We Thought You Been Knew Podcast

If your hair’s nappy, white people ain’t happy; if your hair’s straight, everything’s great; and if you want a promotion, you better use some hair lotion. Get that kitchen ready, because we’re closing out our first season by dissecting Black hair. We get to the root of why Black people are protective of our hairstyles as part of our culture, and and the difference between appropriation and appreciation (Kim Kardashian, we’re lookin’ at you). Then we talk to the creators of the award-winning doc “Black Girl Church” to comb through the complex relationship between Black women’s hair, Eurocentric beauty standards, and beauty supply stores. Notes: The Reason Non-Black People Should Not Wear Black Hairstyles Is Actually Very Simple https://www.popsugar.com/beauty/history-black-hairstyles-cultural-appropriation-47659501 A Black job applicant is suing over hair discrimination, but the company says it was a misunderstanding https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/04/us/black-job-applicant-hair-discrimination-lawsuit/index.html Everything You Need to Know About The Crown Act https://www.byrdie.com/the-crown-act-guide-5111864 Marc Jacobs Finally Responds To The Dreadlocks Controversy From Spring '17 https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2016/09/123351/marc-jacobs-white-models-dreadlocks-nyfw-ss17-photos Why I Don’t Refer to My Hair as ‘Dreadlocks’ https://www.vogue.com/article/locs-history-hair-discrimination Cornrows and Cultural Appropriation: The Truth About Racial Identity Theft https://time.com/4011171/cornrows-and-cultural-appropriation-the-truth-about-racial-identity-theft/ We Asked White People With Dreadlocks 'Why' https://www.vice.com/en/article/evbjz7/we-asked-white-people-with-dreadlocks-why Kim Kardashian West Responds to the Backlash Over Her Braids https://www.glamour.com/story/kim-kardashian-braids-explanation Black Girl Church https://www.blackgirlchurch.com/

It’s Gen Z trying to claim Black terminology as internet slang for me. This month, we discuss AAVE, better known as ebonics, and we trace back the roots of why Black Americans have a certain way of communicating with each other that has evolved over time. And when non-Black folks, from Kombucha Girl to Awkafina, continuously try it by attempting to co-opt our culture and language, we offer them a gift to help them understand the error of their ways: these hands. Then we wrap by discussing discuss our reactions to the “Gen Z Hospital” skit on SNL that had us wondering, “TF is this?” and in what way is it being interpreted? It’s definitely an episode you won’t want to miss. Point. Blank. Period. Notes: ‘Black English’: How AAVE Developed From Slave Resistance & African Dialects | The Breakdown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7FIky7wplI An influencer got backlash for claiming Black slang terms belonged to internet culture. It highlights a common problem online. https://www.insider.com/brittany-broksi-tiktok-aave-internet-culture-slang-appropriation-chile-2020 So Much Modern Slang Is AAVE. Here’s How Language Appropriation Erases The Influence Of Black Culture. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/sydneethompson/aave-language-appropriation How “on fleek” went from a 16-year-old’s Vine to the Denny’s Twitter account https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/28/14777408/on-fleek-kayla-lewis-ihop-dennys-vine-twitter-cultural-appropriation Michael Che Responds To Criticism Over ‘SNL’ Gen Z Hospital Sketch https://deadline.com/2021/05/michael-che-responds-to-criticisms-gen-z-hospital-snl-sketch-1234753569/ 'Saturday Night Live' faces mounting criticism for 'appropriation' of Black vernacular in 'Gen Z Hospital' sketch https://www.insider.com/gen-z-hospital-snl-skit-elon-musk-aave-backlash-2021-5

If you wanna be somebody, if you wanna go somewhere... you better wake up and pay attention! In this month’s episode, we’re breaking down Black education—from a teacher and student perspective. First, we discuss our experiences as Black students and how we were taught Black history (if we were taught it at all). Later, we speak with academic scholar Laz Letcher on the intersectional challenges of teaching curriculum that doesn’t center whiteness or heteronormativity. Then we wrap things up by dissecting The Chair, to see how a Black professor worthy of tenure was portrayed in the Netflix series. Notes: To Get To College, It Helps Black Students To Have A Black Teacher Early On https://www.npr.org/2019/01/11/682194015/-black-teachers-helps-black-students-get-to-college College faculty have become more racially and ethnically diverse, but remain far less so than students https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/31/us-college-faculty-student-diversity/ School Suspension Data Shows Glaring Disparities in Discipline by Race https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2020-10-13/school-suspension-data-shows-glaring-disparities-in-discipline-by-race The Chair Is Netflix’s Best Drama in Years - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/08/the-chair-netflix-review/619855/ The Chair Is a Pretty Accurate Portrayal of What It's Like to Be a Woman Professor of Color. That's Why It Can Be Painful to Watch https://time.com/6092072/the-chair-netflix-academia/ Where to find Laz Letcher: https://www.lazarusletcher.com https://www.instagram.com/l.nuzzles/ Laz Letcher's Recommendations: Black Shoals by Tiffany Lethabo https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-black-shoals Ezili's Mirrors: Imagining Black Queer Genders by Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley https://muse.jhu.edu/book/70042 One-Dimensional Queer by Roderick A. Ferguson https://www.wiley.com/en-us/One+Dimensional+Queer-p-9781509523566

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “Pretty for a dark-skinned girl,” before, then you know this is our colorism episode. We start off by getting into when we first learned about colorism and how it has consistently shown up in media—*ahem* In the Lights Heights. Then, we wrap up by discussing the music video for "Brown Skin Girl" by Beyoncé, Wizkid, SAINt JHN and Blue Ivy Carter, and ask who that song and video was truly meant to represent. Notes: Why black people discriminate among ourselves: the toxic legacy of colorism https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/apr/09/colorism-racism-why-black-people-discriminate-among-ourselves The Difference Between Racism and Colorism https://time.com/4512430/colorism-in-america/ The Limitations Of ‘Latinidad’: How Colorism Haunts ‘In The Heights’ https://www.npr.org/2021/06/15/1006728781/in-the-heights-latinidad-colorism-casting-lin-manuel-miranda 'Brown Skin Girl' Director Jenn Nkiru Talks Creating An Unapologetic Video Celebrating Blackness https://www.essence.com/entertainment/only-essence/brown-skin-girl-jenn-nkiru/ ‘Black Is King’ Director Jenn Nkiru On The Symbolism Of The “Brown Skin Girl” Video https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/jenn-nkiru-black-is-king Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl” Is Not for Every Brown-Skinned Girl https://www.teenvogue.com/story/beyonce-brown-skin-girl

Mental health in the Black community has become less taboo than ever before, but we still have a long way to go. In this month’s episode, we discuss the personal—our individual experiences with therapy and mental health—along with the public—the visibility of mental health struggles in public figures like Simone Biles. Later, mental health therapist Dr. Lawrence Jackson joins us to discuss the wide range of topics and emotions that show up in therapy for Black people. Finally, we wrap things up by comparing the depictions of therapy sessions in TV shows Girlfriends and Insecure to see if mental health depictions shifted generationally or stayed the same. Notes: Black And African American Communities And Mental Health https://www.mhanational.org/issues/black-and-african-american-communities-and-mental-health How diverse is the psychology workforce? https://www.apa.org/monitor/2018/02/datapoint National Alliance on Mental Illness - Black/African American https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/Black-African-American The Extra Stigma of Mental Illness for African-Americans https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/25/well/mind/black-mental-health.html Young Black athletes are launching a mental health revolution https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/young-black-athletes-are-launching-mental-health-revolution-rcna1490 Exclusive poll: Americans care about Olympians' mental health https://www.axios.com/olympics-mental-health-simone-biles-axios-momentive-poll-748bc171-e342-4dd0-a192-e568e6893f19.html An Appreciation of Molly’s Therapist’s Office on Insecure https://www.vulture.com/2017/09/insecure-molly-therapist-office.html Where to find Dr. Lawrence Jackson (The Black Male Therapist) https://theblackmaletherapist.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theblackmaletherapist/ https://twitter.com/blacktherapyfri Girlfriends Episodes (Available on Netflix) Season 2, Episode 1: "The Fallout" Season 2, Episode 2: "Just Say No" Season 4, Episode 14: "Leggo My Ego" Season 4, Episode 16: "On The Couch" Season 4, Episode 21: "Just the Three of Us" Insecure Episodes (Available on HBO) Season 1, Episode 7: "Real as Fuck" Season 2, Episode 1: "Hella Great" Season 2, Episode 2: "Hella Questions" Season 4, Episode 9: "Lowkey Trying"

With the way that Black people are treated at work, it's no wonder Tommy never had a job. In this month's episode, we discuss the challenges that come along with being Black in the workplace. From questioning how our haircuts and speech patterns are perceived while interviewing, to being one of a few or the only Black person in a predominantly white working environment, there's a lot to unpack. Later, we watch Boots Riley's 2018 movie "Sorry to Bother You," and examine the concept of code switching at work, and what it takes to find success in a capitalist market that wasn't built for Black people. Review: ‘Sorry to Bother You,’ but Can I Interest You in a Wild Dystopian Satire? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/02/movies/sorry-to-bother-you-review-lakeith-stanfield.html Sorry to Bother You gets everything right about the horrors of viral fame https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/24/17604940/sorry-to-bother-you-capitalism-viral-fame-analysis-lakeith-stanfield-tessa-thompson

In this month's episode, we discuss the challenges of traveling throughout the country as Black people, then we bring in multi-hyphenate creative Chris Green for his perspective on international travel. Black people don't have the luxury to just think about the fun and excitement of new adventures, we also have to consider how our Blackness will be perceived, treated and accepted wherever we go. Will there be harassment? Is someone going to say something ignorant? Will a situation get out of hand? Later in the episode, we dive into the Emmy-nominated virtual reality doc, "Traveling While Black" to get a firsthand look at what it means to navigate the world as a Black person. Traveling while black comes with a different set of rules https://www.travelweekly.com/Articles/Traveling-while-black-comes-with-a-different-set-of-rules For Black Women, Travel Means Overcoming Invisible Obstacles https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/what-its-like-to-travel-the-world-as-a-black-woman Traveling While Black https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/travel/traveling-while-black.html African American Travel Represents $63 Billion Opportunity https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/12/20/1670310/0/en/African-American-Travel-Represents-63-Billion-Opportunity.html Diversity & Inclusion Climate https://www.diversityabroad.com/articles/travel-guide/japan Opinion | Traveling While Black https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000006276181/traveling-black-us-greenbook.html Traveling While Black: behind the eye-opening VR documentary on racism in America https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/02/traveling-while-black-behind-the-eye-opening-vr-documentary-on-racism-in-america Director Roger Ross Williams On Emmy-Nominated VR Film ‘Traveling While Black’: “It’s A Big Moment” https://deadline.com/2019/08/traveling-while-black-director-roger-ross-williams-emmys-vr-interview-1202704524/

In this month’s episode, we’re looking at how companies FINALLY addressed racist imagery in their products following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. We look at brands like Uncle Ben’s, Land-O-Lakes, and the infamous Washington Redskins to discuss why this pervasive imagery could be more harmful than you think. Later, we break down dozens of Aunt Jemima commercials throughout the decades in order to turn the brand’s unsavory slogan, “What took you so long?” into a personal challenge. Why the hell did it take decades before the scarf-wearing Mammy figure and her racist origins were addressed? How did they try to rebrand Aunt Jemima over time without actually addressing the issue? And was their eventual rebranding enough? 15 racist brands, mascots, and logos that were considered just another part of American life https://www.businessinsider.com/15-racist-brand-mascots-and-logos-2014-6#uncle-ben-1946-present-2 Cream of Wheat to Drop Black Chef From Packaging, Company Says https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/27/business/cream-of-wheat-man.html Opinion | My Native American father drew the Land O’Lakes maiden. She was never a stereotype. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/29/my-ojibwe-father-drew-land-olakes-maiden-she-was-never-stereotype/ R. T. Davis Exhibit — chicagology https://chicagology.com/columbiaexpo/fair038/ Aunt Jemima Will Change Name, Image As Brands Confront Racial Stereotypes https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/17/879104818/acknowledging-racial-stereotype-aunt-jemima-will-change-brand-name-and-image Food Brands Are Finally Changing Their Racist Mascots—But Is It Enough? https://www.delish.com/food/a33313212/food-brands-racist-mascots-logos/ Revisiting Aunt Jemima: 'Slave in a Box' https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6709995 Every Aunt Jemima's TV Commercials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLPdkW5EcRc

For this month’s episode, we’re breaking down iconic Black standups to see if they held up over time. And we’re cutting the episode in HALF! In the first half, we rewatch some of our favorite standup specials from childhood to see if they had us cracking up or backing out. From Martin Lawrence to Katt Williams, we look at what these standup said about Black culture at the time. Would the same jokes used back then fly now? Can you still sprinkle a lil crack on ‘em? In the second half, we dissect Eddie Murphy’s infamously popular 1987 comedy special “Raw,” with special guests Jasmine White and Gwen Rogers from the upcoming project The Hotline Series. So get ready, because if you didn’t know before, you gone learn today. Notes: Black Family Accuses Georgia Daycare of Feeding White Children While Black Children Wait to Eat https://www.theroot.com/black-family-accuses-georgia-daycare-of-feeding-white-c-1846658428 How Do Eddie Murphy’s Delirious and Raw Hold Up? https://www.vulture.com/article/how-do-eddie-murphys-delirious-and-raw-hold-up.html Eddie Murphy and Spike Lee in Conversation: Our 1990 Cover Story https://www.spin.com/featured/eddie-murphy-and-spike-lee-in-conversation-our-1990-cover-story/ The 10 highest grossing stand-up films of all time https://thelaughbutton.com/10-highest-grossing-stand-films-time Eddie Murphy Still Cringes at His Old Stand-Up Material https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/09/eddie-murphy-cringe-old-stand-up

Bring a bucket and a mop, because this month we’re getting filthy. In this episode, we look at some of the most sexually explicit raps from men and women, and discuss how sexuality and sex look different depending on who’s behind the mic. Later in the episode, we dissect BRS Kash's "Throat Baby (Remix)" and Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" to see just how far we’ve come from the days when “My Neck, My Back” and “Tip Drill” had the masses clutching their pearls. Get ready to find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of what separates sexual agency from sexual exploitation in hip-hop. Ooh. ooohhh. Notes: Misogyny in Hip Hop Cardi B - WAP feat. Megan Thee Stallion BRS Kash - Throat Baby Remix Rick Ross Issues Official Apology for ‘Rape’ Lyrics Cardi B’s ‘WAP’ And Grimes’ Baby Have Topped Google Lists Of 2020’s Top-Trending Searches Snoop Dogg criticizes Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s hit song “WAP” BRS Kash on 'Throat Baby' Critics & Performing the Song at Georgia Senate Runoff Rally: 'My Voice Is Stronger Than It Ever Was'

From Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, to Blue Sky Studios’s Spies in Disguise, to Pixar’s Soul, have you noticed a recurring theme emerging where Black characters turn into creatures or things in animated feature films, and stay in that form for the majority of their time on screen? In our second episode, we dissect why that happens and what elements worked for and against these three films specifically. Is there a fear by major studios that Black people aren’t relatable to a wider audience? Were there instances where the transformation of a character made sense? Our guest (!) animator and Netflix’s story + editorial coordinator, Monique Henry-Hudson also joins us to share her perspective. Notes: Transformations of Human & Human-like Protagonists https://i.imgur.com/njmHuHF.png ‘The Princess and the Frog’ gave black girls their first taste of Disney royalty https://theundefeated.com/features/the-princess-and-the-frog-gave-black-girls-their-first-taste-of-disney-royalty/ Her Prince Has Come. Critics, Too. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/fashion/31disney.html Disney- Stop Turning Your Black Characters Into Animals https://medium.com/@nalnic/disney-stop-turning-your-black-characters-into-animals-704ebc305c3e Pixar’s first Black lead wasn’t in the original version of Soul https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/8/22149552/soul-pixar-interview-character-afterlife-designs The frustrating tradition behind Soul’s great flaw https://www.polygon.com/movies/2021/1/24/22246929/pixar-soul-black-character-22-passing-narrative Pixar’s Troubled “Soul” https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/pixars-troubled-soul Monique's Animation Org Recommendations: DiverseToons: https://www.diversetoons.com Black n Animated: https://www.blacknanimated.com Latinx in Animation: https://latinxinanimation.org Where to find Monique: https://www.simplyrobotix.com https://www.instagram.com/simplyrobotix/ https://twitter.com/simplyrobotix

Welcome to our podcast! We're starting things off by talking about one of the most significant events of 2020. The murder of Black people in America and the reactions that follow. George Floyd's murder sparked international outrage and "action" from corporations, the government and the public in general, but why didn't the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade or countless other trans Black people or cis Black women garner similar outrage or concern? In our premiere episode, we explore why more attention is given to cis Black men when they're on the receiving end of police brutality and violence as opposed to other groups of marginalized Black people. We also dig into the controversy between J.Cole's "Snow on tha Bluff" and Noname's "Song 33," and the role misogyny played in that interaction. Notes: How George Floyd was Killed in Police Custody https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html George Floyd Protests: A Timeline https://www.nytimes.com/article/george-floyd-protests-timeline.html What to Know About Breonna Taylor's Death https://www.nytimes.com/article/breonna-taylor-police.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/article/breonna-taylor-police.html What Is 'Wanton Endangerment,' the Charge in Breonna Taylor's Case https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/us/wanton-endangerment.html The Empty Facts of Breonna Taylor's Case https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-empty-facts-of-the-breonna-taylor-decision The Urgency of Intersectionality https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality/transcript?language=en Nearly 250 Women Have Been Fatally Shot By Police Since 2015 https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/investigations/police-shootings-women/ TMM Update: Trans Day of Remembrance 2020 https://transrespect.org/en/tmm-update-tdor-2020/ J. Cole - Snow on tha Bluff (Official Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZa3HyVLimQ Song 33 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFp1eW2bihg Why Is J. Cole Coming for Noname? https://www.vulture.com/2020/06/j-cole-noname-snow-on-tha-bluff.html Noname Says She's No Longer Going to 'Dance On Stage for White People' https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.53638/title.noname-says-shes-no-longer-going-to-dance-on-a-stage-for-white-people# Noname apologizes for releasing 'Song 33' aimed at J. Cole https://ew.com/music/noname-j-cole-song-33/ What we get wrong about misogyny https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/12/5/16705284/elizabeth-warren-loss-2020-sexism-misogyny-kate-manne