According to Weeze

Latest Episodes:

Part 2: What It's Like to Seek Asylum w/ Ranier "Ray" Rodriguez Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

In this second part of the episode, Weeze has a conversation with Sidewalk School's Academic Director and Teacher, Rainier Rodriguez. Sidewalk School is an organization that educates and supports those facing displacement in the Matamoros Tent City, a refugee camp. Having been granted asylum in January 2020, Ray takes us through the experience of what it was like to go through the process, detailing what people are forced to endure.

ABOUT WEEZE

Louiza Doran, known and referred to as Weeze, is a cis-het Amazigh* female identifying human who uses she/her/they/them pronouns. She's known as a coach, podcast host, advocate, agent of change, strategist and educator (to name a few) but is ultimately a compassionate provocateur that is out to help folks uncover their path of possibility.

ABOUT RAY

Rainer "Ray" Rodriguez is a Cuban English professor/ Interpreter who worked as a professor at the technical university in Havana. After suffering from political persecution and discrimination with no other option, he left to Panama and crossed 2500 miles through Central America to reach the Southern border of the USA. In Matamoros, he worked with many organizations helping asylum seekers and worked at the Sidewalk School since the beginning teaching and being the Academic Director of the school. He was granted asylum in January of 2020 when he moved to Washington DC and continues working with the school.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

Ray's journey as an asylum seeker from Cuba and what the process looked like.
Living in Mexico, taking daily trips to the border to eat and wait to be called, court dates, being in unsafe environments, the lack of infrastructure around being able to work and earn money, and more.
How going to the border as an asylum seeker to get food led him to meeting Felicia.
How Ray was able to be a translator between the American organizations and Central American asylum seekers, so folks could get what they needed.
Dismantling the narrative of asylum seekers being uneducated, criminals, and liars who only want to come to America to steal jobs.
How the process is designed to create hurdles for people to actually win any asylum case.
The tone of aggression, disbelief, trauma, and lack of resources people have when going to court.

CALL TO ACTION

Educate yourself about what is happening with asylum seekers before you just donate. Investigate, see who's behind the organizations, and then support.
If you have the education that can help others, maybe you can speak another language, volunteer your time.
Donate to Sidewalk School: https://www.sidewalkschool.org
Purchase Mel's artwork: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SidewalkSchool

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-fFpzorlE3lCC4DwKN7Gz8XRy4l6inl3/view?usp=sharing

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW RAY TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.sidewalkschool.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidewalkschool

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r4ystackhouse

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesidewalkschool/

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SidewalkSchool

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sidewalkschool

Part 1: Educating & Supporting Displaced Asylum Seekers w/ Felicia Rangel-Samponaro Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

This episode is part one of two amazing episodes we've got with The Sidewalk School. In this episode, Weeze has a conversation with Director Felicia, about how The Sidewalk School was founded in response to the need for education and support for those facing displacement in the Matamoros Tent City, a refugee camp. They discuss the realities of asylum seekers and how they've been mistreated due to Trump's immigration policy changes, Biden's backwards approach to "fixing" them, and what we can do to support these folks who legally did exactly what they were supposed to, but have been displaced for years...years!

ABOUT WEEZE

ABOUT FELICIA

Felicia Rangel-Samponaro holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Houston. Prior to moving to Brownsville, TX, she was a certified teacher in the Houston area. Felicia is married and is a proud mother to her 9-year-old son. Despite being a non-Spanish speaker amongst a fully Spanish-speaking staff, she has been a volunteer in the Matamoros Tent City with the Asylum Seekers since late 2018. Through her work with the Sidewalk School, she believes that anything is possible, especially creating and running schools in Mexico.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

The education and resources Sidewalk School provides to asylum seekers in the Matamoras encampment.
How the Matamoras encampment grew to a population of 5000 displaced people!
How Trump silently legalized the separation and kidnapping of children in internment camps.
How children were sent to kid jails from a matter of weeks to years, deported back to their native countries, and placed in foster care.
The backwards way Pres. Robinette has decided to "fix" the Migrant Protection Program.

CALL TO ACTION

Donate to Sidewalk School: https://www.sidewalkschool.org

Purchase Mel's artwork: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SidewalkSchool

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10p5HbMf0Uq92Vh-e6WRpp-6c7w_GbY7Z/view?usp=sharing

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW FELICIA TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.sidewalkschool.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidewalkschool

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesidewalkschool/

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SidewalkSchool

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sidewalkschool

Breaking Barriers to Book Distribution w/ Shane Foster and Tyrel Dale Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Weeze and Tyrel & Shane of X Books have a very real conversation about how the prison industrial complex blocks access to books for incarcerated folks and how X Books is a part of that solution. Through book donations, drives, and funding, X Books is stepping in to fill the much needed gap of giving reading materials to folks who are in prison, so they have an opportunity to receive enrichment, education, and support.

ABOUT WEEZE

ABOUT SHANE FOSTER AND TYREL DALE

Shane Foster (he/him) is part of the group that organized and founded X Books, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Atlanta, GA, in the fall of 2020. He has his bachelor's degree in social work from Florida State University and a master's degree in communications from Georgia State University. He currently works in HR for a software company, has lived in Atlanta for 8 years now, and is proud to call this community home. Shane is beyond excited for what X Books can become and is thankful for the groups across the country doing similar work and honored to work alongside them in our mission to provide books to people that are currently incarcerated.

Tyrel Dale (he/him) is a founding board member of X Books, Inc. He attended the University of Georgia and majored in Political Science and African American Studies. During his time at UGA. He is currently a Policy Analyst at the Georgia General Assembly. His focus is on education, criminal justice, and workforce-related issues. After the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and Ahmaud Arbary, he was inspired to find ways to help the incarcerated community outside of the slow moving electoral system. He sees X Books becoming a non-profit that will be able to educate and inspire all Georgians of their power to disassemble the prison industrial system.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

Breaking barriers to book distribution, especially within the criminal justice system.
The prison system and how it intentionally withholds and blocks incarcerated people from accessing books.
The system cannot afford to give those that it has intentionally disenfranchised and oppressed, the guidebook to their own liberation.
How prisons are switching to E-Books and upcharging incarcerated folks for internet access to be able to use E-Readers, and they're also heavily locked in with Amazon.
Dismantling the systems that are blocking book access, teaming up with local bookstores & organizations, and providing funding to create opportunities.

CALL TO ACTION

Find an organization closest to you in your state that is doing similar work, and then follow, engage ,and donate to X Books.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OR-PfhqsJ4BM1Z2Tl9NX8JKskrt3EALX/view?usp=sharing

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW SHANE FOSTER AND TYREL DALE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://xbooks.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/x__books/

Healing While Black w/ Josh Odam Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

In this episode Weeze and Josh break down what it looks like to be on a healing journey, while Black. They talk about the history of violence toward Black and Brown folks in the psychological and psychiatric community, how this increases with identity intersections such as Queer, Trans, and Non-Binary, what it means to provide trauma informed care, why we hear that Black people don't go to therapy, and how we can reclaim our healing journeys in ways that feel safe to us.

ABOUT WEEZE

ABOUT JOSH ODAM

Josh Odam is a Trauma Informed Life Coach and the Founder and Curator of Healing While Black, an online platform devoted to normalizing conversations around mental health for Black and Indigenous queer, trans*, and gender non-conforming people. He understands his mental health is inextricably linked to anti-blackness and queerantagonism. His goal is to provide comprehensive and care for marginalized communities.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

What it means to provide trauma informed care in the healing space.
The history of violence toward Black and Brown people in the psychological and psychiatric community.
Josh's story with depression, a suicide attempt, and how Healing While Black, LLC was created.
Addressing the intersection of anti-Blackness and Queer, Trans, and Non-binary identities in the mental health field and how that impacts people.
The unlearning around mauraderism, exceptionalism, and making self-care a priority - because that's what actually keeps you going.
Being honest about when you need help, when you need to cry, and
Practicing Radical Softness as a way to reclaim our humanity.
How liberation work is being confused with the idea that it's our turn to oppress.
Healing is not a linear journey and it's never finished. Everyone's journey is different.

CALL TO ACTION

Follow all of Josh's resources and get familiar with grassroots organizations.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DDP133OTyJ0P0rvFMr5sh7Bo6AplD35t/view

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Sunday Survivor Series - https://www.instagram.com/jewel_thegem

The Free Roots Project - https://thefreerootsproject.com

Decolonizing Therapy by Dr. Jennifer Mullan - https://www.drjennifermullan.com

The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health by Dr. Reeda Walker - https://www.rheedawalkerphd.com/book

The Psychology of Blacks by Dr. Jospeh White - https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Blacks-Centering-Perspectives-Consciousness/dp/0131827731

Baldwin's Second Generation - https://www.facebook.com/baldwins2ndgen/

The Sylvia Rivera Law Project - https://srlp.org

Radical Softness by Lora Mathis - http://www.loramathis.com

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

Instagram: @accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW JOSH ODAM TO STAY ENGAGED

Cashapp/Venmo: @healingwhileblack

Patreon: Healingwhileblack

Website: Healingwhileblack.me

Twitter:@healingwhileblk

Instagram:@healingwhileblack

Clubhouse: Josh Odam

Existing Unapologetically w/ Pastor Lyvonne Proverbs Briggs Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Weeze and Lyvonne dive into pleasure, joy, healing, identity privilege, how to become a true co-conspirator, coming into community with our ancestors, and taking care of our bodies & spirits.

ABOUT WEEZE

ABOUT PASTOR LYVONNE PROVERBS BRIGGS

Pastor Lyvonne Proverbs Briggs (aka "Pastor Bae") is a body and sex-positive preacher, writer, and transformational speaker. She is the founder of beautiful scars, a healing-centered storytelling agency focused on fostering pleasure and resiliency; and the curator of The Proverbial Experience: An Instagram Church. Briggs has been featured in ESSENCE, Cosmopolitan, and The Washington Post magazines and Sojourners named her one of "11 Women Shaping the Church." Briggs, a NYC native, is currently based in New Orleans, LA.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

Decolonizing our healing process and working with our shadowside.
Becoming a co-conspirator and what it means to truly show up for the liberation of Black people.
How Lyvonne was inspired to shift her language from 'trauma informed' to 'healing centered'.
Why tapping into our joy and our pleasure is a vital necessity.
Learning what feels good and nourishing to our bodies & our spirits.
Dreaming as a spiritual practice, while resting, and loving ourselves.
Connecting with our ancestors and developing a strong relationship with them.

CALL TO ACTION

Everyone - Listen to Lyonne's "Say Less" Sermon on IGTV.
Black women + femmes - Sign up for Lyvonne's course 'I'm a Surthrivor'.
Black people - Spend some time creating space and supporting healing.
Black men - Go to therapy and heal your mother wounds.
Everyone - Facilitate or sponsor a Black woman's pleasure & healing.

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

IG: @accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW PASTOR LYVONNE PROVERBS BRIGGS TO STAY ENGAGED

Beautiful Scars Website: weresurthrivors.com

IG/Twitter: @weresurthrivors

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lyvonnep

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lyvonnep/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lyvonnep/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFwvKxVhBBFO-hx7J9OeC9g/channels

Connecting to Our Breath & Our Power w/ Katara Mccarty Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Weeze and Katara talk about wellness and healing (and the lack thereof) for Black, Brown, & Indegenous women and femmes of color. They challenge us to think and imagine what could be possible if we were nurtured, cared for, healed, and supported. Katara spoke about her experience in feeling the collective grief of COVID-19, watching the news portray health disparities about BBIPOC without sharing the full story, and witnessing the racist killings from earlier this year. She had a moment that broke her down into tears and nudged her into action to support her community, that was the birth of her BIWOC emotional wellness app, EXHALE.

ABOUT WEEZE

ABOUT KATARA

From out of the realities of abandonment by her biological mother, being bi-racial and growing up in a Black home, Katara McCarty realized early in life that the color of her skin mattered. After becoming a single mother at 19 and finding the courage to leave an abusive relationship, Katara became an entrepreneur holding leadership positions in both non- and for-profit organizations. Today, Katara is a sought-after coach, author, and podcast host dedicated to cultivating brave spaces where all Black, Indigenous, Women of Color (BIWOC) belong. As a Black woman, she is committed to amplifying the richness of BIWOC and their stories, while also advocating for and providing emotional well-being resources for BIWOC, through her app EXHALE.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

Visioning what Black,Brown, and Indigenous women & femmes could accomplish if they were nurtured, cared for, healed, and supported.
Why folks should stop calling BIWOC 'resilient' as a token of honor. We're not here for that.
How Katara's app, EXHALE, was created to support the emotional wellness of BIWOC.
Why our emotional and mental well-being should be our greatest priority.

CALL TO ACTION

Download EXHALE and include it in your cycle of sustainable revolution. Then come tell us what part of the app supported you most!

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

IG: @accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW KATARA TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.kataramccarty.com/

IG: @kataramccarty

Exhale App: https://www.kataramccarty.com/katara-exhale-app

Red Lips & Eye Rolls Podcast

Liberation Doesn't Exist Without Intersectionality w/ Terra Anderson Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Terra and Weeze break down what's required of each of us to ensure we're moving toward collective liberation. A part of that is understanding how to work with our privileged and marginalized identities. Just because someone holds a marginalized identity doesn't absolve them of perpetuating systems of oppression, so it's important for each of us to learn how to listen and follow, as well as understand when it's time to lead depending on the situation and what we're currently standing up for.

ABOUT WEEZE

ABOUT TERRA ANDERSON

Terra Lyn Anderson MA, R-DMT, LPC Registered Intern, has devoted their life to being a conduit for the healing connection between body and mind for both individuals and the collective. While pursuing their graduate degree in Somatic Counseling Psychology at Naropa University, Terra began to envision what the healing potential of embodiment would look like on a large societal scale, with people aware and empowered by both thought and feeling, attuned to one another, in love with and trusting of their own bodies, and able to consciously and intentionally regulate their nervous systems.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

Why having a marginalized identity doesn't absolve someone from reproducing systems of oppression and being held accountable.
The art of decentering and learning how to operate within our privileged and marginalized identities.
How privilege affects the body and what it does to us when it's unhealed and unacknowledged.
The emotional labor and toll it takes on those with marginalized identities to hold space and educate.

CALL TO ACTION

Do your work to separate biological sex from gender identitiy. Separating anatomy and body parts from the gender identity that a person holds, so we can transform the conversation around gender.

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

IG: @accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW TERRA TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: www.embodyemerge.com

IG: @embodyemerge

Professional FB: https://www.facebook.com/terraanderson.embodyemerge

Business FB: https://www.facebook.com/embodyemerge

Excuse Me, I'm Still Speaking w/ Myisha Hill Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Myisha and Weeze break down the ways Kamala Harris' language, tonality, and even body language were such a topic of conversation yet also the real lived experiences of BIPOC, especially Black women, in settings with whyte men. They talk about how the Black identity is often co-opted for profit, specifically pointing out how Breonna Taylor's name and image was used to sell merchandise but she didnt receive justice. They talk about their experiences as educators and how whytness impacts their businesses because certain people aren't truly invested in anti-racism, they just want the look or they want it for free.

ABOUT WEEZE

ABOUT MYISHA HILL

Myisha T is a mental health activist, speaker, and entrepreneur passionate about the mental wellness and empowerment for women. In 2018, Myisha became curious about white women and privilege after ending a relationship with a co-worker that negatively impacted her mental health. This led her to identify her own internalized oppression and racism. Not interested in throw-away culture, she decided to seek out safe ways that white folks are showing up for BIWoC. During Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Myisha began her Check Your Privilege interview series inquiring into the work some white women are doing to show up safely for BIPoC and move beyond passive ally-ship to action driven co-conspirators. Myisha works with organizations and community groups taking white people on a self-reflective journey exploring their relationship with power, privilege, and racism.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

Kamala Harris' language and facial expressions during the Vice Presidential debate.
The way language weaponizes and reinforces whyteness.
How Black identity is absorbed for the purpose of monetization, trends, and positionality and dismisses their humanity.
The experience of BIPOC educators expected to teach for free or at a discount.

CALL TO ACTION

Amplify the voices of Black educators, businesses, creatives, and those who have taught you and/or helped you on your anti-racism journey. Get on that same level you were on back in June 2020.

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

IG: @accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW MYISHA TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://checkyourprivilege.co

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ckyourprivilege

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-conspired-conversations/id1447632885

From Slave Patrol to Policing w/ Lettie Shumate Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Weeze and Lettie talk about the evolution of the police system, how it's rooted in the slave patrol from the 1700s, and the importance of restructuring and reimagining public safety.

ABOUT WEEZE

ABOUT LETTIE SHUMATE

Lettie Shumate is a Black woman, historian, antiracism educator, and facilitator in Southeastern North Carolina. She received her MA in History in 2015 and her MA in Conflict Management & Resolution in 2020. She is the host of her podcast, "Sincerely, Lettie", where she educates about history and bridges the past to the present, she discusses racial and social issues, and she doesn't hold back the truth with hard topics and tough conversations. Lettie is involved with projects and serves on boards in her local community as well.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

The history of slave patrols in southern colonies and the development of policing.
The three primary functions of the slave patrol and the type of people who were running them.
How the language describing criminals became associated with Black people.
Conversations people neglect to engage in when discussing slavery and policing.

CALLS TO ACTION

Watch 13th on Netflix.
Find out who in your area is doing work on reimagining public safety.
Follow "Bring the Heat" with Pastor Ben McBride @benjmcbride.
Make sure you're educated on who's running for this election, from the school board to the president, and looking at your ballot measures. If you can't understand what the law is saying, find someone in the area who's breaking it down.

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

IG: @accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW LETTIE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: www.patreon.com/lettieshumate https://www.sincerelylettie.com

IG: @sincerely.lettie

Podcast: Sincerely, Lettie

An Inside Look at Police Culture w/ Mario Shaft Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Mario, a retired police officer who served on the Atlanta PD force for 13yrs, offers us a look from the perspective from inside police culture. He talks about the most effective way we can create the change we want to see when it comes to policy and policing, and how we've been focusing on the wrong thing. Mario shares about the various ways police are trained and...where they aren't, and poses some great questions for us all to reflect on. It's not just about the police, it's about the systems and policies. That's where our focus should be.

ABOUT WEEZE

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

How police officers are trained to engage with the community in general, when there's a threat, and when a weapon is present.
A discussion on cultural competency training and how it's optional, but should be mandatory.
What we're missing and where we need to focus our attention in order to shift policies and laws.
Taking the time to research council members and getting involved in our community to create change.
The focus we also need to put into raising our children so they grow up with the education and awareness of how to be effective leaders.

CALL TO ACTION

Research the council members in your area and get to know who they are. Take the time to look at their political history and vet them. Use this education as your voting superpower.

FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED

Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com

IG: @accordingtoweeze

The Academy (it's like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy

FOLLOW MARIO TO STAY ENGAGED

IG: @elite_protection_agency

MUSIC CRED.

"Dreams & Nightmares Instrumental" prod. by The Beat Bully

"The Other Side of America Instrumental" prod. by MerOne Music