PODCASTS I NEED YOU TO LISTEN TO

hello friends,

I have been writing quite a bit on the "Park School Voices" blog so I'm not going to just copy and paste. Please visit that blog for some helpful resources.

This morning, I went running with my friend Lisa. And, while we usually chat the entire time, I had asked her to bring her headphones and listen to some podcasts. Lisa, like many of my friends, is a White woman who is deeply committed to justice. And, yet, I still needed and wanted her to listen to some podcasts. Thankfully, she agreed. 

Further, while Lisa and I only planned on being out for a little while, that "quick run" turned into 4 miles because we kept turning to each other saying, "I want to listen to more of this podcast. Can we keep going?" I even found myself making more than a suggestion to her. "Lisa, I need you to download these. I need you to listen to these." 

So, friends, I wanted to just use this space to list some Podcasts that have gotten me through the past few weeks. I need and want my White friends to listen to these. I hope that my friends of color find comfort in hearing other voices of color in these. 

While I have been looking forward to my morning runs for the past two months, I found myself in a very strange situation the morning after the Dallas shootings. I had my sneakers on, my running jacket zipped, and my dog's leash ready to go. Instead of opening the front door, I sat on the stairs. I leaned my head against the wall. I cried. My body felt like stone. My heart was pounding. My breath was shallow. I felt overwhelmed with sadness. I felt overwhelmed with hopelessness. 

Then I remembered, this is how racism wins. This is how racism-induced stress wins. This is how people die. 

I picked myself up. Dried my tears. Walked out the door. 

My morning run turned into a morning walk. A long morning walk. I needed to feel air rush through my lungs. I needed to feel the sun on my face. I needed to feel the wind dry my tears-stained face. 

I needed to be. 

That's that. 

Some of you have asked what I listen to during my morning runs. I listen to these podcasts. 

Thank you. Thanks for reading. Thanks for all your notes and messages asking if me, and my communities, are okay. Thanks for asking for resources and getting me back on the writing track. And thank you for helping us all to move forward. 

Peace and podcasts, 

Liza

Podcasts you can/should/must download

Invisibilia --  all of these  not because they talk about race, but because they focus on the hidden forces in our lives. 

Code Switch - all of these because I have actually stopped mid-run and applauded

This American Life - Birds and the Bees "If You See Something, Say Something" 

This American Life - Three Miles and Harper High School (parts 1 and 2) because they made me rethink schools as an oppressive structure