In this weeks episode we talk about the acts of white terrorism we saw unfold on Capitol Hill last week. We discuss some of the intricacies of citizenship and belonging as black people who live in Britain and America.
Happy New Year all! In this episode we ask each other questions around planning and intentions for 2021. This was a fun episode to record, and we are hopeful for all 2021 has in store! Here are the prompts we made up in case you wanted to try it out yourself: - 3 words for the year ahead that symbolise your intentions/hoped/aspirations for 2021 - Where do I want to say “yes” more in 2021 - Where do I want to say “no” more - If I were a counsellor what would I advise for myself - 3 things you’re ...
We made it to episode 50 AND the end of 2020! In this episode we have a round up of 2020. We talk about the lessons and challenges we faced in 2020, not just as a result of the pandemic that we all collectively experienced, but personal ones too that felt all the more significant given the running context of this year. We also highlight the things that brought us peace, the small mercies we enjoyed and the ways in which we felt we were granted grace. We enjoyed recording this episode and would l...
In this episode, we talk about podcasting and sharing so much. We reflect on how vulnerable we have been on our podcasting journey, how we've cultivated the courage, and how we reconcile having necessary boundaries and being vulnerable. Thank you for listening! Catch us on socials: Instagram @theechochamberpod Twitter @echochamberpod_ and Facebook @theechochamberpod
In this episode we sit down with food content creator and influencer @msjoycek and discuss what it’s like running a business as a Black woman. Joyce tells us about her journey to becoming an influencer and discusses some of the challenges she faced as a working class Black woman in her field. We speak about the power of manifestation and the magic that comes from walking in alignment with ones purpose. Follow @MsJoyceK on Instagram and @IamJoyceK on Twitter to keep up with Joyce’s content. Follo...
In this episode we discuss our experiences as black women in the work place. We touch on microaggressions and some of the difficulties we've face working as young, Black, working class women. We explain the challenge of having to navigate white fragility at work and how liberal attitudes to race and gender that we come up against in our sectors can sometimes feel more problematic than overt expressions of racism. Follow us on Twitter @echochamberpod_ Instagram @theechochamberpod and Facebook @th...
In this episode we sit down with Chantelle from @survivingsocietypodcast and discuss blended families. We look at our experiences growing up in blended families and the vast contrast between these negative experiences and Chantelle's much healthier experience of her chosen blended family. We talk about shame and the ways shame drives women to make unhealthy and potentially damaging choices in relation to family, as well as the need to work towards making different choices for ourselves and suppo...
In this episode we have a good old rant about LOCKDOWN 2.0. We talk about the difference in mood and circumstance compared to the first lockdown. We discuss the government under Boris Johnson, the mismanagement of the lockdown and how people centred the governments priorities may have been under a Jeremy Corbyn administration, which may have garnered a better attitude towards this second lockdown. We also touch on feeling controlled and Ez tells us how Babylon truly SHOCKED her when she arrived ...
In this weeks episode we discuss anger and our individual relationships with it. We also interview Patrick Hutchinson and discuss his new book - 'Everyone Versus Racism: A Letter to my Children', as well as his approach to anger. Purchase Patricks book everywhere NOW! Follow Patrick on social media on Instagram @iampatrickhutchinson and Twitter @iampatrickhutch Follow the Podcast on Instagram @theechochamberpod Twitter @echochamberpod_ and Facebook @theechochamberpod
Following the viral video of a school girl in south London who was abused by a man on her way to school, we have a conversation about grooming and the different ways grooming manifests in our communities. We speak about the importance of safeguarding young people and creating space for all young people to be supported even when they don't fit our idea of the typical 'victim'. Touching on our experiences personally and professionally we explore the ways race and class intersect to create addition...
In this weeks episode we discuss the protest and resistance against SARS that culminated in the Lekki Tollgate Massacre on 20.10.20. We briefly discuss Nigeria's political history and the general running of the federal state. We berate the colonial hangover of which has led us to this tragic point, give our critiques on modes of protest/resistance, and finally discuss our individual hopes for Nigeria. Many we acknowledge the Feminist Coalition who have organised, raised awareness, accounted for ...
*TRIGGER WARNING* In this weeks episode we chat with Hannah Rankine of the Han Jan Ran Show and get in to the topic of Addiction. We get deep in this episode. All three of us earnestly share our journeys with both soft and hard addictions, and the varying forms/means we have sought out to achieve recovery and healing. We explore the narratives we all harness that keep us from acknowledging the addictions & unhealthy relationships we have, we talk about the things we have unhealthy relationsh...
In this episode we chat with Tissot Regis about life, love and masculinity. He imparts some wisdom and reassurance from his perspective as a 42 year old black man. Follow us on Twitter @echochamnerpod_ Instagram @theechochamberpod and Facebook @theechochamberpod
In this episode we discuss an uncomfortable period within our friendship. We talk openly about the discomfort we faced navigating our commitment as co-hosts and friends. We delve into some of the stories we told ourselves in relation to the difficult period we were facing and the way effective and open communication supported us to overcome this. As women who strive to live freely and authentically, we hope this conversation models the value of dialogue to overcome conflict in valued relationshi...
In this episode we discuss grief following the transition of someone very dear to Ez. We talk about the fact that grief is not only experienced in relation to people dying but can be the loss of relationships, jobs or even ideas. We talk about the ways we have questioned our right to grieve and how this has impacted our ability to process death as well as touching on communal grieving and the importance of this across the African diaspora. We are determined to develop healthier relationships wit...
In this episode we sit down (virtually) with Dr Yusef Bakali to discuss his trajectory in academia as a teacher, researcher and scholar whose research focuses on road life. Hailing from a working class background, Yusef talks with us about the difficulties of being an academic and shouldering the labels he does, as well as his real social and economic realities despite the assumption that he is now 'very well off' because he is a Doctor. Follow us on Twitter @echochamberpod_ Instgram @theechocha...
In this episode we talk about Self-care and our individual relationships with it, as well as how distant the narratives perpetuated by the 'self-care' industry about what it is (spa-days, luxurious pampering sessions, etc) feel from what the reality of self-care is for us. We consider how things that actually feel like chores (i.e. doing our nails every 2-3 weeks) are considered 'self-care', and how changing ones relationship to the task can make it feel more like self-care. Thank you for listen...
In this episode we chat about breakups, specifically, breaking up entanglements. We discuss about what hurts so much when we make the decision to go our separate ways even if it wasn't a traditionally serious, committed relationship. Follow us on Twitter @echochamberpod_ Instagram @theechochamberpod and Facebook @theechochamberpod
In this episode we discuss life after lockdown. Following episode 18 'Being black, broke and quarantined', we thought it was pertinent to discuss some of the struggles arising in the post-lockdown climate. As Britain attempts to 'get back to normal', we discuss how some of the schemes and initiatives stand to exclude, or, in some cases, flat out harm marginalised and working class communities. Find us on Twitter @echochamberpod_ Instagram @theechochamberpod and Facebook @theechochamberpod
In this episode we discuss the recent furore over Billy Steele who was knocked out on a London Underground tube earlier this month after launching a tirade of racialised provocation towards black passengers. A young black man responded to Steele's taunts as he alighted the tube by knocking him out which has since had social media in a polarised frenzy. Much of 'black twitter' are applauding the actions of the young man, even resurrecting an age old mantra - "chat shit, get banged!". On the other...
In this episode we chat with Unkle K about social media. We explore our different relationships with the online space, articulate our opinions on the pervasiveness of social media in our lives, and touch on sharing the common online space with Gen-Z's. We reminisce on our early teens and our common experiences of the online space, track our unique and changing attitude towards it, and make some predictions on how we expect our relationship with social media to continue to change. Find Unkle K on...
In this episode we discuss what freedom means to us, both in general and in relation to sex. Acknowledging our existence as Black, working class women - we imagine a world without the constraints that accompany these labels. Our hope is that we continue to journey towards our freest versions of self and we extend this hope to all, especially those in the Black, working class community. Follow The Echo Chamber Podcast on Twitter @echochamberpod_ & Instagram @theechochamberpod
In this episode we discuss our journey with healing; celebrating the progress we've made since our first episode where we discussed our experiences as Black, working class women in therapy. As mentioned in the episode here are links for some of the resources we engage with which support our healing journeys: *Meditation: Spinning Chakras: https://www.instagram.com/spinningchakras/ 21 Days of Abundance Meditation Challenge with Deepak Chopra: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcrFl2QetIsCcbc...
In this episode we discuss our experiences of fatherlessness. Acknowledging the differences in our relationship to the topic, we have an honest conversation about the ways growing up without a father impacted our experiences of the world from childhood through to adulthood. We talk about the difficulty of addressing the pain we experience in relation to growing up without one parent and the ramifications of that on our relationships with self and others. For both Jade and Ez this is a subject wh...
In this episode we sit down with Rhodes scholar and author @CaylinLMoore to discuss respectability politics. We touch on the various ways racism and economic deprivation have framed our views on respectability in relation to Blackness. We discuss the racial and socio-economic hurdles we have had to overcome to access academic and professional spaces whilst Black and acknowledge the immense pressure placed on us in these environments to conform to a 'respectable', palatable version of Blackness. ...
In this episode we sit down with @jayyangelo to speak about Black masculinity, addressing historical tensions between Black men and women. Jay speaks openly about some of the difficulties he faces existing as a Black man and the ways this may affect interpersonal relationships between Black men and women. We acknowledge that too often the burden of community activism falls disproportionately on Black women and explore the ways racism and capitalism construct ideas that Black men's value should b...
In this episode we sit down with Grace to discuss environmentalism. Environmental activism feels like a distant and privileged world in the context of black working classness, but many intersections between race and class exist which Jade & Ez wanted to flesh out with Grace - a black woman taking up space in the very white world of environmental activism. We deconstruct our assumptions about the people that make up the environmental movement, discuss some of the class & race related barr...
In this episode we spoke with journalist and youthworker Ciaran Thapar about his experience as an ally. Acknowledging the unique position Ciaran occupies as a mixed-race, Anglo-Indian man; who through his career has gained access to Black British culture. We chat about our views on the terms 'BAME/BME/people of colour' and explore the history of political Blackness in Britain whilst examining Ciaran's views on his position as an ally. This was a refreshing conversation about progressive ways for...
In this weeks episode, we reflect on our conversation in episode 23 with Rebecca and what we may have done differently. We consider some of the ways we could have furthered the conversation, challenged parts of it and approached Rebecca's allyship more generally. We recount the ways that whiteness has made us viscerally uncertain of ourselves and caused us to censor in the face of it, and how this has played a significant role in the last week or so. Enjoy this candid conversation of course with...
In this episode we speak with Jade's childhood friend Rebecca about what it means to be an ally. Rebecca talks very openly about her experience of allyship and what it has cost her as well as what she's gained from this position. The conversation confronts white guilt, white savourism and white fragility, challenging white people who seek to support the movement for racially equity to turn the lens on themselves and confront their privilege. We speak about the difficulties some white people have...
