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Stop Mis-Using the Word Multicultural!: A Rant

This is not a Corona virus related Meltingpot Minute. On episode 31, host Lori L. Tharps has a quick something to say about the misuse (or is it abuse) of the word multicultural. Businesses, marketers, podcast hosts and your friend Karen, are all using the word multicultural to describe anything that's not white. And that's not fair. Nor is it accurate.

Listen in for this quick lesson/rant where Lori breaks down what multicultural really means and why we should care that people are hiding behind the multicultural label instead of standing up for their own cultural communities. It's a Meltingpot Minute you don't want to miss.

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Episode 31 is sponsored by the new My American Meltingpot store where you can buy clothing that allows you to tastefully wear your identity. Check out our t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags and coffee mugs for kids and adults. Buy something for the diversity diva in your life and support the Meltingpot at the same time!

How to Live a Boldly Multicultural Life

On episode 30 of the My American Meltingpot podcast, meet serial entrepreneur and activist, Sonia Smith-Kang.

Sonia is a multicultural advocate who draws from her rich cultural heritage as an Afro-Latina and proud military brat born in Puerto Rico and stationed on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu. She has dedicated her life to amplifying the voices of the underrepresented and is the founder and designer of Mixed-Up Clothing, co-founder of Culturas, MulticultiCorner and Mixed Heritage Day. A thought leader, community activist and expert in diversity, Sonia also serves as president of Multiracial Americans of Southern California. A graduate of the University of San Francisco, Sonia is a registered nurse based in Los Angeles where she lives with her Korean-American husband and four multicultural, multiracial and multilingual children.

On this episode, Sonia shares how she grew up proud of, and comfortable with, her African-American and Mexican-American heritage, but still found herself struggling with her Mixed-Race identity until she was an adult. She also talks about marrying her Korean-American husband and the challenges they faced with their union and raising their children.

From focusing on the family, our conversation turns to all of the entrepreneurial activities Sonia has engaged in to continuously amplify the voices of the Mixed-Race community. We begin with her unique children's clothing line, Mixed-Up Clothing, and move on to her recent venture, Culturas, a website that brings together all of her multicultural services and products.

It's a wonderful conversation that hopefully will inspire people to boldly live their own multicultural lives, and find ways to combine their passions with their purpose – and maybe even profits!

For complete show notes and more Meltinngpot content, visit: MyAmericanMeltingpot.com.

Coronavirus Isn't an Excuse to be Racist and Stupid

Episode 29 of the podcast is our first stand-alone Meltingpot Minute. Starting in Season 4, the Meltingpot Minute will be a bite-sized episode where host Lori L. Tharps shares the latest news, views and pop culture reviews, all from a multicultural perspective. Even though it's not what we wanted to do, our first Meltingpot Minute is all about the Corona Virus.

Like all things relating to this global pandemic, this episode wasn't exactly planned. In fact, it was recorded in Lori's bedroom closet, late at night, instead of at our usual NPR studio. Listen in to hear what multicultural messages we can all learn from Corona 2020 as Lori speaks from the heart about where we are now as a society in the face of this unprecedented scenario.

And if you want to read more of Lori's thoughts about why being racist and stupid in the face of the Corona virus is a bad idea, check out her recent blog post on the topic. 

Guess Who's Afraid of Interracial Relationships?

On episode 28 of the podcast we are going to be talking about interracial relationships in the 21st century. More specifically, we're going to discuss why, 53 years after the Loving decision made interracial marriage legal in all 50 states, we are still divided over interracial unions. On the one hand, studies show that more people support interracial relationships than in the past. But on the other hand, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent interracial union proved that a lot of people just aren't ready to accept love across the color line.

Joining me today to chop it up about where we stand as a culture on interracial relationships, is TaRessa Stovall. TaRessa is a mixed-race author, journalist, and identity rights rabble-rouser who works to evolve the conversations around identity and challenge racism. She is a Seattle-native now based in Atlanta. Her new memoir, Swirl Girl: Coming of Race in the USA is coming out this spring.

Here's some of the things we talk about in this episode.

• Why Black/White interracial relationships are the most controversial in the United States.

• Who really has a problem with interracial relationships. Hint: It's not just white people.

• Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interracial relationship made people uncomfortable and angry.

• The painful history of anti-Blackness in the United States

• The untold history of interracial mixing in the United States

•Why interracial relationships aren't the answer to America's race problem

• How we make progress as a nation towards the acceptance and respect of interracial relationships.

Resources from the Show

To learn more about TaRessa Stovall and her new book, Swirl Girl, visit her website.

To follow TaRessa on Instagram, find her @Taressatalks

You can also follow TaRessa on Facebook 

For more information about the supreme court decision that legalized interracial marriage in all 50 states, visit Loving Day.org and / or watch this beautiful Loving documentary.

Please don't forget to rate and review the podcast on Apple podcasts. And for complete show notes, visit My American Meltingpot.com.

Rewind Episode: The Challenges of Traveling as a Multiracial Family

On episode 27 of the My American Meltingpot podcast, we're talking about the joys and challenges of travel when you're part of a multiracial family. What makes traveling as a multiracial family unique and different? Tune into this honest and fact-filled episode to find out. Be warned, we're talking about more than hair products and sunscreen...although those multicultural essentials do come up in our conversation.

My guest on the show is Carmen Sognonvi from the luxury travel blog, Top Flight Family. Not only is Carmen a family-travel expert, she also has a background in racial justice work. Bonus, Carmen is a Mixed-Race, Asian woman, married to an African-American man, raising two beautiful, brown daughters, so the wisdom she shares on this episode is both professional and personal.

Be sure to listen all the way to the end of the episode to hear all of Carmen's tips, tricks and resources to make your next family trip - foreign or domestic – more memorable, meaningful and fun!

For show notes and more meltingpot content, visit My American Meltingpot.com. And don't forget we'll be back with all new podcast episodes in Season 4, starting on March 13, 2020. 

Rewind: How to Raise Confident Mixed-Race Kids

On episode 26 of the My American Meltingpot podcast, we're talking about parenting confident Mixed-Race children with educators, Ridvan Foxhall and Sharon H. Chang. This is our second rewind episode and it's a good one. As parents of Mixed kids, Sharon, Ridvan, and I all share personal experiences and practical tips and resources for raising Mixed Race children who are confident in their multi-ethnic identity. We cover everything from colorism to traveling to ancestral homelands. We know this parenting journey isn't always easy. Hopefully this episode will help pave the way.

Sharon H. Chang is an award-winning author, photographer and activist with a lens on racism, social justice and the Asian-American diaspora. She is the author of the critically acclaimed academic book, Raising Mixed Race: Multiracial Asian Children In a Post-Racial World.

Ridvan Foxhall is an occupational therapist and certified Positive Discipline parent educator and coach. In 2006, Ridvan founded the Peekskill chapter of the Children’s Theatre Company which is dedicated to building character on stage by instilling in children a sense that they can be a voice of positive change in the world.

For the full show notes from this episode, please visit My American Meltingpot.com.

Please don't forget to rate and review the My American Meltingpot podcast on Apple Podcasts so we can be found and heard by even more people.

 

Rewind Episode: Can Technology be Racist?

On Episode 25 of the My American Meltingpot podcast, we have the first of a series of rewind episodes. I am joined by author and journalist, Meredith Broussard to talk about the bias baked into our technology. Yes, we are talking about racist technology.

From self-driving cars to soap dispensers, we discuss all of the different forms of technology that have been created without taking into consideration the diversity of the consumers using said technology. Meredith Broussard, the author of the award-winning book, Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World, breaks down how and why most technology is racist (hint: part of the reason why is because the tech field is woefully white and homogenous), but she also gives us ideas about how we consumers can fight back against the bias.

It's a fascinating deep dive into the world of tech and will leave you feeling a whole lot smarter than you did before tuning in, but this conversation might leave you feeling freaked out about self-driving cars too. 

Check the show notes on My American Meltingpot.com for links to all of the books and references mentioned on the episode. 

Is Christmas for white people?

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? On episode 24, of My American Meltingpot, we’re talking all about Christmas. More specifically, we’re going to be interrogating the idea that Christmas is for white people! Now, I’m not white and I’ve been celebrating Christmas with my very Black family for more than 40 years, so clearly Christmas isn’t by definition a White People’s holiday, but there are plenty of people of color in America who do not deck the halls or jingle any bells on December 25th. On this episode we try to get to the bottom of why some people of color don’t feel like Christmas is their holiday, even if they are Christians. We also explore the immigrant experience with Christmas, the actual multicultural origins of Christmas, and some ethnic alternatives to a "white" Christmas.

Joining me for this racial rehash of Christmas is Dr. Marc Lamont Hill. Dr. Hill is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. He is the author of several books, including Nobody; Gentrifier; and Beats, Rhymes and Classroom Life. A public intellectual and an award-winning journalist, Dr. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Most recently Dr. Hill opened a bookstore and a community based education center in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. 

This episode will have you rethinking the reason for the season in a totally Meltingpot way! For show notes and additional resources about the December holidays, please visit My American Meltingpot.com.

The Anniversary Episode!

On episode 23, I'm celebrating the one year anniversary of the My American Meltingpot podcast! After one year, 22 episodes and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, I've really learned a lot. Not just about launching a podcast, but about all of the ways race intersects with real life. Thanks to the fact that I've had really amazing guests on the show, I feel like I've learned just as much as all of you. So, listen in as I recap my top 10 meltingpot lessons learned after 22 exciting episodes. 

Be sure to listen all the way to the end of the episode, when I announced a trivia question relating to the show. Whoever gets the answer correct will be added to a drawing for a My American Meltingpot gift bag o' goodies. 

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! And don't forget you can always find more Meltingpot content and all of the show notes at My American Meltingpot.com.

Alzheimer's Doesn't Discriminate

On episode 22 of My American Meltingpot, we’re going to be talking about the sixth leading cause of death in America, Alzheimer’s. After all, November is National Alzheimer's Awareness Month. And yes, we’re going to talk about statistics and studies, but because this is the Meltingpot, what we're really going to focus on is the impact Alzheimer’s has in communities of color, the toll of Alzheimer’s on families and caregivers, and what we can all do to help bring more attention to finding a cure for this tragic disease that kills our loved ones, not once, but twice. 

Joining me for this important conversation is journalist, award-winning author and self-proclaimed Alzheimer’s activist, Marita Golden. Golden, a literary legend, is the author of 17 works of fiction and nonfiction. Her most recent books both deal with Alzheimer’s; The Wide Circumference of Love is a novel and Us Against Alzheimer’s is an anthology of essays and stories written by a multicultural collection of authors. Us Against Alzheimer's was just released in September of this year.

There’s so much to learn about Alzheimer's and believe it or not, it’s not all bad news. I hope you listen to this important episode. 

For show notes please visit MyAmericanMeltingpot.com.