Off Color

The 2020 Election is almost over and with all the anxiety in the air we took some time to sit down and reflect on 2016. Rebekah and Janece didn't know it then, but Trump's victory was the catalyst that would bring them together on Off Color. We also spoke to Dr. Tania and Emma Teng about being first time voters in this historic election.

In 2016 Kaepernick took a knee as a protest for racial justice and eventually lost his job in the NFL. Today, players on almost every major sports team are kneeling and wearing gear branded with messages about Black Lives Matter and ending racism in America. What happened and how much work is there still left to do? Special Guests Bisi Johnson - NFL Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Justin Adams - CBS 4 Denver Sports and News Reporter

Being a parent is tough, being a parent during a pandemic is torture. On this episode we interviewed moms and a dad at various points on the privilege spectrum to ask how they are holding up now that (virtual) school is back in session.

The 2020 election will be here before we know it and it’s time to talk about vote shaming, third party candidates, party loyalists and progressive youth “radicals”. Not to mention that complications of voting during a pandemic and systematic dismantling of our postal service. Get ready kids, this one is going to be a wild ride.  Special Guests: Saira Rao- Former Democrat candidate for US House and now registered Independent Hashim Coates - Vice Chair of AAICD and “card carrying Democrat loyalist”

A very personal and intimate conversation about intersectionality in the activist community including anti blackness, conflict between black and brown organizers and LGBTQIA issues. We get face to face with the the pervasive sentiment in minority activist communities that "We show up for THEM, but they never show up for US!" But at the end of the day, we are oppressed in the same ways with different impacts and as soon as we acknowledge that the sooner we can fight together against a common oppressor. Special Guests: Lorena Garcia - Community Organizer, Former Candidate for US Senate, Tezcatli Diaz - Director of Youth Civic Engagement at Student Voice, Student Vote Elizabeth Torwudzo - Veteran, March Organizer,  Brianna Hall - Employee at American Indian Science and Engineering Society Shenika Carter - Actionist, Accountant, President of Caravan for Racial Justice 2: 30 - Guest Intos 12:30 - Why is it ok for allies to be in positions of power in some minority and activist organizations and not in others? 17:3

Part one was WILD! In part two we get a little more serious in a powerful conversation with a former veteran and public health worker about what gun rights mean to minorities that have seen authoritarian oppression first hand. We discuss the Patriot Act, 4 year olds with swords, cancer, prep-ers and using the military's tactics against them. Special Guests: Charlie Watkins - Army Vet and NRA certified pistol instructor Nami Thompson- Public Health Planner, Mother and gun owner Content Links: https://www.redneckrevolt.org/ https://www.facebook.com/AIODefense    

America loves guns! When New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the civil lawsuit against the NRA we decided to find some gun owners and ask what they thought about it. This episode is part one of two. Special Guests: Comedian and podcaster Christie Buchele, Food Truck and Army Veteran Damon Tobias and Tai Chi Instructor Brother Sha Bazz

A short bonus episode that expands on our discussion in Episode 3 about going back to school during a pandemic. Covid has teachers and students worried about their physical and mental health, but there are still opportunities and reasons for hope.  

A Facebook LIVE conversation about the new name for the neighborhood formerly known as Stapleton in Denver, Colorado. What does it mean to be neutral in a white supremacist culture and how can we move towards anti-racism? Special Guests include, Dr. Apryl Alexander and Vince Bowen of Black Lives Matter 5280, JC Futrell the grandson of John and Edna Mosley, Kim Brewer from #RenameStapleton, and Brian Diggs.

A discussion about what public education means in the United States of America during a global pandemic, recorded on July 18th, 2020. Listen as we get schooled by Vice President of the Denver Public Schools Board and Colorado House of Representatives District 7 Candidate, Director Jennifer Bacon. Then Dr. Tania Reis, Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus gives us insight into being a scientist, immigrant and mother of two DPS students during these unprecedented times.    2:50 - Dr. Tania Reis introduction   5:00 - Director Jennifer Bacon introduction   10:00 - Public schools make rocket scientists   12:00 - How opening decisions were made   19:35 - The ‘rona is amplifying inequities    20:40 - What about the teachers?   24:00 - How Portugal handled the data   26:30 - Quaran-team pods   29:00 - What schools do for this city   32:30 - “I know what’s at stake!”   37:30 - “Our mind set would have to shift”   39:00 - Antibacterial vs Antiviral memo   41:00 - Cultural shift away

The global pandemic of Covid-19 has left us with a lot of unanswered questions. In this episode we decided to ask a medical professional, and close personal friend, about how we can sort through all of the confusion of misinformation and systemic racism in the medical system. Dr. Benzi Kluger is a researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York and Director of the Neuro-Palliative Care Division in the new Palliative Care Research Center. He is also working on a book called “Dangerous and Expensive Bullshit” which will empower the average citizen to take responsibility for their health through information literacy. Links:  Ibram X. Kendi - How to Be an Antiracist  https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist-1 FLICC- 5 Techniques of Science Denialism: https://www.skepticalscience.com/history-FLICC-5-techniques-science-denial.html Stephen Law - Believing Bullshit https://www.google.com/books/edition/Believing_Bullshit/n9oRBTVZdWsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover Time Stamp

Season 4 kicks off with a COVID-19 catch up sesh with the Tan Tigress and her intrepid producer Janece(who gives an emotional pep talk to the Tan Tigress). This episode was recorded remotely on a Friday in July...what day is it anyway? Should we open schools? Should your neighbors pay you for the service of telling them about themselves? What is Truth & Conciliation and why should you take the pledge? These are just some of the questions we know must be on your mind, because they are on our mind.  We've missed you Off Color family and we hope this episode will be "a ray of light".  And wear a mask FFS. And vote. Always with the voting. 

We interviewed actor, playwright, rapper, and poet Jeff Campbell, assisted by students visiting from the audio engineering program at Northeast Early College ( A Denver Public Schools High School). The kids are alright but they feel the same stresses we do. This episode was recorded at the House of Pod, which is now shut down in order to slow community spread of the COVID-19 virus. The country is in a state of emergency and we need to be there for each other in our communities. 

Women only conversation bonus episode, with guest co-host Shay J and special guest Congresswoman Deb Haaland via the telephone, but first we get spicy as we try to work out the kinks of contacting someone on the busy campaign trail. NEVERTHELESS WE PERSISTED! Vote for Elizabeth Warren... WHUT!

We were joined once again by Independent Presidential Candidate Mark Charles via phone. He caught us up on his campaign and gives some intense love lessons on healing the wounds of racism that created our nation as it is today. We know we live in a two party system but man, Mark Charles has a compelling and powerful message that is worth hearing. 

We hosted an intimate screening of All Mixed Up: Our Changing Racial Identities and then chopped it up with one of the films participants Rebecca Mendoza-Nunziato community manager at the House of Pod and Annalise Harris the founder of Curls on the Block and author of Harriet's Jacket.

For this episode we discussed representation in entertainment, afrofuturism and popculture. Again! Because we gotta keep on talking and if you keep listening you might just see the light!  Spoiler alert! We also discuss some details about Watchmen, The Handmaid's Tale, Harriet, Queen & Slim and Ma. Special guests include Regan Byrd, Danette Hollowell, Aubrianne Hollowell, Mo Alexander & Janae Burris!

Rebekah talks about her ongoing fight to eradicate white supremacy in her neighborhood (which is named after a Ku Klux Klansman) by running to be a write in candidate on the neighborhood board. With special guests, Danilo Ballardes a community organizer from New Orleans, Samuel Gonzalez returns and the late great Dr. Gregory Digg's brother Brian Diggs joins us via phone from Los Angeles to give us the lowdown on his highly racist dance teacher.  It's all you could want in an episode and so much more. 

We learn all about Rebekah's sudden and surprising entrance into the political fight of her life! That pesky KKK named neighborhood name gets her down but it can't keep her down! We dip into Lizzo's cheeks, beauty pageants, dominant culture beauty standards and so much more! This topic was so intense, we had to divide it into part 1 and part 2. It wasn't our intention but that was the impact! Guest include: U.S. Senate Candidate Dr. Stephany Rose Spaulding, founder of Ecoinclusive and Earth KWEEN Parker McMullen-Bushman, Samuel Gonzalez and Bianca Mikhan. 

We take a deep dive into our dying oceans, polluted communities and environmental justice. Special guests: At Peace Makita Water Warrior, Dr. Diana Bray, Noe Organz, Jared Bynum from Conservation Colorado and Dana Miller of Extinction Rebellion. We ask the question...is there hope?