Hope & Hard Pills

Reema Zaman is an award-winning writer, speaker, actress, and author of the critically acclaimed memoir I AM YOURS. I Am Yours has been adopted into the curriculum of several high schools through an Innovation Grant from the Oregon Department of Education, and is being adapted into a movie by Dara Resnik and Reema. The New York Times states that "Zaman writes beautifully of the pain and frustration of being a woman in a man's world, an immigrant in a world suspicious of outsiders."She was the 2018 Oregon Literary Arts’ Writer of Color Fellow and is currently partnering with the International Rescue Committee and Girls Inc. to serve crucial causes and empower the next generation of leaders. As the only Reema Zaman in the world, she is easy to find on social media. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter, and visit her website.Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook.A huge thank you to Corey Leak for being a guest host on this episode! Connect with Corey on Instagram and Twitter and check out his podcast Existential. Of course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon to support our work and gain access to exclusive content.A special thank you to our Collaborators on Patreon:Ahren Samuel, Allison Chang, Anne Shaneen, Anne Tomkinson, Donna Lynn, Janet Elsbach, Jason DeMeo, John Tomkinson, Michaela Doelman, Mike McHargue, Mikel Ellcessor, Rebecca Williamson, Regina-Wink Swinford, Samantha Ham, Scott Unger, Stephen Matlock, The DeWilde Muthiahs. Music: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry

Srdja breaks down the elements of what makes a successful movement of resistance and what that looks like in practice. Show Notes:Srdja Popovic is the Founder and Executive director of the Center for Applied Nonviolent Actions and Strategies (CANVAS), a non-profit organization based in Belgrade, Serbia that aims to teach the use of nonviolence to make a change.He was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia (then part of Yugoslavia), in 1973. Popovic played the guitar in a rock band and graduated from the Faculty of Biology in Belgrade, holding a Master’s degree (MA) in animal ecology. Since his early 20ies, he has focused on activism, democracy and human rights issues.In 1998, Popovic founded the student movement “Otpor!” (“Resistance!”) which played a crucial role in ousting president Slobodan Milosevic, former Serbian dictator accused of war crimes. After Milosevic was defeated in 2000, Popovic was elected to the Serbian Parliament where he served from 2000 until 2004.Following his career in the Serbian Parliament, Popovic went on to found CANVAS, acting as its executive director ever since. CANVAS was created with the intent of teaching people all over the world about how to be successful in nonviolent conflict. So far, the organization has worked with activists from 46 different countries, spreading the knowledge of the nonviolent strategies and tactics used by Otpor! worldwide.He is currently the 53rd Rector of the University of St. Andrews. He commenced the role of the University Rector for a period of 3 years from 1 November 2017.Apart from being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012, Popovic was listed as one of the "Top 100 Global Thinkers" of 2011 by the Foreign Policy Magazine. And in 2014 he was listed as a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum in Davos. Popovic is also the author of the recent book Blueprint for Revolution.Episode Questions:• What forms of art have stirred your consciousness? What about this/these work(s) moved you?• What is the vision of the movements you support or are a part of? What about their vision captivates you? What steps are they taking to see their vision become reality?• Who are folks who might ally with you in your work for social change? What makes them effective allies? Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook.Find out what Alicia is up to at her website and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Of course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon to support our work and gain access to exclusive content.A special thank you to our Collaborators on Patreon:Ahren SamuelsAnne ShaneenAnne TomkinsonDonna LynnJanet ElsbachJason DeMeoJohn TomkinsonMichaela DoelmanMike McHargueRebecca WilliamsonRegina-Wink SwinfordSamantha HamSamuel MuthiahScott UngerStephen MatlockMichael KinmanRyan Ku-Borden Music: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry

Rob Lee is pastor of Unifour Church in Newton, NC and a public theologian. His first book was Stained-Glass Millennials (Helwys, 2017) and his second book addresses the need for a reorganizing and reckoning with faith communities and race relation, A Sin by Any Other Name (Convergent, 2019) is on shelves now. Lee is an accomplished preacher having preached around the world in such pulpits as the American Cathedral in Paris, the Historic Ebenezer Church, and Harvard’s Memorial Church.The best way to keep up with Rob is on Twitter.  Episode Questions:• What biases or histories do you struggle with being a part of your heritage or lineage?• What in your family history are you working to address or heal within yourself so it is not passed on to future generations?• What is the impact and significance of leaving monuments to white supremacy and the confederacy in public spaces?• What does faith reclamation look like for you in the face of faith being weaponized and used for harm?• Are better theologies enough to create the world in which all are truly free or do we need other tools and resources? What might those tools or resources be?• How are you working to acknowledge and address the guilt you deal with because of your privilege?• How are you working to address ans acknowledge the grief you deal with because of your marginalization? Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook.Find out what Alicia is up to at her website and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.Of course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon to support our work and gain access to exclusive content.A special thank you to our Collaborators on Patreon:Ahren SamuelsAnne ShaneenAnne TomkinsonDonna LynnJanet ElsbachJason DeMeoJohn TomkinsonMichaela DoelmanMike McHargueRebecca WilliamsonRegina-Wink SwinfordSamantha HamSamuel MuthiahScott UngerStephen MatlockMichael KinmanRyan Ku-Borden Music: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry

Jill Louise Busby is a writer and filmmaker critiquing, imploding, and barrel-laughing at our personal and communal hierarchies; the myth of white fragility (and other words for racism); the endlessly-pending and highly-exclusive revolution, identity, and reaction-based illusions of societal progress; and the boundaries that all place on our lives.Believing a shift away from anti-difference begins with an outpouring of radical, multi-generational, inclusive, and validating honesty, Jill’s work charms audiences just past their limits of comfort, inviting them to seek a new and more genuine freedom in the discomfort of truth.Follow Jill on Instagram for more! Episode Questions:• Jill says these days she feels like "Identity is a reaction to oppression". Is this true for you? What identities do you claim? Which of those markers are linked to oppression? Which markers are linked to privilege? Which are linked to general experience?• Think about the identities that you possess. What is the first identity you remember claiming? What identity or identities do you claim most ardently now? What identities have others tried to affix to you that you've taken issue with or rejected?• Jill humorously referred to the internet as a virtual high school where people show up as representatives of themselves but not their actual selves. What's your internet high school avatar? What may people miss about you if this is the only version that they see?• Jill mentioned that she doesn't want to live governed by the reactions of other people or in defense of who she is. What would it look like to resist giving systems of dominance our lives and energies while still cultivating space that affirms those impacted their oppression?• We live in a culture in which it is easy to call others out but what sort of things do you need to check yourself on? How do you hold yourself accountable as you work towards personal and social transformation?• Jill notes that in 10 years everything we say could end up being problematic. What could it look like to hold people accountable but also cultivate empathy for others and ourselves as we work to disengage from toxic patterns, thoughts, speech, and behaviors as we evolve? Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook.Find out what Alicia is up to at her website and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.Of course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon to support our work and gain access to exclusive content.A special thank you to our Collaborators on Patreon:Ahren SamuelsAnne TomkinsonDonna LynnJanet ElsbachJason DeMeoJohn TomkinsonMichaela DoelmanMike McHargueRebecca WilliamsonRegina-Wink SwinfordSamantha HamSamuel MuthiahScott UngerStephen MatlockMichael KinmanRyan Ku-Borden New Music: The Love In Her Eyes by Andre HenryMusic: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry

Damon Young is a writer, critic, humorist, satirist, and professional Black person. He's a founder of VerySmartBrothas, a columnist at GQ, and a senior editor at The Root. His debut memoir, What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker (Ecco/HarperCollins) is a tragicomic exploration of the angsts, anxieties, and absurdities of existing while black in America.Episode Questions:• What feeds into assumptions of how we're supposed to interact with the world?• Have you experienced people making assumptions about who you were or how you should act based on any facets of your identity?• Have you ever yielded to the pressure to "perform" behaviors and attitudes to fit an image?• How do you feel about this notion of performance at this juncture of you life? How do you perceive yourself?• How can self perception resist the motion of performance?• How does it help you figure what you can do or offer in the work of social transformation?• What role does humor have in social transformation work?• Why might people develop humor in social change?• Why might humor be necessary in our resistance?• Damon made a really good point when he named said that "if we want to fight and resist and transform, we have to use all parts of ourselves." What parts of yourself are easy to access and leverage in movement work?• What parts of yourself are challenging to bring forward?•  "When a group of people is colonized or occupied, language is the first victim." This stood out because language is so vital because us is what we use to frame ourselves, to tell our stories as well to seek and speak truth. How do you consider or use language in your personal and social transformation work?Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook.Of course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon for exclusive content. A special thank you to our Top Tier patrons who help make all the things we're doing possible!Find out what Alicia is up to at her website and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.New Music: I Want You (Marvin Gaye Cover) by Andre HenryMusic: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry

Micah White, PhD is the lifelong activist who co-created Occupy Wall Street, a global social movement that spread to 82 countries, while an editor of Adbusters magazine. A frequent public speaker and prominent activist educator, he is the co-founder of Activist Graduate School, an online school taught by, and for, experienced activists and the author of The End of Protest: A New Playbook for Revolution. Learn more about Micah at micahmwhite.comEpisode Questions:What are you considering to do for social change?What does it mean for you to find the courage to make that happen?What new things are you engaging to help you commit to social transformation work in more dynamic and sustainable ways?Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook.Of course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon for exclusive content. A special thank you to our Top Tier patrons who help make all the things we're doing possible!Find out what Alicia is up to at her website and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.New Music: Latch (Sam Smith Cover) by Andre HenryMusic: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry

Dominique DuBois Gilliard is the Director of Racial Righteousness and Reconciliation for the Evangelical Covenant Church. He is the author of Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice that Restores, which won the 2018 Book of the Year Award for InterVarsity Press. Rethinking Incarceration also received a Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly, and was named as one of the 2019 Resources of the year by Outreach Magazine. Gilliard also serves on the board of directors for the Christian Community Development Association and Evangelicals for Justice. In 2015, Huffington Post named Gilliard as one of the “Black Christian Leaders Changing the World."An ordained minister, Gilliard has served in pastoral ministry in Atlanta, Chicago, and Oakland. He earned two bachelor’s degrees (in African American Studies and History), a master’s degree in History, and a Master of Divinity degree from North Park Seminary; where he currently serves as an adjunct professor. Gilliard also serves as an adjunct professor at Kilns College. Document:Rethinking Incarceration: Advocacy Points & Reforms Episode Questions:• Is my financial institution supporting the prison system and, if so, where can I bank instead? Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook.Of course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon for exclusive content.Find out what Alicia is up to at her website and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.Music: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry.

adrienne maree brown is author of Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds and Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, and the co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements. She is a writer, social justice facilitator, pleasure activist, healer and doula living in Detroit. brown has been facilitating professionally for over fifteen years, and has worked with hundreds of organizations at all levels of scale including informal collectives, foundations, national networks and more. She is the cohost of the How to Survive the End of the World podcast.You can discover more about adrienne maree brown through her website and Instagram.Episode Questions:• What is the relationship between pleasure, control, abundance, and scarcity?• What do you find pleasurable?• How are you going to prioritize pleasure in your world?• What could it mean for you to lean into your longings as a means for personal and communal transformation?Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Twitter, Instagram, & FacebookOf course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon for exclusive content.Music: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry.

Alicia T. Crosby is a justice educator, activist, and (sometimes reluctant) minister whose work addresses the spiritual, systemic, and interpersonal harm people experience. Through her teaching, writing, speaking, and space curation, Alicia helps individuals, communities, and institutions explore and unpack topics related to identity, inclusivity, journey, and intersectional equity. This native New Yorker channels her creativity into her work with her nonprofit Center for Inclusivity and through her writing and speaking. Find out what Alicia is up to at her website and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook Of course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon for exclusive content. Music: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry

Onnesha Roychoudhuri is a Brooklyn-based writer, educator, and storyteller. A 2013 fellow at the Center for Fiction, her writing has appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, n+1, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Boston Review, McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, The Nation, The American Prospect, Salon, and Mother Jones. She is the co-founder of Speech/Act, an organization working at the intersection of storytelling and social justice. Her book, The Marginalized Majority: Claiming Our Power in a Post-Truth America (Melville House Books, July 2018) was named one of the best nonfiction books of 2018 by Kirkus Reviews. For more, head over to Onnesha's website, Facebook, & Instagram. Sign up for Andre's Hope & Hard Pills Newsletter at his website. Catch up with Andre on Instagram & Facebook Of course, this podcast couldn't happen with out the support of our wonderful patrons! Click here to become a patron of the Hope & Hard Pills Podcast on Patreon for exclusive content. Music by brandon*