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My Awakening Journey

Greetings

My name is Joe and I am the creator and host of My Awakening Podcast.  Nineteen episodes have now been  published since June 2020 and can be heard at MyAwakeningPodcast.com or most podcast apps.  Our tagline is “Conversations about America’s racial issues.” As an older white male I used to think that America's racial issues were someone else's problem. Have you ever had that thought? God prompted my awakening journey in 2012, when the murder of Trayvon Martin pierced my privileged white male bubble. Since 2012 I have focused on building relationships with several new Black  friends, starting with a few folks at my church.  Beginning with these new relationships and through extensive reading and research I have learned much about America's longstanding systemic racism.  


Then in 2020 this podcast was born, also divinely inspired, as a way to share my journey with listeners and to help close the gap in understanding and belief of the lived experiences of our fellow Black community members. Through building a mostly White listener base and featuring Black guests it is my heart’s desire to help close this gap for myself and our listeners. It seems that a White host sharing with mostly White listeners may have a chance to change hearts and pierce other folk's bubble along the way.  Using a friendly, unscripted, conversational approach with my guests, I will continue exploring many systemic racism issues including inequities in housing, education, criminal justice, voting rights, healthcare, and much more. My awakening journey continues but now includes sharing it with others through My Awakening Podcast and its companion  website. Here are some important truths continuing to highlight the purpose for this podcast:  


  • America’s diversity continues to increase while White America decreases as a percentage of our population.
  • Most White Americans have no Black friends, thus no reference to the lived experiences they have.
  • America continues to struggle with longstanding systemic racism issues exacerbated by politics seemingly driven by White America’s fear of losing their privileged position as the majority.
  • Systemic racism continues to affect Black Americans traumatically and too often fatally, particularly since they makeup 14% of our population. 
  • This continuing racial inequity is unlikely to be reduced or eliminated unless us White majority begins engaging anti-racist efforts more vigorously. Us White Americans must become part of the solution for our still segregated nation to ultimately deliver "Liberty and Justice for All".



I am committed personally and through this podcast to helping close this gap in understanding and inviting others to join me as we learn more about our Black neighbors lives and their experiences in our communities.  Only through better understanding can we hope to reduce the longstanding systemic racism that so dramatically affects our Black neighbors.


Please join me at MyAwakeningPodcast.com and I would love for you to engage directly in our podcast by using our new Start Recording feature directly below our logo on our website.  Thank you for listening!

Podcast episodes

Episode Guest Pics

Josh - Ep.#1

    Written Resources for your reference

    These are resources that I have fully read or watched and highly recommend for you  as well. The resources with an asterisk before the title are ones that most challenged and informed my ongoing Awakening journey.

    *The New Reconstruction

    Subtitle - The United States has its best opportunity in 150 years to belatedly fulfill its promise as a multiracial democracy.  This is a highly relevant, but lengthy article, providing very thought provoking historical context on America having a long awaited opportunity in 2020 to become a true multiracial democracy.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/10/the-next-reconstruction/615475/

    *America's Original Sin by Jim Wallis

    https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Original-Sin-Privilege-America/dp/1587434008/ref=sr_1_1?crid=L8K1S99PI4G6&dchild=1&keywords=america%27s+original+sin+jim+wallis&qid=1584924233&sprefix=America%27s+origin%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-1

    *So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

    This book is a must read and especially meaningful to me since Ijeoma lives in Seattle.

    https://www.amazon.com/You-Want-Talk-About-Race/dp/B078XKB7B3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1ML7KOBKYPU1&dchild=1&keywords=so+you+want+to+talk+about+race+ijeoma&qid=1586284931&sprefix=so+you+want+to+talk%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-2


    *White Awake

    Wow! You gotta read this book!

    https://www.amazon.com/White-Awake-Honest-Look-Means-ebook/dp/B075MHP31F/ref=sr_1_2?crid=M63HEAKEZ7WO&dchild=1&keywords=white+awake&qid=1587004148&s=digital-text&sprefix=white+awake%2Caps%2C189&sr=

    There Have Been 10 Black Senators Since Emancipation

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/opinion/sunday/hiram-revels-reconstruction-150.html?searchResultPosition=1

    *The 1619 Project

    A very unique and special retelling of some of America's slave history from a black perspective instead of the mostly white one that we have all been taught.

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html

    *National Geographic / April 2018

    A whole issue of National Geographic dedicated to understanding race.  Please read cover to cover.

    https://nationalgeographicbackissues.com/national-geographic-april-2018/

    Video Resources for your Reference

    Why Black Christians and White Christians vote so differently?

    An overwhelming majority of WHITE Christians vote Republican.  And an  overwhelming majority of BLACK Christians vote Democrat.  Why is that?   Don't they read the same Bible and pray to the same God?  Which group  doesn't know they're voting for the wrong party??  Phil Vischer takes us  on a fast-paced trip through history to figure out why different  American Christians read the same Bible, pray to the same God, and vote  very, very differently.

    Watch video

    13th - a Netflix documentary about America's incarceration problem.

    You gotta watch this powerful documentary about America's out of control prison population.  We should be outraged.  Check it out.

    Watch video

    Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man

    Since George Floyd's murder, a super relevant and educational video podcast by Emmanuel Acho.  Check out his short and professionally produced video podcasts. 

    Watch video podcast

    *The Uncomfortable Truth

    A powerful video of a white man's walk back through his family's uncomfortable history with slavery.

    Watch video

    Reconstruction: America After the Civil War

    Watch video

    Black, White & Us

    This is a really informative and honest video showing firsthand experiences of white parents adopting black children.

    Watch video

    White Savior: Racism In The American Church

    This video will really challenge your preexisting thoughts about Church in America. 

    Watch video

    Ted Talk 2014 - How to Talk about Race by Eric Deggans

    I found this TED talk several years ago and it was helpful for me to better understand a healthy perspective on having important conversations about race.  Please watch this and see if it may help you gain some perspective as well. 

    Watch Video

    Ted Talk 2014 - The little problem I had renting a house - by James White Sr.

    Watch video

    Ted Talk 2014 - Color Blind or Color Brave by Melody Hobson

    Watch video

    Other Resources on my "yet to visit" list

    Talk About Racism - podcast

    Listen to podcast

    National Museum of African American History and Culture

    About museum article

    The National Memorial for Peace and Justice

    Go to website

    To Kill A Mockingbird - on Broadway

    Go to website

    My Story

    Our podcast theme music - "everybody" by Faberge

    MY AWAKENING PODCAST

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