
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:
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!
Josh - Ep.#1
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.
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/
This book is a must read and especially meaningful to me since Ijeoma lives in Seattle.
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
A whole issue of National Geographic dedicated to understanding race. Please read cover to cover.
https://nationalgeographicbackissues.com/national-geographic-april-2018/
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.
You gotta watch this powerful documentary about America's out of control prison population. We should be outraged. Check it out.
Since George Floyd's murder, a super relevant and educational video podcast by Emmanuel Acho. Check out his short and professionally produced video podcasts.
A powerful video of a white man's walk back through his family's uncomfortable history with slavery.
This is a really informative and honest video showing firsthand experiences of white parents adopting black children.
This video will really challenge your preexisting thoughts about Church in America.
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.
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