Jamia Wilson is a feminist activist, writer, and speaker. As director of the Feminist Press at the City University of New York and the former VP of programs at the Women’s Media Center, Jamia has been a leading voice on women’s rights issues for over a decade. Her work has appeared in numerous outlets, including the New York Times, the Today Show, CNN, Elle, BBC, Rookie, Refinery 29, Glamour, Teen Vogue, and The Washington Post. She is the author of Young, Gifted, and Black, the introduction and oral history in Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Around the World, Step Into Your Power: 23 Lessons on How to Live Your Best Life, ABC’s of AOC, and the co-author of Road Map for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Advocacy, and Activism for All.
In this episode, Jamia and Eric discuss many aspects of how we can work to develop a deeper understanding of one another, specifically in the realm of racism. Through a path that involves deep listening, allyship and activism, we can find our way to a better world together.
But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!
In This Interview, Jamia Wilson and I discuss Allyship, Activism, and…
- Her book, Road Map for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Advocacy, and Activism for All
- How to disagree with people and get comfortable with conflict
- Her experience with racism
- When it can be a mistake to give people the benefit of the doubt
- The way your lived experience can impact your worldview
- White Allyship
- Deep Listening
- The importance of involving the people closest to the problem when finding a solution
- White fragility
- The processes of learning and unlearning as lifelong processes
- Recognizing that we can have privilege in some areas and not in others
- A beginners guide to White Allyship
- Simple steps to take for local activism
Jamia Wilson Links:
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If you enjoyed this conversation with Jamia Wilson on Allyship and Activism, you might also enjoy these other episodes:
Deborah Burmeister says
I appreciate you, Eric, and the podcast you have so lovingly developed.
This podcast, however, brought down your typical high level of material that has been slipping into a different realm recently.
In all fairness, you may also consider discussion about black privilege. That had the black slaves not been brought to the US, their decedents would not be US citizens, but citizens of truly oppressive countries like Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Congo, Zambia, etc. The same is true for me and I count myself a lottery winner for being born a US citizen. Ask an illegal immigrant what that citizenship is worth. While the US is truly not perfect (not one champion has ever golfed 18 either), having lived around the world I can attest it is far better than anywhere else regardless of one’s race, ethnicity, religion or gender.
Black citizens recognize privilege in the US when getting into colleges and paying for it that are not afforded to white citizens. Blacks are privileged pursuant to affirmative action laws providing for under qualified persons to be promoted solely because they are black. Blacks themselves demand special classes, clubs and national anthems at the stated exclusion of whites. Blacks qualify for and receive more free social services, housing and meals than whites. Blacks are responsible for more murders of police officers in one month than police officers have killed (largely in self defense or defense of another) in a year. Blacks kill thousands of innocent black children and women at an ever increasing rate, yet those black lives don’t seem to matter at all.
It is assumed the cop that killed George Floyd was racist solely because he was white. He may be suffering from PTSD having been witness to the thousands of senseless killings of blacks by blacks, he may have been oppressed in countless other ways, maybe he was just a jerk of a human being. It is racist to assume it is because he was allegedly white – while he may actually be as black as Obama and just not have the black features.
A white woman is less likely to get aid to attend college than a black woman, a white is routinely passed over for jobs due to affirmative action despite being more qualified and experienced than her black peer and is significantly less likely to qualify for social assistance, including housing and food.
As a white in a crowd of blacks I have often been verbally assaulted with racial slurs, even in corporate meetings, yet I have yet to experience a black in a crowd of whites to have to endure such derogatory language.
My son in law is a deputy sheriff who is regularly sworn at, called racial slurs, spit at, physically attacked and has even been shot by blacks because he is white yet there are no charges of hate crime against blacks for such actions. He was shot while protecting a black woman from the black man beating, raping and calling her nigger.
Blacks have robbed, looted, set fire to and defaced public and private property at an alarming rate in the last few weeks and yet that behavior is excused due to oppression? The same oppression that provides privilege to them for education, jobs, housing, policing and social services? What about the innocent people (black, white, yellow, red) that are adversely affected because of their alleged oppression and the accompanying black privilege to destroy lives, homes and property?
It is white supremacy to believe that whites have the power to motivate blacks in any manner. Aren’t black people – people? People in control of their own minds in a free country where the greatest economic discrepancy is between affluent blacks and poor blacks, not blacks and whites. Isn’t it racist and bigoted to promote the idea that whites are somehow in control of the success of an entire race of citizens? These are not children, these are capable, intelligent, adult US citizens.
I live in Chicago, where more blacks are killed by blacks every day at alarming rates. Yet, Obama, heralded as a black president when he is as white as he is black, has done absolutely nothing for decades for his black brothers and sisters in his own back yard. He resurrected hate, division and racism for his political career, making millions and volunteering nothing. I volunteer over 2000 hours of legal aid and over $10,000 a year to the under resourced community of all races and ethnic backgrounds and have for over 10 years. I am intimately aware of the devastation Obama’s and people like Jamia’s ignorance and self grandiosity has imposed on these communities. It is repulsive. They dwell in despair, poverty, drugs, murder, sex trafficking, poor nutrition, constant terror and hopelessness. Pawns in a political game of emotional hijacking instead of tangible benefits.
If you want to promote what your show is about, I encourage you to avoid guests who further incite racism with their black privilege. At least Jamia has the sense to recognize she has size privilege yet her condescending racist attitude was the opposite of what this podcast typically provokes.
Namaste –
Deb
Alyson says
Any argument that begins with insinuating Black people in America should be grateful for the slave trade can be disregarded in its entirety.
Susan says
Looks like Deb’s been feeding the bad wolf a long time to be able to write that insane racist rant.
Susan says
Loved this interview. Thank you!