Why “I Don’t See Color” is a Lie With Dr. Angela Courage! and Dr. LaTonya Jackson

“I don’t see color.”

“We all bleed red.” 

“We’re all just human.”

Oh God. No. 

#FacePalm

If you’ve ever engaged in a dialogue on race or attempted to invite someone in on their racism, I would bet my favorite pen that you’ve heard some variation of these.

Hey.  I’ll up the bet. 

I’d wager my favorite pair of headphones that more likely than not it was one of us white folks who uttered said phrases too. 

All jokes and bets aside, phrases like “I don’t see color”—while good intentioned—derail efforts towards anti-racism. 

Rather than being egalitarian, they are actually racist. 

Now you might be saying to yourself, “What the hell, Tom? How is this racist?” 

Here’s my suggestion:  listen to this week’s episode. 

My guests this week are Dr. Angela Courage! and Dr. LaTonya Jackson, authors of “5 Blinders to Seeing Color.”

We took a deep dive into this topic and provided insights on how “I don’t see color” is problematic at best. 

If you’re striving to unpack your whiteness and privilege, or you’re looking for resources to send to a friend who keeps saying “I don’t see color,” we have you covered.

In addition, during this episode we talked about: 

• race 

• power 

• privilege 

• color 

• colonialism.  

• control  

• social privilege 

• economic privilege 

• layers of privilege  

• international question: “we don’t have white privilege in my country” → colorism.  

• corporate issues ←- relating to race. 

• individual issues ←- relating to race. 

We really went in on this one and I know it will bring you tremendous value. 

Hit play and let me know what was your biggest aha. 

You can learn more about Dr. Angela Courage! and Dr. LaTonya Jackson’s work at - seecolorr.com

Listen to "Why “I Don’t See Color” is a Lie With Dr. Angela Courage! and Dr. LaTonya Jackson" on Spreaker.

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Working With Intention With Melissa Denizard

On this week's episode, I talk to Melissa Denizard, a native of Haiti, who is a 20-year-old activist, documentarian, and senior at Babson College.    She shares the challenges of being an activist and an organizer and we talk about vulnerability and feeling comfort in discomfort as well as the loneliness epidemic that is facing so many young people.

As an activist, Melissa uses her many talents, including public speaking, film, and the written word, to bring attention to the intersections of race, gender, and social class in the United States’ political framework. 

Melissa runs a blog that focuses on the intersection of race, gender, and social class in pop culture and politics. In 2018, her YouTube video, Unbraid with Me: Is Hair Political? was featured on Brut Media and Refinery29. Later that year, her blog post, "Don't Tell Me to Smile: A Commentary on Harassment in the Service Industry" was adapted into a TEDx talk for TEDxTarrytown.

As an alumna of the Young People For Fellowship, Melissa had the opportunity to expand upon her technological social venture Voice, which is an online platform for contemporary activists that aims to make digital organizing more accessible and efficient.. Partnered with Babson College, Melissa is also currently creating an initiative that will aim to help Flint, MI's entrepreneurs cultivate entrepreneurial skills to build wealth that will accumulate to help the city eventually emerge out of both the Flint Water Crisis and decades of poverty.

You won't want to miss her honest self-reflection on growth and self-care and her insights on the ways we can use pop culture to analyze race, gender and cultural clashes.

Listen to "Working With Intention with Melissa Denizard" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Banned: Immigration Enforcement in the Time of Trump With Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia

In this week's episode, I have the honor of talking with Professor Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia. We talk about how immigration policy has changed in the time of Trump and we also talk about why people on both sides of the aisle should care about immigration.

Dr. Shoba is the Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar and Clinic Professor of Law at Penn State Law in University Park. Her research focuses on the role of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law and the intersections of race, national security and immigration. 

She has published more than thirty law review articles, book chapters and essays on immigration law.  In this episode Dr. Shoba shares the insights she received from the people she interviewed for her book on immigration enforcement as well as the role that being a lawyer had in writing and publishing her works. 

Wadhia’s first book, Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases, was published by New York University Press in 2015, and was given an honorable mention for the Eric Hoffer Book Award. Her second book, Banned: Immigration Enforcement in the Time of Trump, was released on September 10, 2019 by New York University Press. Her immigration textbook, Immigration and Nationality Law: Problems and Solutions, with co-authors Steve Yale-Loehr and Lenni Benson, was published by Carolina Academic Press in early 2020.

In 2018, Wadhia was named the inaugural Editor-In-Chief of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Law Journal, a partnership between AILA and Fastcase. In 2019, she served as the Enlund Scholar In Residence at the DePaul University School of Law.  At Penn State Law, Professor Wadhia teaches doctrinal courses in immigration and asylum and refugee law. She is also the founder/director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (CIRC).

Dr. Shoba does a brilliant job of demystifying the machinery of Trump's immigration policy and she illustrates her perspective through stories, terms and concepts we can all relate to and take action upon. I know you are going to love this week's episode and Dr. Shoba's insight may just shine some light on some issues you have seen for yourself.

You can read more about Dr. shoba’s publications by visiting her  website and you can purchase her books here.

Listen to "Banned: Immigration Enforcement in the Time of Trump With Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Racism, Whiteness, and Evolving

Today, our guest is Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni, who works in film and entertainment as both a creative and a gamechanger in the world of representational diversity. We talk about whiteness and white supremacy, race and racism, forgiving ourselves and others, call-out culture, and the importance of emotional stamina.

This was a deep and vulnerable conversation where Fanshen and I dialogued and worked through important conversations. I really appreciate where we went with this interview

Fanshen is an award-winning playwright, actor, producer and educator, as well as Head of Strategic Outreach at Pearl Street Films. In this role, she advises Pearl Street’s owners, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, on taking specific steps towards inclusive representation in the entertainment industry. One of her first initiatives on the job was to co-author the Inclusion Rider, and she was recently named one of 12 ‘Hollywood Disruptors’ by The Wrap. She frequently performs her one-woman show, One Drop of Love, across the country.

She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cape Verde, West Africa, and has designed curricula for and taught English as a Second Language to students from all over the world.

Listen to "Racism, Whiteness, and Evolving" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Environmental Justice and Racial Equity with Isoke Luqman

This week’s guest on T.H.E Celebration is Isoke Luqman,  founder and CEO of Gardens For Life. Her company is an Atlanta based organic, pesticide-free vegetable garden service that aims to create equitable and sustainable food networks in the city.

Isoke is a Racial Equity Fellow of Partnership for Southern Equity, a non-profit that advances racial equity and shared prosperity for all in the American South. The depth of the work she’s done allowed us to dive into discussions on environmental justice and the nuances involved with gentrification and environmental racism. We also talked about religion, race and the ways Gardens for Life has powerfully been using equity to create a more just society.

Isoke is a Geoscience graduate from Georgia State University, and her passion for the unique relationships people have with their environments really shines through.

You can follow Isoke on Instagram

Check it out!

Listen to "Environmental Justice and Racial Equity with Isoke Luqman" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.