Personal Journals
**WOKELAND**

The podcast about Oakland. A sonic cultural ode. From the locals to the transplants, the deep East to the Lower Bottoms, and the kickback to the function. Each month, we’ll take a theme and dissect the different nuances of being Black in the Town from historical and current perspectives. Welcome to the land of the woke.

Latest Episodes:

Black People Can't Get Coronavirus? (Part 1) Apr 13, 2020

Show notes

If you're like us, you have many questions surrounding covid-19. Enter, Dr. Ivory Dean, who is a scientist with a Ph.D in Cancer Biology. Dr. Dean is trained to understand various disease models and has conducted breast cancer research at UCSF and is now in Washington D.C. finishing a science policy fellowship at the National Science Foundation. We learn how covid-19 came about, why soap (not hand sanitizer) is the real MVP, and some ways to keep you and your family safe.

Resources:

Support Small Business's in Oakland: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1H5k6zzguCjAs8uurgDTNlRFKd1C8pEayJsWcpvCJ5DM/edit?fbclid=IwAR1zCoTSMmUia-2nFIvj-YqtpBCqh2LSBJ9uprpOVk_sbM4WfgasOhWdQzw#gid=0

Rent Relief: https://www.ktvu.com/news/coronavirus-rent-relief-eviction-moratoriums-enacted-across-bay-area

Oakland's COVID Numbers: http://www.acphd.org/2019-ncov.aspx

Oakland Vs. The Rona Feat. Councilwoman Lynette McElhaney (Part 2) Apr 13, 2020

Show notes

What Is Oakland Doing To Fight COVID-19? With Councilwoman Lynette McElhaney (Part 2)

With so much uncertainty in the world right now with covid-19 influencing our day-to-day lives, we spoke with Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney of District 3, to give us insight on how the virus is impacting the lives of Oakland residents. She informs us of what the city of Oakland is doing to protect renters, the houseless population, and hospitals in need of aid.

For information regarding city of Oakland's rent assistance -- https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/rent-adjustment-program

For tax filing and assistance with unemployment applications --

Financial Tax Freedom Teddy Teshome: 510-904-4305

23. Black On The Job LIVE! Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

Think of this as your go-to, one stop shop for all of your burning HR questions. Our all Black panel of HR specialists share some best practices in the workplace to assist your level up in 2020. They addressed how to escalate matters of concern, how to address the Becky's in the office, our mental health, how to negotiate salary upon hire, and so much more.

Our panelists also help demystify their roles as Human Resources and provide some insight on how their Blackness impacts their jobs at the recruiting, hiring/firing, and compensation phases of their job functions.

Our panelists ---

Matthew Kirby, Owner, Principal Consultant, Honest Human Resources Consulting LLC

During the day, Matthew works as a People & Culture Partner for a large non profit. Outside of his 9-5, Matthew demystifies stereotypical perceptions of Human Resources through his conversational, engaging and weekly broadcasts of the Honest Human Resources Podcast.

Tigist Takele, Associate Director of HR, Gilead Sciences

Tigist Takele-Maylor, MBA, is a Senior HR professional with over 15 years of HR experience in Biotech, Engineering and Healthcare industries. Tigist's area of expertise is in Leadership Development, Employee Relations and Executive Coaching. She aspires to continue to support people of color and women navigate the workplace as well as transition into Leadership roles.

Jordan Cisneros, Recruiting Coordinator, IDEO

As a Recruiting Coordinator for IDEO, a 40 year old global design company, Jordan’s work revolves around using her role to increase access to design for marginalized communities. When she’s not fighting systemic racism in the workplace and beyond, you can find her cuddled with bae at home watching reruns of Insecure.

The Wrap Up of The Decade (#ImpeachmentEnergy) Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

The end of 2019 is near!

We started the decade off with a newly elected Black president in Barack Obama, and we're ending it by impeaching a crooked white one, how fitting?

There were so many moments this decade that defined our culture and our lives. This episode isn't exhaustive of everything but we dig into some of the highlight moments that happened in Oakland, The Bay, and beyond.

See yall in 2020! Keep that #ImpeachmentEnergy going into the new year.

-The Simones

@wokelandpodcast

21. California Blacks - The Stereotypes, the facts, and everything in between Dec 16, 2019

Show notes

Let's talk about black people from California...what's the first thing that comes to mind?

A WHOLE LOTTA LIES!!!

Lol, jk. But in all seriousness, as California natives we've heard alllll the stereotypes about Black people from California: from hippie hoteps to gangbangers to bougie tech people who only date interracially, we've heard it all. And on today's episode, we're going to get into these (whack) stereotypes with two of our friends. DNas from Oakland and host of StreetsIzTalking Radio and Faith, an Oakland-based Educator who is originally from LA.

Shoutout to San Jose!

You can find DNas here: @dnastee

Faith - @winfortheculture

And us @wokelandpodcast

Please subscribe to our show on Spotify, iTunes, and Google Play.

20 - Let's Talk About Blavity's Afrotech Nov 14, 2019

Show notes

Sooooooo.. Your girls attended Afrotech this year and you know we had collect all the deets and provide you with our honest feedback! This is our second year attending the conference (our first time was Afrotech's inaugural year) and it felt so refreshing to be among so many Black professionals. We also discuss some of the social impacts of the conference and we would like to see being offered in the future.

19. LIVE SHOW! Stereotypes of a Black Man Misunderstood Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

This episode is for the amplification, storytelling, and healing of Black men. Our panelists share their experiences at the intersection of Blackness and Masculinity. Our all black, male panel discuss many of the myths and stereotypes that plague Black men in everyday life.

Our panelists --

Dr. Bedford Palmer II (MODERATOR) is a licensed counseling psychologist and Associate Professor in the Counseling Department at Saint Mary’s College of California. He also co-hosts the Naming It podcast, where he promotes social justice action and awareness through a psychological lens. (Contact @drbfpalmer)

Denzel Herrera-Davis is a storyteller, life coach, and consultant living in Oakland, CA. He is the founder of Create The Space, a novel developmental wellness program for men of color that promotes healing, embraces healthy relationships, and challenges traditional notions of masculinity for men of color through shared vulnerability in community workshops and events. (Contact @create_the_space)

Leon Sykes aka Dnas is a Oakland native, educator, On-Air host (Streets Is Talking Radio), founding memeber of #510Day, and community leader. All around champion of all things pertaining to Black Oakland.(Contact @dnastee)

William Walker has worked in community organizing, secondary and higher public education, and in government administration roles. He currently works as a Capital Projects Intern with the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and lives in the Lakeview neighborhood of San Francisco.

Jesse Byrd is an Award-Winning Children’s Book Author and Oakland Native. Besides his original work, Jesse is creating children’s books for ex-NBA players, Public Figures and Non-Profits. (Contact @b.y.r.d)

18. Should Black Teachers Lead Activism on Campus? Aug 30, 2019

Show notes

We felt it was crucial to share the lens of activism on campus from the eyes of a faculty member doing great work at one of the nation's most progressive colleges. Professor Jerome Stewart is the Assistant Professor of Business & Society/Sustainable Business at San Francisco State University and joins us in this conversation surrounding campus activism and how SFSU still has a long way to go in its efforts of creating a safe, autonomous, spaces for Black students and faculty.

If you haven’t been on a college campus in some time, this episode lends itself as a guide to the many obstacles Black students and faculty face, even at America’s more progressive universities. The Black Campus Movement of the 1960’s rendered as a catalyst of protests to disrupt the tradition of inequities in higher education and thus created the pathway to Black Student Unions and African American studies throughout the country. This legacy has been transformative in academia and in the presence of Black life on campus however; as our guests on this episode discuss, while there have been many triumphs in the Black plight on college campuses, there is still a long way to go.

17. Black Students Are Leading The Activism Movement on College Campuses Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

We spoke with Shay and Leo, who are two students fighting the good fight on their PWI, Bay Area college campuses. They detail the militarization of their campuses, the fight to own Black spaces on campuses, and how they don’t feel safe on the college grounds they pay tuition to be on. #blackactivismoncampus

Follow Shay on IG @yg_harrison
Learn more about BASE @ USF - Black Achievement Success and Engagement - https://www.usfca.edu/academics/special-programs/black-achievement-success-engagement

Follow Leo
Learn more about Leo's org and get involved with Black Collectivism for Students - www.blackcs.org

16.5 Dear Simones: The Warriors Are Leaving! Jun 20, 2019

Show notes

Mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.... We haven't quite seen the Warriors struggle with injuries the way they have this season so it was extra painful to see them lose at home to the Toronto Raptors in Game 6. But what hurts more is knowing the organization is uprooting to San Francisco which is likely to cause a whole host of issues - more displacement, more gentrification, more traffic, and of course, pricier game tickets.

As Bay Area natives we know firsthand what it feels like to be from somewhere that is often overlooked or misrepresented and with the rise of the Golden State Warriors, it felt like a new light and a new appeal had emerged on the entire Bay, namely Oakland. So to see them leave definitely hurts and the people and economy of Oakland are going to feel the biggest impact. While we are not happy about the move (and anticipate high rise condos and possibly a Whole Foods to be constructed around the Oracle), we know the love the players had for the Town and for their dedication to community over the years, we are thankful. They'll truly be missed!

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What Is Oakland Doing To Fight COVID-19? With Councilwoman Lynette McElhaney (Part 2)

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