Dara and I grew up in an overwhelmingly white town in Massachusetts on the outskirts of Boston. Like most if not all places in America, racist attitudes were (and are) not uncommon. She was labeled with slurs. She was singled out. She had to endure things that we, her white peers, never had to even think about.
In Brown Girl in a White World, our first episode after dropping the introductory trailer for the How Do We Deal?! podcast, Dara sheds light on some of her experiences. A consistent theme she shared in our conversations about this topic was being told that she was imagining bias. That there was no racism. Friends would wave it off. This amounts to lifelong gaslighting.
Looking through the lens of what she has endured, her openness on the topic is nothing short of courageous and badass. I admire her so much.
Of course, even in the face of a tough topic like this, we manage to laugh and connect and I'm truly grateful to be part of this podcast we've created together.
You don't want to miss this one. Perhaps you, too, deal with the enduring residue of growing up different. Maybe you, too, have "fancy friends" or have encountered the enigmatic "gate keeper of the stalls." Let us know! You can reach us via the form on this website or at howdowedeal@gmail.com.
We may not be able to solve racism but talking about it may help us deal, and I know I will move forward more thoughtfully thanks to this insight from Dara.
Please listen and follow on your go-to podcast platform... such as:
And thank you for your support!
Comments