Choose Awareness

Choose Awareness
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Choose Awareness is a podcast that discusses antiracist ideas and stories that are educational, inspirational, and challenging - because change is possible with greater awareness. The vision of Choose Awareness is to foster empathy and inspire activism. Check out the blog at ChooseAwareness.org and follow @ChooseToBeAware on Instagram!

  1. 06/03/2021

    The Power of Words

    If you follow @ChooseToBeAware on Instagram (which I hope you do!) you might have seen that the theme for this month is all about unlearning. Unlearning distorted versions of history or false ideas we’ve all been taught over time. And when it comes to unlearning racist ideas, especially racist words and phrases we often use, who better to talk to than Sadia of @_LanguageMatters?! That’s exactly what you’ll get to hear in this episode! We had a conversation back in early May where we talked about all kinds of things. We dissected racist and antiracist words and phrases, and we talked about how unlearning on its own isn’t sufficient and how it needs to be combined with action in order to truly produce change. My hope is the conversation will illustrate why it’s so important for us to be aware of the words that we use, and that we choose them carefully.

    1h 23m

  2. 04/30/2021

    What is Choose Awareness Really All About?

    It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since I started Choose Awareness. And wow, what a year it has been. I’ve learned a lot. I’m stilllearning a lot! And I can honestly say that my own thinking has evolved on some topics and ideas, even when it comes to Choose Awareness. And I was reflecting on that very idea not long ago when it hit me. I’ve never really shared much about why I started Choose Awareness in the first place, or what I initially intended it to be! So I decided to make a podcast about it. The vision hasn’t changed, and that’s still to foster empathy and inspire activism. But I have landed on a slightly different mission than the one I started out with, and I’m excited about it because I feel much more confident about what the purpose of Choose Awareness truly is and how I hope to leverage any influence it might have in the future. That’s what you’ll hear me unpack in this episode, along with me sharing a little about my own personal journey and what things like justice and racial justice and social justice mean to me. Hopefully, you’ll hear something you can relate to or that you can take away and apply to your own journey as it relates to social justice!

    44 min

  3. 03/17/2021

    Good Stuff

    I’ve been wanting to have a conversation with my friend Sherita Harkness for a while now, and I’m so glad we were finally able to make it happen! I’ve known Sherita for 5 years or so, and she is just an incredible human being. She’s smart, funny, and an incredible communicator. You’ll get to hear her share a little about her story as well as what it means to her to be seen as someone who deserves a seat at the table. She has an incredible way with words, and I hope you’ll enjoy listening to her as much as I did.

    51 min

  4. 01/27/2021

    An Honest Conversation with Generation Z - Part 2

    This part 2 of a longer conversation I had with some friends awhile back, so if you haven’t listened to part 1 of my conversation with Generation Z, you’ll probably want to do that first (and you can find it here). This episode is going to pick up right where that one left off as Lauren, Kristina, Kevin, and Clay sharing their personal reactions to injustices we all witnessed in 2020, as well as even some tangible and practical things they did in response. So if you’re someone who likes to take action and wants to but you’re not quite how or where to start, be sure to listen for that. Whether you’re a teenager or in your 60s, they’re things we can all do. And that’s the thing, so much of what they said seems relevant and helpful to people of all ages and circumstances. Even if you’re not someone who considers themselves an expert of social media or someone who stresses over how many likes or followers you have, I’m willing to bet the feelings and interactions they describe are still relevant to how you talk or don’t talk to people sometimes, that it might describe how you choose to engage or not engage with people (or posts you see on social media). And I’m sure we can all relate to their thoughts and concerns about cancel culture. Because regardless of whether it’s on Instagram, Facebook, a text message, a phone call, or even a face-to-face conversation, we all have those feelings of nervousness, hesitation, and the desire to avoid people sometimes rather than having hard or uncomfortable conversations.

    46 min

  5. 01/17/2021

    An Honest Conversation with Generation Z - Part 1

    Awhile back I came across this article that talked about the biggest obstacles being faced by future generations, and, after reading it, I found myself wanting to have an actual conversation with Generation Z. And that’s what you’ll hear in this episode. It’s a chat I had with my friends Lauren, Kristina, Kevin, and Clay where I asked them to share what they consider to be the biggest challenges faced by people their age, or by the entire nation, at the moment. Honestly, I fully expected their responses to be similar to the article I read. I expected them to say things like climate change, gun violence and school shootings, student debt, etc. But to my surprise, that is not what they said. Those things are all certainly super important to them, but it’s just not what they said. Instead, they said… Fear of loss or not knowing what the future holds. The inability to sit in silence and wrestle with your own thoughts, especially during this pandemic. The lack of authentic, honest, and vulnerable conversations. The division produced by media and politics and the apathy that results from it. I was absolutely blown away by both their awareness of these struggles, their ability to unpack them, and their thoughts on how to address them. This is the first of a two-part series so be on the lookout for the second episode in the coming weeks, and I do want to want point out just one more thing. This particular conversation was recorded the week before Christmas, which means it was before the inauguration scheduled a few days from now, it was before the riots at the Capitol several weeks ago, and it was before the Senate runoffs were officially decided here in Georgia. Regardless of your age, whether you’re 25 or 65, my hope is that you’ll be able to relate to some of what they have to say and that you’ll hear something applicable that’s worth putting into practice in your own life.

    1h 5m

  6. 01/06/2021

    Poverty isn’t a Project, It’s a Person

    Can you believe it?! We made to 2021! Hopefully, this year will be better than 2020. Hopefully, it will be a year filled with hope and optimism. And hopefully this conversation will be a great way to start off that kind of year. Awhile back I made an episode with my dad where he shared some of his story and described what it was like for him as an immigrant who left Algeria and came TO America. But I also had hopes of sharing the story of someone who emigrated FROM America. And that’s what you’ll get to hear in this episode! About a month ago I had the chance to talk with my friends Lilly and Ashley, who both currently live in Costa Rica. Ashley is an American who moved to Costa Rica about 10 years ago while Lilly is from Costa Rica but spent some of her childhood here in the U.S. They were kind enough to describe a little about their experiences when it comes to living in a different country, but that was such a small portion of what we talked about. They also shared about what life is like in in Costa Rica and what they’re doing with Hope Partners to help children in need achieve their dreams. I’m blessed to be able to call them friends and I find their hearts for people to be so inspiring. Maybe you will too! I hope they inspire you to ask what poverty means to you. Or who poverty is to you. And be sure to check out https://hopepartners.org/ for more about Hope Partners International!

    1h 36m

  7. 11/26/2020

    Have You Ever Thought Your Vote Doesn't Matter?

    Meet Brent Whiting and Chinua Hawk! If you’re someone who has ever thought your vote doesn’t matter, they would disagree. I had the chance to chat with them recently where they shared about TomorrowWeVote.org and how they’re aiming to empower the next generation when it comes to voting. The three of us also played “Did you know…?” and tested our knowledge on things like runoff elections, the lack of diversity with Senators and Governors, and so much more. This episode is a little longer than previous ones, and some may have thought all the talk about voting would end after November 3rd. But the reality is, not only are Senate Runoffs taking place here in Georgia in January, voting is important and demands more attention than simply every four years. Personally, I’ve learned so much this election season, and that didn’t stop on November 3rd. I’ve probably learned more since November 3rd, actually. And, as always, I like to share what I learn and thought having this conversation with Brent and Chinua was a perfect opportunity to do just that. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll register to vote! And if you're curious about where I got my info or want to know more, check out this full blog post for this episode at ChooseAwareness.org!

    1h 39m

  8. 11/11/2020

    A Conversation with My Dad

    This episode is a special one. It’s a conversation I recently had with my dad, Chaouki Tabet. There are some interesting stories that I’ve heard bits and pieces of over the years but I’ve never actually sat down to have a conversation about them with my dad. For instance, I know he emigrated from Algeria on his own without any family, but I’ve never heard him describe what that was actually like for him. I know he has faced racism firsthand here in America, even from some surprising culprits, but I’ve never asked him to share those stories or what it felt like. And one day I realized there’s so much more about him and his journey that I don’t know, and I’ll never know, unless I ask him about it. So that’s what I did! Thankfully, not only was he willing to talk with me about these things and more, he was also willing to record it so it could be shared with the world. Consider it one Algerian’s perspective. As always, if you give it a listen, I’d love to know what you think! And at the very least, maybe it will inspire you to consider any stories or questions you might want to ask your own parents or family about.

    57 min
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5
out of 5
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About

Choose Awareness is a podcast that discusses antiracist ideas and stories that are educational, inspirational, and challenging - because change is possible with greater awareness. The vision of Choose Awareness is to foster empathy and inspire activism. Check out the blog at ChooseAwareness.org and follow @ChooseToBeAware on Instagram!

Information

  • Creator
    Choose Awareness
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2021
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Choose Awareness
  • Show Website
    Choose Awareness