1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: There Are No Girls on the Internet. As a production 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio and Unbossed Creative. I'm Bridget Todd 3 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: and this is there are no Girls on the Internet. 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,319 Speaker 1: There are black people in the future, and I'm sad 5 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: to say that last week we lost somebody who helped 6 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: us all visualize it. Michelle Nichols died of age eighty nine, 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: and she is and always will be an icon. She 8 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: lovingly portrayed Lieutenant Uhora on Star Trek. Now there is 9 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:39,160 Speaker 1: so much to love about her. She's smart, capable, gorgeous, stylish. 10 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: She rocked a Bluetooth on Star Trek even before that 11 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: was really a thing. She had it all. But Michelle 12 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: did a lot off screen as well. In the seventies, 13 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: Michelle toured around the country visiting different colleges and professional 14 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: organizations to encourage women and people of color scientists, engineers, 15 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: and mathematicians to apply to become astronauts, and a lot 16 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: of them actually did. According to The New York Times, 17 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: Charles Bolden, a former Marine Corps major general who flew 18 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: on four Space Shuttle missions and became nassa's administrator for 19 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 1: eight years, credited Michelle Nichols visiting his college with giving 20 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: him the idea to apply in the first place. And 21 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: May Jemison, the first black woman astronaut, has often publicly 22 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: cited Michelle Nichols as her inspiration to honor the out 23 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,119 Speaker 1: of this world woman that allowed so many of us 24 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: nerds to see ourselves in different timelines and universes. We're 25 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 1: revisiting our episode about Star Trek with Star Trek super 26 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: fan Blair Amani. When you think of the future, what 27 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: does it look like? In nineteen sixty six, Star Trek 28 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: creator Gene Rosenberry imagined a future where the multiracial crew 29 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: of the U. S. S. Enterprise worked together to explore 30 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: the wonders of space, and while they were at it, 31 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: they also explored race, disability, and gender. Star Trek has 32 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: long been a vessel for people to imagine themselves in 33 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: the future. When Michelle Nichols, who played a horror wanted 34 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: to quit the show to pursue a career on Broadway, 35 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 1: it was Martin Luther King, a Treky himself, who convinced 36 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: her to stay on so the world could see a 37 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:17,800 Speaker 1: black woman as commanding and capable. Here's Nichols describing the 38 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: historic encounter and I'm looking at Dr Martin Luther King. 39 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: He said, you can't, and I couldn't, and I've never 40 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: regretted it. I didn't leave. I couldn't leave. The rest 41 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: is history. Is it any surprise that MLK was a 42 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: star Trek fan. In order to be an activist, you 43 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:45,959 Speaker 1: have to be able to imagine a future it's better 44 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: than the current reality, and believe in the promise that 45 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: the future includes people like you. Blairmanti is an activist, historian, 46 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: and author. Like MLK before her, she's a huge Trek 47 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: e and the show helped her imagine a future where 48 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: people like her aren't just included, but where they can 49 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,079 Speaker 1: also live long in Prospera. Last year, Blair went to 50 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: Comic Con in California. She cosplayed as Jordie LaForge, the 51 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: Enterprises chief engineer, played by LaVar Burton. Her character was 52 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: a nod to George LaForge, a quadraplegic fan of the show. 53 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: Jordie is blind and a device called Avisor gives them 54 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: the autility to see. And if you're anything like me, 55 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: you spent your childhood mimicking the device with a headband 56 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: on your face. Blair wanted to dress this Jordy, but 57 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 1: also at her own spin to it. I have always 58 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: believed that Jordie Laforage of Star Trek is a Muslim, 59 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: because he's born I think on February five not I think. 60 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: I know um in Mogadi Shoe Somalia, which is a 61 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: Muslim majority country, and in three hundred years it'll probably 62 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: still be a Muslim majority country. So odds are that 63 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: Jordie LaForge is a black Muslim. So I thought, oh, 64 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: how fun and wholesome it will be for me to 65 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: bring my religiosity and myself to this space. I didn't 66 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: not anticipate gonna go superviral. I did not anticipate pissing 67 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: off islamophobes. Um. I mean I kind of always anticipate that, 68 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: but not in the Star Trek fandom. So it kind 69 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: of turned into like some fun thing I could do, 70 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: and of course, like most things, it became a political statement. 71 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: You can find a link to Blair's outfit in the 72 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: show notes, and I definitely suggest checking it out. Her 73 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: feminized Islama sized take on Jordy LaForge with Ajab went 74 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 1: Viral had this beautiful robe from el Haffer Design, which 75 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: is based in Los Angeles, created by Katie l Hoffer, 76 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: so woman owned business love that I had the Jordy 77 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,679 Speaker 1: Leforge visor which is his seeing device, because um, Jordy 78 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: LaForge is not cited. He's blind, but he uses this 79 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 1: vision device visor device in order to be able to see. 80 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: So I had that and then I put a nice 81 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,160 Speaker 1: black job on top of it. Blair said only three 82 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 1: people asked her about cosplaying as a version of Jordy 83 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 1: who presents as a woman, but it was the addition 84 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: of the hajjab that really riled people up. Some of 85 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: the responses were really pedantic, like one Twitter user who's 86 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: had a job would violate the Starfleet's dress code. So, Blair, 87 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,239 Speaker 1: what was the reaction like online? You would have thought 88 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:12,480 Speaker 1: that I had, like, I don't know, a little holy 89 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: book on fire the way some people were reacting. So 90 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: you have the one group of folks who, um, well, actually, 91 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: I wouldn't have even photographed it if it wasn't from 92 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: my friend Kaylin Barowski, who like he's my photographer, like primarily, 93 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:27,279 Speaker 1: and he was like, you need to get photographs of this, 94 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: and I was like, okay, fine, let's do it before 95 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 1: I go to comic Con. And I just posted it 96 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:34,160 Speaker 1: for Juma, which is you know, Friday Friday Prayer Day, 97 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,480 Speaker 1: and I was like, you know, jubba much to all 98 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: Muslims across the galaxy, and the pictures came out super iconic, 99 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: and so I posted them and it was wild because 100 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:48,560 Speaker 1: cast of the Star Trek franchise, like Will Wheaton and uh, 101 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: you know, LaVar Burton himself and Michael Dorn and Brent 102 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: Spinner saw the post and started sharing it themselves, which 103 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: was like super duper validating. I was like on top 104 00:05:57,600 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: of the world. Um. And then of course the fans 105 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:01,839 Speaker 1: started to see it, and then of course Star Trek 106 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: dot com itself started to see it, um, and so 107 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: there was like this outpourt of like what is this 108 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:11,839 Speaker 1: the most exciting and kind of like I guess surprising 109 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: aspect was that people thought I was a new character 110 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: on the show p card and I still get emails 111 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: from people who are like, when is your episode coming out? 112 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,719 Speaker 1: I'm so excited. So some people really liked it and 113 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 1: some people really hated it. But Blair couldn't understand why 114 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: her using Star Trek to affirm that the future includes 115 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: black Muslims like her was so shocking, particularly given that 116 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 1: Star Trek was meant to show a vision of the 117 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: future that includes everybody. It was really polarizing on the 118 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,479 Speaker 1: one hand as far as like social media went. It 119 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: was like folks who are really excited or thought that 120 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:47,799 Speaker 1: I was a new character. Then you had folks saying 121 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: things like Gene Roddenberry didn't intend for Muslims to be 122 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: in space. Muslims aren't in Star Trek, and I'm like, 123 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:56,720 Speaker 1: first of all, Star Trek is fictional. Second of all, 124 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: yeah he did because you know, Gene Roddenberry, he believed 125 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: in infinite diversity and infinite combinations. And Star Trek was 126 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: a beloved show of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Who 127 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: actually encourage Um, you know Ahura, you know, the woman 128 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: who plays Uhura to like continue on the show. Um 129 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: and Michelle Nichols and so like, not only is Gene 130 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: Roddenberry not this like you know, like anti diversity, anti 131 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: PC dude, here was the reason there was the first 132 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: interracial kiss on television between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura. 133 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 1: And so that's huge, you know, so when people are 134 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 1: saying there's no Muslims in space and like, actually I 135 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: have evidence to back it up. But also this isn't 136 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: even a real universe. If you hate Muslims so much, 137 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: maybe you should just say that instead of trying to 138 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:48,239 Speaker 1: use either you know, your own bandom or something else 139 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: to hide behind that there's a rich tradition of activists 140 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: finding inspiration and being able to see themselves in fictional worlds. 141 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 1: It's one of the reasons like MLK wanted Michelle Nichols 142 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: to keep showing that kind of presentation. Civil Rights icon 143 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: John Lewis was one of my heroes, and my favorite 144 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: fact about him is that during Comic Con he cosplayed 145 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 1: as his own younger self crossing the Edmund Pettis Bridge 146 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: in Selma during the Civil rights movement. At Comic Con, 147 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: he wore the same coat and carried the same backpack 148 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 1: that contained the same things he brought with him back 149 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: on that fateful day in n an Apple, a toothbrush 150 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 1: and a comic book, all the things you need to 151 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 1: survive a night in jail. At the convention, dressed as 152 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: his own younger self, Lewis led kids on a little 153 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 1: march around the convention to help them visualize that anyone 154 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: could be a hero, even them. He was there to 155 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: promote his own comic book, a graphic novel retelling of 156 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: the March on Selma called March. Here's the Late John 157 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: Lewis at comic advocating for a new generation to create 158 00:08:56,200 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: good trouble and young people, people and really all. It 159 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: might sound strange for a civil rights icon to be 160 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 1: talking about comics at a convention, but John Lewis says 161 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: that he was first inspired to join the civil rights 162 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: movement from reading a comic book about MLK called Dr 163 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:34,719 Speaker 1: King Martin Luther King in the Montgomery Story. I think 164 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: it really shows that civil rights leaders and activists are 165 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 1: real people with real interests. They're not just sort of 166 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 1: like someone that you read about on in February for 167 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 1: Black History Month and the picture in a book. They're real, 168 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 1: multifaceted people. And I do think there's this connection to 169 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:57,319 Speaker 1: science fiction and other nerdy interests and civil rights and 170 00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: activism because you have to be able to sort of 171 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 1: imagine and dream that different worlds are possible to be 172 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 1: an activist and to fight for, to fight for the 173 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: kind of change that you fight for. It. I keep 174 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: making the connections between religion and you know, sci fi 175 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: because it is the idea of a different world like 176 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: you know Dr King spoke about the mountain top, but 177 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: we can also look at that as you know, imagining 178 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: a Afro futurism um and imagining ourselves in a different realm, 179 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 1: and this whole idea that we have to get beyond 180 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,080 Speaker 1: the limitations of our own imagination um. And sometimes for 181 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: you know, religious folks such as by self, it means 182 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: trusting that you know, a law or God or Yahweh 183 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: has the ultimate plan um and that is beyond our 184 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 1: own understanding because we have a finite kept you know, 185 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: ability to understand in our current um system. Or it 186 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:44,079 Speaker 1: could be to use you know, graphics and art and 187 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 1: illustration and comics and books and video and film uh 188 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 1: in podcasts to you know, imagine what that looks like 189 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:53,199 Speaker 1: and transport us to a different place as a reprieve 190 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: from the difficulties of the world. But it's also crucial 191 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: to understand that, you know, these are tools used to 192 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: transport us, but they're still being created by people, and 193 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: because of that, there's going to be limitations. I mean, 194 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 1: the example I keep giving is that you know, in 195 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 1: Star Trek they have people giving painful you know, traditional 196 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:17,319 Speaker 1: birth um, you know, via the birth canal and I'm like, okay, well, 197 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:19,680 Speaker 1: if you can like zap somebody healthy with like a 198 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 1: laser gun, then why can't you just like teleport the 199 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,080 Speaker 1: baby out of the womb? You know, like there's a limitations, 200 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: you know, or the idea that we haven't surpassed, this 201 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:32,679 Speaker 1: idea of you know, pain during childbirth, etcetera, or just 202 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 1: you know, is there an incubation pod like you know, 203 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: because Star Trek the next Generation was created at a 204 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: specific time in history. Even the things that they make 205 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: as a futuristic interpretation of a current technology, it's going 206 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: to be based on that current technology. But the other 207 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: cool thing is that so many technologies are then based 208 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:55,880 Speaker 1: on UM, you know, the imaginings of previous sci fi writers, 209 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: even like Jules Burne. You know, people as they imagine 210 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 1: are also limited by the imaginings of each other. UM. 211 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:06,320 Speaker 1: And so with John Lewis, I was actually able to 212 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: meet him while he was on tour UM during UH 213 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: the first March book UM created by himself and Andrew 214 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: Aiden and Nate Powell, and I spoke to him about 215 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:19,160 Speaker 1: why he decided to do this format, and it was 216 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: because he wanted to reach as many people as possible, 217 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,199 Speaker 1: and so Andrew Aiden and John Lewis. They both love 218 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: comic books. And that comic book that you refer to 219 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: is called Dr King Martin Luther King in the Montgomery Story, 220 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:37,440 Speaker 1: and it's it's beautiful because it shows how much of 221 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:41,240 Speaker 1: a superman Dr King was made to be. Not only 222 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 1: is in an educational tool, but these are representational materials 223 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: of things that are happening in the present moment. I 224 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 1: think today we get caught up in conversations about this 225 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 1: activism is performative. You know, if you have an outfit 226 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,199 Speaker 1: to show up to a protest, you're being a shallow activist, 227 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:01,199 Speaker 1: completely ignoring the fact that, like the Black Panther Party 228 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,080 Speaker 1: didn't just wake up with perfectly symmetrical afros, excellently tailored 229 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:08,120 Speaker 1: slacks and turtlenecks and berets. They didn't just roll out 230 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 1: of bed like that. It was all intentional and performance 231 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:18,559 Speaker 1: and art and illustration and the conveyance of information requires intentionality, 232 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 1: and that's going to deal with aesthetics. So it's not 233 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 1: to say we have to choose one's not to say 234 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: one should overcome the other, but that we can have 235 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: both of these things in tandem, and that sometimes we 236 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: limit ourselves, um, we being kind of like the broader 237 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:34,679 Speaker 1: community or you know, people who uh just you know, 238 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,160 Speaker 1: we as a people often limit ourselves in what tools 239 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:42,680 Speaker 1: we uh grab onto because if you've only seen tweets 240 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: or TikTok's that cover surface level you know material, If 241 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: the only way you've come into contact with sci fi 242 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 1: has been at the surface level way, then you're probably 243 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 1: not going to understand the fact that, you know, during 244 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 1: the time of a crack epidemic, the Star Trek universe 245 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,440 Speaker 1: decided to tackle addiction. You might not understand that, you know, 246 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:04,800 Speaker 1: TikTok is being used to educate young people and people 247 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: across literacy and language. Um. And so it's all about 248 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 1: how we use the tools. And that's why I find 249 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 1: you know, comics and film and TV so exciting because yeah, 250 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:19,840 Speaker 1: it's a different world. Yeah it's not real life, but 251 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:22,160 Speaker 1: it can totally be a proxy for our real life 252 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 1: and it can be a reprieve from our world. But 253 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: then it's also very important to make sure that we 254 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 1: check our own biases when creating network fiction, comic books, cartoons, 255 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: TV shows, all of them can be tools to help 256 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 1: us better understand ourselves and the world around us. Blair 257 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 1: is also an author. Her books Modern History and Making 258 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: Our Way Home use colorful illustrations to help introduce audiences 259 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: to the concept that marginalized people of the past weren't 260 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: just two dimensional historical figures. They were complex and the 261 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: cover of both of her books kind of look like comics. 262 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: Fun factful circle story is the reason why I'm an 263 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 1: author is because of LaVar Burton. So one, LaVar Burton 264 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: made me an enthusiastic reader via reading Rainbow, and two 265 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 1: I thanked him for that. He started following me, and 266 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: when I was trying to get a publisher for the book, 267 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 1: he shouted me out and literally said, somebody published this 268 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:18,240 Speaker 1: woman's book and like out to two million people who 269 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: were probably in literacy to some extent. And that paved 270 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: the way for me not only getting my first book, 271 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: deal with my second one with the same publishing house. 272 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: So LeVar Burton is amazing. Um And so I, you know, 273 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 1: couldn't relish the fact that I that you know, imagery 274 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 1: and things like TV and film shaped my own understanding 275 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 1: as a reader and as you know, an informed person 276 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: like you might remember Jimmy Neutron, like they actually snuck 277 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 1: in a lot of very important scientific and you know, 278 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: um engineering information into that show, Like even SpongeBob talks 279 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: about things that like makes sense in real life and 280 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: so and and the fact that Steve Hillenberg, who created SpongeBob, 281 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: was a marine biologist and wanted to convey that education 282 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: to young people through his work. So I was definitely 283 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 1: informed by that. And I think growing up in like 284 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: the golden era of animation really helped me to kind 285 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,280 Speaker 1: of connect those two things. But I also like the 286 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:14,480 Speaker 1: idea of somebody picking up my book because it looks 287 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:16,160 Speaker 1: like a good coffee table book. It looks like a 288 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 1: light read. And I do make my books accessible at 289 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 1: a fifth grade level, because most folks read at a 290 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: fifth grade level and most magazines are written at a 291 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: fifth grade level. But I like the idea of some 292 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: sweet grandma who might have you know, conservative politics, picking 293 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,280 Speaker 1: up the book because it looks friendly on the front cover, 294 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: giving it to her you know, offspring, and surprise, they're 295 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 1: getting radicalized. They're getting educated about things that are complex 296 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: and intricate in a way that is family friendly and 297 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: you know, age appropriate, but things that might not be 298 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: covered until I get to college because of the limitations 299 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: of the educational system. So especially with my second book, 300 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:53,760 Speaker 1: Making Our Way Home, even though there's a gay couple 301 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: on the front cover in the form of my uncle 302 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,840 Speaker 1: Lester and a partner we imagined for him, I still 303 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: get emails from people say saying I didn't know this 304 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 1: book was going to be queer affirming. Of course they 305 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 1: don't say it like that, but I'm like, I didn't 306 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:10,480 Speaker 1: hide anything. But because it's presented in a certain way, UM, 307 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 1: it doesn't detract from people who are already seeking that material, 308 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:16,159 Speaker 1: but it also invites people in who might not have 309 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: otherwise engaged with something like the Great Migration or Black History. 310 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,960 Speaker 1: UM that covers everything from the period of enslavement to 311 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: the creation of hip hop. So I try to use 312 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: imagery to sneak my way in, uh, and it's pretty effective. 313 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: So we know they're black folks, queer folks, and Muslim 314 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: folks in the future. Did Star Trek help you be 315 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 1: able to visualize that kind of world? Yeah? And it's funny, 316 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: like so much. You know, Star Trek has really helped 317 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:47,360 Speaker 1: me envision what the future looks like. So often when 318 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: we look at sci fi, UM, it's you know, aliens 319 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:54,160 Speaker 1: from a different universe who have a completely different molecular structure, 320 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 1: but for some reason they have a British accent, Like wtf, 321 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:59,200 Speaker 1: you know, like white supremacy goes hard, I guess, even 322 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: in sci fi. And so I'm definitely not like under 323 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 1: any delusions about why, you know, certain biases exist. It's 324 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 1: because it's the limitations of our own imagination as people. 325 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:11,760 Speaker 1: But it's not only helped me understand diversity. It's helped 326 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:16,119 Speaker 1: me understand how I discuss religion at large as a historian, 327 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 1: and so often that means looking back in time. It's 328 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:21,879 Speaker 1: a really exciting thing to also look at sci fi 329 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,439 Speaker 1: as a step towards the future. Star Trek has been 330 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:28,120 Speaker 1: fundamental in the identity formation of myself as a black 331 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: woman and as a Muslim woman, and it's helped me 332 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:34,679 Speaker 1: speak about religion just to see how something as secular 333 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: and something as you know, low stakes. I guess it's 334 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:40,680 Speaker 1: Star Trek can be imbued with the same type of 335 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: passion and vitriol but also beauty that comes with religious debates. 336 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: And I was actually at the School of Divinity at 337 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,320 Speaker 1: Princeton giving a talk and I was talking about cannon 338 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: and um, you know, today we talk about canon, like 339 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: your fan your fan canon, your headcan and things that 340 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: you know to be true but maybe aren't canonical to 341 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:03,280 Speaker 1: the actual franchise. You know, say things like maybe you 342 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: believe all Pika Choose are related in Pokemon, but you 343 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:07,879 Speaker 1: don't actually have a basis for things like that. And 344 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 1: so I was talking about how in my head canon 345 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:15,200 Speaker 1: for um Star Trek, Jordie Leforge is a black Muslim, 346 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,679 Speaker 1: and of course that's influenced by my own, you know, 347 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:19,480 Speaker 1: skin in the game. I would also love there to 348 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:21,600 Speaker 1: be a black Muslim in my favorite show and my 349 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:23,560 Speaker 1: favorite character to be one, so of course I'm going 350 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:25,919 Speaker 1: to imbue that. But there's also a basis in the 351 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:28,560 Speaker 1: fact that he's born in Mogadisha, Somalia, which is canonical 352 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:30,720 Speaker 1: to the text. And I was talking about this in 353 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: the context of religion and how, you know, we can 354 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:38,400 Speaker 1: all read the same religious scripture and come to completely 355 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:42,439 Speaker 1: different theological interpretations, and people tend to grasp that. But 356 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: I was talking about how, of course that happens, Like 357 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 1: I think some people get confused, like how can we 358 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: all read the same story of Genesis and you know, well, 359 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,680 Speaker 1: we're not even reading the same story we're reading different interpretations, 360 00:19:54,680 --> 00:20:00,160 Speaker 1: different translations, centuries old differences, We're reading people imbuing our 361 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: own biases while they translate all these different things. And 362 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:05,439 Speaker 1: it was so great because I was talking to this 363 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:09,160 Speaker 1: group at this very you know, like fancy institution, uh Princeton, 364 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:12,600 Speaker 1: talking about how Star Trek is a case study into 365 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:16,439 Speaker 1: why there's so much religious turmoil. Because if something is 366 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:18,760 Speaker 1: like I said, low stakes, is Star Trek can start 367 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 1: a virtual flame war over what religion is or is 368 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:26,440 Speaker 1: not in Star Trek, then of course something as high 369 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,199 Speaker 1: stakes as our eternal souls is going to you know, 370 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:31,919 Speaker 1: spark a bunch of debate. And I tell people this, 371 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: and I think it helps them understand everything from why 372 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 1: you know, I feel comfortable being a queer Muslim um 373 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,120 Speaker 1: and owning that and owning God's love, to things like 374 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: why fandoms can be so fraught and disconnected and um, 375 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:49,440 Speaker 1: you know, uh, just chaotic. But the really cool thing 376 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 1: to see is how people will use the scripture or 377 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 1: in this case, the fandom or you know, the original 378 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:58,560 Speaker 1: source material from the creator in this case Gene Roddenberry 379 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:03,000 Speaker 1: and not God. Um, well you know, uh, to use 380 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 1: that to protect and preserve other people because it was 381 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: so cool seeing like, you know trek eas and Trekkers, 382 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:12,959 Speaker 1: which are also trek E's, but they use their own 383 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 1: terminology which we respect. Um kind of defending me basing 384 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,120 Speaker 1: this in like not only Star Trek the Next Generation, 385 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:23,360 Speaker 1: but Deep Space Nine, the movies, the animated series, all 386 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:26,280 Speaker 1: showing a basis for religion in Star Trek, from episodes 387 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 1: in the original series where there's a Christmas tree, two 388 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:32,400 Speaker 1: episodes in Deep Space nine where they totally get into religion, 389 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: to episodes in the Next Generation itself, and I just 390 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 1: felt so warm in that, like it was like a 391 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 1: virtual hug from all these different strangers who were like, 392 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,320 Speaker 1: we're not only going to protect her as a Muslim woman, 393 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 1: but her ability to belong in this fandom. And that's 394 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 1: the thing about being a girl or woman on the 395 00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:53,159 Speaker 1: Internet is that you constantly have to defend yourself and 396 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:55,040 Speaker 1: it's a relief when other people step into do it 397 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:58,960 Speaker 1: on your behalf. Definitely, that's something that I I love. 398 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 1: Like one thing I love at that being somebody who 399 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,760 Speaker 1: was like a woman online is people will ride for you, 400 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 1: people will fight for you, they'll speak up for you, 401 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:08,280 Speaker 1: they'll they'll shake tables for you, they'll make sure that 402 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:11,760 Speaker 1: your voice is included and amplified, and and those moments 403 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 1: just saying yes to that trust, falling into your community 404 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,320 Speaker 1: that has your back. Those have been my favorite times online, 405 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 1: oh a hundred percent. Like I think that when you 406 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:24,280 Speaker 1: go to comic connor you go to a convention or 407 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: any space where you're taking virtual connections and putting it 408 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,399 Speaker 1: into the physical realm, there's always that concern of am 409 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 1: I going to be rejected? And that really goes with anything, 410 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:34,840 Speaker 1: you know, just like the first day at school, your 411 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 1: first day on the job, Am I going to be rejected? 412 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:39,840 Speaker 1: And then also being in a fandom space and a 413 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,679 Speaker 1: geek or a nerd space, it's that constant feeling of 414 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:45,640 Speaker 1: do you even know the material well enough? Like oh, 415 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 1: oh you like like you know, you like Beyonce, name 416 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 1: all of her freckles, that type of thing, you know, 417 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,320 Speaker 1: and it's like come on now, Like we can all 418 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: enjoy things at are different levels, but just the whole 419 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 1: feeling that we don't know our stuff enough as women, 420 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:03,439 Speaker 1: And that's not just like I said, it's not just 421 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:05,359 Speaker 1: with Star Trek, like you know, the assumption that I 422 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:07,440 Speaker 1: don't know every character off the top of my head, 423 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:11,800 Speaker 1: even though I totally bombed at Star Trek Trivia recently. Um, 424 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:15,440 Speaker 1: but it's also the implication that we as professionals, as 425 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:17,680 Speaker 1: women in the world, don't know what we're talking about. 426 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,160 Speaker 1: So that could be anything that you do. Like I 427 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:23,040 Speaker 1: was in the communications field when we worked at Planned Parenthood, 428 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:26,479 Speaker 1: and yeah, I would constantly have people telling me not 429 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: their like you know, thank goodness, but I'd have reporters 430 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:31,560 Speaker 1: constantly questioning how I was so young and doing what 431 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 1: I was doing, how I was doing this and doing 432 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:35,600 Speaker 1: what I was doing. And so it's exhausting to then 433 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 1: deal with that in a leisurely space, a recreational space. 434 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: But it is that beautiful thing where people will just 435 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: go for you. Like even when you're making an inside 436 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:45,919 Speaker 1: joke amongst friends and you're ragging on each other on 437 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: the internet and somebody who doesn't know that your friends 438 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:51,240 Speaker 1: are like, hey, leave Blair alone, it's like, hey, actually 439 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:54,679 Speaker 1: we're cool, but thanks for having my back. Let's take 440 00:23:54,720 --> 00:24:06,920 Speaker 1: a quick break and we're back. The future will be intersectional. 441 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,440 Speaker 1: There will be black people, queer people, and Muslim people 442 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: and people like Blair who exist at these intersections. But 443 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 1: on social media people tell Blair there's no such thing 444 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 1: as a queer Muslim, so she can't possibly exist. Yeah, 445 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,760 Speaker 1: here she is existing. What's it like to have so 446 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 1: many people online essentially saying that because you're a queer 447 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 1: Muslim you can't possibly exist. It's funny to me, And honestly, 448 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:35,240 Speaker 1: you know, I'm so grateful that I've gotten to a 449 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:38,159 Speaker 1: place in my heart and in my own personal journey 450 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: where I can laugh at it, because, like in my family, 451 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:42,680 Speaker 1: if we can laugh at it, no matter how messed 452 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:44,879 Speaker 1: up it is, we've moved on, or at least we 453 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,280 Speaker 1: were able to like view it in a way that's healthy. 454 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:49,840 Speaker 1: You know, in a Islam at least we don't believe 455 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:53,160 Speaker 1: that of human being can then tell another human being 456 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: what their salvation is going to look like, not even 457 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: the prophet Peace be upon him. It's this idea that 458 00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:00,399 Speaker 1: you know, a law is a law. You know, deities 459 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 1: are deities and humans are humans, And so I can 460 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: be very comfortable in saying when somebody says you can't 461 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 1: be Musclim, I'm like, oh my goodness, I did not 462 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,360 Speaker 1: know that a law used Instagram. How are you doing? 463 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:13,119 Speaker 1: You know? Or I have people who say things like 464 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,040 Speaker 1: the devil called They're waiting for you in hell, and 465 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 1: I'm just like, oh, my goodness, you have the devil's 466 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,280 Speaker 1: direct line. That sounds like a problem, you know, So 467 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 1: I can really have fun with it. But at the 468 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,280 Speaker 1: same time, it's really breaking down the fact that in 469 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:28,159 Speaker 1: my belief, you know, Islam faith, you know, regardless of 470 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: the faith that you come from, those things are so 471 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:35,399 Speaker 1: deeply personal. And yes they have, you know, accompaniments like 472 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:38,840 Speaker 1: religious texts, the Koran, you have hadiths, which are you know, 473 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,000 Speaker 1: stories passed down from the prophet's time and from other leaders, 474 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 1: and it is up to you how you walk into that. 475 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:49,119 Speaker 1: And so for myself, I will never let another human 476 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:52,920 Speaker 1: being tell me what a law believes about myself because 477 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,639 Speaker 1: as human beings, yes we can communicate to God through prayer, 478 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: but it is again through the limitations of our own 479 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:03,400 Speaker 1: understandings and our own biases. So I own up to that, 480 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: But then I also encourage others to to think of 481 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: that as well. Not to say this is how you 482 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:10,359 Speaker 1: should do Islam, this is how you should not do 483 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,680 Speaker 1: a Islam, but to say what speaks to you. And 484 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,160 Speaker 1: so it used to really bother me. I think also 485 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:17,959 Speaker 1: it used to bother me was being told that I 486 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,760 Speaker 1: wasn't a black woman because I, you know, am lighter skinned. 487 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:23,240 Speaker 1: And what's so frustrating to me is that I so 488 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,159 Speaker 1: often see lighter skinned black women using that as a 489 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:29,720 Speaker 1: reason to perpetuate and continue being colorists instead of grasping 490 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:33,600 Speaker 1: the fact that colorism isn't the same as getting made 491 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: fun of for being lighter skinned. It's not the same 492 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:38,520 Speaker 1: as getting made fun of for having a sunburned. It 493 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:41,040 Speaker 1: means that as a lighter skinned black woman, I have 494 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: enjoyed the benefits and the privilege that are unearned of 495 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,359 Speaker 1: living in a society that calls me beautiful at the 496 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: peril of my darker skinned siblings. And you know, then, 497 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,800 Speaker 1: understanding that you're feeling shouldn't get in the way of 498 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: you dismantling that your feelings, Yeah, those are valid, but 499 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:01,480 Speaker 1: they should not get in the way or step on 500 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: the next of the people who are already being harmed 501 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 1: by those systems. So I'm constantly thinking about systems of 502 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:11,320 Speaker 1: oppression and systems of privilege and making sure that i'm 503 00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:15,040 Speaker 1: you know, quickly and easily discerning when something is from 504 00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 1: the self serving interest or input of an individual who 505 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:21,920 Speaker 1: wants to do me harm versus when it's something that's 506 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:24,800 Speaker 1: worth listening to and being called in things like my religion, 507 00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,159 Speaker 1: those are not negotiable. But of course I'm going to 508 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:31,160 Speaker 1: be um. You know, I'm always going to understand things 509 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:35,360 Speaker 1: like privilege, class privilege, abled privilege, UM and be receptive 510 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:37,880 Speaker 1: to those conversations. But it is a line to walk 511 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:40,359 Speaker 1: between when people are trying to hurt you and when 512 00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:46,399 Speaker 1: people are calling you on your BS. Blair went on 513 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,119 Speaker 1: Tucker carlson Stocks new show to discuss the surveillance of 514 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:53,639 Speaker 1: Muslim communities. Carlson clumsily tries to call her out for 515 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 1: trying to speak on behalf of the Muslim and LGBTQ community. Again, 516 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,960 Speaker 1: the underlying assumption and being that Blair couldn't possibly be 517 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,040 Speaker 1: both Muslim and weir and that's how she ended up 518 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 1: coming out and put a millions of people on the 519 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,480 Speaker 1: box nags. If you noticed that all identity politics kind 520 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: of converges in the ends with about Muslims, it's about 521 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 1: the LBGT community, and it's like, you know, at some point, well, 522 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: some of us, like myself exists in all of those communities. 523 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:25,760 Speaker 1: It's your life, so okay, fun story. Um. I was 524 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:28,200 Speaker 1: just feeling really coffee because I had spent the previous 525 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:32,000 Speaker 1: year working at Planned Parenthood. Uh, you know, educating folks 526 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,399 Speaker 1: in all parts of the country about a portion and 527 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: abortion stigma and doing it to like solid effect where 528 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,479 Speaker 1: I would have conversations with people where they would come 529 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 1: at me and say things like y'all are the devil, 530 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:42,960 Speaker 1: and at the end they'd be like, oh, maybe I 531 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: can take my daughter to Planned Parenthood for sex head. 532 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:46,760 Speaker 1: So I was feeling on top of the world. My 533 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:49,560 Speaker 1: talking points were working, messaging was working. I get an 534 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,360 Speaker 1: inquiry from this guy. It's my last month working at 535 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,360 Speaker 1: Planned Parenthood because my grant was over um, and so 536 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 1: I was like, yeah, I can do this. Who he 537 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: was this guy I was not thinking about, like, oh, 538 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 1: maybe I should do some r intel figure out who 539 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:03,480 Speaker 1: he is. I'm going to plan to come out on 540 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: national TV, not thinking about that. I still have friends 541 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 1: who are in the comms and like pr Field, who 542 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:10,800 Speaker 1: just thinks I'm a genius who orchestrated the whole thing. 543 00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: I'm not sure I would like to claim that, but no, 544 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: I was just correcting him. I forgot that we were 545 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: on stage. It got to this point where I was 546 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 1: so fed up with him dancing around it and and 547 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 1: really trying to erase me and pull it poke and 548 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,120 Speaker 1: product me. Then I just snapped back in a very 549 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 1: eloquent way, and I said, well, actually, in addition to 550 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 1: being a Muslim woman, I'm a black queer person. And uh, 551 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 1: then I immediately realized I came out on TV and 552 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket and 553 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 1: I could you know my partner was actually on set 554 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: with me, because um it was remote. So I've never 555 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,000 Speaker 1: breathed the same Maris Tucker Carlson all hum de la, 556 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: praise God. Um, but my partners like standing there looking 557 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: at me, and I can't totally look off camera because 558 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:53,240 Speaker 1: you know, you got to hold a face, and I 559 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:55,480 Speaker 1: have a pretty good poker face. But if you watch 560 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 1: it with that knowledge, then it kind of becomes a 561 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,960 Speaker 1: parent that Like then, when I stumbled over my word, 562 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,920 Speaker 1: it was because I had just come out on national 563 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:06,640 Speaker 1: TV and so everything changed. Um immediately, people who were 564 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 1: homophobic but in my life and then found out who 565 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,280 Speaker 1: I was or you know, am uh removed themselves, which 566 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 1: I considered to be a blessing, but it still was hard. Um, 567 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:18,560 Speaker 1: Sarah kay Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAD, reached 568 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:22,960 Speaker 1: out and Uh, that was awesome because GLAD basically scooped 569 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 1: me up and they will do this anytime somebody comes 570 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 1: out publicly. They make themselves a resource. They help you 571 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:30,320 Speaker 1: tell your story. If you want to do press, they'll 572 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 1: make sure that you get connected. Um. And I really 573 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:35,720 Speaker 1: just felt scooped up and embraced by the community and 574 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:37,680 Speaker 1: it was just like a really beautiful thing. For a 575 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 1: year after that, I felt like I was like the 576 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: bell of the queer ball in the same way that 577 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:42,800 Speaker 1: I felt like that about Star Trek. I was like, oh, 578 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: look at this, you know, I feel popular. Um. And 579 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:47,800 Speaker 1: I felt like that after I converted to Islam as well. 580 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:49,480 Speaker 1: It was kind of this feeling of being new in 581 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:55,000 Speaker 1: a community and being exciting. Um. And I also learned 582 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,800 Speaker 1: as I was dealing the you know, experiencing those beautiful, 583 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,880 Speaker 1: euphoric things, that privilege would showing up because I had 584 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 1: the privilege of growing up in a context where I 585 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: can be myself. Now, it's not to say that these 586 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,400 Speaker 1: things should be a privilege. You should be able to 587 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:13,680 Speaker 1: be yourself in your sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, 588 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:16,480 Speaker 1: regardless of the religious or cultural context you come from. 589 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 1: But that is not the case. Blair didn't want to 590 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:22,360 Speaker 1: be the black clear Muslim. She didn't want her story 591 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: to obsteer the stories of other marginalized people who didn't 592 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 1: have the ability to cut out like she did. So 593 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:31,920 Speaker 1: I wasn't realizing that, you know, people were calling me 594 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,960 Speaker 1: be queer Muslim, that people were looking at me as 595 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 1: the queer Muslim. You know, I was becoming very tokenized, 596 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:40,000 Speaker 1: and so once I became awake to that, then I 597 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:44,280 Speaker 1: started to really immerse myself within other queer Muslim context 598 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:47,840 Speaker 1: and start to use my profile or increasingly large profile 599 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: UM to help fund raise for organizations like Kadaiah lgbt Q, 600 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,920 Speaker 1: both in the UK and the US Muslims for progressive values, 601 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:58,480 Speaker 1: and start to feel that this wasn't just me on 602 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,000 Speaker 1: you know, like the Blair Show, but a responsibility that 603 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:06,120 Speaker 1: I had to use UM this newly found visibility for 604 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:09,480 Speaker 1: the upliftment of others. Because as I was telling stories 605 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:11,720 Speaker 1: that are authentic to myself and that's important to do, 606 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 1: I wasn't realizing how it was harming other people. Like, 607 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,840 Speaker 1: you know, I was talking about how I've never second 608 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: guest myself for being queer in my whole life. But 609 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: I'm not trying to tell that story in a way 610 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:27,920 Speaker 1: that makes others feel bad for going through a homophobic, 611 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:31,240 Speaker 1: you know, queer phobic existence. That's not what I'm called 612 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:33,560 Speaker 1: to do. That's not what my role should be. And 613 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:36,960 Speaker 1: so now, um, and I don't think it's completely shifted. 614 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:38,760 Speaker 1: I've always tried to be very responsible and how I 615 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 1: tell my story, but it's this increased responsibility. So when 616 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:43,880 Speaker 1: I have young people reach out to me and they're like, Blair, 617 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,720 Speaker 1: how can I be out like you? I first explained 618 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:48,920 Speaker 1: to them and remind them of the context of the 619 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 1: world that we live in, and that that's something you 620 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:54,280 Speaker 1: have to decide for yourself, and that whether you're out 621 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:58,240 Speaker 1: or whether you're not, you're valid. Um, your queerness is valid, 622 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:01,320 Speaker 1: and you're not lying to anyone just because you're unable 623 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:04,280 Speaker 1: to share your truth with people, because it is incumbent 624 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:06,560 Speaker 1: on our society and on the people that love you 625 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:08,360 Speaker 1: to be able to make space for you. And if 626 00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 1: they don't do that, that's not your fault. And so 627 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:13,720 Speaker 1: I've really shifted from this idea of you know, come out, 628 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,840 Speaker 1: have a rainbow flag all types of beautiful things. Those 629 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:19,400 Speaker 1: are important, but that's not all queerness is the people 630 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 1: who are living closeted, the people who can't come out. 631 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:25,040 Speaker 1: Those stories are important and if I can help to 632 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 1: shed light on those or ease the lives of those people, 633 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: then I'm absolutely going to do that. So you know, 634 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 1: your your books are really about archiving and preserving all 635 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:37,960 Speaker 1: of the ways that women and non binary people and 636 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 1: black women in particular, you know, the contributions that we 637 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:43,880 Speaker 1: really have made to history and society and to culture. 638 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:46,440 Speaker 1: Why is preserving that so important to you? And what 639 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 1: can we do to make sure that these voices and 640 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:52,360 Speaker 1: these stories don't get overlooked or erased or lost. That 641 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,800 Speaker 1: is the biggest, most terrifying thing for me, the idea 642 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:58,960 Speaker 1: that we will only remember people through the lens of 643 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:02,320 Speaker 1: those who remember them, because you know, we see it 644 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:07,200 Speaker 1: happen often unfortunately, where we'll have someone who was being 645 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:11,080 Speaker 1: critical and calling you know, Representative John Lewis all types 646 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 1: of you know, besmirching names, then post uh, you know, 647 00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:18,319 Speaker 1: a beautiful eulogy, or you have you know, idiots like 648 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: Marco Rubio posting the incorrect black person with him while 649 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,479 Speaker 1: also claiming to honor his memory. If you can't even 650 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 1: tell us apart, then no, I'm not going to trust 651 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: that you remember us for the work that we did UM. 652 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:32,680 Speaker 1: And we saw it when Elijah comings past and people 653 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 1: thought that John Lewis. It's just so frustrating that we 654 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:38,680 Speaker 1: are constantly collapsed. So no, I do not trust the 655 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:42,920 Speaker 1: institutions that collapse us into one monolith or you know, 656 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:45,879 Speaker 1: sanitize our legacies like what we see with Dr King. 657 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,759 Speaker 1: I do not trust institutions to do us justice. So 658 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:51,880 Speaker 1: you know, I had made a joke I think probably 659 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:53,080 Speaker 1: a couple of years ago, that I was going to 660 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,600 Speaker 1: write my own eulogy, But I also started to think 661 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,160 Speaker 1: about how that opportunity is denied to so many people, 662 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: and that's constantly happening to us as black people, as 663 00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:04,840 Speaker 1: black women, as you know, black non men, non binary folks, 664 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 1: et cetera. UM. And so it's fighting against all of 665 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:11,080 Speaker 1: that and really trying to go back to the original text, 666 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,880 Speaker 1: you know, like I was able to pour over some 667 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:18,719 Speaker 1: of the UM, you know, handwritten letters that my partner's 668 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:23,799 Speaker 1: grandmother had UM that she corresponded with her husband, and 669 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:26,439 Speaker 1: finding those firsthand accounts. There's all types of things. There's 670 00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:30,960 Speaker 1: pop culture references, there's mentions, um of just so many 671 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:35,359 Speaker 1: minute yet infinitely important things that Mike get glazed over, 672 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:39,360 Speaker 1: UM because you know, whatever white historian didn't give a 673 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:43,640 Speaker 1: ship or whatever, you know, academic historian um couldn't be 674 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: bothered with because they, you know, viewed it as not important. 675 00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:51,040 Speaker 1: And because they didn't view it was important, it gets erased, 676 00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:55,120 Speaker 1: which is terrifying because you know, it is so we 677 00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:57,719 Speaker 1: have so little power as a people, as black people 678 00:35:57,719 --> 00:36:01,799 Speaker 1: in this country because of things like enslave reconstruction, the 679 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:04,439 Speaker 1: New Deal being a you know, same old, same old 680 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:07,560 Speaker 1: deal that you know, really shafted black folks. Just I 681 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:09,040 Speaker 1: could go on and on, but just all of this 682 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:12,319 Speaker 1: equal and equality in the country, and not only do 683 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:15,160 Speaker 1: we not learn about those things, but that just makes 684 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:17,719 Speaker 1: our condition worse because we are blamed for what we 685 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,160 Speaker 1: have endured instead of praised for getting through it while 686 00:36:21,239 --> 00:36:24,160 Speaker 1: also being held down by centuries and centuries of weight. 687 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:28,680 Speaker 1: But we then, you know, have to do this whole 688 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:32,440 Speaker 1: mind mental gymnastics of figuring out why our contingents are 689 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 1: so poor while we also see you know, model minorities 690 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:40,000 Speaker 1: and white folks uplifted as evidence that the system works, 691 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:42,440 Speaker 1: but we're just not trying hard enough instead of actually 692 00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:45,320 Speaker 1: learning the context. So it's it's one of those things 693 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:48,279 Speaker 1: where it's a cycle, and the only way we can 694 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:51,800 Speaker 1: break it is by elevating the truth and by changing 695 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:55,840 Speaker 1: who is telling that truth, because people are going to 696 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:57,759 Speaker 1: tell the truth that's important to them and it's going 697 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 1: to follow along bias lines, especially if the people who 698 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:06,080 Speaker 1: are telling those historical truths are faceless and nameless. More 699 00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:16,040 Speaker 1: after this click ring, let's get right back to it. 700 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:20,040 Speaker 1: If Blair has anything to say about it, the future 701 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:23,400 Speaker 1: of history won't be nameless or faceless. She's building a 702 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:27,719 Speaker 1: future where our stories aren't told carelessly. One of your 703 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:31,000 Speaker 1: life mottos is to boldly go. You know from Star Trek. 704 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:35,080 Speaker 1: What is your vision for a bold, queer, black Muslim 705 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 1: future look like? Man? I mean, it would be great 706 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,040 Speaker 1: if we didn't have to get surveiled, uh, you know, 707 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:44,200 Speaker 1: just basic things like I think, you know, one of 708 00:37:44,239 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 1: the most basic things of you know, being a marginalized 709 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 1: person or historically marginalized person, uh, is the ability to 710 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 1: direct your own future and to have the resources and 711 00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:58,960 Speaker 1: abilities to do that. Just basic things like having you know, 712 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,200 Speaker 1: Gil Scott Hair and is like, you know, I just 713 00:38:01,239 --> 00:38:03,080 Speaker 1: want a family and a wife and a food and 714 00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 1: the children and you know, to food, some food to 715 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:08,760 Speaker 1: feed them every night. And it's just those basic things. 716 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:11,600 Speaker 1: The fact that there's premiums on water and healthcare, and 717 00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:15,120 Speaker 1: you know the fact that black maternal mortality is egregious, 718 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:17,520 Speaker 1: and it's not just because black women can't give birth, 719 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 1: it's because of the medical system and medical racism. The 720 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:24,040 Speaker 1: fact that the Tuskegee syphilis experiments went on well beyond 721 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:25,920 Speaker 1: there was a cure for syphilis, and these people went 722 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,439 Speaker 1: untreated until they were called out in the New York 723 00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:31,359 Speaker 1: Times in nineteen seventy two. It's it's so many of 724 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:36,120 Speaker 1: those things, and you know, it's nothing's going to you know, 725 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:39,200 Speaker 1: let me not live myself in my own imaginations. There 726 00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:41,839 Speaker 1: could be something that changes everything overnight, but there's going 727 00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:43,680 Speaker 1: to be so many things that need to change, and 728 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:45,920 Speaker 1: that the whole goal, I think is that we can 729 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:48,880 Speaker 1: determine our own futures. Not that we have to, you know, 730 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:52,600 Speaker 1: endure racelessness or lose our identities, but that our identities 731 00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:55,560 Speaker 1: and who we are doesn't because of the systems we 732 00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:58,279 Speaker 1: live in inhibit us from living our full futures. It 733 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:00,239 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that I want to suddenly live my life 734 00:39:00,239 --> 00:39:02,719 Speaker 1: as a white Christian woman. No, I like being who 735 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:04,440 Speaker 1: I am. I would just like to be able to 736 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:07,800 Speaker 1: be who I am without the consequences of oppressive systems 737 00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:10,680 Speaker 1: and what those systems put onto me. What do you 738 00:39:10,719 --> 00:39:13,279 Speaker 1: think of when you think of the future, Who does 739 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:18,080 Speaker 1: it include? Who feels safe there? Who supported there? Star 740 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:21,040 Speaker 1: Trek helped a generation of activists like Mlka and Blair 741 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:25,480 Speaker 1: imagine a future that included them and imagine a future 742 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:27,840 Speaker 1: where they could break out of the oppressive systems that 743 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:30,640 Speaker 1: keep us all from being free. And that is a 744 00:39:30,719 --> 00:39:37,960 Speaker 1: future worth fighting for. Got a story about an interesting 745 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,040 Speaker 1: thing in tech, or just want to say hi? You 746 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:42,320 Speaker 1: can reach us at Hello at tangodi dot com. You 747 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:45,560 Speaker 1: can also find transcripts for today's episode at tangodi dot com. 748 00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:47,239 Speaker 1: There Are No Girls on the Internet was created by 749 00:39:47,239 --> 00:39:49,840 Speaker 1: me Bridgetad. It's a production of I Heart Radio and 750 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:53,800 Speaker 1: Unboss creative Jonathan Strickland as our executive producer. Terry Harrison 751 00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:57,560 Speaker 1: is our producer and sound engineer. Michaelmato is our contributing producer. 752 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:00,879 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Bridgetad if you want to help us grow, 753 00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:04,240 Speaker 1: rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. For more podcasts 754 00:40:04,239 --> 00:40:06,600 Speaker 1: from iHeart Radio, check out the iHeart Radio app, Apple 755 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:14,880 Speaker 1: podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. H