Melanated Intellects

Happy Black History Month!! This year we decided to cover 100 years of black history, highlighting melanated people, places, and events from all over the world. In this episode, we discuss the 1970s and 1980s. We examine a variety of topics including Angela Davis, Steven Biko, the AIDS epidemic, Miami Riots and so much more! Let us take you on an informational yet entertaining walk through melanat...

Happy Black History Month!! This year we decided to cover 100 years of black history, highlighting melanated people, places, and events from all over the world. In this episode, we discuss the 1950s and 1960s.  We examine a variety of topics including the Algerian Liberation Front, the establishment of Jet and Ebony magazine, the celebration of several African countries being decolonized and...

Happy Black History Month!! This year we decided to cover 100 years of black history, highlighting melanated people, places, and events from all over the world. In this episode, we discuss the early 1900s to the 1940s. We examine a variety of topics including  the Harlem Renaissance, the Pan-African Conference, the wealthiest Black athlete of the early 1900s, the Spanish Civil War and so much...

TRIGGER WARNING: We will be periodically dedicating an episode to a melanated cold case throughout the season as we hope to shed more light on these stories. In 2013 Kendrick Johnson, a 17-year-old honor roll student and athlete, was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat at his GA high school. His case was closed in 4 months and ruled an accident. Recently the case has been re-opened and we felt Kendr...

Roxi Thiam is a Tucson, AZ native who is a published author and Holistic Health & Wellness expert. She is a certified Holistic Nutritionist & Clinical Herbalist who specializes in weight loss and women’s wellness. In this episode, we discuss everything from the relationship our ancestors had with herbs, to Roxi’s herbal recommendations for stress. In addition, she shares her journey on how...

So many of us have a dynamic relationship with failure. A lot of us fear failure and we allow it to prevent us from doing the things we really want to do in life. In this episode we share what failure means to us, our personal experiences, and why we think so many people struggle with it. What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? Make sure you click on this episode! Sources refe...

The Law of Attraction has been talked about in movies, documentaries, and books for years. Many of us have been introduced to it through the popular movie and book “The Secret.” It has had a profound impact on us, and we are here to share our journeys. We talk about everything from how it was introduced to us and the 1st steps we took and are still taking. Make sure you check out this episode!

As each year comes to an end, we like to reflect upon the previous 12 months and the lessons we have learned. In this episode we give our personal definition of “Healing Not Healed” and become open and honest about being a constant work in progress. We discuss toxic productivity, mental health, and self-awareness. Growing is a lifelong journey and even though we have come a long way, we still have...

It doesn’t need to be Black History Month for us to speak about Black History. This will be the second of many in the “It’s Not Black History Month” series. We will have several episodes like this throughout this season, each focusing on a different topic. Our second topic is about the Boukman Revolt! Boukman Dutty, whose real name is unknown, was the leader of an uprising that eventually sparked...

In this two-part episode we invite our sisters to sit down for some girl chat! Cartier (Shayla’s sister) and Ci’ara (Patrice’s sister) brought their own unique perspectives and experiences to the conversation. We cover so many topics in this two-part episode including dating deal breakers, approaching men, and gender roles. We give our opinion on the trending topic of asking “What do you bring to...

In this two-part episode we invite our sisters to sit down for some girl chat! Cartier (Shayla’s sister) and Ci’ara (Patrice’s sister) brought their own unique perspectives and experiences to the conversation. We cover so many topics in this two-part episode including dating deal breakers, approaching men, and gender roles. We give our opinion on the trending topic of asking “What do you bring to...

In this four-part series we spotlight Netflix as a great resource for documentaries that do a thorough job of highlighting melanated history and experiences. The documentary discussed in this episode takes us on a chronological journey of black film. We discuss the historical trail blazers of black film, the relationship African Americans have with British actors, and black film classics. This doc...

In this four-part series we spotlight Netflix as a great resource for documentaries that do a thorough job of highlighting melanated history and experiences. The documentary showcased in this episode highlights the generational journey of black women and their stories of strength, resilience, and versatility. In this episode we discuss everything from the representation of ourselves and others we...

In this four-part series we spotlight Netflix as a great resource for documentaries that do a thorough job of highlighting melanated history and experiences. The documentary presented in this episode involves the exploration of facial and body scarification in Nigeria and how these scars connect to identity, beauty, and spirituality. In this episode we examine everything from the controversy surro...

Netflix Series Part 1: High on the Hog In this four-part series we spotlight Netflix as a great resource for documentaries that do a thorough job of highlighting melanated history and experiences. The documentary showcased in this episode is inspired by the book “High on the Hog” by Jessica B. Harris. It uncovers the origins of African American cuisine starting in Benin and then traveling to South...

Upper Limit Syndrome is the idea that once we reach success, happiness, or wealth we tend to have negative thoughts or behaviors that ruin what we have achieved. Most of us are not comfortable being happy for long periods of time and when our achievements don’t make us happy in the way we thought, we sometimes feel guilty for not feeling grateful. In this episode we discuss everything from how it...

Black Women in Luxury is a recent TikTok movement. Its purpose is to showcase black women showing up for themselves in luxurious ways and to provide a reminder that it's ok for black women to experience luxury. Not everyone is on-board with the movement, and it has met harsh criticism by other black women sparking the Average Black Girl Tiktok movement in response. There is a lot to unpack here, a...

Code Switching is the alternating or mixed use of two or more languages. African Americans often code switch in corporate spaces between traditional English and African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also known as Ebonics. But often times the corporate version of ourselves extend far beyond the language we use. It can also include our mannerisms and how we interact with others. We tackle it a...

Imposter Syndrome is the internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. Essentially it is the experience of feeling like a phony or feeling like you don’t belong. This can show up for anyone, but it is particularly prevalent in minorities, especially in the corporate workplace environment. Imposter Syndrome impacts at least 70% of the population and in...

It doesn’t need to be Black History Month for us to speak about Black History. This will be the first of many in the “ It’s Not Black History Month ” series. We will have several episodes like this throughout this season with each focusing on a different topic. Our first topic is about Black Russians! Did you know that in the 1930s many African Americans left the U.S. to start a new life in the So...

Shayla and Patrice are two Melanated Intellects that have been friends for a few years after meeting in Corporate America. They are here to provide a safe place to discuss everyday melanated topics while bringing a distinct intellectual perspective. Shayla is a laid-back outside of the box thinker while Patrice is a smart and sassy creative. They both are passionate about the melanated community....

We are excited to present to you our first Melanated Intellects guest! Sidney is not only a youtuber, but she is an intelligent and creative college senior. We decided we would have a dynamic conversation about the plant-based lifestyle, and you know we had some laughs along the way! Patrice is a self-identified vegan, Sidney is a vegetarian, and Shayla is a meat-eater. Together we discuss everyth...

Critical Race Theory: This episode came highly requested, and we wanted to make sure we did the topic justice by doing our research and presenting both sides of the argument. There is a lot to dissect when it comes to Critical Race Theory and whether or not it should be taught in schools. We start this episode with a short lesson on the difference between Critical Race Theory and the teaching of b...

Grief is one of the most difficult processes for a person or group of people to experience. You can never predict how the 7 stages will present themselves in yourself and in others. We have both learned a lot about grief in the past year and we are here to be open and vulnerable. In this episode we examine grief from three angles. First, grieving of your past self, because leaving the old “you” be...

We are here to present to you another amazing season! We are excited to be back and trust us, we have a lot to say. The verdict of George Floyd’s murder was announced near the end of our last season. Since we didn’t get a chance to address the verdict the way we wanted, it was important for us to make it our first episode. We decided to dissect our feelings after the verdict, and we didn’t hold an...