Heard with my Heart Emily Fabiaschi

This episode has a special conversation partner, one of my personal heroes…my mom!

Like many moms she is very humble / doesn’t get half the credit she deserves, but I try to highlight a few things she’s taught me by her example:

-She started a program in her town to support young, low-income moms. She was once a young, low-income mom, but had a very large support system of family / friends who helped out her/my dad. She realized not everyone had access to that type of support system so started this program many years ago once she had some extra time/resources. It has has now morphed into an early literacy program that’s run via playgroups at a (relatively) new children’s museum in town
-She is an advocate for improving the public schools in our town, including ones her kids never went to
-She is a master at respectfully disagreeing with people she knows in conversation in such a way that they actually *listen* to the point she’s making
-She is into the Both / And of helping out in micro/more immediate ways in her community AND supporting macro/longer-term changes to structures to combat systemic racism

We also talk about:
-my time visiting Memphis and Nashville
-our mutual love of museums and dance
-how the important conversations to have as a family (now of all adults) are often the ones that feel a bit scary to have
-how we all have a role to play in the struggle against racism/white supremacy and toward liberation and are continually learning

*my audio cuts out for a second or two in a few different spots, guess my wifi connection wasn’t great for the recording, sorry!
**this was recorded on 1/14/22

A couple resources on topics mentioned (including the current fight for voting rights and against mass incarceration):

-Explained, whose vote counts (2020 episode)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yn36tY7rNUM&pp=QAFIAQ%3D%3D
-Shelby County v Holder (2013 Supreme Court decision)
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/how-shelby-county-broke-america/564707/
-13th (2016 documentary)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K6IXQbXPO3I

-COINTELPRO (This page includes a link to a guide for teachers on how to use the actual COINTELPRO documents to teach students about this subject, which is left out of most US history textbooks): https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/cointelpro-exposed/

-Mapping our roles in Social Change Ecosystems (2020)

https://buildingmovement.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Final-Mapping-Ecosystem-Guide-CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0-Handles.pdf

In this episode I share stories from my time in Little Rock and Tulsa. We discuss the following questions:
-How are we defining “race” and “racism” on this show? What is the both/and of these words?
-How does the manifestation of racism evolve for each new generation? e.g. from centuries of chattel slavery, to the Jim Crow era (Tulsa race massacre), to the backlash to the Civil Rights movement (Little Rock 9), to the Urban Renewal/War on Drugs/Mass Incarceration, to the current backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement.

https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/blackrights

-Knowing that progress only happens with intentional work focused on results/impact (i.e. it doesn’t just happen on its own), how do we each find our role in the current struggle for racial equity?
-How is racism linked to classism? At a systems level? At an individual level?
-Why do certain very wealthy, white political leaders get nervous about multi-racial, multi-class coalitions and try to create division? e.g. Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign, which continues today: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/about/
-While it’s clear to see how classism harms the people with the least power/resources (i.e. the poor and working class), how does classism (and all systems of oppression) harm the people with the most power/resources (i.e. the very wealthy)?
-If people of all different classes (including middle class and upper-middle class) saw that the system of classism harms people at every level (in different ways), how might that grow movements like the Poor People’s Campaign / Black Lives Matter and accelerate our transition to greater racial equity/a more liberated system?
-How might we move beyond the Either/Or debate of Capitalism v. Socialism? How might we build a financial system that takes the best aspects of each (ie. innovation, everyone being cared for, etc)?
Resources:
I was unaware until this episode that there are still debates about the “biology of race” in the 21st century (but since white supremacy is always evolving, it’s not surprising that the science of genetics is being twisted to fit this agenda). While I find these debates highly troubling (and I thought about cutting this section of the episode), I realize I may find myself talking to someone who believes that human races are the same type of grouping as animal sub-species. These articles provide details about recent genetic research that once again debunk this untrue and harmful idea.

https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/science-genetics-reshaping-race-debate-21st-century/

https://evolution-outreach.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12052-019-0109-y#ref-CR35

This episode was recorded on 12/10 when I first got to Memphis, hours before tornadoes/storms tore through TN, KY, IL, AR, MO, MS
Donate to grassroots orgs that serve Kentuckians who may otherwise be neglected by other relief efforts, particularly Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Refugee, Immigrant, and poor and working class Kentuckians

https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/kentucky-tornado-relief-surj?source=direct_link&

Also, check out Kate’s new venture for women to share their wisdom, Welle, https://wellehello.com

In this episode we discuss the importance of time with chosen family/ alone time for a more liberated holiday season. We dig into (and once again often disagree) on the following questions: Why do far more tourists flock to the National Memorial in OK City than the Greenwood memorial in Tulsa (2 domestic terrorist attacks rooted in white supremacy)? Is racial repair / reconciliation work useful/powerful if it happens generations after the original harm occurred? For original harms that happened long ago, can we stretch beyond the binary of “victim” and “perpetrator”, and each find a role for ourselves in repair work? Is there a case for reparations (financial aspect) / reconciliation process to be done on a local level (rather than a large, federal program)? For countries with stronger social programs than the US (those with smaller land size, population and historically less racial diversity like Denmark and Italy) what are the effects on the economy? How do these white-majority countries react when their population becomes more racially diverse? Podcasts with more information on reconciliation processes, reparations and the racial wealth gap: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reparations-the-big-payback/id1548013961. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/code-switch/id1112190608?i=1000507523031. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519?i=1000485140675. Studies on reparations and the racial wealth gap: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/the-economic-impact-of-closing-the-racial-wealth-gap. https://heller.brandeis.edu/iere/pdfs/racial-wealth-equity/racial-wealth-gap/roots-widening-racial-wealth-gap.pdf. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/02/27/examining-the-black-white-wealth-gap/amp/ https://time.com/5887247/reparations-america-rosewood-massacre/. https://www.npr.org/2021/11/12/1054889820/a-bill-to-study-reparations-for-slavery-had-momentum-in-congress-but-still-no-vote. Article on the current rise in white supremacy terrorism. https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/US/nations-deadliest-domestic-terrorist-inspiring-generation-hate-filled/story%3fid=73431262 Find out which indigenous tribe’s land you’re on and their current initiatives: https://native-land.ca

In this episode we discuss how I’ve now met about two dozen people on my listening tour. I’m emotionally moved that within 5-10 minutes of talking, they share the hardest and best aspects of their lives. While these people vary (in race, gender, age, born in different regions of the country) everyone is essentially looking for the same thing: housing, food, strong relationships/community, and a sense of purpose. Its been especially fun for me to learn the stories of elders (folks in their 70s/80s), who don’t always get the respect they deserve. Most people seem to agree that those with a little more could do less hoarding/more sharing with those who have less since any one person’s wealth is the result of many collective systems, policies, and generations. Where we disagree is on the mechanisms / policies that can make that redistribution a reality.

Reminder that you can find out which native tribe’s land you’re on, their history and their present here:
https://native-land.ca/
For an example of what repair work looks like in action, this is an indigenous woman group that is leading repair work in the Bay Area:
https://sogoreate-landtrust.org/

The main topic is money - specifically how I can afford to do this road trip. I share that my current savings are the result of the accumulation of generational wealth (i.e. my individual “savings mindset” and long hours working the past 12 years are but a small contributor to my overall savings).

This is related to the racial wealth gap as different points along this inter-generational journey are affected by the ability to access capital (e.g. mortgage, small business loan) / certain social networks, which is tied to race. I recommend watching this quick YouTube video, which explains the racial wealth gap, including the specific policies (recent and historical) that led to the gap:
“Explained - Racial Wealth Gap”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqrhn8khGLM

In this way, each generation cannot be looked at by itself, it must be reviewed in the context of the generations that came before. I express my appreciation for the “gratitude/ community-based mindset” and “savings mindset” instilled in me by my parents.

Next, we discuss what it was like for Kate’s family to live paycheck to paycheck and never have anything left to put into savings, with little knowledge of capital markets. We also discuss (and disagree on) ideas for closing the racial wealth gap. We agree that ideas like financial literacy classes in middle/high school for every student are great, however, they do not directly address racism, which caused the gap.
One school of thought for closing the racial wealth gap is “baby bonds” or “social security at birth.” This type of program could be targeted at the poor, rather than giving every baby the same amount of money. While this idea addresses classism, is does not directly address racism.

Another school of thought includes acknowledging the past/present harm of black folks through repair work. The financial aspect (which is just one aspect of a bigger reconciliation process) of this repair work is often referred to as reparations (i.e. compensation given for abuse or injury). I feel getting into, and addressing, the deep root causes of the racial wealth gap is spiritual work that will benefit the entire nation.

One way to raise money to pay reparations would be to tax the inheritances of the very wealthy (not middle class) at a higher rate. Unlike other countries that have created reconciliation programs for horrific atrocities (including, but not limited to, financial aspects), the US has never even done an exploratory committee to look into this reconciliation process. Learn more about the 30 year old bill for this, HR 40, here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/40 Here is the Duke study on the racial wealth gap I referenced: https://socialequity.duke.edu/portfolio-item/what-we-get-wrong-

In this episode we introduce ourselves and share travel stories. We also dig into questions around safety while traveling solo as a woman. Note: the audio is not the best on this episode, future episodes have far better audio quality. Questions and data dives include: Why do people fear for the safety of women more than men? Who harms women (people known to the woman or complete strangers)? When a woman goes missing, how does her identity impact the media coverage /resources that her case receives? Which neighborhoods and communities do we prioritize when it’s comes to safety? When we are walking through the world (whatever gender) how can we develop discernment around when we are uncomfortable vs unsafe? When we notice that we’re feeling unsafe (or uncomfortable) what steps can we take to avoid harm not just for us, but for people around us? (ie by protecting our safety, are we putting someone else’s safety at risk?) If your body has gone into flight or fight mode (because you’re uncomfortable or unsafe) what can you do after to bring it out of that elevated stress mode? Who should be leading the charge to build a society where everyone feels more safe and liberated? If you care about the safety of women and non-binary folks, what are things you could support that could make a positive change? How can you BOTH be aware of your surroundings AND the stories from media programmed in your mind, if you are traveling alone or thinking of doing a solo trip (whatever your gender)? *while there is not great data around non-binary folks, we try (though sometimes fail) to have this conversation stretch beyond the gender binary* **please be aware, this episode includes discussion of assault (including sexual assault), kidnap, and murder** Website Recommendations: www.native-land.ca , www.nativewomenswilderness.org/mmiw Book Recommendation: Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis