Despite the jokes about our egos, many of us journalists got into the business because we felt a need to call out powerful institutions. But journalism itself is one of those powerful institutions, and it has failed time and again to address criticisms around who gets to tell the news and whose perspectives get left out. Some researchers have called this a crisis of journalism, a “digital reckoning.” And they are not talking about economics, with local newsrooms and news budgets on the decline, ...
Nov 23, 2022•33 min•Season 4Ep. 3
If you don’t pay close attention to news about COVID, you might think the pandemic is nearly over . But for the millions of people worldwide suffering from long COVID, that couldn’t be further from the truth. And the number of those experiencing long-term symptoms keeps growing: At least one in five of us infected with the virus go on to develop long COVID. The effects of long COVID are staggering. Researchers say it can lead to: blood clots, heart disease, damage to the blood vessels, neurologi...
Nov 16, 2022•25 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Join us on this episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient as we speak with researcher and migration expert Yvonne Su about climate-induced migration and the burden of care that is owed to displaced people. Recently, there have been some troubling images coming out of Pakistan, where devastating floods have taken the lives of more than 1,500 people and displaced close to 8 million . The floods have also submerged farmlands and spread waterborne illnesses. In total, it is estimated that the floods have s...
Nov 09, 2022•27 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Welcome to Don’t Call Me Resilient, where we tackle systemic racism head-on and figure out ways to deal with it. This season, we’ll be delving into everything from tokenism at work to how long COVID is hitting women of colour especially hard. And from how climate change is wreaking havoc on the most vulnerable to how most journalists have a lot to learn about telling Indigenous stories. In each of these upcoming episodes, our guests bring their expertise to challenge us to do better. So we’ll al...
Nov 04, 2022•1 min
At Don’t Call Me Resilient , we’ve been busy planning season 4 of the podcast, which starts to roll out in November. We’re even starting to think about season 5. But we decided to stop production to talk about something we felt we couldn’t ignore. We’ve watched this incredible spectacle around the Queen’s death and public outpouring of support and love for the British monarchy. Here in Canada, Queen Elizabeth was the official head of state and her funeral this week was made a federal holiday. In...
Sep 22, 2022•30 min
As we approach Canada Day — and the prospect of the return of "freedom" protests in Ottawa — let's consider the meaning and symbolism of the Canadian flag. After weeks of the so-called "freedom convoy" last winter, many of us took a hard look at the symbolism of the Canadian flag and its recent association with white supremacy. Some felt a new fear or anger at what they feel the flag represents. But other communities have always felt this way about the Canadian flag. After unmarked graves were f...
Jun 29, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Today, I speak with two people involved in sound studies who believe sound is an element of resistance. They explain why — in our hyper-visualized age of Instagram-perfect photos, sound is so compelling and why soundscapes can help to amplify voices of resistance. Nimalan Yoganathan is a PhD candidate at Concordia University. He studies protest tactics, and he looks at how different sound practitioners have contributed to anti-racist movements. I also spoke with Norman W. Long, a born-and-raised...
Jun 23, 2022•39 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Today we explore how applying critical race theory in classrooms across Canada helps both students and teachers. Teresa Fowler, assistant professor of Education at Concordia University of Edmonton joins us. So does Dwayne Brown, a PhD student in Education at York University, and a grade seven teacher with the Toronto District School Board. Both Brown and Fowler use critical race theory in their classrooms every day, and say that it helps them to see and evaluate their own biases—while also makin...
Jun 15, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 5
When you think diamonds, you probably think of romance, weddings and Valentine’s Day. And it’s no accident we think this way: A century of marketing has convinced us that diamonds symbolize love. In Canada, magazine ads celebrate the “purity” of Northern Canadian diamonds as an ethical alternative to conflict diamonds. But this marketing strategy actually hides enormous social problems that people living near the mines say they’ve experienced. This includes some of Canada’s highest rates of viol...
Jun 08, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 4
TikTok is perceived as a highly addictive video sharing platform with a lot of lively music and dance videos that encourages participation and replication: think macarena times 100 million. For many people it sounds like frivolous waste of time. But the app has revealed itself to have more depth than initially meets the eye. TikTok can be a place to learn , become politically aware and even discover new things about yourself . Scrolling through, you can find a science lesson on climate change fr...
Jun 01, 2022•41 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Many people have an idealized vision of Canada as a gentle, kind and accepting society. However, last year, as a Muslim Canadian family took their evening stroll during lockdown in London, Ont., a white man rammed his pickup truck into them. Four of the five family members were killed. The incident sparked horror and outrage. But the truth of the matter is anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the steady rise in the 20 years since 9/11. According to a report from July 2021 by the National Council of...
May 25, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 2
**Warning: This episode contains details that some listeners may find distressing ** It's been a year since the unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children — some of them as young as three years old — were found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. In this episode, Vinita speaks to Veldon Coburn, assistant professor at the Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies at the University of Ottawa about what happened, the widespread grief and outcry an...
May 18, 2022•31 min•Season 3Ep. 1
You can listen to all of the episodes or follow on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts . We’d love to hear from you , including any ideas for future episodes. Join The Conversation on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram and use #DontCallMeResilient. Season 3 episodes launch May 18, 2022!...
May 16, 2022•2 min
It felt like these Oscars were the first ones that weren’t actually so white . The whole event felt different. With attempts to display a more inclusive Hollywood , the showcase seemed to go beyond its usual tokenism. But there was the Will Smith-Chris Rock fiasco taking attention away from all this. In what became one of the most infamous moments in the history of the Oscars, Smith got out of his seat to slap Rock for a bad joke aimed at Jada Pinkett Smith. These flashpoints are always about ot...
Mar 30, 2022•25 min
One out of every eight households in Canada is food insecure. For racialized Canadians, that number is higher – two to three times the national average. In this episode, Vinita asks what is happening with our food systems, and what we can do to make them fairer with two women who have been tackling this issue for years. Melana Roberts is Chair of Food Secure Canada and one of the leaders behind Canada’s first Black food sovereignty plan. Also joining the conversation is Tabitha Robin Martens, as...
Nov 10, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 6
The state of our environment just keeps getting scarier and scarier, yet it feels like we have yet to find a way forward. Two Indigenous scholars who run labs to address the climate crisis say bringing an Indigenous understanding to environmental justice could help us get unstuck. A big part of that is seeing pollution through a new lens – one that acknowledges it is as much about racism and colonialism as it is toxic chemicals. Vinita talks to Michelle Murphy, Professor and Canada Research Chai...
Nov 03, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Many of us know our personal data is being collected online and used against us – to get us to buy certain things or vote a certain way. But for marginalized communities, the collection of data and photos has much bigger implications. Vinita is joined by two researchers who are calling for new protections for the most vulnerable populations. Yuan Stevens is the Policy Lead in the Technology, Cybersecurity and Democracy Programme at the Ryerson Leadership Lab and Wendy Hui Kyong Chun is professor...
Oct 27, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 4
The pandemic has taken a toll on our collective mental health. But according to a recent Statistics Canada report, South Asians reported a steeper decline than any other diaspora in Canada. Why? The idea of being a model minority – of having to live up to exacting high standards – is a big part of it. Two long-time researchers and activists join Vinita for an intimate conversation about that and other reasons why South Asians are struggling so badly, and what can be done about it. Maneet Chahal ...
Oct 20, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of high-profile figures accused of falsely claiming Indigenous identity, of being “Pretendians.” These cases have become big news stories, but they have big real-life consequences, too. Misidentifying as Indigenous can have financial and social consequences, with the misdirection of funds, jobs or grants meant for Indigenous peoples. Vinita delves into it all with two researchers who look at identity and belonging in Indigenous communities: Veldon Coburn...
Oct 13, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Stories are a powerful tool to resist oppressive situations. They give writers from marginalized communities a way to imagine alternate realities, and to critique the one we live in. In this episode, Vinita speaks to two storytellers who offer up wonderous “otherworlds” for Indigenous and Black people. Selwyn Seyfu Hinds is an L.A-based screenwriter who wrote for Jordan Peele’s The Twilight Zone and is currently writing the screenplay for Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black. Daniel Heath Justice is p...
Oct 06, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Don’t Call Me Resilient takes on systemic racism and the ways it permeates our everyday lives. In our second season, as we live through what feels like the world falling apart, we’re focusing on imagining a better future together. We’ll tackle everything from how redefining pollution could show us a new way forward in the climate crisis … to why we need to think harder about the impact of data collection on marginalized communities … to the power of storytelling in helping us survive our current...
Sep 29, 2021•2 min
Two Indigenous land defenders join us to explain why they work to protect land against invasive development and why their work is necessary for everyone’s survival. Ellen Gabriel, a human rights activist and artist well known for her role as a spokesperson during the 1990 Oka crisis, and Anne Spice, a professor at Ryerson University, discuss the importance and urgency of defending land. Show notes: https://theconversation.com/how-defending-land-might-save-us-all-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-6-15663...
Mar 10, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 6
When COVID-19 first appeared, some said it was the great equalizer. But the facts quickly revealed a grim reality: COVID-19 disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, poor and racialized communities. Roberta K. Timothy, assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, joins us to talk about her global research project, Black Health Matters, and why racial justice is a public health matter. Show notes: https://theconversation.com/black-health-matters-...
Mar 03, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Documentary filmmaker and OCAD University associate professor Min Sook Lee has been documenting the voices of migrant farm workers in Canada for two decades. What she has to say about how these workers have been treated during COVID-19 shatters any remaining myths about “Canada the Good.” How do we treat the workers that put food on our tables? Show notes: https://theconversation.com/how-we-treat-migrant-workers-who-put-food-on-our-tables-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-4-153275 Related articles: COVI...
Feb 24, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Even before COVID-19, education experts were sounding the alarm about the future of racialized children in our schools. And the COVID-19 pandemic has only underscored – even deepened – the divide. Carl James, professor of education at York University and Kulsoom Anwer, a high school teacher who works out of one of Toronto's most marginalized neighborhoods, Jane and Finch, join us to discuss the injustices and inequalities in the education system – and the way forward. Show notes: https://theconv...
Feb 17, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 3
A global protest movement calling for an end to racism and police brutality sparked new conversations about race. But it also surfaced a lot of pain for those who deal daily with racism. Where do we go from here? The writer, activist and Zen priest Reverend angel Kyodo williams speaks about the pain of racism, and how she uses meditation to combat it – and become a stronger anti-racist activist in America today. Show notes: https://theconversation.com/how-to-deal-with-the-pain-of-racism-and-beco...
Feb 10, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 2
We keep hearing stories about white and non-Black people – including academics – somehow thinking it's ok to use the n-word. Ryerson University Professor Cheryl Thompson, author of ‘Uncle: Race, Nostalgia and the Politics of Loyalty,’ joins us to discuss how North American society spent the last 150 years creating racist stereotypes and language, how they continue to persist today – and what we might do to help stop it. Show notes: https://theconversation.com/whats-in-a-word-how-to-confront-150-...
Feb 03, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Don’t Call Me Resilient is a provocative new podcast about race from The Conversation . Host Vinita Srivastava takes you deep into conversations with scholars and activists who view the world, its problems, and the way forward through an anti-racist lens. Instead of calling those who have survived the pain of systemic racism "resilient," this podcast goes in search of solutions for the things no one should have to be resilient for. Learn more about this podcast: https://theconversation.com/dont-...
Jan 20, 2021•3 min
