Dear Brown Girls Dear Brown Girls

Since the death of Mahsa Amini, protests have erupted all over Iran, with citizens calling for an end to the government's Morality Police and demanding "Woman, Life, Freedom." Images of women cutting off their hair and burning their hijabs have made their way to the world, and the world has reacted. We sat down to discuss how we can best amplify the voices of Iranians, along with some background on the Iranian government, our thoughts on the French police comparisons, and why we feel that Muslims and Republicans alike need to stay in their lane. 
Episode Cover Art Credit: Iran protests: Leader praises force quashing dissent | CTV News

Iza and Dia are back with our (cold) hot takes about Indian Matchmaking season 2. Spoiler alert: the show has definitely gotten worse! Seema Aunty is back again taking the country by storm, arranging meetups (settle for 70% of what you want, please), styling up parties, and throwing stank face when things don't go her way. We come back to a cast of familiar characters (which... why?) and whole host of new ones to watch awkwardly search for love with the help of India's best matchmaker. 

Its been a busy summer, and we've got some exciting life updates to share with you that will make even the aunties rejoice!

The crisis in Ukraine has shaken the world. We've seen the plight of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country, and how the world has come together to help. We've been reading and watching the news, and kept noticing this tendency of reporters to compare this refugee crisis to others in the past... as if we must pit them together . This compelled us to dig deeper, and what we found wasn't good. Join us as we dig into how refugees are being differentiated, and whether it's coming from Eurocentrism, racism, or something else, and how this discrimination has found its way into the legislation of countries that have received refugees. They've already caused harm, and will continue to do so if nothing changes. We ask for all refugees to be treated better! 
Note: This episode was recorded in the beginning of April, roughly 1 month after the war in Ukraine began. Some statistics may be out of date.
Where to help:

Ukraine (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
Afghanistan (International Rescue Committee)
Syria (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund)
Iraq (Non-violent Peace Force)
Yemen (Doctors Without Borders)

Sources available at: dearbrowngirls-refugees.carrd.co

Delve into the weeds about the particular relationship brown women can have with beauty and their own bodies. We're hairier than we expected (looking at you, rogue chin hair), plagued with permanent under-eye bags or bi-coloured lips, and grew up taking oily slicked-back braids to school.  Sometimes it feels like a lot. We chat about learning to love our own beauty, and recontextualizing it with our own standards rather than others, and embracing the cultural traditions of beauty that we've inherited. (But not the bad ones! Looking at you, colourism!)

Do your parents also keep all their savings in gold? When asked what they have saved for the future, they respond, "Well, that's what you're for, aren't you?" Iza and Dia dig into what it's like growing up as an immigrant, and how that has affected our relationship with money as adults. We ask deep-hitting questions like, "Why do I feel bad buying something for full price?" and "Is it normal to want to keep all your money under your bed?" At the end, we tell you how you can bid for our new, unique, one of a kind NFT! Just joking, what's an NFT?