Ree Speaks

In this episode, I speak with Marc Thompson a dear friend and force within the sector who continues to inspire me and challenge the ways sexual and reproductive health care services have been designed, delivered and accessed.  

In this conversation, I speak with Marc about 

• how and why he developed his community interest company The Love Tank
• his sexual and reproductive health activism 
• His HIV awareness podcast series We were always here
• and his thoughts on utilising digital media as a tool for behaviour change and information sharing within sexual and reproductive health.

The intro and outro of this episode is taken from Public Enemy - Fight The Power (Official Music Video) 

The short clip on PrEP is taken from Date PrEP 

The Short clip on the HIV awareness podcast is taken from They Weren't Us | We Were Always Here 

In this episode, I speak with Dr Joy White, an author, and lecturer from East London who has devoted part of her academic career to researching Grime music, effectively leading her to publish her second book in 2020 titled Terraformed - Young Black Lives in the Inner City.

In this conversation, we discuss

- Terraformed

- The dynamics that sparked Joy’s interest in Grime

- and the impact of the genre both nationally and internationally.

The intro of this episode is taken from Kamikaze - Ghetto Kyote (Instrumental)  

The short clip about grime is taken from From Pirate Radio to Mainstream - Grime Story! 

The short clip from Mind is taken from - What are mental health problems? 

In this episode, I speak with Richard Ettienne, former official videographer to British Prime Minister Theresa Maya about his journey to date, from working as a self-shooting videographer to becoming a renowned media consultant. We also speak about the skills he’s acquired along the way, some of the amazing projects he’s developed and his future creative plans. 

Richard currently holds senior communications positions within the private and third sectors and has aided the online promotion of global brands in academia, art and politics for over 17 years. He is a personal branding consultant and teaches a Guardian Masterclass series, Self-promotion for introverts, and is also the founder of Black Introvert Week UK. Follow Richard’s brand awareness blog, where you can download free ebooks on introversion empowerment.

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Che Lingo - Bobbing For Apples.

The short clip about Richard's documentary is taken from The iD Project via YouTube.

The short clip about Introversion is taken from The quiet power of introverts via YouTube.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, The Ubele Initiative commissioned a report to understand how voluntary Black and minority ethnic organisations within the voluntary sector were experiencing the pandemic.

Although many organisations had pivoted to respond to the growing need of the communities they served, many were on the brink of closing. Depleted reserves, staff shortages and growing demands for service provision created challenges for many organisations up and down the country.

In this conversation, I speak with Michael Hamilton, Co-director of The Ubele Initiative about

• his role in stepping up to lead the response to Black and minority ethnic communities in a time of crisis.
• The We Need Answer Campaign which called for an Independent Public Inquiry into the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s BAME communities
• Young people’s sexual and reproductive health needs
• and motivations for the work he does today.

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Ide Were Were - Aguas Doces

The short clip on transactional sex was taken from Transactional Sex: What it is and why it matters.

The BBC news clip on was taken from Why did the first wave of COVID 19 disproportionately affect people of colour?

The production and sound design of this episode was by Veronique Belinga

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from The Lean & Bop (Extended Mix) 

The short clip titled 'What is a PhD? is taken from Loughborough University YouTube channel.

The production and sound design of this episode was by Veronique Belinga 

In this episode, I’ll be speaking with a colleague and now friend Parise Carmichael-Murphy who is a third-year PhD student. 

I and Parise both met and connected earlier this year through the Black Health and Humanities Network funded by the Wellcome Trust. 

In this conversation, I speak with Parise about 

• Her PhD journey so far
• Figuring out a journal format thesis
• Celebrating Hip Hop in academia and co-organising the Hip Hop & Higher Education conference
• Working with The Ubele Initiative on the research project Navigating Space under Lockdown

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Common - 'Courageous'

The short clip from Channel 4’s news segment is taken from Young Black people ‘three times more likely to be unemployed’ 

The short clip from the BBC film about Britain's Black Art Group is taken from The Pioneers of Britain's Black Art Movement - BBC 

This is a short clip taken from a conversation between Dr Joy White and Kano is taken from Kano - Newham Talks with Joy White 

In this episode, I’ll be speaking with Dr Peggy Warren, an independent consultant and transformative educator who uses her skills to challenge traditional approaches to leadership and educating.

Dr Peggy has worked in various job roles within the NHS delivering work-based learning programmes to support staff to climb the ladders of both progression and pay within the organisation. In 2017, Dr Peggy completed her PhD at Birmingham City University where she explored Black British and Black Caribbean Women’s career trajectories within the NHS.

In this conversation, I speak with Peggy about

• her work as an educator,
• her commitment to challenging traditional methods of teaching and learning,
• the role of spirituality in her life
• and her recent book Black Women's Narratives of NHS Work-Based Learning: An Ethnodrama; The Difference between Rhetoric and Lived Experience 

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Sinach - I Know Who I Am (official video)

The short clip about educational subnormal schools is taken from the trailer of the BBC Documentary Subnormal: A British Scandal titled This is one of the biggest scandals in British education history.

The short clip taken from the enthodrama Black Women's Narratives of NHS Work-Based Learning was read by Dr Peggy Warren and Carol Cooper..

In this episode, I’ll be speaking with Dr Michael McMillian, a London based writer, dramatist, artist, curator and scholar of Vincentian heritage. 

Dr McMillian has written several plays, and as an artist, he is best known for his first installation, The West Indian Front Room (now referred to as the Front Room), which was successfully exhibited in 2005, at the Geffrye Museum, attracting more than 35,000 visitors which went on to inspire a BBC Four documentary called Tales from the Front Room which aired in 2007. 

In this conversation, I speak with Michael about: 

- his inspiration for creating the Front Room,

- how he explores his creative practice in academia, 

- his commitment to challenging eurocentric discourse 

- and some of the projects he’s been working on this year.

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Stevie Wonder - As 

The short clip about the Front room is taken from the BBC Four documentary Tales from the Front Room The West Indian Front Room Part 1 and The West Indian Front Room Part 2

The short clip from the conversation between Charlene White and Judy Love is taken from Different Doesn't Mean Bad': Charlene Speaks Powerfully About Black Hair Prejudice | Loose Women which is followed by a short clip from World Afro Day | ITV News. 

In this episode, I'll be speaking with Dr Jenny Douglas who is a Senior Lecturer in Health Promotion in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies at the Open University in the UK. Here Dr Douglas established and chairs the Black Women’s Health and Wellbeing Research Network, which aims to promote the health and wellbeing of black women through research and knowledge exchange.

In this conversation, we’ll be speaking about

• Researching and advocating for Black Women’s Health
  
• The New Cross House Fire, Scholar Activism and community organising
  
• Lecturing at the Open University and celebrating Black Feminist epistemology

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up 

This is a short clip about the New Cross House Fire is taken from Blood Ah Go Run - Black British Film

This is a short clip taken from a conversation between Farrukh Dhondy and Leila Hassan Howe about why they both became activists in Britain's Black Power movement is taken from The story of Britain's Black Power movement - BBC News

The short clip that discusses factors that impact maternal health is taken from BBC Stories Why are black women 'five times more likely to die in childbirth'? 

In this episode, I'll be speaking with my sister Ayesha “Amazon” Raymond who is a professional wrestler, sports coach and Co-owner of Fierce Females.

Here we speak about:

• Ayesha’s entry into wrestling 
• how she's navigated the business nationally and internationally to build a successful wrestling career
• how her trip to Japan changed her outlook on the profession
• the messages she’s passionate about conveying inside and outside of the ring
• and her recent venture Fierce Females.

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Sticky Ft Kele Le Roc - Things We Do.

This short clip from Chris Bournea is taken from Lady Wrestler: The Unknown Story of African-American Women in the Ring.

The poem read by Britta B is from Dear Young Woman: a poem of empowerment.

In this episode, I'll be speaking with Chantal Victoria Bright a who is a colleague and now friend I’ve recently made on my PhD journey. She is first year PhD student at the University of Manchester. Chantal’s research sits at the nexus of water security, peace and fragility in Liberia from an African ecofeminist perspective.

Chantal is also the author of Jan Jay a children’s book inspired by clean water issues in Liberia. Jan Jay has recently capture the attention of the U.S. State Department-Africa Regional Services Nouveaux Horizons, and as a result, Jan Jay will be translated to French and marketed in French-speaking communities in Africa and Haiti, and distributed to American embassies to support education programmes.

Chantal and I are both members of the Black Health and Humanities Network, which is an interdisciplinary training network and collaborative research initiative funded by the Wellcome Trust that explores the role of the arts and humanities in understanding and improving the health of Black people in twenty-first century Britain.

In this conversation

- we reflect on our learning from the first workshops

- our aims and motivations for our research

- how we’ve incorporated storytelling as a methodology in our work

- and our hopes and wants for the future as early career researchers

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Nas - I Can

The short clip of the conversation between Liv Little, Dr Nicola Rollock, Professor Tracey Reynolds and Professor Funmi Olonisakin who share their early experiences in academia as Black women is taken from Phenomenal Women: Black Female Professors.

• Her journey of creating and editing This Is Us.
• Her work as a violence against women and girls (VAWG) practitioner nationally and internationally
• And her intentions for Feminist Focus long term.

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Lauryn Hill - I Get Out. 

The short clip of the conversation between Heidi Mirza and Stella Dadzie is taken from Black British Feminisms: The Heart of the Race.

In this episode, I'll be speaking with Tony Warner, owner and founder of Black History Walks. 

Here we speak about:

- his commitment to making Black history more accessible. 

- the highs and lows of running a business.

- the launch of his new book Black History Walks.

- and how he’s grown and shaped Black History Walks as a company over the last 20 years.

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Dennis Brown - Revolution

The short clip from David Olusoga is taken from Alt History: Black British History We’re Not Taught in Schools - BBC Stories 

- my motivations for creating and growing Shine ALOUD UK.

- my experience of navigating academia as a Black student.  

- and life at the beginning of my PhD journey. 

The intro and outro for this episode are taken from Nina Simone: To Be Young, Gifted and Black.

The recording of Dr Chandra-Mouli Venkatraman is taken from Adolescent health and the importance of sexuality education.