What Do You Mean By That?

Latest Episodes:

108: Why We Should All Be Concerned About Voter Suppression Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

2020 was a record-setting year for voting. As Politico noted, the United States saw the largest raw turnout ever, with 81 million voters backing Biden over Trump, whose 74 million votes are the second-most in U.S. history.

But as many news sources noted recently, states nationwide are about to make it harder to vote.

Acting partly in response to widespread false allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election (aka the Big Lie, namely that Trump won the election and there's widespread voter fraud), state legislatures have introduced about 250 bills this year that would limit access to voting.

We should all be concerned about this. Here's why.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

The specific attacks on voter rights that are happening in states across the country
Why some of this is reminiscent of Jim Crow laws
A legal dive into what's happening, what's at stake, and what cases are coming up that we need to pay attention to.
How as voters we can make a difference: who we support, who we talk to, and how hard we fight to keep certain bills from passing.

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107: We Have a White Accountability Problem: Stand Together And Stop AAPI Hate Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

We are two Asian American women sitting here, shaken, devastated, and ANGRY about the senseless loss of life in Atlanta. Yet at the same time that we heard that eight people, including six Asian women, had been murdered in their place of business by a sole white male shooter - we were waiting for the excuses. For the lone shooter story. And for the lack of white accountability. And we weren't disappointed.

Regardless of the shooter's story, to Asians, this is a hate crime. The problem is that we have a long history in the United States of not being able to call hate crimes what they are - and to not see hate, especially when it's directed against the model minority.

Ultimately, we need to unify against White supremacy, and call a spade a spade - we must hold people accountable when they commit acts of White supremacy.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

The disparate treatment different-looking perpetrators of violence receive in the media
Why the lone shooter theory, or focusing on the shooter's characteristics and excuses, continues to perpetuate White supremacy
The long history of anti-Asian hate in this country, and the recent spike since 2020 due to racist language from our former President
Why the model minority myth and the perceived "closeness" to White people have made Asian hate crimes invisible and harder to be classified as actual hate crimes

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Catch up on more commentary between episodes by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – and even more opinions and resources if you join our email list.

106: Black Boy Out Of Time with Hari Ziyad Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

Love and Logic is a parenting philosophy that's taken the parenting world by storm, showing adults how to discipline their children without losing their love and respect. Yet in the "real world," we continue to use a punitive (carceral) system to discipline juveniles and adults alike - a system that disproportionately impacts people of color.

Given our recent conversations on intersectionality and the importance of considering policies that are structured to be good for ALL Americans, how do we want to think about a system of accountability that protects ALL children?

We bring you a conversation with Hari Ziyad, author of Black Boy Out of Time, to talk about their own experiences growing up Black and queer in America, and the necessity of prison abolition - not just physical prison, but the mindset of punishment as a method of control.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

The pressures put on Black children
The psychological constructs of imprisonment
What the concept of abolition might look like and start from
How each of us might examine how punishment manifests in our own lives

About Hari:

Hari Ziyad is a cultural critic, a screenwriter, and the editor-in-chief of RaceBaitr. They are a 2021 Lambda Literary Fellow, and their writing has been featured in BuzzFeed, Out, the Guardian, Paste magazine, and the academic journal Critical Ethnic Studies, among other publications. Previously they were the managing editor of the Black Youth Project and a script consultant on the television series David Makes Man. Hari spends their all-too-rare free time trying to get their friends to give the latest generation of R & B starlets a chance and attempting to entertain their always very unbothered pit bull mix, Khione.

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105: Women Are the Majority - Let's Act Like It Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

It's time we talk about the power that women have - and to be clear, we mean anybody who identifies as a woman. We need to talk about the state of womanhood today, the power we don't even realize we have, and the division and self-hate we need to step away from so we can embrace our whole selves and each other. Why? Because we can MAKE CHANGE TOGETHER.

Let's lean into intersectionality, look for ways to support each other through our communities, and reflect internally on how we show up for all women. We're the majority. Let's act like it.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

The problems with Women's History Month
The need for intersectionality - because if we aren't willing to "bring race into it," are we really united as women?
Practical ways to support each other through our communities (and it starts from within)

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Catch up on more commentary between episodes by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – and even more opinions and resources if you join our email list.

104: What If We Had Social Safety Nets? The Black Panther Party (PART II) Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Learning about the Black Panther Party and its grassroots community programs informs not only our understanding of history but how the modern-day Black Lives Matter movement has been treated. The Black Panther Party put many of its community programs in place in a remarkably short time, which also caused the FBI to sit up and take notice. But the key point we keep coming back to is that these programs worked, and more importantly, they were so crucial for the communities that they served.

It leads us to ask: wouldn't we ALL be better off with those social safety nets, especially for those who most need them to survive?

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

Some of the community programs created by the Black Panther Party, which continue to inspire and inform needed programs today.
The role of the FBI and its COINTELPRO campaign in causing the implosion of the Black Panther Party
Two common critiques of the party, and what the truth is around them
Why an understanding of history and self is so important to create similar grassroots change going forward

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103: Policing the Police - The Black Panther Party (PART I) Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

If you ask many current activists fighting anti-Black racism and inequity today, they'll tell you that the influence of the Black Panthers is immeasurable.

But as TIME magazine pointed out in February of 2021, for the past half-century, depictions of the Black Panther Party in mainstream media have largely glossed over their ideas or their community activism. "They've been reduced to leather peacoats and shotguns," Shaka King, the director of the new Black Panther-focused film Judas and the Black Messiah says. "They've been called terrorists, fringe separatists, "wild beasts" and "the civil rights movement's evil twin."

So here is what you need to know about the Black Panther Party - the peacoats and shotguns part, about their policing of the police. We'll talk about their powerful work supporting communities next week.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

Why and how the Black Panther Party was founded
The name you didn't hear before: Matthew Johnson
Why owning and operating guns was so crucial to the Black
Panther Party's work in their communities
How the NRA supported gun control regulations designed to take guns out of Black hands - despite their modern-day stance against regulations

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Catch up on more commentary between episodes by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – and even more opinions and resources if you join our email list.

102: How to Spot Fake News with Professor Emily Bell Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

Have you heard the term fake news? It's been around for a while, but it was popularized by Trump who continues to dismiss all checks to his Big Lie and tries to continue muddying the waters around truth, facts, and reality.

We bring you a conversation with Professor Emily Bell of Columbia University School of Journalism. In it, you'll get the tools to fight for reality, for facts, for science, and be on the factually correct side of history.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

The history of fake news, and how technology has exacerbated its spread
The roles of "traditional" journalism vs social media
How to spot fake news
What to do if you're suspicious about something a friend shares on social media - how to push back in a productive way
What role critical thinking plays, along with psychological influences as to why people share and believe fake news

About Professor Emily Bell:

Emily Bell is the founding director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism (link is external) at Columbia Journalism School and a leading thinker, commentator, and strategist on digital journalism.

Established in 2010, the Tow Center has rapidly built an international reputation for research into the intersection of technology and journalism. The majority of Bell's career was spent at Guardian News and Media in London working as an award-winning writer and editor both in print and online. As editor-in-chief across Guardian websites and director of digital content for Guardian News and Media, Bell led the web team in pioneering live blogging, multimedia formats, data, and social media, making the Guardian a recognized pioneer in the field.

She is co-author of "Post Industrial Journalism: Adapting to the Present" (2012) with CW Anderson and Clay Shirky. Bell is a trustee on the board of the Scott Trust, the owners of The Guardian, a member of Columbia Journalism Review's board of overseers, an adviser to Tamedia Group in Switzerland, has served as chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Advisory Council on social media, and has served as a member of Poynter's National Advisory Board.

She delivered the Reuters Memorial Lecture in 2014, the Hugh Cudlipp Lecture in 2015, and was the 2016 Humanitas Visiting Professor in Media at the University of Cambridge.

She lives in New York City with her husband and children

Support us through Patreon! Learn about our virtual community – and you're welcome to join.

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101: The Power of Women's Rage with Soraya Chemaly Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

If the fuming, seething feeling we sat with for weeks after the Capitol was stormed is any indication, feeling anger stinks and is bad for our bodies. But we as women have not been taught how to handle this feeling; in fact, we're often taught to shove anger down and away, while going on with our day, taking care of others.

This is why we're thrilled to be having a conversation with Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her, to talk about how women have been conditioned by our society, what our biology actually indicates, and what on earth to do when we feel the steam coming out of our ears, so we can make positive change around us.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

Statistics on the hormonal shifts our bodies exhibit when we experience anger
The relationship between "I'm so tired" and "I'm so angry"
Society's devaluation of the important work of caring, and how women bear the brunt of that
How anger is perceived differently depending on how you look - gender, and race
Top tips on how to get better at processing and expressing anger, to make change

About Soraya Chemaly: Soraya Chemaly is currently the Executive Director of The Representation Project. An award-winning author and activist, she writes and speaks frequently on topics related to gender norms, inclusivity, social justice, free speech, sexualized violence, and technology. The former director and co-founder of the Women's Media Center Speech Project, she has long been committed to expanding women's civic and political participation.

Soraya is also the author of Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger, which was recognized as a Best Book of 2018 by the Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Autostraddle, and NPR and has been translated into several languages. She is a contributor to multiple anthologies, most recently Free Speech in the Digital Age and Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change The World. Her work as a writer, activist, and organizer is featured widely in media, books, and academic research.

Support us through Patreon! Learn about our virtual community – and you're welcome to join.

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100: What Leads People to Help Others? Good vs Evil with Professor Ervin Staub Feb 03, 2021

Show notes

The United States has been divided, and as shown with the storming of the Capitol Building in early 2021, the threat of violence is real. However, there is also the potential for a lot of good if we lean into our humanity. What do we do to help ourselves and our country?

There was no better person to talk about this issue than Professor Ervin Staub, a professor emeritus of psychology and founding director of the Psychology of Peace and Violence Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who survived Nazism as a young child and has dedicated decades of his life to the study of good and evil.

In celebration of this, our 100th episode, and in honor of one of the best conversations we've had in our lives, please share this with your closest friend today!

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

The difference between blind patriotism and constructive patriotism. (Hint: you want to have the latter)
The key points in understanding the roots of good vs the roots of evil
How America's trajectory over the last few years has looked a lot like fascism in Europe leading to World War II
What can we do on an individual level each day to contribute to the building of community, and what does it take for people to help other people?
How should we be raising our children to be helpers and better bystanders?

About Professor Staub:

Ervin Staub is originally from Hungary, received a Ph.D. at Stanford, taught at Harvard, and is Professor Emeritus and Founding Director of the doctoral program in the Psychology of Peace and Violence at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is past President of the International Society for Political Psychology and of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence. His best-known book is The Roots of Evil: The Origins of Genocide and Other Group Violence. His last two books are the award-winning Overcoming Evil: Genocide, Violent Conflict and Terrorism, and The Roots of Goodness and Resistance to Evil: Inclusive Caring, Moral Courage, Altruism Born of Suffering, Active Bystandership and Heroism. He engaged with varied "real world" projects, including work with teachers/schools and parents to promote altruism in children, projects in Rwanda, Burundi, and the Congo to promote reconciliation, in Amsterdam to promote positive Dutch-Muslim relations. He created a training for police to develop active bystandership by officers to stop other officers from doing unnecessary harm, which is now expanding around the country, and for students to stop harmful actions by fellow students. He received awards from the International Society for Political Psychology, from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, for lifelong contributions to peace psychology from the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence, and from other organizations. For awards and downloads of articles, see his detailed biography here.

Support us through Patreon! Learn about our virtual community – and you're welcome to join.

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Catch up on more commentary between episodes by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – and even more opinions and resources if you join our email list.

99: What Are White Women Thinking? With Jenna Arnold Jan 27, 2021

Show notes

Uncomfortable question: Why can't we as women get behind policies that strengthen all women - not just the ones who are White - especially when the only ones who really benefit from White supremacy and the status quo are rich White men?

We bring you a conversation with one of the founders of the original Women's March and author of Raising Our Hands, Jenna Arnold, who spent years speaking with White women in their homes about just these very topics.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

What to listen for:

The power that White women have, that they don't even realize.
What Jenna learned from the listening circles she conducted with White women from around the country for her book.
What happened and didn't happen in the 2020 election? What's next for this country?

About Jenna:

Jenna Arnold is listed as one of Oprah's "100 awakened leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity" because she doesn't have much patience for the status quo. She has been called a "disruptor" in every industry in which she has dabbled from elementary school classrooms to halls of the United Nations, MTV, and the White House.

Her recent book, Raising Our Hands, was released on a number of Best Seller lists in the summer of 2020. She is the Chief Impact Officer for Rethink Capital Partners, a diversified investment platform with sector-specific vehicles focused on both financial & social returns for our investors.

For her work as one of the organizers of the Women's March, Jenna was recognized with a Glamour Women of the Year award. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Forbes, and Fast Company, to name a few, have recognized Jenna's work as "shaking up long-standing assumptions" and being one of "the biggest ideas in social change" for the work of ORGANIZE, a non-profit she co-founded focused on ending the waitlist for organ transplants in America, for which she was also named one of Inc. magazine's "35 Under 35" list.

Support us through Patreon! Learn about our virtual community – and you're welcome to join.

Like what you hear? Don't miss another episode and subscribe!

Catch up on more commentary between episodes by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – and even more opinions and resources if you join our email list.

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