Ep. 181: The Power of Racial Healing w/ Tovi Scruggs-Hussein

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Essential Question: How can prioritizing racial healing contribute to the effectiveness of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) initiatives?

Guest:  Tovi Scruggs-Hussein, former guest on the podcast–summer of 2020 (Ep 77) when we discussed racial healing as a crucial component of achieving equity in schools and communities.

In this episode, we delve into the work and philosophy of Tieces, a transformative figure in mindfulness and social healing. For those unfamiliar with Tieces, their work focuses on fostering healing-centered and trauma-responsive leadership, with a particular emphasis on equity, inclusion, and belonging. Tieces’ tailored meditations and insightful writings have resonated deeply across diverse audiences, addressing both personal and collective healing.

Tieces’ work reaches a broad audience but is particularly impactful for individuals and leaders committed to social justice and personal transformation. While some of their writing addresses white people, offering pathways to greater awareness and allyship, their overall approach is inclusive and geared toward anyone seeking deeper understanding and healing.

Join us as we explore these profound insights and practical strategies for fostering healing and dynamic leadership in today's complex world.

Resources Mentioned:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Ep. 164: White Women Trying To Fight White Supremacy

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Before we get into this week’s episode, we wanted to take a moment to talk about what’s happening in Palestine and Israel.

EQ: What actions can white folks (esp white women)  take to hold themselves accountable for the historical perpetuation of white supremacy, and what steps can we collectively take to reconcile our past and build a more equitable future?

Guests: Katy Swalwell and Mandy Griffin, co-host is the Our Dirty Laundry Podcast. Katy was a former guest on the show back in 2020 on Ep 64: Why We ALL Need an Equity Framework

It felt fitting to play a quick round of yeah, no yeah before jumping into the topic at hand–white women making a mess of things. Katy and Mandy share more of their story and the origins of the Our Dirty Laundry podcast.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Ep. 145: How Long Form Journalism Can Shape a Community

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Essential Question: What is the role of race and gender in shaping the ways that journalists convey particular stories or pursue "truth" pertaining to charged events?

Guests: 

You may know our guests from other Channel 253 shows or from hearing their voices as cohost of The Walk Home Podcast @NPR station @knkxfm.

Most recently, Kari was a panelist in the NF Live: Adult Civics Happy Hour

In this episode we focus on the evolution of journalism and what it means to sit at the intersection of race and gender in this profession. Mayowa and Kari are candid about their personal experiences and give us insight into their experience creating, recording, and shaping The Walk Home podcast.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Kari: Media literacy–know who owns your local paper and who is shaping the stories; it’s key to our democracy

  • Mayowa: Donate to your local public radio station

  • Hope: If you haven’t, listen to “The Walk Home” (ditto)

Ep. 122: The Scoop on International Schools, Part II

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Note: This episode was recorded mid-February, prior to the invasion of Ukraine.

EQ:  How are international schools uniquely situated to fight, perpetuate or contribute to educational inequities around the world

Guest: Yvette Santos Cuenco a school counselor at the Edmund Burke Independent School in DC.

Hope and Megan continue their conversation with the amazing Yvette about the inner workings and nuances of international schools. In this episode the three of them dive into what the DEIJ landscape looks like on the international level. They discuss how over the last several years there has been movement in being open about the work, but discuss how and why the work can feel so slow on the international level. Also, how International schools have unique responsibilities, barriers, and challenges to equitably serving all students in DEIJ work. The conversation focuses on what those might be as well as how International schools as well as educators in these spaces can continue to tackle the work within this. On the flip side of the challenges, they also discuss how International Schools are uniquely positioned to tackle this work in ways that schools in the US are not.

Related Sources:

Champagne & Real Pain 

🥂International School Services (ISS) pushing the DEIJ work in international schools

🥂 Raise a glass to all past students. Especially those celebrating Black History Month or Lunar New Year

🥂All those that are having honest and challenging conversations around DEIJ work.

👎🏻Book burning, cameras in schools, and overall the laws restricting teachers

👎🏻Any school district that is making it more difficult for their staff. Also those that are sending in bomb threats for HBCUs; HBCUs are undeterred

👎🏻Another no knock warrant murder of Amir Locke in Minneapolis

Do your fudging homework: 

  • Hope: Educators, look into your options! Don’t stay where you aren’t appreciated! 

  • Yvette: Find a place where you are valued as a teacher!

  • Megan: Find the right fit as a teacher, don’t leave the profession!

Ep. 114: Facing Racialized Bias and Coded Language

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EQ: How can facing our racialized biases help fight against the stronghold of white supremacy in our personal and work life?

Inspired by a discussion with the Whiteness Accountability Group for International Educators, Hope and Megan discuss the nature of positionality and how shifting power and privileges are wrapped up in social hierarchies. For many of us we need to start with examining our positionality, then identify our implicit biases (especially the negative ones) and finally consider the implications of these elements in our personal and professional relationships. 

Resources to consider:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Megan: Go read the articles posted above

  • Hope: Inventory your life & where you stand. Make a goal for yourself to use your positionality in a way that benefits others

Ep. 87: A Letter to the 55%

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EQ: How did we go from the Woke White Women Movement that embraced BLM and rejected PSL in April to 55% of White women voting for Trump in November? 

We start this episode trying to build our empathy for all the basic white women out there by taste testing pumpkin spice flavored thing. We then launch into a discussion how shameful it is that white voters STILL vote for Trump DESPITE the last four years. As hhhwhite women ourselves (or white passing in Megan’s case), we feel especially convicted to “get our girls.” Ultimately, this conversation boils down to the fact that white women MUST do better and we cannot let our foot off the gas just because Biden is elected.

Jumps on soapbox: Equity is not a hat that you wear. Where you do a couple posts on your social media, read a book, and then you can walk away from it for the rest of the week, thinking you checked the box. It is simply not enough. Equity should be a value you carry with yourself all of the time. It should be a part of you and how you walk through life. Steps off soapbox

Related Sources:

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂 The Judges who have absolutely no patience for the ridiculous lawsuits the Trump campaign is filing. Read the transcripts, they’re great.

👎🏻 The Texas Lieutenant Governor who offered up $1 million to anybody that could come forward with proof of election fraud… BUT a Champagne for the PA Lieutenant Governor who came back with the best tweet in response!

Do your fudging HW:

  • Megan & Hope: DO THE WORK.

Ep. 66: Let Black Folks Do What They Want With Their Hair

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EQ: How is hair discrimination a not-so-subtle manifestation of racism & white supremacy? Why can’t white folks just let black folks do what they want with their hair?

Guest:  Jenna Hanchard is a lifelong community storyteller who has spent her career centering and amplifying diverse voices. Jenna is the leader of Culture & Innovation at The Riveter Co, a women-run co-working and community company poised to become a modern union of working women. She is a three-time Emmy award winner and an Edward R. Murrow award recipient. She was also on the Nerd Farmer Podcast Episode 9 on covering Tacoma and TV News, and Episode 53 “Review in Shadecast”

In this episode, Jenna explains how hair discrimination is rooted in white supremacist ideologies that view hair style as choice rather than understanding the way hair styles reflect culture and history. She shares the story behind Washington state’s HB 2602 (a kind of “Crown Act” bill), led by Representative Melanie Morgan and the intentional language choices in this bill. Jenna gives concrete advice for how to disrupt hair discrimination in the work place (and schools). We hope you leave this conversation challenged and motivated to examine the policies that do/don’t exist in our school districts, our cities, and our states. Call your local legislator using the hotline 1800-562-600 “I’m calling to support HB 2602 because everyone deserves the right to wear their natural hair. Because not passing this bill would directly perpetuate systemic racism in our country.” ALSO, go sign The Crown Act petition!

Context for Hair Discrimination Legislation:

High profile cases for hair discrimination:

Move to pass legislation:

Progress in WA state:

Champagne & Real Pain:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Hope: Go watch Hair Love and watch you attitude about people's hair

  • Annie: learn history! Shout out to Teen Vogue for pivoting from vapid fluff to hard-hitting journalism.  

  • Jenna: look and see where your state is--what’s passed, not passed, look at local district policies. If there isn't a bill figure out how to get one started. If there is, go and show up. 

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Ep. 65: Throw Out the White Canon #DisruptTexts

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EQ: Why is it important to interrogate our notions of a traditional “canon” and create a more inclusive curriculum (especially ELA)?

Guests today are Julia Torres, Tricia Ebarvia two of the amazing women who started the #disrupttexts movement.

To learn more about the work of Julia Torres

To learn more about the work of Tricia Ebarvia

In our conversation we discuss the impetus for the creation and organization of #disrupttexts and why this is a critical movement for educators in 2020. When we asked which text had met the greatest pushback from traditional canon advocates, we thought for sure the answer would be Shakespeare or Lord of the Flies. Surprisingly, it is the stance against To Kill a Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby that has met the most white fragility. Julia and Tricia remind us that what we value will be what is centered in our classrooms. The inclination for ELA teachers to hold tight to their ideals about the canon are completing rooted in a cultural canon constructed and perpetuated by a racist system. The notion of cultural capital is inherently white and we have to change that. We have to have the knowledge, will, and capacity to do what we can to change this system. 

Other References & Resources:

Champagne & Real Pain

Do Your Fudging HW:

Ep. 62: Why Social Justice Education Matters in A World on Fire

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EQ: How can social justice education help students and teachers be better global citizens?

Today our guest is Christina Torres also known as @biblio_phile. 

From Teach For America to leading her own classroom at the Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Torres opens up about her journey as a social justice educator.  Throughout the episode we circle back to three major questions:

  1. What is my work in justice now, given my position of privilege?

  2. How can I make my kids feel safe/heard/comforted at this moment in time?

  3. How can I continuously reflect and grow in my own awareness about matters of justice in the world?

We know that our students will face a variety of challenges, injustices and problems in the world. It’s not about what they will experience but a matter of how they might experience it. Social justice oriented educators strive to equip students with the tools to navigate the challenges (not necessarily solve them).  We help students understand the “danger of a single story.” 

Finally, we explore the tension between staying aware and protecting our mental health/managing tumultuous times through self-care. We share our own strategies for helping students discuss these important issues while managing the array of emotion present in any given classroom.

References & Resources:

      • Build their own understanding of world events.

      • Think about their values and what's important to them.

      • Take learning into the real world.

      • Challenge ignorance and intolerance.

      • Get involved in their local, national and global communities.

      • Develop an argument and voice their opinions.

      • See that they have power to act and influence the world around them.

  • Unesco defines global citizenship in this way, “While the world may be increasingly interconnected, human rights violations, inequality and poverty still threaten peace and sustainability.”

  • NPR Podcast “Codeswitch”

Bernice

Do You Fudging Homework:

Ep. 55: Understanding Gentrification, Displacement, & Mass Incarceration

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In this episode, we’re lucky to have interview two guests. Tonya Wilson, Tacoma native--born & raised on the Hilltop, considers herself a voice of the community. She is pursuing her Bachelors in Education at the Evergreen State College. June Nho Ivers is the producer of the documentary “Since I’ve Been Down.” She shares her experiences as producer and her takeaways from this project.

Discussion Highlights:

  • How Tacoma and Hilltop has changed (from pariah to darling)

  • How the housing crisis is an ever-present concern 

  • The role of the prison-industrial complex in shaping and defining communities

  • A discussion of the documentary “Since I Been Down”

  • Why we need to create space for the voices that disrupt the common narrative

  • Democratization of film-making

Learn More:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Ep. 47: Parenting While White

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EQ: What should white parents do to equip their children to understand the functions of race in order to combat racism?

Guest: Malia Jacobsen, author of the column “Beyond Tolerance” for ParentMap. Malia Jacobson is an award-winning health and parenting journalist and mom of three who contributes regularly to more than 120 national and regional publications and has written two books on sleep.

In this episode, we sit down with Malia Jacobson to talk about the importance of intentionally talking about race with white children. Highlights include:

  • Malia’s journalistic work at Parentmap, a resource for parents and families in the Puget Sound region.

  • How white parents respond and shape the conversation around gendered toys (specifically her work writing about toy guns).

  • How the new generation of parents has to come into talking about race in their own way (and not opting out).

  • How children are born into this racial environment and parents have to coach them to be ready (Nurture Shock--the environment IS the lesson).

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Ep. 46: Don’t be a Passive Progressive Educator

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EQ: How are education association leading anti-racist work in education?

Guest: Marquita Prinzing---NBCT, elementary school teacher, mother of a 3 and almost 6 yr old. Director of SEA Center for Racial Equity

In this episode we discuss the role of teachers and unions in leading anti-racist work. We define equity literacy and the ways in which white teachers need to develop their own racial literacy instead of fumbling in their pseudo-wokeness or expecting teachers of color to carry the burden. We also wrestle with what it means to be unapologetic to our students of color.  

Resources to explore:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Don’t forget to subscribe to Channel 253


Ep. 31: Not Data Without Stories, Not Stories Without Data

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EQ: Why is the work of the ACLU in the Washington important and relevant in 2018?

Guest: Vanessa Torres Hernandez, Youth Policy Director at American Civil Liberties Union of Washington. Nerd Farmer Guest Ep 27

The formidable and fabulous Vanessa Torres Hernandez joins us to talk about the intersection of education and the law. Vanessa shares the story of her early life in Guam, the culture shock of American college life, and her years as a teacher.

Highlights include:

  • We need to pay more attention to school safety  issues in Washington School Safety. Many instinctive responses to school shootings are wrong and not research based.  We need more preventative resources.

  • There is an absurd amount of racial bias in school suspensions and other forms of discipline

  • We need to question and re-imagine the role of law enforcement in schools

  • The importance of stories with data and data with stories in improving school safety - it can’t just be about numbers or feelings, we have to examine both

  • Equal Justice Works

  • Learn more about the Every Student Counts Alliance (ESCA), a new collaboration between organizations and individuals in Spokane working to end the overuse of suspension and expulsion in Spokane Public Schools and to eliminate disparities in rates of suspension and expulsion of students of color and students with disabilities.

  • Read more about WA state laws on suspension, including HB 1541 and Adopted Student Discipline Rules

Guilty Favesies

  • Hope: candles, especially if they’re on sale at Target

  • Annie: single-serving lunch snacks

  • Vanessa: celebrity gossip magazines


Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Hope: What do you think about … Can the ACLU Become the NRA for the Left?

  • Vanessa: Attend Adult Civics HH; Flights and Rights (ACLU) in Seattle; issue oriented civic engagement--most important

  • Annie: clued in to what’s happening in legislature! Sign up for legislators emails

Ep. 30: Decolonize Your Bookshelf

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EQ:  Why is important to decolonize your bookshelf and how do you do it?

Guest: Kristen Sierra, Tacoma born & raised, Lincoln teacher-librarian, TPS mom

Kristen helps us understand what it means to decolonize your bookshelf, including challenging us to read more authors from diverse backgrounds! We also learn more about Project Lit, a Nashville based program that addresses the problem of “book deserts” in urban areas. This program focuses on providing high-quality, culturally relevant books that empower students as readers and leaders.

Support her work to transform the Lincoln Library by:

Learn more information about Project Lit as a Nation wide Movement:

Other useful links:

  • Contact for Tacoma Public Schools Library Director for information on supporting our Milgard Fundraiser & support in general: Ms. Suzanna Panter: spanter@tacoma.K12.wa.us

  • Link to Tacoma Public School Library websites for supportive citizens to contact their local school librarian (scroll down and click on the name of the school) https://www.tacomaschools.org/libraries/Pages/default.aspx

  • Contact for our Superintendent & our Assistant Superintendent to voice your support of school libraries:

  • Superintendent Santorno: csantor@tacoma.K12.wa.us; Superintendent Pace: tpace@tacoma.K12.wa.us

  • Link to requesting materials and sharing suggestions with our Tacoma Public Library (must sign in first to access this feature)  

  • Attendance at events matters and created more opportunities for events! Link to event pages

Come out to Kwame Alexander Author Event on 10/15 at Urban Grace in Tacoma: tickets here

Guilty Favsies:

  • Hope: good ranch dressing (fancy spices)

  • Annie: niiiiice office supplies.

  • Kristen---People, Gossip

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Special Announcement:

We are going to read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo! #IWLreads #readlessbasic

Ep. 25: No Finish Line for Ending White Supremacy

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EQ: What are white people doing wrong this time and how do we make it right?

Guest: Danielle Stubblefield - Seattle-based  online and anti-racist frontline protester.

Danielle brings her expertise and insights to a number of topics, including:

  • White privilege,  white entitlement, and white terrorism, including the idea of “polite” white supremacy (no matter what, white people make sure the conversation stays civil and comfortable).
  • No finish line for white supremacy--keeping it 💯, we have so much work to do
  • We're all like dirty sponges--we can clean up a mess but we're tainted
  • White supremacy is the house you need to tear down---demolition phase (take a hammer and tear sh!* up)
  • Think about IMPACT, not just intent. Own our whiteness from the beginning, stumble through life and stop trying to be well-intended but causing damage.
  • How to not be a “teacher” (aka think you know everything and are source of all knowledge). Instead we need to think of teaching and learning as hand-in-hand
  • How to leverage white privilege for good and associated risk factors (Nordstrom comes up)
  • How what is safe for white people is not safe for others.

  • The impacts of racism on quality of life and health outcomes. Watch “How Racism Leads to Health Issues”

  • How to not worry about losing face with a stranger...fight dispassionately so it becomes your routine.

  • The fact that anti-blackness is real, and thoughts about why it exists.  Jealousy? Why are white people so mad? Maybe it's because they see something they don't have! There’s a twisted sense of community that racism fills. Read Debbie Irving Waking up White to get a better understanding of racism as boxes & ladders.

  • It takes guts to challenge Oprah...especially when you're on a cruise with her!

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Ep. 23: Summer 2-for-One: Beat the Heat AND Nazis

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EQ: What’s the best way to beat the summer heat while also handily dismantling racist, sexist, misogynistic hetero-patriarchal white supremacy?

We start this episode channel in our inner basic NW white lady with suggestions for how to stay literally cool thi summer. From cold brew to boozy slurpees, find ways to have a little fun and do a little self-care. Go enjoy a glacier while we still have them - i.e. go to a higher altitude and meditate on global warming.

We note that it seems that summer time not only emboldens bad outfit choices, it strengthens white supremacists. What’s up with Washington attracting white supremacists? Read more here:

Hot Tips for beating the Nazis:

  • Educate yourself about white supremacist and white nationalist language and symbology so you can identify it when you see it. Educate others.
  • Address issues in your neighborhood directly (or indirectly, if you’re concerned for your safety or the safety of others).
  • Take action online - share information on social media so that others can access it.  Look for dismissive language and know how to respond. For example, if someone says “Nazi is a misnomer.  They were a political party and they no longer exist” on Twitter, prepare a snappy comeback, like “the ideology still exists regardless of labels,” or “Delete your account.”
  • Disconnect White Power Tacoma or join Tacoma Against Nazis on Facebook
  • What’s Going on With America’s White People

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Annie: Go read “So You Want to Fight White Supremacy” by Ijeoma Oluo from the Establishment. Preferably while you drink a boozy slurpee on some covered patio while misting yourself with one of those spray bottle fans.
  • Hope: Educate yourself on the rise of white supremacists in the NW and take action---if you need ideas, send us a DM