people roaming Santa Monica Boulevard in unofficial honor of the LGBTQIA+ community. Quinn Barrett leads the conversation, sharing her observations from the front patio of WeHo's Bottega Louie's.

Chapter 3, The Pansy Effect by Rebecca Gross, Rebecca takes us on a journey to discover her green thumb thanks to her multi-talented boyfriend we lovingly refer to as "Beep" (he doesn't like it when we use his name just in case our humble show goes supernova :D). Instead of beeping his name out we just call him "Beep" to simplify our editing process. Anywhoo this story is all about the happy couple planting spring flower together and how a bunch of little pansies weathered the elements to teach us all life lessons in the theme of relaxing, releasing, and renewal.

Chapter 2, The Clenched Fist Effect by Chrys Withrow, A pastor once instructed his congregation to open their hands. Now ask yourself metaphorically what are you holding onto? This simple demonstration is designed to teach that if you're holding onto anything tightly in your clenched hand, you can't do anything with that hand or perhaps both hands. The point is that holding onto things outside of our control particularly if it causes us anger or other negative feelings, is only hurting ourselves. Chrys uses this teaching to share her experiences with letting go and release.

Chapter 1, The Loud Neighbor Effect by Quinn Barrett, You might hear some extraneous sounds in this episode because we recorded via Zoom from my car using an iPhone. Granted, it is a holiday weekend but my neighbors thoroughly enjoy their backyard pool pretty much every weekend all year round. This episode is dedicated to them and all loud neighbors who unconsciously create endless opportunities to relax, release, and renew our efforts to offer loving kindness to even the most clueless of neighbors.

Chapter 3, If There is Life, There is Beauty by Chrys Withrow, In the ye old days of yore, music came on two-sided, black, round, vinyl discs, called records. The well-known song was considered the "A" side while the "B" side was still good, but maybe not as popular. Famous books are often remembered for a few select quotes, which garner loads of attention compared to many other equally powerful passages that are often forgotten. A huge J.R.R. Tolkien fan, Chrys shares a favorite lesser-known quote from "Return of the King," the final book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The reason quotes inspire us is a unique experience for the reader and/or listener. Like music, the words of a book famous or otherwise can touch us deeply and unforgettably by those hidden gems.

Chapter 2, Putting Words in People's Mouth by Quinn Barrett, A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, an official statement, or making an announcement. Sounds boring right? Generally, speaking the press release is an incredibly dull style of communication but no matter the subject matter or the industry, all press releases have something in common... quotes. On top of that, press release quotes are almost always written by someone other than the person to whom they are attributed. What is interesting about press release quotes is the story behind the process of putting words in people's mouths as well as the lunacy when people begin to believe their own press releases.

Chapter 1, Hoarding Knowledge by Rebecca Gross, One of Rebecca's favorite quotes reflects a tongue-in-cheek sentiment with which she doesn't agree. We won't spoil it here. You'll have to listen. But here's a hint... if we have knowledge should we spread it far and wide or are there legitimate times it is reasonable to withhold information for the greater good. Rebecca leads an interesting philosophical discussion regarding the whys, whens, and hows of knowledge dissemination as a moral imperative.

Chapter 3, Brain Power by Rebecca Gross, Psychotherapy is also making huge advances in how we heal our minds using seemingly simple techniques to tap into the complexities of our minds. How our brains help us to heal can seem counterintuitive. Talk or cognitive therapies work for many people but the results can take a long time and also fleeting without focused continued attention. But what if after years even decades of therapy, patients can find relief by unraveling how our brains process information using methods that are unbelievably easy? Rebecca shares her personal game-changing experiences with EMDR.