Madness Cafe Raquel Howard and Jennifer Bolanos

In this episode, Raquel and Jennifer talk to Dr. Amani Ballour about her experience of survival during Syria's civil war.

Dr. Ballour is a distinguished Syrian pediatrician, activist and author. Her memoir, The Cave: A Secret Underground Hospital and One Woman’s Story of Survival in Syria depicts her experience running an underground hospital during the Syrian conflict, facing chemical attacks and her eventual displacement, and the critical issues faced by civilians in war zones, particularly women and children. The documentary about her experiences running the underground hospital was nominated for an Oscar in 2019. Dr. Ballour is recognized internationally for her advocacy for women's and children's rights, especially under the harrowing conditions of the Syrian civil war.

Where to find Dr. Ballour:
Instagram: @amani_ballour
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008268907883&mibextid=ZbWKwL
X:  @AmaniBallour)

Mentioned in this episode:
The Cave: https://films.nationalgeographic.com/the-cave
Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/
International Committee of The Red Cross: https://www.icrc.org/en
International Organization for Migration: https://www.iom.int/
Syrian American Medical Society: https://www.sams-usa.net/
The UN Refugee Agency: https://www.unhcr.org/us/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwl4yyBhAgEiwADSEjeDfBSvRRMioUxzMJ8leRvblv7U93G5vfbJ0yjpqEnqpuw09r9J-cwRoCq8wQAvD_BwE


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Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.

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In this week's episode, Raquel and Jennifer tackle the emotionally charged topic of white women's tears and their weaponization. It's a difficult, but necessary, conversation that needs to happen more often.

Mentioned in, or consulted for, this episode:
How White Women Use Tears as a Weapon | Awesomely Luvvie

White Woman Tears: These Tears Taste Like Oppression | by Alexandria Bennett | Medium

Black Like Me: S3 Ep. 57: White Women's Tears and "White Fragility": An Interview With NY Times Best Selling Author and Anti-Racism Scholar Dr. Robin DiAngelo (libsyn.com)

How white women use strategic tears to silence women of colour | Ruby Hamad | The Guardian

When The 'White Tears' Just Keep Coming : Code Switch : NPR

https://blackgirlinmaine.com/racial-and-cultural/weapon-of-lass-destruction-the-tears-of-a-white-woman/

White Women’s Tears and the Men Who Love Them | by The Good Men Project | Co-existence | Medium

The Weapons of White Women's Tears | LinkedIn

The Power of White Women’s Tears | LinkedIn

The Damaging Tears of White Women | by Seanna Writes | The Startup | Medium

How the Karen Meme Confronts History of White Womanhood | TIME

Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash
Support the Show.

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

In this week's episode, Raquel and Jennifer speak with guest April Brenneman about her transformation from evangelical Christianity to a wider, inclusive, and liberated spirituality. They also discuss April's work as a Somatic Spiritual Companion and her enthusiastic embrace of The Wise Crone.

April Brenneman is a Somatic Spiritual Companion, a Hatha Yoga teacher, and an Embodied Spirituality Teacher. Her passion is for wholeness and healing: physically, spiritually and emotionally. April understands that to be human is to be on a journey of continued growth and transformation. Her own spirituality can be described as Earth Spirituality and Embodied Christic Contemplation.

Where to find April Brenneman:
Email: thecontemplativspace@gmail.com, aprilann.brenneman@gmail.com
Website: www.thecontemplativespace.com 
IG: @thecontemplativespace, @aprilannlife
Support the Show.

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

In this episode, Raquel and Jennifer discuss reparations - what they are, why they're needed, when they've been paid, what needs to come next, and so much more. It's a big topic fraught with emotional and societal landmines, but that doesn't have to stop the conversation from happening.

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about reparations, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you.

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation.

Mentioned in the episode:
America Has Tried Reparations Before. Here Is How It Went

Why We Need Reparations for Black Americans

Into America Presents Uncounted Millions: The Power of Reparations

Brickz Black Power Podcast - S1 E12 - What If We Got Reparations


Support the Show.

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

In this episode, Raquel and Jennifer speak with Jezz Chung about their debut book, This Way to Change: A Gentle Guide to Personal Transformation and Collective Liberation, an inspirational roadmap to changing yourself and the world through self-healing, transformation, and decolonization. Listen in as they talk about the importance of poetry, healing, transformation, and liberation.

Jezz Chung is an artist, poet, and public speaker focusing on cultural change through personal transformation. Their neurodivergent, queer, Korean American experiences shape their work and beliefs in personal transformation as a practice of collective change. They are celebrated not only for their commitment to change, but for their practice of honesty and vulnerability. The mission behind their work comes back to two main intentions: help people feel less alone and more alive. Jezz has been named a Melanin Unscripted 2021 Social Shaper, a Pride Logo 30 honoree, and a Made of Millions mental health advocate.

Where to find Jezz Chung and their work:
Website: jezzchung.com
Instagram: @jezzchung
Book: This Way to Change: A Gentle Guide to Personal Transformation and Collective Liberation—Poems, Prose, Practices (smarturl.it)
Digital zine: HOW TO BUILD A WORLD: an imperfect guide by Jezz Chung by jezzchung - Issuu
Podcast: Dreaming Different
Support the Show.

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Girl dinner, girl boss, girl math, cool girls. There's so much more to girlhood than these (and other) phrases would have us believe. There is a power and greatness in girls, and in the way they show their resistance. Girls resist in big and small ways - at home, in society, around the world. Jody Myrum's and Ayat Mneina's work shows that resistance is not reserved for exceptional girls. In Stories of Girls' Resistance, a global feminist storytelling project dedicated to documenting a true recount of history grounded in the role of girls’ resistance across social movements, they are working to create a new dialogue around girlhood that puts girls’ words and experiences at the center. Resistance, they argue, is part of what it means to be a girl.

Stories of Girls' Resistance launched a digital campaign on April 8th, encouraging girls and women to share their own stories of girlhood resistance on TikTok and Instagram. Please share your own story of girlhood resistance.

Where to find Stories of Girls' Resistance:
Website: https://girlsresistance.org/
Instagram: @girlsresistance
TikTok: @girlsresistance 
Support the Show.

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!