BLACK LIVES MATTER
Talks, Panels, Podcast, & Interview:
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TEDx Talk on the Biracial Narrative
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Interview with KCUR on police brutality
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Episode on the Ear Hustling Podcast, panel on being Biracial in America
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Commencement Speech on being a minority at a Predominantly White Institution
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Panel discussion with Black Christians on police brutality, justice, & Black Lives Matter
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Spoken word about police brutality
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Spoken word about Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream
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Spoken word about being biracial in America
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Poem about being biracial in America
Resources Guide
Talks, Panels, Podcast, & Interview
Interview on Police Brutality
with KCUR
In this interview, I share my poem, "A Letter to the White Police Officer," and discuss police brutality, the apologetic tone of the poem, representation of African Americans in media, and more. I was interviewed in February 2019, and the poem was rebroadcasted one year later. Little did I know how relevant this work would be to the coming months of 2020. I encourage you to listen, reflect, and join the conversation. (PDF of poem available below)
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"Biracial in America" Ep. 23 on
The Ear Hustling Podcast with James & Eric
Racial divisiveness in the United States isn't new, but racial tensions and conversations on systemic racism and police brutality have significantly increased in 2020. In this podcast, I join a panel of biracial people to discuss how our lives have been impacted by racism and what we experience when the nation feels divided. Here, I also share my spoken word, "The Life of a Mixed Kid" (PDF of spoken word available below). You can listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Commencement Speech
Rockhurst University 2019
Early in this speech, I recognize that "As a biracial, quasi-first generation, transfer student from Maple Woods Community College, I was a 'Stranger in the Village' of the four-year institution." Influenced by James Baldwin and Ta-Nehisi Coates, I reflect on my experience as an outsider, tying in themes from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and describing how I learned to make Rockhurst University, a predominantly white institution, my home.
Panel Discussion on Race & the African American Experience
Only days after the murder of George Floyd, I participated in a panel discussion on race and the black experience in the United States. I, like my fellow panelists, was reeling from the emotional impact and burden I felt for my community. In this discussion, we were honest and rawly open, especially about the church and its reaction to this new wave of the Black Lives Matter Movement. I found clarity and hope in this discussion, and I hope you do too. A special thanks to Belong Community for curating the panelists and hosting this conversation.
Spoken Word & Poetry
"I am the Biracial Narrative"
TEDx Talk
What is it like being biracial in the United States? How does racial divisiveness impact individuals with a dual ethnicity and heritage? Join me as I dive into America's complex racial history and explore the effects of systemic racism and oppression on the biracial individual and America as a whole today.
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