Finding the North Star

For the past few years, there has been a debate on whether descendants of slaves should be granted reparations. The ideal scenario would be to have free access to everything, but is that a realistic solution? In this episode, Krista takes off her rose-colored glasses and examines arguments for and against slavery reparations. While on that touchy subject, she talks about what feasible solution world work for reparations, if any, and concerns about reparations that exist on both sides of the argument.

Tulsa, Oklahoma houses Greenwood District, better known as Black Wall Street. Black Wall Street was one of the most powerful Black neighborhoods in the U.S. That is, until White Tulsans decided to destroy it out of rage. In this episode, Krista and her listeners will walk through Black Wall Street, exploring the history of how Greenwood District became Black Wall Street. Plus, she speaks on the Tulsa Race Massacre, its effects, and how meritocracy is a myth perpetuated to ignore the struggles of different people. Even 100 years later, the Tulsa Race Massacre continues to affect not just the surviving victims and the victims' descendants, but also African-American families throughout the country.

During the Civil Rights Movement, White people rallying against racism was crucial for the advancement of Black rights, but what role(s) should White people play in activism? Have White people gentrified movements like Black Lives Matter? In this episode, Krista speaks on the effects of White people at BLM protests, performative activism, and what White people can do to support Black causes. She will also speak on the effects of circulating graphic videos and images and racial fatigue, as well as the memeification of Breonna Taylor and how misogynoir exists in activism.

For centuries, Black people have been jailed, harassed, and killed for standing up for their humanity. Now in the age of computers, smartphones, and social media, people can speak out about causes from the comfort of their own homes. It sounds good in theory, but how useful is it when people risk their lives every day to fight for causes they care about? In this episode, Krista speaks about the history of BLM, the 2020 Great Awakening and how it made many White people and non-Black POC pay closer attention to Black issues. On that note, their roles in the BLM movement are investigated, especially from the realm of social media (the double-edged sword of infographics + how armchair activism upholds White supremacy). Don't be an armchair activist after this episode, because there are no cookies in this game.

Black History Month was created to highlight the societal contributions of Black people, but is the month really about honoring Black people or is it an excuse for non-Black people to be performative? In this episode, Krista speaks about the history of Black History Month, including its commemoration in Canada, the UK, and Germany. She takes into account the praise and criticism for Black History Month, while at the same formulating an argument about what Black History Month should really be about: something by Black people for Black people.

Misogynoir is a term coined by Moya Bailey that combines the word “misogyny” and the French word for black, “noir.” While there is no denying that misogyny exists, it does not affect all women in the same way. Episode 3 will cover how misogynoir is different from misogyny towards White women and the ways that people participate in it knowingly and unknowingly. As even Black people can participate in misogynoir, its existence the hip-hop world and its presence in the Black community will be examined, as well as the disparities when it comes to maternal mortality and eviction rates.

There are all sorts of privileges out there: White privilege, Male privilege, Heterosexual privilege, the list goes on. But there is another privilege that doesn’t always get talked about: light skinned privilege. Colonialism has perpetuated the idea that light skin and Eurocentric features such as a thin nose and a slim body are the most beautiful features. In the follow up to the series premiere, Krista speaks about colorism, how it affects people from all races, and the behaviors that continue to uphold colorism, whether explicitly or implicitly.

From behavior to individual worldviews, the media has generalized Black people as one and the same. However, differences in family history, upbringing, and environment highlight the distinctions among what the U.S. categorizes as “Black.” The series premiere of “Finding the North Star” will pinpoint some of the generalized viewpoints White people have on Black people and how the “Black” label masks the differences between Africans, African-Americans, Afro-Latinos, half-Black people, Afro-Caribbean people, and Black people from countries like Canada and the UK. It will also highlight the tokenism African immigrants face in America, how African-Americans are frowned upon on all fronts, and Krista’s personal reflection on the information presented.