Soul-Centered Conversations: Freedom Chronicles
Soul-Centered Conversations: Freedom Chronicles (SCC:FC) seeks to help dismantle the ideas and practices that have given rise to the interlocking systems of oppression. SCC:FCs are counter-narratives. We’re creating the world we want to see, one SCC:FC at a time. This podcast grounds in Sawubona principles. Sawubona is a Zulu greeting that means ”we see you.” Each conversation is intended to be a mutual exchange of liberatory and decolonial ideas. Each conversation originates from a place of Love. In this podcast, we will talk to everyday citizens and thought-leaders alike about creating a more liberatory world. This podcast is hosted by Damali Robertson, writer, facilitator, DEI practitioner, inquisitive chatabox, and freedom whisperer.
Episodes
Sunday Dec 04, 2022
Healing Black and Brown Relationships with Jose Arias
Sunday Dec 04, 2022
Sunday Dec 04, 2022
In this Soul-Centered Conversation, I am talking with decolonial scholar and Bay Area DJ and entrepreneur, Jose Arias, about healing Black and Brown relationships. Jose was born in San Francisco to a Salvadorian father and white-identified mother from the Mid-West. He identifies as a son of El Salvador and the Bay Area. This mix of backgrounds, as a decolonial scholar and as someone of Latin American and American descent, made him the perfect person for this conversation. Too often, we have experienced rifts between these two groups. There's a legacy of anti-Blackness that comes with being colonized people - that comes along with white supremacy culture. There's a legacy of anti-Blackness woven into the fabric of America and sometimes that shows up as marginalized people targeting one another. We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, so I'm including a breakdown of what I'm calling chapters (so you can get it where you fit in, as a friend of mine would say):
Intro: About Jose, 00:23-4:54
Chapter 1: Music, 4:55-12:06
Chapter 2: Black and Brown Relationships, 12:07-19:17
Chapter 3: Religion, History, & White Supremacy Culture, 19:18-31:19
Chapter 4: Personal Experiences re Anti-Blackness, 31:20-39:02
Chapter 5: The Impact of Anti-Blackness, 39:03-41:08
Chapter 6: Challenging our own binaries and judgements (even with people we consider racist), 41:09-51:01
Chapter 7: Case in Point: Anti-Blackness in the LA City Council, 51:02-1:06
Chapter 8: Cancel Culture, 1:07-1:13
Bonus Chapter: Jose’s Background in Decolonial Thought, 1:14
Monday Nov 07, 2022
White Responsibility in Ending Racism with Annie Stafford
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
In this conversation, with musician, musical soul, Sambadá member, and co-conspirator, Annie Stafford, we explore white responsibility in ending racism. As a "Black-bodied" person, I have come to see that the labor associated with ending racism has largely been placed on "bodies of culture" (bodies of culture is a term to describe Black, Indigenous, People of Color coined by Resmaa Menakem). I also believe, ending racism requires the labor of white bodied people. Racism and oppression hurts all people - including white bodied people. To that end, conversations like this one feel necessary. Thank you, Annie, for being willing to have this Soul-Centered Conversation.
As I begin to prep for my film on truth, reconciliation, and reparations I will be having conversations with friends, community members, and wisdom keepers about ending racism and oppression.

Healing Black and Brown Relationships with Jose Arias
In this Soul-Centered Conversation, I am talking with decolonial scholar and Bay Area DJ and entrepreneur, Jose Arias, about healing Black and Brown relationships. Jose was born in San Francisco to a Salvadorian father and white-identified mother from the Mid-West. He identifies as a son of El Salvador and the Bay. This mix of backgrounds - decolonial scholar, someone of Latin American and American descent - made him the perfect person for this conversation. Too often, we have experienced rifts between these two groups. There's a legacy of anti-Blackness that comes with being colonized people - a legacy that comes along with white supremacy culture. There's a legacy of anti-Blackness woven into the fabric of America and sometimes that shows up as marginalized people targeting one another.
As I begin to prep for my film on truth, reconciliation, and reparations I will be having conversations with friends, community members, and wisdom keepers about ending racism and oppression of all kinds.