Just Because: Bigglestone Goes To The Women’s Convention

This is Just Because, a podcast that happens…just because. Separate from finite projects like Speakertalks or The Way We Move, Just Because is a chance to put a conversation worth having out into the ether without waiting for the most magical, perfectest place to put it. It comes rarely, but it’s always a conversation worth hearing.

This episode features Branwyn Bigglestone, who also appeared on The Way We Move to discuss growing up in Oakland and building a life she could be proud of. She attended the Women’s Convention with her mother in October, and came away from it energized and full of knowledge she wanted to share. She’s chronicling some of the things she learned under the #NovembHer hashtag on Twitter, if you’d like to follow along. The show notes below provide links or images that should shed further light on the discussion, or point you where you need to go to learn more.

Women’s March
Women’s Convention
Mother & Daughter at the Convention
Confronting White Womanhood
Intersectionality (instagram)
Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
crImmigration: Fighting The Prison and Detention Industrial Complex
Dreamers/DACA
criminalization of immigration
Penal labor
North Bay fire firefighters getting paid $1/hour
The women of the Black Panther party
childcare benefits everyone
Disability rights is a part of healthcare reform
Alicia Garza
#metoo
Tarana Burke began the #MeToo movement (homepage, support)
Courts Matter! Especially to Women! Especially Right Now!
Coalition Building: Support Not Duplication – Overview of National, State, and Local Organizations
Building a New Vision for Safety to Overcome Mass Incarceration
Lenore Anderson is involved with Alliance for Safety and Justice, Californians for Safety and Justice, & Criminal Justice Legislative Action Network
tough on crime is a joke in your town
End the Rape Kit Backlog
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
Increased police militarization
Bresha Meadows
Trayvon Martin
Marissa Alexander
The Sojourner Truth Lunch Honoring Congresswoman Maxine Waters
Sojourner Truth’s Ain’t I A Woman speech
Maxine Waters (instagram)
Self-Defense and Healing: Security for Self and Community
IMWISE: International Muslim Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment
Dearborn, Michigan
Plenary A: Cultural Influencers as Gatekeepers of Truth in the 21st Century
Olympian fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad (and her new Barbie doll!)
Occupy Oakland
Oscar Grant
@NoWhiteNonsense
appeal to authority
Art, Civil Disobedience, and Direct Action Training panel
Youth programming
Justice League NYC
Sandra Bland
Aramis Ayala, the Florida state attorney who got pulled over and the cops turned respectful once they realized who she was
Where Do We Go From Here? panel
#NovembHer
Flint water crisis
Bigger Than Water documentary about Flint, MI (instagram)
Juani Olivares is translating Flint water warnings
Girl Scout essay on why you shouldn’t make your kids hug people
Genesee County Latino Hispanic Collaborative

Speakertalks: Jamila Rowser on “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” by OutKast

This is Speakertalks, Volume 1.

One song. One guest. One conversation.

Let’s get it:

Jamila Rowser is a creator, cosplayer, and hustler. She’s a big fan of OutKast’s SpottieOttieDopaliscious, a seven-minute epic charting two journeys from boyhood to manhood. It’s a real funky song, and Jamila brings a vital perspective.

You can find Jamila at:
@JamilaRowser
Instagram
Homepage

Speakertalks, Vol. 1 album art by Jonathan Chan

Speakertalks: Dana on “Caught In The Middle” by Paramore

This is Speakertalks, Volume 1.

One song. One guest. One conversation.

Let’s get it:

Dana’s about to turn thirty and feeling it! Luckily, Hayley Williams and Paramore are here to help her through it. We talk about emotional resonance, growing into a band, and the disconcerting and cool “Caught In The Middle” by Paramore.

You can find Dana at:
@AtomEve

Speakertalks, Vol. 1 album art by Jonathan Chan

Speakertalks: Pedro Tejeda on “Banned From TV” by Noreaga, Nature, Big Pun, Jadakiss, Styles P, & Cam’ron

This is Speakertalks, Volume 1.

One song. One guest. One conversation.

Let’s get it:

Pedro Tejeda is a Queens cat, and he grew up with a strong appreciation for New York rap. Noreaga’s classic cut Banned From TV features some of the illest lyricists of their day, a hot beat, and at least a dozen unforgettable bars.

You can find Pedro at:
@PRTejeda

Speakertalks, Vol. 1 album art by Jonathan Chan

Speakertalks: Leila del Duca on “The Chariot” by The Cat Empire

This is Speakertalks, Volume 1.

One song. One guest. One conversation.

Let’s get it:

Leila del Duca draws comics for a living, and when she needs a break from our traumatic political situation right now, she goes to “The Chariot,” by The Cat Empire, a song about finding new ways to fight and making sure you have a good time.

You can find Leila at:
@leiladelduca
Instagram
Cadence Comic Art

Speakertalks, Vol. 1 album art by Jonathan Chan