Welcome to Walking Gottingen. An immersive audio experience.

In order to begin the sound walk, you should be standing at the intersection of Gottingen and Cornwallis on the right-hand side of the street (HINT; near the North End Community Health Centre)

This project was created by Jayde Tynes, Francella Fiallos and Sarah Poko. Thank you to the community members who have shared their voice through this project so that you can have a memorable experience today.

We would also like to acknowledge our funders the Inspirit Foundation and Halifax Community Investment Fund. As well as our partners the North End Community Health Centre, Mayworks Festival and CKDU.

Enjoy your stroll down memory lane!

The post Walking Gottingen 2020 appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

Needing validation from others in order to feel fulfilled is problematic, but let’s be real receiving validation for ones art is a good feeling. There is this myth that has been floating around that as black people we do not support one another. One Black Nova Scotian man is proving that is all hot air.

Host, Jayde Symone, opens the show by sharing a recent experience she had with receiving validation from her community. She is joined on the show by actor, dancer, and up and coming director Cory Bowles. His recent movie Black Cop as received worldwide attention and has propelled him into bigger and badder movie deals. On this show, he and host, Jayde Symone reflects on what it is like to create something for their community and with their community in mind.

The post My Blackness My Truth: Myth- We Don’t Back Black appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

Poetry is used to fight for social equity and to soothe the soul. As long as people have been communicating poetry has lived, starting from the throat and transitioning to the paper. No matter the method it’s power illuminates.

The post My Blackness, My Truth: Poetic Justice appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

The post My Blackness, My Truth: This is my North End appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

Artistic expression is present in those who self-identify as an artist and those who do not because art has been meticulously layered within African Nova Scotian culture for over 400 years. Through church, hair, language, and community gatherings many forms of artistic expression exist. But what happens when you desire to take that natural artistic expression and elevate it to a higher craft? What barriers stand in your way?

Host, Jayde Symone, shares her truth about succumbing to artistic oppression as a young black woman who wanted to dance and was stagnated by the Nova Scotian dance scene. She is joined by New Glasgow born, African Nova Scotian actor, poet and playwright Walter Borden. He shares his experiences with trying to develop his craft as a playwright and the ways in which systemic racism tries to hold African Nova Scotian artists back.

The post My Blackness, My Truth: Artistic Oppression appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

Cultural competence is being recognized as foundational knowledge for healthcare professionals. In 2005, Nova Scotia produced a Cultural Competence Guide for Primary Health Care Professionals. But for many African Nova Scotians this hasn’t translated to direct benefit. Many still struggle silently. With misunderstandings within the community around what mental illness means and barriers that prevent individuals from accessing help, dealing with depression, anxiety and other disorders becomes challenging and complicated. Compounding those issues is the difficulty of finding a therapist of color or an organization that specifically caters to one’s community. From stigma to lack of research, these all play into larger barriers for finding types of therapy or medication that fit African Nova Scotian needs.

Host, Jayde Symone, greats you with soundscape she created to share a deep truth, a look into her brain as she is asleep, what she calls her anxiety dream. She is joined by East Preston born, African Nova Scotian medical researcher and mental health advocate, Adena Cox. She shares her experience observing mental illness in her community, feeling helpless in the short term yet taking action for the future. Her truth; Black representation at all levels of Mental Health service is desperately needed.

The post My Blackness, My Truth: Mental Health “The Bleakness of Black Representation” appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

One of many results of colonialism and systemic oppression in Nova Scotia is that the higher you climb the seemingly “whiter” it gets. This can leave some African Nova Scotian professionals with tough choices when it comes to community access. By being active in African Nova Scotian communities we are able to find support, understanding, and joy. But when growing professional opportunities take you outside the community, you can often be left with some tough choices; career or community.

Host, Jayde Symone, shares her truth of helping a young man navigate that choice as well as her own choices within journalism. She is joined by that young man, Uniake Square and North Preston born, African Nova Scotian city councillor, Lindell Smith. He shares his experience trying to navigate the sacrifices of career and community.

The post My Blackness, My Truth: Black Professional Paralysis appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

People who are born in Nova Scotia, identify as Black and have Black lineage in Nova Scotia are very proud of their roots. Being Scotian is not taken lightly, but what happens when people from outside of Nova Scotia want to enter the African Nova Scotian community?

Host, Jayde Symone, opens the show with some self-reflection and music that reminds her of her time being an outsider in another community. She is joined by two “from aways”, journalist Sarah Poko who was born in Nigeria and has spent the last two years living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She shares her experience struggling to find appropriate haircare products locally. Also joining the conversation is Toronto born son of two African Nova Scotian parents, Izreal Jones. He shares how even while living in another province he was able to stay connected to his Scotian heritage.

The post My Blackness, My Truth: From Aways appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

What is woke? The urban dictionary defines it as although an incorrect tense of awake, a reference to how people should be aware of current affairs. Through social media woke has become a label for those who believe they demonstrate a high level of social consciousness. But isn’t consciousness a journey not a destination?

Host, Jayde Symone, explores her experience with mindlessly chasing the woke dragon. She is joined via phone by African American, Washington, DC racial justice activist Shawn Leek who shares how they have seen woke culture force some Black folks from a seat at the table. Educator, activist, and poet El Jones, joins the conversation to talk about how woke expanded the conversation about social justice education, but now has spun in a different direction.

The post My Blackness, My Truth: The Walking Woke appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

Welcome to My Blackness, My Truth podcast.

This is a podcast that explores how Black identity shows up in our lives. It is centred around the host, Jayde Symone’s truths, her lived experiences so to say. She then invites other Black identified individuals to share their own truths based on her story, with a special focus on the African Nova Scotian experience. On this show, Jayde Symone shares her personal journey exploring and understanding her truths as a Black, Scotian woman. She gives you a little history on what African Nova Scotian identity is and then takes you on a journey around the world as she travelled from Little Rock, Arkansas to Bejing, China and each destination learning a bit more about her own identity.

The post My Blackness, My Truth: Who is Jayde Symone? appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.