Humanize: Stories from the Heart about Social Justice

Whether it's COVID, fires or floods, when you really look at who's affected the most in the US, there's a glaring difference there between white people and BIPOC and it isn't just access to medical care that's to blame. In today's episode, we're diving deeper into our last episode with Vani Tangella, a race equity specialist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, where we d...

We all carry with us our own traumas (including intergenerational ones), but how do we each continue to show up and do this work when that's the reality for us? Today, we're exploring this with Vani Tangella, the Racial Equity Specialist at the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. Join us as we unpack what it means to show up in a conversation about race or equity, the inner work to be d...

Holiday get-togethers can be tough for a lot of reasons, and if your family is often vocal about their opinions around race or something else that you feel opposingly passionate about, it can be extra hard. But if you've been wondering how to NOT stay silent this holiday in the most effective and loving ways, this episode is for you! We're joined by 2 legendary return guests, Shiquita Yarbrough an...

We're mixing it up for you again today with a behind the scenes episode! Our episode on the Kyle Rittenhouse acquittal (season 3, episode 8) has been weighing heavily on our hearts, so we've brought a special return guest on today to help us tease this out. Join us as Darrie Matthew Burrage does some podcast therapy with us, facilitates our processing of the episode, and gives you a behind the sce...

Have you ever learned something and wondered, why weren't we taught this in school? And what would our interactions and lives be like if we were? So in today's episode (which marks one year bringing this podcast to you!) we're debriefing our interview with Patricia on uncovering suppressed history, exploring how our lives are informed by the history presented to us, the effect suppressed history h...

We're disrupting our normal order of episodes this week to bring you a fiery, WTF?! conversation around the Kyle Rittenhouse case. In this episode, Courthney and Emily tease apart this case and his acquittal as well as the underlying issues at play. Join us for this conversation as we examine questions related to white supremacy culture in the US, the role fear has played in this case, and explore...

They say history is written by the victors. But uncovering the stories from those on the other side is so important. Today, we're joined by Patricia Raybon, an award-winning author, essayist, and novelist who writes top-rated books at the daring intersection of faith and race. Together, we're breaking down a side of Colorado in the 1920s that even many locals were never taught about; a piece of su...

Our words matter, and there's a lot of debate over how we should talk about people, and a lot of fear around causing offense. Should you say "a homeless man" or "a man experiencing homelessness", for example? Today's mini episode was inspired by the phrase, "the vulnerable," that Courthney uses often and it turns out he and Emily had differing opinions about this! We're fired up to talk to you all...

In today's episode, we're debriefing last week's conversation with Shiquita Yarbrough, the first Black person to run for city council in Longmont, Colorado. We're diving deeper into power, ego, and tokenism, why the conversation around these topics is so important, and different ways that DEI work can show up in a business.   We're exploring: Why it's important for us all to understand how each ot...

Talk of representation and the importance of bringing more diversity into positions of power is everywhere. But why is it so important that it actually starts to happen? And what barriers are standing in the way of what diversity there is actually making a difference?   In today's episode, our guest is Shiquita Yarbrough, who is running for a historic position as the first Black person to run for...

Want to know more about how to cultivate skills and competencies around ACTUALLY being in hard conversations on race and social justice? If so, you're going to love our new "mini" episodes! In this first "mini" episode for you, we're breaking down where defensiveness shows up in social justice conversations, why it hinders the progress that can be made, and how to minimize it in ourselves and othe...

Join us for today's episode as we reflect on last week's interview with the brilliant Colorado poet laureate, Bobby LeFebre. We're diving into radical imagination and how it fits into social justice work, breaking down intent vs impact, and taking a deeper dive into how we use language and its relationship to the centering of whiteness.    We're exploring: Cultural appropriation in Halloween costu...

What could we create if we leaned into radical imagination? In this episode, we're bringing you an inspirational conversation with poet Bobby LeFebre. Bobby is an award-winning writer, performer, and cultural worker fusing non-traditional, multi-hyphenated professional identities to imagine new realities, empower community, advance arts and culture, and serve as an agent of provocation, transforma...

What do you think of when you hear the term Critical Race Theory? There is a lot of debate and misconception about this in the school systems right now and in today's episode — our season 2 finale! — we are breaking it down for you. Join us as we touch base with you about CRT (Critical Race Theory), voting laws, and a reflection over our last 2 seasons together on Humanize.   We're exploring: What...

What do professionalism and freedom mean to you? In today's episode, we're taking a deeper dive into this idea while we debrief last week's epic episode with Darrie Matthew Burrage. Join us as we explore professionalism, whiteness, freedom, and where they intersect and diverge from each other. We're diving into: White pride—is there (or should there be?) such a thing and a way we can reframe it Th...

What is professionalism, really? In this episode, we're joined by Darrie Matthew Burrage to explore where professionalism comes from, what it has to do with whiteness and capitalism, and what we feel it really SHOULD mean.   We're exploring: How Darrie made sense of his Blackness growing up in predominantly white spaces The intersections of professionalism and whiteness Where capitalism plays a ro...

White supremacy truly fucks us all, and there are many illusions about it that we don't always recognize but are so important to explore. So in this episode, we're diving deeper into last week's episode with Courtney Napier about this, the role your ancestors have in your anti-racism work, the difference between struggle vs. suffering, and the fundamental misunderstanding within this system of whi...

If you know better, you can do better. Join us in today's episode, where we're joined by writer, journalist, and antiracism coach, Courtney Napier, to explore the role our ancestors play in our lives as well as the illusions and fuckery of white supremacy that affects us all. We're digging into: The "crack in the veneer" moment that changed everything for Courtney How white supremacy impacts white...

So you've come to realize there are some things you've grown up with when it comes to race that you want to change, and you're ready to start unlearning them. How hard can it be, right? But DEI work is definitely easier said than done. Join us on today's episode as we debrief last week's inspiring interview with "guerilla storyteller" Jeff Campbell, how white supremacy and emotional labor can come...

From plays to protests, advocate and artist Jeff Campbell is mixing theatre and community organization to get the word out about the social justice issues impacting the Denver, Colorado area. In this episode, Jeff joins us to share how advocacy and theatre can go hand in hand, the ways race and social justice issues have shaped his art, and how he's rallying his community to use the power of story...

What will it take for BIPOC to truly be free? This week, we're debriefing the eye-opening conversation we had with DEI activist Crystal Lynese on the oppressive behaviors and origins of "Karen." Tune in to this episode as we dive deeper into Crystal's 3 most memorable moments from her interview last week, the protection and power white women often took for granted, and how to figure out YOUR posit...

Karen is not new. White women have been bringing out their inner Karen for a LOT longer than you might think. So where exactly did Karen come from? In this episode, we're joined by our guest Crystal Lynese, a DEI advocate whose work emphasizes Karens' particular brand of oppression, to share with us the historical origins of Karen, what being a Karen REALLY means, and the importance of changing Ka...

This week, we're breaking down some of the big takeaways from our conversation with community and climate activist Reverend Yearwood. He shared a powerful call to action for EVERYONE to organize & mobilize on the journey to centering justice in the climate crisis conversation. Join us as we dive into Reverend Yearwood's 3 MOST impactful clips to better understand the deep connection between climat...

What will happen if we don't change our environmental impact NOW? Where do you fit in the climate crisis conversation? In today's episode we're diving into these questions with Founder & President of Hip Hop Caucus and community activist Reverend Yearwood. He shares with us a powerful message on the weaving of social justice and climate change, the context for modern-day environmental movements, a...