Neem Talks Race: Interview Series Tasneem Sarkez

Today, I interview the talented multimedia artist Gabrielle Narcisse. Gabrielle and I talk about our thoughts on the experience of being an artist of color, expectations, and pressures we feel, the language we use to discuss BIPOC art, how white people perceive our work, and dive into Gabrielle's artistic practice. To keep up with her work, find her Instagram at @gabrielllenarcisse and art archive at @gabrielleglitters. As well as her organization @blackgirlfightclub

In the last episode, I talk with Jake about a racist incident that happened to me in middle school involving him and another person. I get to know more about Jake's upbringing as a white person in Portland and how that impacted his perception of racism, accountability for white people, how racism affects POC at a young age, ways to approach conversations when racist events happen, and overall reflect on the situation and how we've both changed. 

Vanderbilt University has gained a lot of attention for being one of the main schools leading the Abolish Greek Life movement (also referred to as AGL). Julia, Lamar, and Joey discuss their personal experiences as BIPOC within greek life, why they dropped, reform vs. abolition, responses to those who are against AGL, performative activism, and lastly initiatives for colleges when greek life is abolished. To stay updated with AGL at Vanderbilt follow @abolishvandyifcandpanhellenic on IG

Part 2. We talk more about how qurantine has made us reflect on race and self-esteem, spend a lot of time discussing cultural appropriation vs. appreciation, the fashion industry, and social media. 

This is part one of a two-part episode where Hana, Leyla, and I, talk about beauty standards for BIPOC women. In this part, we talk about the fox eye trend, racial preferences, the Kardashians, personal experiences in a predominately white high school, and analyzing the racism behind statements about what it means to be seen as "beautiful". 

Today, I discuss with Liem and Caleb about stereotypes they've grown up with as men of color in Portland, the role of art (rap & film-making) in combating stereotypes, and the intersections of masculinity and race. To keep up with Caleb's music you can find him on Spotify/SoundCloud under the name "Yung CED", and Liem's work on Instagram @liemackenzie.