Paw'd Defiance

2020 is over, but many of the issues we faced last year remain with us. In this episode, members of the UW Tacoma community reflect on their 2020. They talk about loss and loneliness but they also tell us about starting a new job, growing a garden, and reconnecting with friends and family. 

We're devoting the next few episodes to 2020. This has been a challenging year and we wanted to spend some time thinking about what we experienced during the past 12 months. In this episode, we hear from UW Tacoma Completion Coach TeyAnjulee Leon. Leon is frank in her assessment of 2020. She calls this the "hardest year of her life." Leon recounts with blunt honesty her struggle with anxiety and depression. She also discusses her experience as a
Black woman and mother of two small children. 

UW Tacoma alumna Hien Hong teaches yoga and meditation in the Tacoma area. Her courses are geared toward members of the BIPOC community. We’ll talk with Hong about the lack of diversity in the wellness community. We’ll also talk about how she’s tackling these issues head-on through the courses she offers.

In this episode members of the UW Tacoma community talk about why they vote and why they think voting is important. For some, it's civic duty, while for others voting is a way to honor those who've gone before.  Their stories take us to North Korea and to the Jim Crow era South and serve to remind us why voting is so important.

In this episode of the pod,  "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. This relatively short piece, it’s only 100 lines, of narrative poetry was first published back in 1845.  "The Raven" was the 19th century equivalent of a viral sensation. There are stories that children would follow Poe around and flap their arms like wings until he turned and exclaimed “Nevermore.” The poem remains popular today. "The Raven" has been referenced in "The Simpsons" and there’s even an NFL team named after it. Well, we’ve decided to put our own spin on this classic tale of loss, grief, and possible descent into madness. A group of 18 UW Tacoma faculty, staff, and alumni came together to read sections of "The Raven."

Read by:
Maria-Tania Bandes-Becerra Weingarden
Patricia Sully
Isabell Murray
Joel Larson
Kim Davenport
Dayna Childs
Tony Perone
Maria Crisostomo
Ingrid Walker
Annie Nguyen
Amora Lenzi
Katherine Felts
Randy Nichols
John Burkhardt
Josh Knudson
Jutta Heller
Dustin Annis
Tessa Coleman

Music:
For the Fallen, by Edward Elgar, played by John Burkhardt

In this episode of the podcast, we discuss identity, perfectionism, and higher education with UW Tacoma Academic Advisor Ashley Walker. A self-described, "multi-racial mother of two," Walker holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree from UW Tacoma.  Her success wasn't easy. Walker had to overcome societal expectations and lingering self-doubt to get to where she is today.

From villains with razorblade gloves to mad scientists and everything in between, the monstrous, or monsters, are big business. The horror genre is very popular but behind the jump-out-of-your-seat scares and the gore lies something else. In this episode, we'll talk about the monstrous with UW Tacoma Associate Professor Ingrid Walker and UW Tacoma alumnus Dustin Annis. Walker teaches a course called "Monstrous Imagination." We'll delve into what monster stories say about us as individuals and as a culture. We'll also discuss what these stories can teach us.

The 2020 election is fast approaching. As the race heats up, so too does the level of disinformation. In this episode, we talk with Jevin West. West is the director of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. West and his team study misinformation. We'll discuss the misinformation surrounding mail-in voting. We'll also talk about deep fakes and the very real possibility that it may take a while to determine who won the presidential election and how bad actors might take advantage of this situation to undermine the results. Finally, we talk about the corrosive role misinformation plays in society.

Katrina Johnson planned on becoming a nurse. Instead, she's become a public figure in the movement to bring more accountability to policing. In 2017, Johnson's cousin Charleena Lyles was shot and killed by Seattle Police who were responding to a burglary call made by Ms. Lyles. The shooting prompted Johnson to get involved in police reform. In this episode Johnson talks about her role in helping turn Initiative 940 into law as well as her role on Governor Jay Inslee's task force. Johnson also talks about how her life has changed in the last three years and what life is like in the spotlight.

Omari Amili earned a bachelor's and a master's degree from UW Tacoma. He's the author of three books - a memoir and two children's books. Amili is a sought after speaker and reguarly gives talks through Humanities Washington. Amili grew up in poverty. His parents struggled with drug addiction. The young Amili bounced around from place to place. He attended 15 different schools before dropping out. Amili got involved with a check cashing scheme and ended up serving time in prison. In this episode we talk about Amili's childhood, his books and how he found success post incarceration. We'll also discuss his love of basketball, including a time Charles Barkely bought him dinner.