BlackChat the Podcast

Buckle up for this second half of the conversation. In this episode, !Kona and Parker bring us into the “big house”, and share their experiences working at the city of Vancouver. This conversation was not an easy one to have, nor was deciding to upload a choice that was made lightly. It is still the season of the reckoning, but we have to be really honest about the precarity these calls to accountability can have on the Black bodies within these institutions. So please, grab a snack, maybe a friend, and join the discussion about legacy, and working for the “big house”.

Stay tuned for new episodes every other week with transcriptions coming soon! And be on the lookout for new graphics of old and new episodes!

Keep up with us on FB and IG @blackchatvancouver

In part one of this chat with !Kona and Parker Johnson, they discuss anti-Asian racism, Black and White America, and coalition building across margins. It’s always a joy to be in conversation with Parker, and even more so to listen to him and !Kona bounce ideas and observations off one another. Intergenerational learning and teaching has always been at the top of our values list here at BlackChat and so it’s a real blessing to share this dialogue with all of you!

Stay tuned for part two of this amazing convo where !Kona and Parker talk about what it is to work in the “Big House” here in “Vancouver, BC”.

Stay tuned for new episodes every other week with transcriptions coming soon! And be on the lookout for new graphics of old and new episodes!

Keep up with us on FB and IG @blackchatvancouver

Firstly, did y’all catch that Oprah interview? I 10/10 recommend if you got the time.

In this week’s episode, Morgan is joined by her LITERAL sibling, Ryanna! And playwright (amongst other great things,) Lili Robinson! And we talk about being mixed and pick it apart and confront it. All of us light-brites need to actually have conversations with each other and take feedback from darker-skinned folks without being defensive. Pick apart your defensiveness. That’s white supremacy. Just listen to the episode. We share personal experiences in the world in relation to our Blackness and our whiteness, examine social biases and privilege, and a liiiiittle bit about the Oprah interview.

All that being said, we note that criticism/critique from dark-skinned folks is welcomed and will be received. And light-skinned folks who disagree with those critiques, confront them within yourself before running our mouths.

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Check out:

Oh, how good it feels to be back! 2021! After a 6 month+ hiatus, BlackChat the Podcast is back with so many amazing special guests, and pull apart topics to keep us all going and “gathered” during these (still) trying times.

This week, Morgan is joined by special guest; Nya Lewis. Artist, Curator, Tkoronto transplant, Queer bae of your dreams, Style icon… What ISN’T Nya Lewis?!

Join the virtual living room, grab a snack and a bevy, and listen in as we chat about past and present creative projects, what it is to be Black and Queer, our love of community and intergenerational knowledge sharing, and so much more!

Find Nya at:

Recorded March 30, 2020 at 9:21 PM.

Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Samwel Uko. Tony McDade. George Floyd. Regis Korchinski-Paquet. #saytheirnames

This is only 6 of 80+ Black bodies murdered at the hands of police across North America, between Jan-May 2020.

Today marks day 5 of protests in cities across North America taking the streets demanding murder charges against all 4 officers involved in the death of George Floyd, and justice for all Black lives that are killed by the hands of white supremacy and colonial violence. Buildings and vehicles have been set fire. Police in riot gear accompanied by K9 units and choppers in the sky have deployed tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowds. Cities have called in the national guard to assist in 'containing the protests'.  Roughly 1400 arrests have been made so far across America.

Trauma is on all of our feeds. Seepings it's way into our conversations and relationships. the white people in our lives are acting weird. So much virtue signalling. So much performative allyship. So many challenging and conflicting feelings... Times are heavy.

We love and are thinking of all our beautiful Black kin across the continent and across the globe. We see you. We hear you. We love you. And we will stand with you forever and beyond. You are sacred. you are beloved. You are cherished. Your life matters. Your joy matters. Your dreams matter. your love matters.

Please take the time to share and donate to the links below...

Canada:

The conversation in this episode was recorded on February 23.

*This episode features ASMR of us all eating a delicious meal together. Sorry and You’re welcome*

The militarization of transit. Black and Indigenous relations and connections. Genetic testing. These are some of the conversations Morgan and !Kona had with Desmond Cole, Simone, and Parker Johnson. Join us in our chat over dinner. Hear Desmond shares parts of his new book “The Skin We’re In”, which was at the time of this recording named the national no. 1 Bestselling non-fiction book.

Apologies in advance for the cuts in the audio. We had some recording difficulties, so some parts are cut out.. Stay tuned for the continuation of this conversation on our next episode which comes out April 16.

You can find Desmond’s book, “The Skin We’re In” at:

This episode was recorded at 11:15am on Saturday, January 11th, 2020 on the unceded territories of the Kwikwetlem First Nation, of Sto:lo Coast Salish Peoples. 

We were invited to West Coast Bound, a Canadian conference that examines sexuality, power, and aros. Metro Vancouver Kink, the organizing board for this conference, asked BlackChat to host a gathering with the other Black presenters, to discuss the intersections of Blackness and kink.

"What is it to be Kinky While Black? Join BlackChat, the local “Gathering of the Melanated” hosted by !Kona and Morgan, with special guests Mollena Williams-Haas, Q-Tip, GoddessIndigo, Gloria Jackson-Nefertiti, and Yoseñio. Representing a range of identities and public tenure, expect a free-ranging conversation where we will be discussing what it means to have skin like us, with the history our people do, while being a lovely kinky freak. Listen in while we explore topics like racial tones in kink, our favourite scenes and experiences, where we find representation and solace in community, and more.

We’ll start with a 30-minute, recorded, kitchen table style conversation, where the hosts and presenters will discuss the intersection of Blackness and Kink/Leather. Expect laughter, insights and stories to which witnesses will have the opportunity to contribute.* This will be followed by a Q&A  talkback portion, and then a transition period into a POC ONLY space. Post-session,  People of Colour are invited to join us for light calories and hydration into the lunch hour ."

I, (Morgan) completely butchered the land acknowledgement on this episode. With my sincerest apologies, here are the written notes addressing the land in which this conversation took place on: 

This week on BlackChat, we sat down with Dr. OmiSoore Dryden. Long time friend of !Kona, "adopted" auntie of Morgan, Dr. Dryden is the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies in the Faculty of Medicine and an associate professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University. She is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research topics include, but are not limited to; Black Health Equity, Black Feminist/Black Queer Diasporic Analytics, Anti-black racism and Health Outcomes, and Blood Donation Systems. OmiSoore is also a bad-ass femme whose academic activism continues to be a vital tool in Black liberation.

In editing, we decided to let this episode flow free form with no music and minimal editing for volume control. So grab a snack and join us as we munch on Chinese food, and discuss in-depth the intersecting existence of Black and Indigenous people on Turtle Island. Are Black people settlers? Allies? What are our roles as people of African descent in dissolving the colonial apocalypse we live in alongside Indigenous peoples?

On a panel this past Tuesday, Dr. Dryden said something on the lines of (and I'm sorry for paraphrasing), "[Genocide did not wipe out Indigenous people, despite genocidal acts still occurring to this day. Slavery Did not wipe out Black people, despite systems of slavery still existing today.]" 

This "quote" leaves us to further think about how coalition-building between Indigenous and Black people can, may and will be possible.

How do we go about creating the conditions that would allow people to invest in each other's survival?

On this episode of BlackChat, !Kona and Morgan discuss the recent actions and demonstrations held by land and water defenders on Coast Salish territory (Greater Vancouver Area). As a response to the RCMP raid on the Unist’ot’en camp and Wet’suwet’en lands, Indigenous youth and supporters have stood up against colonial violence and we want to talk about what that looks like.

We look at the timeline of most recent events, considering factors of being arrest-able, and the multiple ways we can show up for each other.

If there are parts of this that aren’t entirely correct, please let us know! We aim to deliver accurate content, especially about this topic. Mainstream media is not reporting as they should be, and it’s important for us to discuss the truth

Welcome back to part two of our interview with the lovely Jillian Christmas. In this second half, we cover topics including self-care, the sacredness of locs, and the development and inspiration for Jillian's forthcoming book, The Gospel of Breaking. “Writer. Seeker. Traveling Circus.", Jillian is a queer, Black writer living on the unceded territories Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, where she served for six years as Artistic Director of Versəs Festival of Words. As an enthusiastic organizer and advocate in the Canadian arts community, her focus has been to increase anti-oppression initiatives in spoken word. She has executed programs in partnership with the Toronto Poetry Project, The Chan Centre, Vancouver Opera, and more. Jillian has performed and facilitated spoken word workshops for youth and adults across the country and beyond. Her forthcoming debut book of poetry will be released in Spring 2020 with Arsenal Pulp Press. Preorder her book here: https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/T/The-Gospel-of-Breaking?fbclid=IwAR3qVUHVjuhDprZcm68OgSAjS7ex1igm89RYVEElGwl-I2dSQeTA3zNdchs 

For updates and ways to contribute, visit www.patreon.com/blackchat or follow us on Instagram and Facebook @blackchatvancouver 

Music and Poems by Jillian Christmas 

Join us as we sit with our chosen family and local artist, Jillian Christmas. In part one, we talk about music and muscle memory, the intersections of Blackness and poetry, and her forthcoming book, The Gospel of Breaking.

Stay tuned for part two, which drops February 6th.

 “Writer. Seeker. Traveling Circus.", Jillian is a queer, Black writer living on the unceded territories Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, where she served for six years as Artistic Director of Versəs Festival of Words. As an enthusiastic organizer and advocate in the Canadian arts community, her focus has been to increase anti-oppression initiatives in spoken word. She has executed programs in partnership with the Toronto Poetry Project, The Chan Centre, Vancouver Opera, and more. Jillian has performed and facilitated spoken word workshops for youth and adults across the country and beyond. Her forthcoming debut book of poetry will be released in Spring 2020 with Arsenal Pulp Press.