This is From Woke to Work: The Anti-Racist Journey. Hosted by Kamala Avila-Salmon, she talks about what it means to go from a self-proclaimed ally to an effective anti-racist. Whether you’re an ally that’s ready to take action or a Black person looking for a place to direct all those ally questions, this is the podcast you’ll want to keep close at hand.

There's something missing about the way that we're talking about allyship. Kamala felt it more acutely than ever in the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. In this moment, the biggest global awakening on racism and racial injustice in a generation, more and more white and non-black people started showing up declaring themselves “Anti-Racist”. What were they doing? What were they actually doing besides messages of concern to their black friends and turning your profile pictures Black? What actions were they taking?

Kamala started to get mad, but then she got curious. Did these newly “woke” allies know they needed to do things to bring about racial justice and equity? Did they know what to do? She put pen to paper and sketched out an anti-racism journey modeled after the traditional marketing funnel of how we get consumers from unaware to adopters of our product. 

Over the series of this podcast, Kamala will talk about that journey; how you can go from being woke (i.e. aware of racial inequity and injustice) to actually doing the work and eradicating it.

From Woke to Work was produced by Kamala Avila-Salmon in partnership with Julian Lewis and TJ Bonaventura at StudioPod. Edits were made by Nodalab. Our amazing artwork was designed by Tommy Gomez. And this fire track I’m speaking on was produced by Dave Can Trap.

A black square on Instagram doesn’t make you an anti-racist, but there is a path to follow. Welcome to From Woke to Work, the Anti-Racist Journey, a podcast created and hosted by Kamala Avila-Salmon, with the mission to make an impactful dent in people’s understand of how to actually combat racism. Whether you’re an ally ready to take action or a black person with a bunch of ally-related questions, this podcast will draw a clear path for you to follow towards true anti-racism.

We can all share a post and use a popular hashtag, but when it comes to taking action, what else are you doing? In the first episode of From Woke to Work, you’ll get to better know your host, Kamala, as she shares her experiences around racism and “woke” folks, what motivated her to start this podcast, and how she assembled her 6 step journey to true anti-racism with marketing principles. From awareness to action, you’ll learn about the steps you’ll be taking in order to become a true ally, and stop being your average performer. Listen now and reflect on the steps you may have missed to actually make an impact in a society where likes are overvalued, yet action is rarely taken.  

Jump straight into:

• (00:46) - Being “woke” is just as good as staring and doing nothing - “Did black death just run on a different news network that only black people got? I don't think so.”
• (04:23) - The 6 Step Anti-Racist Journey - “Knowledge is not action, only action is action, so let's get after it.”
• (09:51) - This journey is not about perfection, and it will never stop - “However exhausted you are by talking about racism, just think about how exhausted we are living with it.”

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to follow Kamala on Instagram to learn more. Subscribe, rate and share this podcast so more people can find it, let’s spread the word!

From Woke to Work is a show produced and hosted by Kamala Avila-Salmon in partnership with Julian Lewis and TJ Bonaventura at StudioPod. Edited at Nodalab, art by Tommy Gómez, and music produced by davecantrap.

This year will be hard to forget, not only have we witnessed a pandemic unfold in front of our eyes, but also social movements that arise in the middle of chaos. The Black Lives Matter movement is especially highlighted, as unfortunate events triggered the rage of the already exhausted black community, who got the support of recently “woke” non-black allies. Awareness is just the first step of the anti-racism journey. On today’s episode, Kamala is joined by an inspiring leader, speaker and black woman, Jovian Zayne, to chat about the role of awareness around racism in the American society. Listen to the perspectives of these two women in this new episode, as they discuss what they are expecting from true allies to fight alongside the black community for the creation of a more just reality.

Jump straight into:

• (0:46) - The perfect year for a pandemic and the sudden (yet awfully late) national realization of racial injustice - “White people finally looked up and realized all at once: Damn... This country is racist!”
• (10:32) - Awareness opens your eyes, now, open your mind to different narratives - “There is a persistent issue of police violence, specifically against communities of color and even more specifically against black people.”
• (22:03) - Accept uncomfortable truths to start important conversations - “There are ways to deepen your awareness that don't require fully unloading every question that you have about race on the next black person that you see.”
• (25:15) - How Black Lives Matter has empowered and raised the voices of an entire community - “The idea that it makes some people so incensed to hear those three words together is because it actually does call out all of American history.”
• (37:30) - The problem with forced diversity and black representation - “We need the conversation that happens after the change and the commitment that comes after it. That's a pretty important step in the process, but not the whole process.”
• (42:36 ) - Dealing with non-believers of a very evident problem - “It's such a beautiful time to try to be an anti-racist. Is popular, it is on trend, is accessible and available.”

Resources

• OnPurpose Movement
• How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram Kendi
• Share the Mic Now
• The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown
• Brené with Austin Channing Brown on I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
• Reese Whiterspoon’s conversation with Austin Channing Brown