Black is not a costume: The blurred line between appreciation and appropriation

#EndSARS: Police Brutality in Nigeria

In this episode we discuss Nigeria’s history of police brutality alongside the current events we have seen unfold through social media or personal experience. It is important that we constantly expand discussions on police reform to outside the North American context as all forms of policing thrive on the manipulation of power. As I dive into an insightful discussion with my wonderful guest Ozioma (she/her), we invite you to consider the ways in which police brutality intersects with race, gender and class. I’d like to thank my wonderful guest Ozioma for making this episode possible. Ozioma continues to amaze me through her passion, activism and creativity.  Follow Ozioma on all her platforms for some wonderful content:  Ozioma Nwabuikwu is a Nigerian content creator, writer, singer and avid noise maker. When she isn’t writing for her Medium blog or other publications, she’s creating style, beauty, mental health and activism content for her various social media platforms. She believes in free expression, the superiority of women to men and ice cream. Follow her for more eccentric content on her life, Nigeria and everything in between! You won’t regret it ❤️  - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinasa_n/  - TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSVg5eP8/  - Medium: https://medium.com/@ozioma.nwabuikwu  - Other writing and other socials: https://linktr.ee/chinasa_n  - Email: ozioma.nwabuikwu@gmail.com

Black is not a costume: The blurred line between appreciation and appropriation

In this episode we discuss the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation. How is Blackness/Africanness appropriated by Black folks and/or non-black folks. How do we call this out? Who benefits from this? How is appreciation done within the music, fashion and food industry? Why can appropriation be seen as an insult? Join us as we cover these questions and more! A big thank you to my wonderful guest @its_melhoney.

Mixed Race Identities And The Policing Of Race: Explaining The Grey Area Of Me

The Black community is one that is extremely diverse. Within this community we find Black folks of all shades, backgrounds, classes, ethnicities, religions and more. From an intersectional point of view, Black folks can experience multiple forms of oppression and privilege at once that contribute to this diversity we see in the Black community. More importantly, the tone or the darkness of our skin is a crucial determinant of what forms of oppression and privilege we will face. How do mixed race folks navigate a world that has benefited one side of their ancestry and marginalized/oppressed the other? What misconceptions are mixed race identities faced with when their identity is being challenged within and outside the Black community? What responsibilities come with this identity? Is there a pressure of having to choose? What are the misconceptions of interracial parenting? Who gets to say "the N word?" These are some of the topics we cover amongst many others! We hope you enjoy. Continue to be unapologetically Black. Guests:  Alex: Check out his insightful soccer website covering the Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada's National Teams, CPL and more @btsvancity  Nina: Follow Nina's activism and advocacy on her instagram @nina_charleyy  Maia: Follow Maia's creativity and leadership on her instagram @maia.II Once again, I would like to thank my wonderful guests for opening up and speaking their truth with me. Let's continue to lift each other up!

Colourism Within Black/POC Communities: Am I Internalizing White Supremacy?

The colour of your skin determines many aspects of your life unfortunately. As Black people, we experience racism at all fronts. However, what happens when we begin to analyze what this racism looks like for the members of our community that have lighter or darker skin tones. What forms of privilege do you have access to as a lighter skinned person? How does the world or the Black community treat those of darker skin? We all know that colourism affects many parts of the lives of black folks, whether it's relationships or their professional lives. What do these issues of colourism within our community say about the social hierarchies within the Black community? How does this issue differ both on and off the African continent? How do men experience colourism as opposed to women? These are some out of the many questions we attempt to answer but we hope these ones will keep you thinking throughout our discussion. Let us know what your thoughts are! Guests:  Amina - @amina.faye  Fatima - @effortlesslygolden Melissa - @its_melhoney A huge thanks to the wonderful Black women that made this podcast happen. I am so lucky to know you all.

Writing and Rioting: Black Writing As Resistance

In this episode I introduce to you an individual who was a safe haven for me in High School. Danielle is an individual who is committed to making the world a better place through her activism and her writing (basically the reason why I vibe with her heavy). This episode touches on the power we find in writing and how we see the writing we create in relation to the world. To what extent does writing carry the spirit and soul of a mortal being? How do words shield us from hurt and violence? How do we want our future generation to read the words we write today? Our conversation touches so many more aspects of writing but we hope these guiding questions keep you thinking.