The Echo Chamber

In this episode we chat with Kadra Abdinasir of CharitySoWhite. We discuss the ways in which structural racism pervades the Third Sector and Charitable organisations, and the ways in which this impacts black recipients of charitable assistance as well as Third Sector employees, both at home and internationally.

Having each had a variable degree of experience in the sector, we start of the conversation sharing our hopes for the sector and end the chat with new fire for the creative ways that white supremacist patriarchy impacts the livelihoods of black people the world over.

Check out the work of CharitySoWhite here:

Twitter - @CharitySoWhite

Find Kadra Abdinasir here:

Twitter - @Kadra_A_

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In this episode we discuss homophobia in the Black community. We share our views on Lil Nas X’s controversial music video - Montero (https://youtu.be/6swmTBVI83k ) and talk about the impact of his use of religious imagery. We discuss the tension between our discomfort, admiration and empathy, and go on to talk about how our Christian upbringings influenced how we engaged with the video. The conversation moves on to directly address our views on homophobia in the Black community, which we identify as the deeper issue. We feel Lil Nas X’s overarching message speaks to the way religion was used in his life to promote an internalised dislike of himself; an experience shared by many people in the LGBTQ+ community. Our hope is that this exploration will encourage people to address the issue of homophobia within the Black community and the need to do better by and for Queer Black people.

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In this latest episode we comment on Meghan & Harry’s interview with Oprah. We share our thoughts on the interview as a whole, the parts that surprised us, and the parts that didn’t.

We ponder on the responsibilities Harry may have missed or not been privy to when he married Meghan and brought her in to the fold.

This commentary begins to consider some of the politics, planning and contingencies that ought to follow when embarking on an interracial relationship.

More broadly we re-look at our affinity to Britain and our perceptions of our Britishness within the context of the Royal Family.

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TW: This conversation discusses sexual assault, murder and gendered violence towards womxn.

In this episode we discuss the tragic murder of Sarah Everard, who was abducted and killed on her walk home. Sarah’s murder has sparked a national outcry and opened up the much needed conversation about sexual harassment and violence against womxn and girls. The lead suspect for Sarah’s murder is a serving Metropolitan Police officer and we talk about the abuse of power and the relationship between power and sexual abuse as well as the Mets history of violence towards Black women specifically. We discuss the way race and Blackness have impacted our experience of sexual harassment and the fact Black womxn experience oppression on multiple fronts. Our hearts go out to Sarah’s friends and family at this time and we continue to hope and pray that justice will be served!

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In this episode we sit down with therapist, author and business owner Laura Jayne to discuss her journey into becoming a therapist. Laura touches on her motivations to become a therapist and the fact that young, black, working class people still lack representation in her field. We talk about boundaries required in practising therapy and how this has positively impacted Laura's personal as well as her professional life. We discuss how race plays out in the therapy space and the way cultural competency helps to form safety within the therapeutic relationship. Adding to the discourse about mental health within the Black community, we hope this conversation provides insight from the perspective of a Black therapist.

You can find Laura on Instagram @laurajayneu or Twitter @JayneDee4

Find us on Twitter @echochamberpod_ Instagram @theechochamberpod and Facebook @theechochamberpod

In this episode we sit down with Nancy Adimora, founder of AFREADA to

discuss all things books and storytelling. We name the important role African literature has played in each of our lives and the impact of representation in literature for us as black girls growing up. Jade and Ez discuss the relationship between reading and their writing and some of the tension which accompanies this. Nancy eloquently describes her love for storytelling which led her to leave the corporate world to pursue a career in publishing, she now works for Harper Collins and has set up AFREADA, an online platform publishing stories from across the diaspora.

To keep up with Nancy’s work via AFREADA you can visit their website https://www.afreada.com or follow them on Twitter @AFREADA. You can find Nancy on Twitter @NancAdimora

Find us on Twitter @echochamberpod_ Instagram @theechochamberpod and Facebook @theechochamberpod

In this episode we discuss our trajectory with money and debt. We talk openly about the relationship between money, debt and our mental health - acknowledging some of the challenges we faced growing up working class and black. We name the fact that our socio-economic backgrounds presented a number of challenges for us regarding our relationship with money and speak about the importance of having to teach ourselves to be financially competent as adults. Jade celebrates the progress she has made in recent years regarding her relationship with money and Ez talks about feeling hopeful that change is on the horizon regarding patterns of poor financial management. Conversations about money can feel uncomfortable, but as we seek to lean in to this discomfort, we hope that speaking on the topic more openly will support us to make the necessary changes in that area of our lives.

TW: This episode is about suicide

In this episode, Ez speaks openly about her experiences of suicidal ideation, following a suicide attempt last year. Ez and Jade discuss how the experience impacted them both. Framed around a recent think piece published on Black Ballad, we discuss our belief that although there has been progress in raising awareness around mental health within the Black community, some topics, such as suicide still feel 'too dark'.

We're glad to be able to share this conversation with you and hope that it is able to positively contribute to the much needed conversation about suicide within the Black community.

You can read Ez's original article via Black Ballad here: https://blackballad.co.uk/views-voices/suicide-pursuit-of-selfishness-commitment-to-community?listIds=591b10063992972618066ea9

For any UK listeners experiencing suicidal thoughts you can access support from the following organisations:

Samaritans – for everyone (https://www.samaritans.org)

Call - 116 123

Email - [email protected]

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)

Call - 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day

Webchat - https://www.thecalmzone.net/help/webchat/

Papyrus – for people under 35 (https://www.papyrus-uk.org/hopelineuk/)

Call 0800 068 41 41 – 9am to midnight every day

Text 07860 039967

Email [email protected]

Childline – for children and young people under 19 (https://www.childline.org.uk)

Call 0800 1111 – the number will not show up on your phone bill

SOS Suicide of Silence – for everyone (https://sossilenceofsuicide.org/what-where-why/)

Call 0300 1020 505 – 8am to midnight every day

Email [email protected]

For our international listeners you can access support via:

International Association for Suicide Prevention; https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/

Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org

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In this episode we discuss the politics around diaspora identities generally and in relation to us, personally. Ez talks about home feeling like Eastern Nigeria generally despite it being a vast place made up of several states. She acknowledges the varying definitions of home and how the feeling of being at home manifests in response to surroundings, community and comfortability.

Jade talks about her complex relationship with Britain being the place she has accepted as home to some degree due to a mixed heritage and fractured lineage. She talks about her master's thesis which looks at the spiritual/metaphysical importance of feeling at home and how the disconnect may play out in civic life (using the African American experience as a case study).

Find us on Twitter @echochamberpod_ Instagram @theechochamberpod and Facebook @theechochamberpod

In this episode we give an update on our therapy journeys, looking at the impact accessing regular therapy has had on us. Referring back to the very first episode, we’re able to map our progress in therapy and how for both of us, therapy served as a gateway into prioritising care and wellbeing. We discuss breaks in therapy and the difficult task of finding a new therapist. Jade touches on codependency and boundaries within the therapeutic relationship and the need to be mindful that we are trusting ourselves enough to engage with practices which support us outside of the therapy space. Ez talks about EFT and alternative therapies which she’s found helpful.

We both acknowledge the sacredness of therapy whilst holding up the realisation that majority of the work to self-heal happens outside of therapy space. For anyone interested in starting their journey, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions, we wish you all continued healing on your individual journeys.

Find us on Twitter @echochamberpod_ Instagram @theechochamberpod and Facebook @theechochamberpod