Black Mama, White Mama Black Mama, White Mama

So much has transpired in the last year, but has anything really changed? We reflect on a year of tragic anniversaries, check in on how schools are discussing (or not) what's happening around us, and are left wondering -- aren't we right back where we began?

The search engines and apps we use every day are not neutral - they have encoded biases that can reinforce racist stereotypes. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble, who wrote the book (literally) on search engine bias. We discuss how search engines can perpetuate racism, what we can do to create a more just internet, and why you should never take one of those "Which Disney Princess Are You?" quizzes. 
Further Reading:
Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
Venus in the Dark: Blackness and Beauty in Popular Culture

We try to make sense of why white people are seemingly just "waking" up to racism. And how we move forward from here. 
What we're reading:
When Black People are in Pain, White People Just Join Book Clubs
What is an Anti-Racist Reading List For?
10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship
Why White Parents Need to Do More Than Talk to Their Parents About Racism
Beyond the Hashtag: How to Take Anti-Racist Action in Your Life
'Unarmed Black Man' Doesn't Mean What You Think it Means
What is Owed

It's been a year since we launched our first episode. We reflect on our parenting wins, where we've fallen short, and what happens when your school ups the ante on anti-racist discourse.
Reading List:
Black Lives Matter at School

Zora: 100 Best Books by Black Female Authors
Poetry Foundation: Celebrating Black History Month
Here Wee Read

Have you ever asked this question? Have you ever been asked this question? The multiracial population is the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. Monika and Jennifer talk about our cultural fascination with -- and stereotypes about -- multiracial people. In what ways do we "other" them? Where do they fit in? Fellow mom Kira Onodera joins the show to share her experiences growing up biracial and how that shaped how she's raising her multiracial kids. Jennifer and Monika also ask the question -- how do you pass along a strong and positive racial identity, but not fear, in the age of Trump.
 
Further reading/listening:
Study Examines Stereotypes of Biracial Groups in the US
 

Biracial Youth's Political Attitudes and Self-Identification Factors
 
Code Switch: All Mixed Up
 
Multiracial in America
 

Many white parents have no idea how to talk with their kids about race, so they avoid the topic entirely. But as author and professor Jennifer Harvey, PhD., points out, “White silence is deadly.” This week, we speak with Dr. Harvey about her brilliant book Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America. We discuss why teaching kids to be colorblind doesn’t work, how to desegregate your life, and strategies for raising kids to be allies against racism.