Project BLACCK

If you are still processing the SCOTUS overturn of Roe V. Wade and what it means for access to health care nationally, you are not alone! In this episode we are joined by our friend and colleague Kimberly Pierre who is the founder of Healthy Black Births. Join us as we discuss our thoughts about this Supreme Court ruling, what this means for access to reproductive health care for all birthing individuals, and also what reproductive justice means to us. 

In this episode we take a deeper dive into the black indigenous experience in the United States and all of the nuance that surrounds identity. 

Thank you to our listeners for all your support and love through out season 2. Stay tuned for more on Season 3. 

There’s so much that's been happening in our world, from Kyle Rittenhouse’s verdict, to the conviction of the 3 men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery, and so much more. We have a serious gun (and violence) issue in this country and we need to talk about it. Tune in as we reflect on the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, whiteness, privilege, and overall gun violence in the U.S. 

Content Warning: Relationship abuse, domestic violence 

These past few weeks, the internet has been sharing both red and green flags that show up in intimate relationships. In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Project BLACCK team defines what domestic violence is and focuses on one tenant of prevention: healthy relationships. We each share our perspective of what makes a healthy relationship and what is needed in our communities, institutions and culture in order to change the narrative. 

Catch up with the crew as we talk about how we have been taking care of ourselves and our families through changing dynamics.

In this episode we’ll be talking about disability pride month, what it is, why people honor and celebrate this month and ways we can think about being disability inclusive.  We are joined by our wonderful guest Kaela Rae, and she provides us with insights and stories from her personal life. You can find Kaela on Instagram/Twitter @wheelsb4heels. 

In this week's episode we are joined by the amazing Caroline Ezekwesili, MPH to talk all things doula. Caroline is a Nigerian-American who is passionate about improving maternal and child health outcomes in communities of color. Outside of her 9-5, she works as a community-based doula where she provides virtual support to birthing individuals. She offers doula services through her company called Nkemdilim, which is an Igbo word for "Let mine be mine". In all of her roles, Caroline actively works towards her mission of empowering others and fostering community by building relationships. Join us as we learn about what a doula is, the types of services they offer and also key questions to ask when looking for a doula. https://www.nkemdilim.com 

It's February which means we are in the season of LOVE! Happy Valentine's Day and Black History Month. In this episode, we touch on self-love, body positivity, and how the love of self affects our ability to love our community and impacts how we show love to those around us!

We finally uploaded our genuine reactions, thoughts, and feelings about the inauguration as well Biden's promises as president. 

Get ready for another year of Project BLACCK! Tune in for more episodes about issues that impact our health and everyday life. 

In this episode, Project BLACCK reflects on challenges, opportunities, and what we're looking forward to for the next year and beyond. Thank you to all who have shown love and support during this journey. Love and light to you all. We will see you in 2021!

In Episode 14: Living Well with Marlene Boyette, we highlight the following: what is wellness, what does wellness look like, tips on how to live well during difficult times, and maintaining wellness practices throughout our day to day lives. We're joined by Marlene Boyette, a Boston-based 300 HR Trauma-Informed Yoga, and Wellness Practitioner. Marlene aims to make yoga, healing, and wellness more accessible to underserved people and communities, highlighting these practices as radical acts of resistance, self-care, and self-preservation. In the episode, she shares her wellness knowledge and practices as a teacher, yogini, facilitator, and disruptor. 

In this episode we talk about prepping for the holidays. There’s so much to talk about when it comes to holiday prep, however, in this discussion we talk about what it means to prep your mental health for the Winter and Holiday season. We are joined by our amazing guest speaker Celeste Viciere, also known as Celeste the Therapist. Tune in as we discuss topics such as seasonal depression, setting boundaries, dealing with feelings of loneliness during a Pandemic and also new tools you can add to your wellness toolbox.

Election results are in and we're here to talk about it! Join us as we discuss our feels about all the things prior, during, and after the big event.  We share our process and thoughts on early voting, poll lines and accessibility, voter demographics, values, celebrities with political stances and so much more! 

Lots of laughs and giggles as we talk about how identity is performed through food in different areas of our lives!

In this episode we talk about our favorite things about Fall and the different levels of care. Stress has a huge impact on our bodies, and with all that is going on in our own lives and in our world, it’s essential to practice care. We love the illustration created by Deanna Zandt on “The Unspoken Complexity of Self-Care.” In addition to helping us expand our definition of self-care, they also challenge us to think about other levels of care such as communal care and structural care. Join us we continue to build upon our understanding of care. 

In episode 9, we're back and joined by two special guests, Jalyce and Diamond, two of Bre's colleagues and co-medical students who join to discuss the differences between medicine and public health from the perspectives of first year medical students who are interested in addressing health inequities . We also discuss where there are opportunities for synergy between public health and medicine, and what we can all do in our careers to bridge these two professions.  We also weigh in on the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman and share how medical students can engage in self-care during medical school. 

This week we had an amazing conversation with our dear friend and colleague Chrystel Murrieta, MPH. Chrystel is a Southern California transplant living and growing in Boston while working as a Political Coordinator with SEIU 32BJ. We talk about the importance of policy, voting, and "dreaming up our future!" 

In honor of National Orgasm Day (July 31st, 2020), we invited our guest speaker Marla Renee Stewart, MA.  Marla is a sexologist and a sex coach who runs her own sexuality education company, Velvet Lips and is also a Co-Founder of the Sex Down South Conference. She also co-wrote her first book, The Ultimate Guide to Seduction & Foreplay with Dr. Jessica O’Reilly. In this weeks discussion we talked about all things pertaining to orgasms, sex and sexuality. We also talked about the intersections of race and gender and the importance of decolonizing the limiting messages we learned about pleasure and intimacy.

In this episode the crew opens up a conversation about indigenous health and systems of oppression as it relates to health disparities. Just the first of many conversations to come, this episode provides some foundational context to the state of Indian Country.

We have an honest conversation about the foundation of this country, celebrating Independence Day, health inequities, and how it all relates to what's happening here and now. At the end we share a bit about how we've been processing these last few months. 

In recognition of pride month, special guest Hoisum Nguyen, MPH joins us as we discuss love, family, and advocacy as it relates to the LGBTQIA community.

Today's episode is dedicated to Black men. We're joined by three guest speakers: Larry Wynn, Lavell Fulks, and Craig Andrade to discuss Black men's health and mental health, fatherhood, and what it means to be a Black man in today's climate. 

In this episode we dive into our public health career journeys and our experiences navigating the academic and professional world. Knowing your worth is one of the most important tools that can assist you on this journey.