On this week's episode, I sat down with Alexa Jay and talked about what we considered the stages black girls who grow up in white communities go through. Basing this all on our own personal experiences, Alexa and I talked and bonded over the many similarities we had growing up, even though we grew up on opposite sides of the country. Our purpose for this episode is to connect further with other black girls (and boys) who may be going through the same thing we had gone through and to show that 1. You are not alone 2. You are going to get through it Alexa and I got real about what it was like for the two of us but in that, gave listeners what we thought would be some of the best advice for us all to follow in order to better ourselves or at least have a better understanding of what it is like for other people growing up. Our favorite piece of advice is as follows: Follow people on ALL your social media accounts that have a resemblance to you! - Skin tone, hair texture, size, birthmarks, anything! Social media can be used in so many ways but one of the best ways is by using it to your advantage! Following and admiring only people who do not look like you is not beneficial for you in the long run! Our other piece of advice - reach out to us! Alexa and I have experienced a lot of life and we have so much advice to give! If you ever need someone to listen, we are always here! Here are Alexa's social media's for you to connect with and follow below! 1. Instagram - @alexaaamccoy 2. TikTok - flexylexxxy We can't wait for you to listen! *As always, make sure you follow The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram and TikTok (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when new episodes come out and you can continue to learn! Enjoy listening and learning!* --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message

On this week's episode, Xavier and I sat down with Kassidy King to discuss the trans experience with him and what that looks like, and how he has navigated the world. We talked about definitions of trans, being a trans father and what it is like, experiences and what it is like going to the hospitals or getting medical advice as someone who is trans, and so much more! Our conversation with Kassidy was real, honest, and fun, and a great way for all of us to learn about something not yet discussed on The Melanin Sound Wave in general but on an episode for the pride month series! Xavier and I are so grateful to Kassidy for being vulnerable and extremely open with us on something so personal and important to him. We cannot thank Kassidy enough for educating the two of us and also all of our listeners while on this episode! Be present, come to listen with an open mind, and don't forget your pencil/pen and piece of paper because you are going to want to write all of this down and remember it! We cannot wait for you all to listen! During the episode, Kassidy mentioned a few different resources we should all take a look at to learn more, become better allies and people, and connect with. Here are those resources Kassidy mentioned! 1. Planned Parenthood 2. Jayceon Dido - Instagram: @jayc3on If you want to follow Kassidy and learn more/connect with him, follow his accounts below! 1. Personal Instagram - @xxkingsworldxx 2. Business Instagram - @king_butta_love *As always, make sure you follow The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram and TikTok (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when episodes come out and you can further educate yourself! Enjoy listening and learning!* --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message

On this week's episode, Xavier and I sat down with Asakee Robinson to talk about homophobia and transphobia within the Black household. We talked about what it can look like inside the home, how it hurts and affects the children both inside and outside of the home, struggles faced but also ways to combat it, and so much more. Our conversation with Asakee included personal stories, experiences, and things that happened outside of our lives and in the world. Xavier and I are so grateful to Asakee for being so open and vulnerable with us on something so personal and important to them. We cannot thank Asakee enough for educating the two of us and also all of our listeners while on this episode! Be present, come to listen with an open mind, and don't forget your pencil/pen and piece of paper because you are going to want to write all of this down and remember it! We cannot wait for you all to listen! If you want to follow Asakee and learn more/connect with them, follow their accounts below! 1. Instagram - @kinosaii 2. TikTok - @kinosaii *As always, make sure you follow The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram and TikTok (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when episodes come out and you can further educate yourself! Enjoy listening and learning!* --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message

On this week's episode, Xavier and I sat down with Jetta Strayhorn to discuss black womanhood and how Jetta navigates being a Black woman and also nonbinary. We also discussed how nonbinaryism plays a role in Black womanhood, educating friends and family, what it feels like educating others, what it means to Jetta to be nonbinary and so much more! Our conversation with Jetta was fun and informational for us to learn about something we have yet to discuss on this podcast but also have not heard much about in our everyday lives. Xavier and I are so grateful to Jetta for their vulnerability and honesty throughout the episode while educating not only the two of us but also all of our listeners on this. Be present, come listen with an open mind, and don't forget your pencil/pen and piece of paper because you are going to want to write all of this down and remember it! We cannot wait for you all to listen! During the episode, Jetta mentioned a few different resources we should all take a look at to learn more, become better allies and people, and connect with. Here are those resources Jetta mentioned! 1. Advice - Get on the right side of TikTok! - Look at some of the people you are following and look at who they are following to find other resources and more people to listen to! 2. Go to your favorite political creator and see who they’re following 3. The Lemonade Syllabus - https://diversity.tamu.edu/Diversity/media/diversity/PDF/lemonade-syllabus.pdf 4. Jetta herself! If you want to follow Jetta and learn more/connect from them, follow their accounts below! 1. Instagram - @jetthejem 2. TikTok - @jetthejem *As always, make sure you follow The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram and TikTok (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when episodes come out and you can further educate yourself! Enjoy listening and learning!* --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message

On this week's episode, Xavier and I sat down with Malik Williams to discuss what it was like for him to be a professional dancer and a Black man while growing up and working in a White dominant profession and environment. We also discussed with Malik what a Black body is supposed to look like to fit into the beauty standards in the dance world, queer communities, and communities in general. We talked about what his experience was like navigating himself as a Black and queer person in his professional field, what it was like for him growing up as queer and coming out, what it was like not having the "ideal" body type in his field, and so much more. Our conversation with Malik was fun and lighthearted at times and at other times, there were more serious moments. Xavier and I are so grateful to Malik for his vulnerability and honesty throughout the episode. Be present, come listen with an open mind, and don't forget your pencil/pen and piece of paper because you are going to want to write all of this down and remember it. We cannot wait for you all to listen! See you next week! During the episode, Malik provided us with a few different resources we should all take to learn more, become better allies and people, and connect with. Here are those resources Malik suggested! 1. MoveNYC - Dance Program 2. Saturday Church - Movie 3. Moonlight - Movie 4. White Fragility - Book 5. POSE - TV Show If you want to follow Malik. and learn more/connect with him, follow his accounts below! 1. Instagram - @malikizhere 2. TikTok - @malikamaquisha *As always, make sure you follow The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when episodes come out and you can further educate yourself! Enjoy listening and learning!* --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message

On this week's episode, and The Melanin Pride Wave's first guest, Xavier and I sat down with Obio Jones to discuss masculinity, queer visibility, what it is like presenting as a heterosexual man while queer, and so much more. We talked about if masculinity is overvalued in the Black community, if the Black community is more prejudiced towards homosexuality or more prejudiced towards those who express femininity but are not cis women, how the Black community can better nurture Black queer children and people, and much more. Our conversation with Obio was fun and lighthearted at times and at others, there were more serious moments and discussions being had. Like Xavier said in the last podcast episode, be present, come listen with an open mind, and don't forget your pencil/pen and piece of paper because you are going to want to write all of this down and remember it.  We cannot wait for you all to listen! See you next week! During the episode, Obio provided us with a few different resources we should all take a look at to learn more, become better allies and people, and connect with. Here are those resources Obio suggested! 1. Let's Talk Bruh - Podcast - https://letstalkbruh.libsyn.com/ 2. The Velvet Rage by Alan Downs - https://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Rage-Overcoming-Growing-Straight/dp/1611746450 3. For the Boys - YouTube series - (episode 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q90tiuQEGCw 4. Obio Jones - YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/omalara3 If you want to follow Obio and learn more/connect with him, follow his accounts below! 1. Instagram - @obioojones 2. TikTok - @obioojones 3. YouTube Channel - Obio Jones *As always, make sure you follow The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when episodes come out and you can further educate yourself! Enjoy listening and learning!* --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message

Welcome back everyone! We are back with season 2 of The Melanin Sound Wave and are kicking off this season with some great and extremely important topics and conversations being had!  For this Pride month and these special episodes, I brought back a great friend and previous collaborator to help me with these episodes. As a heterosexual woman, it is not my place to try and explain or have these conversations on what it means to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community or to talk about experiences because I am not a part of that community which makes me not as well versed to talk about it! That is where Xavier comes in and I could not be more excited for everyone to hear his voice all month long on these episodes! Xavier has been on the podcast before (check out "Exploring White Supremacies Ties and Effects on Attitudes Towards Misogyny and Homophobia in the Black Community - with Xavier Khalil" on all podcasting platforms if you haven't already) and he is coming back to cohost with me all month long! This episode gives everyone a quick look at who Xavier is, why he wanted to come and do this with me, and our shared goals for Pride month with podcast episodes and the platform itself! I could not be any more thankful to Xavier for coming back and hosting with me and spending the time educating all of us on such an important topic! Starting next week, you will hear some new voices of our collaborators and listen in on some amazing conversations that we all had together! See you all next week! *As always, make sure you follow The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when episodes come out and you can further educate yourself! Enjoy listening and learning!* --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message

On this week's episode, I sat down with Jordan Simone to talk about the body positivity movement and fatphobia that exists especially in the black community. We talked about how the body positivity movement has been hijacked and changed into a movement that does not share the space with larger women (which is what the movement was originally about) and continues to place the focus on mainly thinner women who do not need the attention as much as larger women do. We also talked about how important it is for larger women/people to be embraced and at the forefront of this movement because there are things such as medical issues which arise that are not taken seriously because of weight (when weight is not the issue) which is a huge problem in society. When talking about the fatphobia that exists in the black community, we talked about its origins and where it stemmed from, and how much impact it had on creating hatred towards a natural body.  One of the resources I brought up during the episode was an NPR conversation had called, "Fat Phobia And It’s Racist Past And Present". Below you can find the link if you want to listen to the entire thing! https://www.npr.org/transcripts/893006538 During the episode, Jordan mentions a few different resources and people we should all take a look at to learn more about this topic! Here are those resources Jordan suggested! 1. Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings https://www.amazon.com/Fearing-Black-Body-Racial-Origins/dp/1479886750 2. Serena TikTok - @goodbyespoons 3. Raquel Fields TikTok - @l1ttleblackg1rl 4. Kya TikTok - @kyauchiha 5. Lizzo TikTok - @lizzo 6. Imani Barbarin TikTok - @crutches_and_spice If you want to follow Jordan and learn more from her, follow her accounts below! 1. Instagram - @jordxn.simone 2. TikTok - @jordxn.simone As always, make sure you are following The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when episodes come out and you can further educate yourselves! Enjoy listening and learning! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message

On this week's episode, I sat down with Fatimata Cham to talk about a few different topics that Fatimata wrote about in her poetry. We talked about the hijab ban in France, colorism, and criminal justice in a slightly different way than normally done on these episodes! As mentioned, Fatimata is a poet, and on each of these topics, she has written a poem on and we would discuss the topic before and after she had read her poetry on them. You can find the poems she read on this episode on The Melanin Sound Wave Instagram page to look back at them before or after listening to the episode! We talked throughout the episode about our own personal experiences with these topics, what it is we have learned through looking at news articles, and what has been produced in the media.  While talking about the recent hijab ban in France, I brought up an article that clearly talked about what exactly the ban entails. If you want to check it out, here is the link! 1. "French Senate amends anti-separatism law to ban hijab for youth under 18" by Samuel Tissot  https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/04/07/veil-a07.html During the episode, Fatimata mentioned a few different resources for us all to look at to learn more about these topics but also to become better allies. Take a look at them! 1. Niamh Grant - TikTok - @nevatalkspolitics 2. Muslim Girl - Instagram - @muslimgirl 3. Muslims Matter - Instagram - @muslimsmatter__ 4. Muslim - Instagram - @Muslim If you want to stay connected with Fatimata, you can find her on her accounts below! 1. Fatimata Cham - Instagram - @fatimatacham__ 2. Fatimata Cham - TikTok - @girlinmotion1 3. Activism Page - Instagram - @muslimsmatter__ As always, make sure you are following The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when episodes come out and can further educate yourselves! Enjoy listening and learning! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message

On this week's episode, I sat down with Kamryn Davis to talk about people of color representation in kids' movies and t.v. shows, talking about what we have seen in movies and the portrayal and most importantly why it is so important for the representation to happen. We talk throughout the episode about how important it is not just for people of color to see themselves in a positive light but also for people who are not minorities to see us in a positive light on the screen so that they have a more positive idea of who it is that we are and do not associate us with negativity always. This episode had the two of us really thinking about what it is that we saw growing up, what it is we wished we had seen, and what it is people of younger generations (and even older) need to be seeing today. The opportunities are there and we need to continue pushing for positive representation to be on the screen. During the episode, Kamryn mentioned a couple of resources we can all look into to deepen our knowledge on this subject and to also expose ourselves to the representation that is needed! Here they are below: 1. The Colored Cartoon: Black Presentation in American Animated Short Films, 1907 - 1954 by Christopher P. Lehman 2. How to BLACK: An Analysis of Black Cartoon by Toonrific Tariq - YouTube Here are a few shows Kamryn recommends that have positive Black and People of Color Representation! 1. Proud Family - Disney+ 2. Craig of the Creek - Cartoon Network 3. Filmore 4. Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child - HBOMax 5. Spider-Man into the Spiderverse - Hulu 6. Hair Love (Short Film) Of course, another resource for all listeners is Kamryn herself! 1. Instagram - @therealkamryne 2. TikTok - @therealkamryne 3. Twitter - @therealkamryne As always, make sure you are following The Melanin Sound Wave on Instagram (@themelaninsoundwave) and on all podcasting platforms so you know when episodes come out and can further educate yourselves! Enjoy listening and learning! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-melanin-sound-wave/message