Shakesha and the White Boy

In the season one finale, we decide to crack open a few bottles and get back to what we do best: Having unscripted, unfiltered conversations. We cover the best cures for a hangover, what we both want to do as soon as quarantine is over, why it is so hard making new friends as an adult, the ways we hope society changes in a Post-COVID-19 world, and more. 

With COVID-19 laying bare American society's many structural issues, we discuss the idea of a national labor or rent strike, including if it is even logistically possible to organize U.S. citizens and why a mass strike might be the only option for affecting real, transformative change in America.  Ryan asks Shakesha for her take on whether Rashida Jones is "black enough" to be cast as the lead in BlackAF, a question that has set Black Twitter ablaze. And on WTF, we take a start-up executive to task for patting herself on the back when she invented the lunch break. 

Yearning to escape from the depression of a global pandemic and return to a simpler time, Shakesha and Ryan share childhood memories of their family gatherings, comparing and contrasting the differences and similarities between a black Jehovah's Witness's upbringing and a white Irish Catholic's. On WTF, the hosts discuss how states are being made to bid against one another for life-saving medical supplies and speculate that Trump and his family are profiting off the crisis. On the mailbag, they share their thoughts about the somewhat controversial 2018 film, "Green Book." Desperate to talk about anything other than the 'rona for the intro, Ryan poses a food utensil-related "Would You Rather?" to Shakesha.

On Monday, March 30th, Chris Smalls was fired from his job at Staten Island's Amazon warehouse after he staged a walkout to protest the company's dangerous work conditions during the Coronavirus pandemic. In this special emergency episode, Chris tells Shakesha and Ryan about his experiences working for Amazon during these terrifying times, what led to Amazon firing him, and where he goes from here.

March 31st will mark the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of Nipsey Hussle. To help remember and celebrate his life (and for a break from Corona coverage), Shakesha and Ryan have on writer, NYC native, and certified hip hop expert Jayson Buford to discuss why Nipsey meant so much to the hip hop community. The trio also give their opinions on the best and most underrated rappers of all time. Shakesha shares her experiences being in NYC on 9/11 versus living through the Coronavirus lockdown and Ryan wonders what else has been going on with Corona dominating the news cycle.

Shakesha and Ryan discuss the great American tradition of voter suppression and some of the many means and mechanisms that exist in American society to prevent people from voting. The hosts say WTF to the white outrage that came in response to a seemingly harmless Target commercial featuring black entrepreneur Bea Dixon and her business, The Honey Pot. A listener writes in asking for thoughts on the 1989 film Driving Miss Daisy. Shakesha recaps her participation in Saturday night's Club Quarantine livestream and Ryan shares a surreal experience he had while practicing social distancing.

In the first-ever Social Distancing Edition of SATWB, Shakesha and Ryan use an extended WTF to discuss COVID-19 as it relates to Trump, toilet paper, public cough shaming, and some potential silver linings that may result from the global pandemic. On the main segment, comedian and writer Martin M. Morrow joins the hosts for a conversation about Cancel Culture and how it pertains to race. They cover public reaction following the death of Kobe Bryant, the levels and nuances that need to exist in cancel culture conversations, and Martin reflects on his personal experiences with nearly being cancelled.

Shakesha and Ryan get back to their roots with a good ol' fashioned conversation about white fascination with black hair, what a microaggression is, and how we can all be better and more respectful. The hosts inject the episode with a little class on a brand new segment called Beg Your Pardon Bingo, where they respond to an internet troll with nothing but grace and dignity. On WTF, a Texas high school informs a student that he cannot walk in graduation unless he cuts his dreads.  

Marsha P. Johnson checked all the boxes of unprivilege: She was black, a woman, transgendered, and poor. Despite all of this, she spent her life advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, sheltering other trans individuals in the 70s and caring for patients during the AIDS Epidemic of the 80s, living a rich life where she did so much more than kickoff the Stonewall Inn Riots. Shakesha and Ryan wrap up Black History Month by discussing Marsha's inspiring tenacity and how she never allowed circumstance to stop her from standing up for herself and those around her when they needed it most. On WTF, those hosts pull out their calculators and figure out some better things Michael Bloomberg could be doing with the $4.5M he is reportedly spending daily on his vanity presidential campaign. To kick things off, Shakesha plays Ryan a classic George Carlin standup segment to illustrate how little things have changed over the years.

What do Spike Lee, Tyler Perry, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay,  and Barry Jenkins all have in common? They each owe something to early 20th century black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. On this episode, Shakesha and Ryan discuss the prolific director and producer's disputed legacy, examine his work and the way it was received by different communities, and, inspired by the conversation, examine the dynamics of their own relationship. On WTF, Shakesha busts out the tea for Jillian Michaels and her bodyshaming of pop superstar Lizzo. Ryan shares a funny story about a time when Lizzo made him emotional.