The CommuniTEA
Season 2
The CommuniTEA: Unity and Unrest
Season 2, Introduction
New Year, New Episodes, Same Energy! Listen, absorb, and resonate with the intro to our NEW season, The CommuniTEA: Unity and Unrest, as the KSB Team welcomes you, our KSFam, into a roundtable discussion of home, community, and identity. Jumping off the author Taiye Selasi's question of "Where are you a local?", be present with Lena, Dinah, Chase, Daisy, Jon, and Hope as they navigate their experiences of agency, nature versus nurture in the creation of identity, growth, isolation, and discontinuity of self. Then ask yourself: where or with whom do you feel your home is? And, as always, CLAIM IT.
This episode's hosts: Lena Diasti, Hope Houston, Jon Brooks, Dinah Clottey, Chase Leito, and Daisy Okoye
Reimagining Safety: Community Power v. Policing
Season 2, Episode 2
Let’s take a moment to reimagine. The police state claims the role of safety, power, and accountability in communities, with the argument that they are there for “us”. This episode will not be discussing who is included in this “us”, because, at KSB, we know it was never our communities. Get awakened with hosts Lena and Chase as they go beyond, diving into the work of building community power and safety with their special guest Alycia Kamil from Good Kids Mad City. You’ll also hear from the voices of our KSFam who shared their thoughts about the police state, community power, and reimagining where we can go from here. Tune in, learn with us, allow yourself to re-envision, and think about how you can contribute to that vision.
This episode's hosts: Lena Diasti and Chase Leito
We’re Black in Business
Season 2, Mini Episode
Let's dive into the realities of the intersection of identity inherent in being a Black woman and an entrepreneur. Join Dinah as she discusses how the broader business industry treats marginalized communities and provide real and present examples of the barriers to success faced across the board. It will touch on the Black economy and how economies of color differ from the predominant white economy as well as how people treat calls for more support of Black-owned businesses — calls that the Black Reckoning of the past year saw repeatedly. This episode features Chicago based crochet artist Chelsea Billingsley and her experience growing her business during the global pandemic. Chelsea emphasizes the importance of community and how her community in the Southside of Chicago helped shape and nurture her work. Having not seen any Black crochet artists designing clothing meant for the millennial generation, Chelsea became the first. She started her business out of passion and hopes to light a path for other Black girls and boys to follow their dreams, to stretch their imaginations to see just how far they can go. Come join the conversation and let's get Black in Business.
This episode's host: Dinah Clottey
Race and the Schoolhouse Door
Season 2, Episode 3
It has been less than 70 years since the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education desegregated America’s education system, yet education still seems to be largely divided along racial lines. Achievement gaps have proven that marginalized students are being left behind--underserved, under-supported and under-resourced--and in the age of COVID-19 and online learning, this chasm is widening. Join hosts Hope and Jon as they delve into the intersection of race, wealth, and education, in conversation with educators Tavonda Palmer and Isaiah Melendez to reimagine the education system and discuss community-building in the classroom.
This episode’s hosts: Hope Houston and Jon Brooks
Home Sweet Human Rights: Housing and Segregation
Season 2, Episode 4
Who are the homeless? Maybe it’s someone you know. Housing insecurity is real, pervasive, and traumatic. As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, more and more people are teetering on the edge of homelessness. But what historical factors impact where traditionally segregated groups of people choose (or are forced) to reside in the first place? What policies have made it especially difficult for Black and Brown people to own property in high-resource neighborhoods? On this Chicago-centric episode of the Kinda Sorta Brown podcast, jump in with Dinah and Daisy as they navigate the evolution of housing segregation. Then, tune in for a “Homeless 101” conversation with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless guest speakers Claudia Cabrera and Maxica Williams, the Special Projects Organizer and a passionate Speakers Bureau Advocate, respectively. Join us to find out how their fascinating heritages and unique identities as a cancer survivor, a person with a disability, Black and Latinx women, and an immigrant fuel their passion for advocacy and social work.
This episode’s host: Dinah Clottey and Daisy Okoye
Intersectionality: Community at the Margins
Season 2, Episode 5
Throughout the season we’ve discussed how different issues — from housing to policing — can bring about unrest within our communities. Despite the unrest, we’ve seen how communities build unity to address these issues and fight back against the problems they cause. Lex Thompson, our guest speaker, joins us to address what about when we are excluded from our own communities? How do we grapple with accepting ourselves when our community doesn’t because of our sexual orientation or gender? On this week’s episode, Chase revisits the concept of intersectionality, how our different identities intersect, and how these intersections can further marginalize people within their own community. You won’t want to miss the season finale of the CommuniTEA: Unity and Unrest with a surprise announcement at the end. Stay tuned and stay close KSFam.
This episode’s host: Chase Leito