Dear Mama,

I'm a simple girl from South Carolina whose mother was a union leader in an anti-union state, so politics was a part of the day-to-day conversations in my home. I am a Black artist, interrogating, reflecting, and expressing new possibilities in the world. I'm a Black mama who desires a free country for her Black children. I'm a Black birth worker who wants Black women to go into birth looking forward to life, not fearing death. I'm a Black woman, a Black mother, a Black artist who wants to be free. These are all the intersections I brought with me when I began to listen to "107 Days", Kamala Harris' book about her 2024 presidential campaign. Fresh off the heels of an awe-inspiring episode with Loretta Ross, Thea Monyee, and I unpack how the book impacted us.

In this episode, we dive into:

✨How the layout of the book impacted our experience

✨Performative and respectability politics in the current political climate

✨Disappointments, darkness & moments of hope

✨Where we are now vs where we were in 2024

PLUS - We sprinkle in some church announcements, share wisdom from June Jordan, and, of course, we stay on our Blackest behavior. Stick around till the end for our signature 'Black Mama Say' segment, where we put our own twist on phrases from Black Mamas, and the phrase we're twisting this episode is "But what I do know is…"

So thanks for coming inside the black mama magic room, and if you're looking for links to things we mentioned or referenced in this episode, check out our syllabus (s/o to Melissa Harris-Perry) for this episode, which is a list of references and sources for our listeners to explore for this episode. This list includes any books, videos, podcasts, etc. that we've mentioned in the episode or that will help you gain a well-informed perspective.

If you're a new listener, welcome to the mothership. If you're a newbie or an OG, here are 2 simple ways to support us:

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💗BLACK MAMA MAGIC CARD DECK PULL: Card #37 "It's a Moment. Not a Lifetime." 💗

Episode Companion Playlist curated by Dem Black Mamas: YouTube | Spotify

EPISODES MENTIONED/RELEVANT TO THIS EPISODE:

🎙️DBM Ep 74: A Conversation w/ Loretta Ross - Abortion, Reproductive Justice & Black Motherhood

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