Do you think colorism impacts Black women differently than Black men? We certainly do! In fact, we'd argue that Black men are the main purveyors of colorism (we still love ya'll though!) There are few topics in our community that are more divisive than colorism and in this episode we look to address the nuances of how Black women experience colorism,  issues with their identity, worth, and safety based on their skin tone. We are joined by  Nchimunya and Shay Bones, who share their personal stories on the stereotypes, traumas and complexity of their complexion. 

Be sure to follow our gworls on IG:  

Nchimunya: @nchimuns

Shay Bones: @shayybones

There are few topics in our community that are more divisive than colorism and in this episode we look to address the nuances of how Black men experience colorism, and issues with their identity based on their skin tone. We are joined by Bebe and Jared, Co-hosts of The Humble  Loser Podcast, who share their personal stories on the stereotypes, traumas and complexity of their complexion.

Please follow The Humble Loser Podcast on all podcast platforms --

IG: thehumbleloserpodcast // YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd7KGTBQ-60LKicCozZkpKA

Who knew reimagining travel would be so profound for Black people?! Those of us who chose to leave America also left our problems behind and we get deep into that conversation on this episode.  

Anitra Smith joins us as we discuss why travel was especially important (and controversial) for Black folks during the panasonic. Anitra is a public health leader, travel blogger and creator of Don't Trip Travel - a blog dedicated to encouraging women to travel and balance their 9-5's.  

Be sure to follow Anitra's social media and travel blog for all things travel!  

IG: @donttriptravel // Blog: https://donttriptravel.com/

This episode was recorded at Stay Diff Studios in Oakland, CA. You can watch the full video on our Youtube page @ Wokeland Podcast.

The Simone's are back! We kick off Season 3 by catching up on events that turned our world upside down the last 2 years. We had some pretty big life changes and we know you did too. We review some moments in time during lockdown and discuss news in pop culture, and how Black folks reimagined travel in 2020.    

This episode was recorded at Stay Diff Studios in Oakland, CA. You can watch the full video on our Youtube page @ Wokeland Podcast. 

What Is Oakland Doing To Fight COVID-19? With Councilwoman Lynette McElhaney (Part 2)

With so much uncertainty in the world right now with covid-19 influencing our day-to-day lives, we spoke with Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney of District 3, to give us insight on how the virus is impacting the lives of Oakland residents. She informs us of what the city of Oakland is doing to protect renters, the houseless population, and hospitals in need of aid. 

For information regarding city of Oakland's rent assistance -- https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/rent-adjustment-program

For tax filing and assistance with  unemployment applications --

Financial Tax Freedom                                                                     Teddy Teshome: 510-904-4305

If you're like us, you have many questions surrounding covid-19. Enter, Dr. Ivory Dean, who is a scientist with a Ph.D in Cancer Biology. Dr. Dean is trained to understand various disease models and has conducted breast cancer research at UCSF and is now in Washington D.C. finishing a science policy fellowship at the National Science Foundation. We learn how covid-19 came about, why soap (not hand sanitizer) is the real MVP, and some ways to keep you and your family safe.

Resources: 

Support Small Business's in Oakland: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1H5k6zzguCjAs8uurgDTNlRFKd1C8pEayJsWcpvCJ5DM/edit?fbclid=IwAR1zCoTSMmUia-2nFIvj-YqtpBCqh2LSBJ9uprpOVk_sbM4WfgasOhWdQzw#gid=0
 

Rent Relief: https://www.ktvu.com/news/coronavirus-rent-relief-eviction-moratoriums-enacted-across-bay-area

Oakland's  COVID Numbers: http://www.acphd.org/2019-ncov.aspx

Think of this as your go-to, one stop shop for all of your burning HR questions. Our all Black panel of HR specialists share some best practices in the workplace to assist your level up in 2020. They addressed how to escalate matters of concern, how to address the Becky's in the office, our mental health, how to negotiate salary upon hire, and so much more.

Our panelists also help demystify their roles as Human Resources and provide some insight on how their Blackness impacts their jobs at the recruiting, hiring/firing, and compensation phases of their job functions.

Our panelists ---

Matthew Kirby, Owner, Principal Consultant, Honest Human Resources Consulting LLC

During the day, Matthew works as a People & Culture Partner for a large non profit. Outside of his 9-5, Matthew demystifies stereotypical perceptions of Human Resources through his conversational, engaging and weekly broadcasts of the Honest Human Resources Podcast.

Tigist Takele, Associate Director of HR, Gilead Sciences

Tigist Takele-Maylor, MBA, is a Senior HR professional with over 15 years of HR experience in Biotech, Engineering and Healthcare industries. Tigist's area of expertise is in Leadership Development, Employee Relations and Executive Coaching. She aspires to continue to support people of color and women navigate the workplace as well as transition into Leadership roles.

Jordan Cisneros, Recruiting Coordinator, IDEO

As a Recruiting Coordinator for IDEO, a 40 year old global design company, Jordan’s work revolves around using her role to increase access to design for marginalized communities. When she’s not fighting systemic racism in the workplace and beyond, you can find her cuddled with bae at home watching reruns of Insecure.

The end of 2019 is near!

We started the decade off with a newly elected Black president in Barack Obama, and we're ending it by impeaching a crooked white one, how fitting?

There were so many moments this decade that defined  our culture and our lives. This episode isn't exhaustive  of everything but we dig into some of the highlight moments that happened in Oakland, The Bay, and beyond. 

See yall in 2020! Keep that #ImpeachmentEnergy going into the new year. 

-The Simones

@wokelandpodcast

Let's talk about black people from California...what's the first thing that comes to mind?

A WHOLE LOTTA LIES!!!

Lol, jk. But in all seriousness, as California natives we've heard alllll the stereotypes about Black people from California: from hippie hoteps to gangbangers to bougie tech people who only date interracially, we've heard it all. And on today's episode, we're going to get into these (whack) stereotypes with two of our friends. DNas from Oakland and host of StreetsIzTalking Radio and Faith, an Oakland-based Educator who is originally from LA.

Shoutout to San Jose!  

You can find DNas here: @dnastee

Faith - @winfortheculture 

And us @wokelandpodcast

Please subscribe to our show on Spotify, iTunes, and  Google Play.

Sooooooo.. Your girls attended Afrotech this year and you know we had collect all the deets and provide you with our honest feedback! This is our second year attending the conference (our first time was Afrotech's inaugural year) and it felt so refreshing to be among so many Black professionals. We also discuss some of the social impacts of the conference and we would like to see being offered in the future.

This episode is for the amplification, storytelling, and healing of Black men. Our panelists share their experiences at the intersection of Blackness and Masculinity. Our all black, male panel discuss many of the myths and stereotypes that plague Black men in everyday life.

Our panelists --

Dr. Bedford Palmer II (MODERATOR) is a licensed counseling psychologist and Associate Professor in the Counseling Department at Saint Mary’s College of California. He also co-hosts the Naming It podcast, where he promotes social justice action and awareness through a psychological lens. (Contact @drbfpalmer)

Denzel Herrera-Davis is a storyteller, life coach, and consultant living in Oakland, CA. He is the founder of Create The Space, a novel developmental wellness program for men of color that promotes healing, embraces healthy relationships, and challenges traditional notions of masculinity for men of color through shared vulnerability in community workshops and events. (Contact @create_the_space)

Leon Sykes aka Dnas is a Oakland native, educator, On-Air host (Streets Is Talking Radio), founding memeber of #510Day, and community leader. All around champion of all things pertaining to Black Oakland.(Contact @dnastee)

William Walker has worked in community organizing, secondary and higher public education, and in government administration roles. He currently works as a Capital Projects Intern with the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and lives in the Lakeview neighborhood of San Francisco.

Jesse Byrd is an Award-Winning Children’s Book Author and Oakland Native. Besides his original work, Jesse is creating children’s books for ex-NBA players, Public Figures and Non-Profits. (Contact @b.y.r.d)