The Unpacked Project

Code switching, masking, and the psychological affects of racism all have one thing in common - they’re the response to what we’ve been told about how we should be. There’s often a focus on building resilience in communities of color but the emphasis should stress teaching people in dominant groups (white, heterosexual, cisgender, male, etc) to be anti-racist, more gender expansive, address their biases, become more self aware and so on. Join us as we recap our most recent series of episodes on identity development, share key takeaways, explore code switching one more time, and how our own identity development has played a part in how we engage in anti-racism/anti-bias work.

Today we're joined by Isaac Etter - an activist, social entrepreneur and a transracial adoptee from the age of two. He is the founder of Identity, a startup focused on providing accessible, diverse, and ethical adoption and foster care education. And he formerly worked in adoption through his consulting firm Etter Consulting where he lead trainings for families and adoption agencies on transracial adoption.  In this episode, we discuss the personal adoption perspectives of Isaac and our own co-host Miranda, the affects adoption plays on racial identity development, and the need for parent preparation when adopting a child of a differing race - Because adoption is traumatic in and of itself, but the intersectional experience of a transracial adoption add an entire new layer. This is why Isaac has used his story of being adopted and growing up in a white world to curate deep conversations about race in America.  With his unique insight on racial tensions between white and black communities, he’s been able to curate impactful conversations for families where everyone learns to value each other and their experience, while learning about systemic racism, privilege and their role in it. Stay to learn what is most important for parents to consider when raising children who look different from them and how transracial adoptees can begin to explore and redevelop their identity as a transracial adoptee.

Today we examine the dynamics of cultural invalidation, racial discrimination, and racial code-switching with Dr. Myles Durkee - Assistant Professor with the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan.   His work has looked at the above to determine how these experiences influence important psychosocial outcomes like mental health, identity development, & academic achievement.  Broadly, his research examines how people of color navigate racial contexts, change their racial behavior to fit in certain contexts, and internalize messages about their cultural authenticity from people both inside and outside of their racial group. You don't want to miss it!

Join us as we discuss the Black American woman's racial identity development.  From intersectionality and the experience of double consciousness to the impacts of racial stress on psychological well-being, these all inform who Black women THINK they should be.  Dr. Amina Simmons shares her research and advocates for interventions such as therapy and sister circles that recognize and address trauma and resilience.  Because Black women are tired of being superheroes; its time for unlearning internalized racism and oppression.

David Wellman defines racism as a "system of advantage based on race" and Judith Katz states that prejudice is a "preconceived judgment or opinion, often based on limited information" Here in the US, the system of advantage continues to operate to benefit whites as a group. Essentially it's why racism was created in the first place - to benefit white people. It's more than challenging to grow up as a POC in a world of whiteness. One begins to wonder - do I belong here? Why am I different?  Today we discuss the 5 stages of racial identity development, subordinate and dominant groups, and the importance of dismantling our own internalized racism and oppression, but especially POC.

Today we’re joined by Dr. Jaimee Swift, Founder, Creator and Executive Director of Black Women Radicals, an organization working to dedicated to uplifting and centering Black women and gender expansive people's radical activism in Africa and in the African Diaspora. Listen in as we discuss her work, the meaning of the word radical and identities such as ‘disruptor’, the School for Black Feminist Politics and how we can begin to break these revisionist histories. We end with the need for safe Black spaces and the importance of cross cultural conversations, sharing ways you can continue to listen and learn. We’re here for it, we think you should be too.

Today we're joined by Akeem Brown, Programs Director for The Hidden Genius Project, a non profit based out of Oakland, California, that aims to empower young Black males through innovation and holistic care. "We just saw the need to empower our young folks to know and have the confidence and the skill set to build solutions. We want them to be producers, we want them not to be consumers." -Akeem Brown Listen in as we discuss the importance of collective support (ubuntu), asset based programming, and how you can support!

Today we are joined by Martin Henson, community organizer and activist, speaker, and executive director of BMEN, an inclusive organization bringing Black men together to talk about and work through issues that often aren’t discussed openly. From the narratives that are continuously portrayed, the ability to be vulnerable within the context of Black masculinity is nearly impossible within a world that values whiteness.  "I think Black men exist a lot of times as objects in relation to. [...] When we're seen as being vulnerable - you can be vulnerable in relation to your child, to your family, or to your partner...and those are accepted, but being vulnerable as a object into yourself may make you seem threatening or useless if you're not able to control yourself." -Martin Listen in as we discuss Black masculinity, Martin's own experiences and personal evolution living within this society, and the importance of awareness and dismantling our own thoughts.

"If [you] value a society where it's multicultural and rich in diversity, then this is the work we need to do so that people can feel safe and thrive." Noelle While 'this work' refers to the multitude of things we need to be doing to move towards an anti-racist world, Noelle is specifically noting the need for race based caucus groups, i.e. doing anti-racism work in separate race based groups because each group's needs are different.  With an ultimate goal of returning back to the larger group for forward collective action, caucus work supports safe Black spaces and the need for white identities to discuss and ask questions in a space that will not cause harm to POC.  Especially when we consider the roots of trauma within racism.  Join us to learn what collective action looks like, how we all move forward together, suggested next steps in your learning process and more. Link to transcription here.

If you value anti racism work, self reflection and growth then this is the podcast for you! Join us as we explore Tema Okun's Ladder of Empowerment - a chart that outlines the 9 stages white people experience throughout their anti racism practice.  Beginning with "I'm normal, and ending with "Community of love and resistance", white people will continuously move up and down the ladder regardless of how long they have been committed to antiracism work. And that's ok, in fact, it's expected. Similar to understanding stages of grief, it's important to understand that uncomfortable feelings of guilt and shame are to be expected along the way.  We've coined the term "worth it work", when the work is hard but worth it. Additionally, we discuss the need for values based alignment to this work and share personal stories of significant moments we realized we belonged to a specific ethnic groups.