Do you think colorism impacts Black women differently than Black men? We certainly do! In fact, we'd argue that Black men are the main purveyors of colorism (we still love ya'll though!) There are few topics in our community that are more divisive than colorism and in this episode we look to address the nuances of how Black women experience coloris…

There are few topics in our community that are more divisive than colorism and in this episode we look to address the nuances of how Black men experience colorism, and issues with their identity based on their skin tone. We are joined by Bebe and Jared, Co-hosts of The Humble Loser Podcast, who share their personal stories on the stereotypes, traum…

Who knew reimagining travel would be so profound for Black people?! Those of us who chose to leave America also left our problems behind and we get deep into that conversation on this episode. Anitra Smith joins us as we discuss why travel was especially important (and controversial) for Black folks during the panasonic. Anitra is a public health l…

The Simone's are back! We kick off Season 3 by catching up on events that turned our world upside down the last 2 years. We had some pretty big life changes and we know you did too. We review some moments in time during lockdown and discuss news in pop culture, and how Black folks reimagined travel in 2020. This episode was recorded at Stay Diff St…

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…

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 w…

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 m…

Kirjoittanut Wokeland

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…

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 con…

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…

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 acti…

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 If you haven’t been on a college campus i…

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 g…

Dating is hard. But dating in the Bay?! That's a whole 'nother story. Welcome to part 3 of the Weird Ass Bay Area Dating Scene series, #Pride edition! This episode centers around the foolishness of the Bay Area dating scene and how the LGBTQIA+ community navigates dating here. Whether you're a transplant or are born and bred here, when it comes to …

Bonus Episode with Naming It Podcast! We talk about mental health myths and we answer a readers question on Dear Simones! Follow: @namingitpodcast and @wokelandpodcast Got a question you want us to answer on air for Dear Simones? Email us at wokeland@gmail.com or DM us!Kirjoittanut The Simones

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we spoke to Dr. Palmer and Dr. Hill about the spectrum of mental health and how the trauma African Americans have historically faced still impact us today. In fact, one study reports that, "African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population", and …

Our Season 2 premiere provides for an interesting discussion on the use of the n-word, specifically as it pertains to its use by our non-black homies. Refa One joins us as we dissect the behaviors, intentions, and desires of those wanting to align themselves with Black culture and identity but not realizing how their efforts are inherently discourt…

What a dope year it's been with you! Thank you to everyone who has tuned in the last 12 months, joined in on the convos, and debates. We've enjoyed every email, comment, DM, everything -- let's keep it going! Season 2 is coming up soon but in the meantime we're taking a mini break cuz #selfcare. We'll be back in 2019 with some fresh heat! We'll be …

On this episode, we talk to some of the prominent Black-owned business owners in the Bay to figure out how they've maintained their presence and survived through the storms. Keba Konte, founder of Red Bay Coffee, founded his coffee business in 2014 from his garage in Oakland. His ethically sourced coffee is quickly becoming a Bay Area mainstay, and…

Part 2! Dating is hard. But dating in the Bay?! That 's a whole 'nother story. We've been in many conversations centered around the foolishness of the Bay Area dating scene. Whether you're a transplant or are born and bred here, when it comes to dating you're most likely looking like confusion Susan aka lost AF. Why is that? We sat down with three …

Dating is hard. But dating in the Bay?! That 's a whole 'nother story. We've been in many conversations centered around the foolishness of the Bay Area dating scene. Whether you're a transplant or are born and bred here, when it comes to dating you're most likely looking like confusion Susan aka lost AF. Why is that? We sat down with three brave so…

For this episode on gentrification, we sat down with our neighbor Stanley, to provide us some context on how he has seen his neighborhood in West Oakland change. He recounts his Black Panther days, the high crime rate, and all the drugs that were in the neighborhood, but also the strong Black population that once occupied The Lower Bottoms (headqua…

Where did gentrification come from? In the midst of a homeless and housing crisis, we are unable to escape the harsh reality of what is becoming the "New Oakland." From Permit Patty to BBQ Becky, to the fading Black population of Oakland, to the increasing cost of living we can't help but feel for all of the people who no longer recognize their cit…

Bay Area Transplants: What they're doing here, why they settled in the Bay Area, and why they love Oakland Wondering what a "transplant" is? Most would define a transplant as someone who has moved, relocated, or settled in an area that they are not from and plan to live short term; usually in the pursuit of higher education, industry, or appeal of …

With the rise of social media, video games, and iPhones, engaging children in classrooms is harder than ever. We spoke to Ben Gilbarg of Big Picture Anthems and Griot B of Schoolyard Rap about edutainment aka "educational entertainment" and how schools can turn their low engagement around by fusing hip hop culture into their curriculum. We also get…

When we found out that only 3% of Black women occupy the tech space, we were both astonished and saddened by the statistic. So we kept digging. Turns out, that not only do they only account for 3% of tech roles but those numbers are on the decline. In fact, the amount of Black women in tech is 13% less than it was 10 years ago. Yes, you read that r…

Anyone who grew up in the Bay Area knows that the nightlife scene is pretty interesting to say the least. Growing up in San Jose, we didn't have many options as far as big clubs or events, and apparently Oakland didn't either. For a few years, Greek parties took over the Bay Area party scene, and when that came to a halt there was a monopoly betwee…

With all the hype of the Black Panther movie, we cannot forget the history, contributions, and revolutionists that were the Black Panther Party. They are the soul of Oakland, and are a huge part of why Oakland's spirit is so #BlackPower centric today. We got a chance to speak with Jabali aka James Burford, who is an original Black Panther Party mem…

Surprise! We're back with a new and hella unplanned episode! Black Panther is seeing huge success, breaking records, and causing a frenzy of unnecessary thinkpieces. We sat down to have an impromptu chat discussing our favorite characters in the film, African booty scratchers, Africans vs. African-Americans, the significance of Oakland in the film,…

"Oakland, Parts Unknown" - Welcome to the land of the woke. A sonic cultural ode to city of Oakland. On our inaugural episode we spoke to five Oakland natives who dissect Oakland stereotypes, gentrification, and their love of the town. Featuring your favorite Oakland neighbors, influencers, and rappers. Featuring Refa 1, Kyona Palmer, Albert aka Ru…