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This podcast series will be kitchen counter, living room couch, style conversations with activist parents, parent activists throughout various movements. In their work they are fighting injustices in the world from mass incarceration, school-to-prison pipeline, police brutality, policy and systems change, gender-based violence, forced marriages, detentions and deportations, educational inequity, community safety, to declaring that Black Lives Matter.
Hear from activist parents, stay-at-home parents, working parents, single-parents, co-parenting parents, young parents, grandparents, step parents, second-parents, like-a-parent, kinfolk-parents, spiritual parents, everyday parents who all have something to share about parenting for liberation.
Links to All Episodes Below
Episode 23
“Healing & Mental Health in Parenting”
Mattice Haynes
“Confronting chronic emotional pain in Black life is the terrain of political resistance we must now explore, the new revolutionary frontier” –bell hooks
On this podcast, we celebrate National Mental Health Awareness Week! We are joined by Mattice Haynes, an advocate for black women’s wholistic health and well-being, a social-justice-healing-centered facilitator, coach, consultant and social entrepreneur. In this podcast we discuss our participation and learnings from BEAM’s Black Mental Health and Healing Justice training this summer and through storytelling explore the role of healing in Parenting for Liberation. When emotions rise on the call, we lean into them, and practice breathing together. Much gratitude to Mattice for holding space on this call for authentic vulnerability. We conclude the call with a practice from the BEAM training, a collective mantra, that we co-created about the capacity for Black folks to heal:
I have a right to my feelings and emotions
Black people have a right to heal
We have a right to exist and must be
Our families deserve freedom to play, to laugh, and to love
We can and we must love and support one another
Healing is essential to Black liberation
Let’s get free y’all!
To connect with Mattice Haynes visit www.matticehaynes.com
To learn more about BEAM and their Black Mental Health trainings visit: www.beam.community/hjtraining/
Episode 22
“D Report: Continuing the Conversation”
Daniel of D-Report
Title:Parenting for Liberation: Continuing the Conversation
Episode 21
“Build It, They Will Come”
Dr. Kim Parker
Episode 20
“Raising Liberated Children with Incarcerated Parents”
Cecilia Caballero
Parenting for Liberation co-facilitated a Raising Liberated Children workshop series with mothers who are incarcerated at a California women’s prison. This episode is dedicated to all the powerful workshop participants and their children. Listen to founder, Trina Greene Brown, and Cecilia Cabarello of Chicana Motherwork share how the workshop came together, why they picked mothering, healing, and intergenerational trauma as the workshop themes, how the workshops unfolded, the successes and challenges, the power of storytelling and communal healing, and what’s next for more workshops with parents who are incarcerated as well as the wider community.
Episode 19
“Let’s Talk About Sex!”
Ignacio & Amanda Rivera
Parenting for Liberation engaged in a discussion on being a liberated parent when talking with kids about sexuality, with Ignacio and Amanda Rivera, a parent-child duo who created the groundbreaking, heartfelt and witty online talk show, Pure Love. During our conversation, Ignacio and Amanda, offer practical ideas for how to have conversations with your children about sex(uality). Pure Love has been airing on different media hosts each month since March 15, 2017. You can find the video episodes of this session on Youtube (youtu.be/obQHh1XqB4Q). For more info visit the Pure Love website: www.igrivera.com/pure-love.html.
Episode 18
“Lillian’s Right to Vote”
Parenting for Liberation founder, Trina Greene Brown, visited a local elementary school to do a read-along for Black History Month. “Lillian’s Right to Vote” deals with the difficult topic of institutionalized racism in America. Using flashback memories, the book is a “split screen” that positions the current uphill battles to the voting booth side by side with the historical uphill struggle for racial justice in America.After engaging the students in a small discussion on the importance of voting, Trina facilitated a quick voting exercise to operationalize the concept of voting. This was a powerful way to engage the young people in Black History while looking forward to build a powerful Black Future, wherein young people wield their power at the polls for good.
Episode 17
“#100DaysofMotherhood”
Jena Holliday
Parenting for Liberation had interviewed graphic illustrator, Jena Holliday, to discuss her artwork that represents the power of Black motherhood which was featured in Essence Magazine’s “Black Girls Draw” series. In our discussion, Jena shares why she wanted to focus on Black motherhood, the importance of representation in art, and how being a mother inspired her own creativity. Jena also unveils an artist reflection of Parenting for Liberation’s founder, Trina Greene Brown, being featured for her #100DaysofMotherhoodSOF. To learn more about Jena’s artwork, visit her design studio at www.spoonfuloffaith.com
Episode 16
“Young, Gifted & Black”
Jamia Wilson
Parenting for Liberation was happy to talk to Jamia Wilson, author of “Young, Gifted & Black,” a newly published Black children’s literature book. In this interview we dig into this incredible book that highlights 52 Black heroes across the diaspora. In the welcome letter the book is described as a love letter to our ancestors and the next generation of Black changemakers. We discuss the importance of representation in children’s literature, how this book is an homage to Nina Simone, and how it can be used all year long and in schools.
Buy Black! visit a Black online bookstore: www.huemanbookstore.com to purchase this book.
Episode 15
“It Takes a Village”
Malesha Taylor
We had the beautiful opportunity to speak with Malesha Taylor, a classically trained opera singer, and mother of three residing in San Diego, a suburban community in Southern California about how to build a community and instill cultural pride in her children. During our discussion, Malesha reflected on the trauma of her own childhood, growing up in California suburbs as “the only Black kid” and she made a commitment to build community for her Black children. She shares types on how to manifest and build community in spaces that feel isolating, through the use of arts and culture. With a commitment to never “be the only” Malesha advocates for centering Black voices and other marginalized communities in the arts, through her organization, Muse Salon and through her work as a vanguard Black opera singer.
For more information, visit www.musesalon.org or contact her at malesha@musesalon.org.
Episode 14
“Colonialism & other -Isms”
Tiffany Laniox
Parenting for Liberation had the opportunity to connect with Professor Tiffany Lanoix to break down how to talk to Black children about colonialism and other -isms as they intersect and impact the parenting for Black children on the heels of Thanksgiving (aka Thanks-taking). In this podcast Professor Laniox shares the regular and ongoing practices she engages in to discuss potentially heavy theoretical topics of colonialism, racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, sex, and more in ways that are age-appropriate and allow the young person to lead and guide the conversation.
Episode 13
“Shifting the Narratives of Black Families”
Mia Birdsong
Parenting for Liberation had the privilege of interviewing Mia Birdsong a powerhouse Mama-activist doing big things to shift the stories being told about Black families! During our interview with the Mia Birdsong, Co-Founder/Director of Family Story, we discussed the limitations and false narratives that exist about the make up of the Black family such as: extending beyond the traditional nuclear family and paying homage to our African cultural traditions of raising children in a village and naming the ways that racist housing policies have intentionally separated Black families.
Episode 12
“Shifting from Tough Love to Liberated Love”
Ambreia Meadows-Fernandez
Parenting for Liberation interviewed writer, Ambreia Meadows-Fernandez, to discuss her recent articles featured in On Parenting in the Washington Post, and reflect on slavery and the historical traumas that lead to fear-based parenting styles and explore that there is no safe place to raise Black children given the context. We share how we are breaking through our families generational inability to show love and affection, and how we are resisting tough love and physical discipline approaches. To learn more about Ambreia’s work check out her site: onekoo.wordpress.com/.
Episode 11
“Mothering the Revolution”
Cecilia Caballero
In this mini-podcast, Parenting for Liberation teamed up with Chicana M(other)work to debrief our session Mothering the Revolution session at the 2017 Allied Media Conference. Cecilia and I discuss why our work centers mothers of color, our experience of holding space in a mixed race group, and also share reflections from conference attendees, recorded live from the AMC!
Episode 10
“Black Fatherhood”
Neil Irvin
On the eve of Father’s Day, we share an interview with Neil Irvin of Men Can Stop Rape, where he reflected on Black fatherhood and parenting for liberation, gender equity in the house-hold , the responsibility of Black keeping Black children safe, the role of Black male role models, and much more. This Father’s Day, we here at Parenting for Liberation, honor, acknowledge, and celebrate Black fathers and male role models who are parenting their children for liberation!
Episode 9
“Selecting Liberated Schools”
Dia Penning
While participating in a California Network Weaver Lab, we had the opportunity to chat with Dia Penning, live from Earth Rise Retreat Center, about liberated schools and liberated discipline practices. Dia Penning is an Inclusion Facilitator, Yin Yoga Instructor, and founder of the Equity Collective.
Episode 8
“Black Activist Mothering”
Jacqueline Roebuks Sakho
We had the honor of interviewing Jacqueline Roebuck Sakho who recently launched Black Activist Mothering. Jacqueline performs #BlackActivistMothering as a conceptual framework that is a capturing and both shedding of what it means to be a black mother who engages problems of practice unfolding in urban school settings as community work.A #BlackActivistMother herself, Jacqueline has been trailblazing in the fields of Restorative Justice, Community Based Educational Leadership, and of course Radical parenting six children for over the last 20 years.
Episode 7
“Alternative Educational Environments”
Mikala Streeter
Parenting for Liberation interviewed Mikala Streeter, Founder, Principal, and Lead Teacher of The LIFE School, and explored how The Life School provides an alternative environment to interrupt school push-out, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the need for more African American children being home-schooled because of the toxic educational climate, and the impact of positive adults on campuses.
Episode 6
“Chicana M(other)Work”
Cecilia Caballero
Parenting for Liberation connected with with Cecilia Caballero of Chicana M(other)work to discuss her experience being a parent in academia and the organizing taking place on campuses throughout Los Angeles and Chicana M(other)work. We also discussed anti-blackness in brown communities including personal experiences with colorism and internalized oppression. Finally, we discussed the victim blaming of local state-violence victim Jesse Romero and ideas for how to engage Brown communities for Black Power.
Episode 5
“Kitchen Convos”
With Kids
In this candid convos with my kid while cooking dinner, my step daughter and I were just talking as usual–she calls it “History 101” learning about “Racism” and “Stereotypes” and the discussion turned to recent murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. I didn’t know that she had a seen the videos of the murders (ones that I couldn’t bring myself to watch). In about ten minutes we explored stereotypes of good cop/bad cop, “bad” black folks; we discussed how to recover and heal from that trauma; and we discussed what parenting for liberation means—-all while preparing dinner. I’m not sure I handled every question right–but I’m practicing parenting for liberation.
Episode 4
“Raising Consciousness (Spiritually, Socially, Globally)”
Mona-Lisa Diallo
Parenting for Liberation the honor of chatting with Monalisa Oluko Diallo–mother, educator, activist from Baltimore who has raised 3 children. During our exchange, she reflects on her experiences as a child experiencing blatant, overt racism in early education–and used that experience to inform her own parenting choices. She shares amazing tips on how to raise knowledgeable, well-rounded, globally sound Black children.
Episode 3
“Engaging Boys and Men”
Quentin Walcott
Parenting for Liberation connected with Quentin “Q” Walcott, Co-Executive Director of CONNECT to learn about CONNECT’s 7th Annual Father’s Day Pledge to End Violence.vDuring our exchange, we explored the role of men in ending violence against women, how Black boys are conditioned toward stereotypical notions of masculinity, and how can we shift to new behaviors and attitudes, the buffers that parents provide to protect against the impacts of -systemic violence on Black male behaviors and attitudes, and tips for parents to challenge traditional gender roles in our homes with our children.
Episode 2
“Revolutionary Mothering”
Mai’a Williams
During this podcast for Parenting for Liberation, we had the unique honor of being in conversation with Mai’a Williams, contributing editor of Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines. In our discussion, we explored segments of her writings and Mai’a shared her radical mothering principles when it comes to safety, boundaries, resiliency from trauma.
Episode 1
“Parenting for Liberation”
The D. Report
Parenting for Liberation was interviewed on the D Report Show to discuss
What is Parenting for Liberation? How do we parent without fear? Is possible to raise critically aware children that are also happily care free? This segment aired on 05 /20/ 16 on KUCR 88.3 FM.
Early Parenting for Liberation musings
Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the work that goes into motherhood in all different shapes and forms. For this session, I interviewed parent-activist, Evette Washington, the Parent Coordinator at A Long Walk Home. A Long Walk Home is a nonprofit organization that uses art to educate, activate, and mobilize youth and their parents to end gender based violence.
Here at Parenting For Liberation, we recognize the long historic legacy of the mothers supporting, fighting for, and defending their children and communities through activism. This Mother’s Day we celebrate and honor mothers who take a stand.
Reading of Black Parenting Matters: Raising Children in a World of Police Terror. Thursday, 01 October 2015
By Eisa Nefertari Ulen, Truthout
My child’s breath is a freedom song. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. The rhythmic pulse of air he powers is love, is life, is liberation. In. Out. In. Out. My child is breath. “I am here,” his body says with each inhalation. “I am alive,” his body offers with each exhalation. Each breath is a life force and each life force is a gift, is Holy. He is Divine.
He is more than mere existence. He is complex sinew, meat, blood, mind, matter, running, laughing, playing, smiling, healthy. He is boy in motion, chasing balls, jumping rivers, leaping meadows, climbing trees.
He is an idea made flesh.
He is a rebellion. A riot. A rage against the machine.
