Black Lives Matter

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Speaker 1: Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Bechtel Cast. My name is Jamie, my name is Caitlin, and Uh, it's been a fucking week. If you're listening to this the day and week it comes out, you'll certainly know why. There has been massive demonstrations for the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the murder of George Floyd, of Brianna Taylor, of Ahmad are Y, and and on and on in the past week, and there has been just truly a huge burst in righteous anger in issues that have been, you know, brewing in American history for as long as American history has been happening. So if you're listening to this episode when it comes out, you know that already, and if you're listening to this episode in the future, you also know that. So we we were genuinely like, not sure she'll be released an episode this week? Does it make sense for us to do? But we decided that that we should. It's not obviously it's not going to be a normal episode. We're not gonna be talking about uh movie this week, but we will be talking because we want to respect the fact that we have a platform and we have listeners that we've found over the over the years. Are are are I mean, our listeners are the best and and we've learned so much from you. And it sounds like, you know, that goes both ways, and we want to continue to do that through everything and and so here we are. Yeah, so more or less, we wanted to take this opportunity to just provide information about resources, things you can do to be a better ally, things you can do to be actively anti racist, places you can donate to, things like that. So we are are Jamie said, UM, we're using our platform to inform and educate and hopefully yeah, hopefully you'll you'll find So I know, there's so much information going around already. I'm sure you already have heard uh different things you can do. Um, but no harm in spreading more information as long as that information is good. So, uh, that's what we're doing today. And we also want to just I guess publicly express our our continued commitment to doing better. And you know, I mean, I mean, from the beginning of this show, I think that we have both learned so much in so many areas of analysis, but especially with this show, I think that I've I've personally learned a ton through our guests and through our research and through our talks about the importance of intersectionalism, where you know, we started this show with the idea of we want to analyze movies from a feminist perspective. And feminism is wonderful and we are deeply committed to it, but it has deeply entrenched roots in erasing black women, and erasing all non white women, and and only servicing white women, and and so it's inexcusable. And I think that it's so cooked into even the core of feminist rhetoric races so much, and particularly black women and particularly non white and queer women. I mean, we we are committed to doing better. And to all of our listeners, we appreciate you being on the ride with us. And I mean, I personally really love how great our listeners have been over the years about just you know, checking us when we funk up, and it genuinely helps, and I think that I know that it will continue to help. So for sure, first we just want to express, particularly to our black listeners, but to all of our listeners, a huge amount of love and just the open line of communication. We're here, we're listening. We want to do better. For you and we want to do better by you, and so we love you when we're here. Yes, indeed, and thank you again for your patients with us as we have grown and you know, just try to navigate our jobs, you know. Um, it's been so helpful the feedback that we've gotten over the years. Of course, we do have blind spots that we've been working diligently to make more and more narrow over the course of the show. Um, but any guidance is still helpful. Not that it's should be, you know, your responsibility or burden to like as oh no, we've ventured a dangerous on I mean there. It's never been on our listeners to educate us. But when our listeners have felt like, you know, hey, I'm going to take this opportunity to say you're fucking wrong and here is what you need to know, you know what, we will never you know, come at our fan base being like educated us we're idiots, but but we do appreciate when you know, we it's it's the para social relationship of a lifetime that we're on right now, and from the bottom of our hearts, it does mean a lot to us. When if we funk up and you know you're able to check us and want to. It's really helpful. But but yeah, I think that what you just brought up, Caitlin is a great point that even in the past like week of you know, everything that's been going around of there's definitely been, uh a mini pandemic of non black people asking black people to educate on what they should have understood going into this situation, which if it's something you're considering doing, do not do it. It is you have access to all the same resources you have Google dot com. And it is on us to educate ourselves period. It is not someone else's job to tell you what you're getting wrong. Um. Which is the first resource that I would like to bring up, And also we will be posting all of these resources to our Twitter and our Instagram. UM. We already have stuff going, but we'll continue adding stuff. But the first resource that I wanted to share are from two activists named Brianna Wallace and Autumn Gupta, and it was shared by a friend of the cast io at Debris. Who is I mean, if you've heard her episode, you're already in love with her or you were in love with her because of the millions of wonderful comedy things she's done, but she shared this particular resource um from Brianna Wallace and Autumn Gupta. Here's here's the statement that goes with the project. It says, Hello, our names are Brianna and Autumn and we're a dynamic duo committed to the mission of spreading truth, love and awareness. Spearheaded by Autumn. We've created this detailed resource that compiles ways to learn inform an act to support those in the black community. Check it out, share, we post, blow it up. And what it is is truly wonderful. I have already started doing it myself, but it is a Google doc that we will link you to. It is called Justice in June and it is a lesson plan for non black people on how to become better allies. It is truly a gigantic act of service that this has been made available for free. There's three lesson plans available. There's ten minutes a day, twenty five minutes a day, forty five minutes a day, depending on where your life is at right now, how much time do you have to do this? Brianna and Autumn have you covered so? I highly highly highly recommend there's an inside of this Google doc. In this lesson plan alone, there are hundreds of pieces of media, of speeches, of literature, of of movies, of just truly the full spectrum of educational materials that that they've made available. And literally all it takes is to start the commitment of the month of June to educate yourself and to better understand. So I would as as someone currently three days deep into the program, it's wonderful and and we will link that resource to you. I have already found it to be extremely helpful. Yeah, I mean the work, the work is on us. I can't wait to get started. So that's that's my first resource. Again, if this is stuff you already know, feel free to just you know, come back next week. But if this is new information for you, please hang out. And uh, we would love to pass along the resources that we have aggregated or already had. And when I pass it along, so the next thing that we want to direct you to is mutual funds and bail funds. So hopefully, as a listener, you you already understand that black Americans are incarcerated at astronomically higher rates than truly anyone else they're brutalized more, they're treated like. The way that these protests have played out has been no exception. And so if you are either at a protest and want to continue to do more, or you are not able to be at a protest, you're not near one, you're not whatever it is, Donating to a bail fund is an incredibly helpful way to cause an impact in an immediate sense. There are people that I'm sure you've you've seen this happening, being arrested for literally nothing. It's been extremely humbling for me because I've been you know, I just I've been sheltered by my skin for my entire life, and in the past week of being like seeing police brutality happened firsthand. I mean, if you've been extremely online during this time, you understand that what happens at the protests and what is reflected in the media is quite different, and that there are thousands of people being arrested for no reason. A wonderful way you can help right away is to donate to a mutual aid or bail fund. And we have in our Twitter and in our Instagram a link to a list of nationwide and some in Canada. As well UH mutual aid and l funds where you can give right now. We have already been doing so with our Patreon money and our personal money. We will continue to do so. But it is an incredible, incredible way to cause an immediate impact, and I would extend that to UH will link these as well, but keeping an eye out for the families of those impacted, and we're talking about Brianna Taylor, who there is still as of this recording, been no arrests made in an association with her murder by police, and this goes on and on. But but also we will also be uh reposting and sharing the go fund mes and and the ways you can support people who have been extremely impacted by the past week through through bell fund, through go fund me, is through cash apps. UM. This also extends to and we want to make sure that we're acknowledging the black trans community who are again brutalize and mistreated by the police and by our society at abnormally high rate. UH. In this past week alone, Ayanna Dior was beaten by a mob in Minneapolis, and Tony McDade, a black trans man, was shot and killed by police just in the past week. There are also fundraising efforts going on for them, and there's also fundraising efforts going on for the black trans community at large that we will share with you. Yes, another thing that I would encourage people too. I think that there's a lot of ways to be an activist right now, and the immediate ways are donate and show up at a protest if you're physically able to show up at a protest. These are the most immediate ways that you can make an impact. But another it's committing yourself to a long game as well. Where to to paraphrase our dear friend, friend of the cast, friend of our life, Miles Gray, something that he expressed on the dailies like Guist today was just the sentiment that this is a long game and if you're committing yourself to performing on social media for a week, that will show and being an ally is a journey and it involves fucking up. I think that that is something that people are afraid to do a lot, especially on social media, like no one wants to, you know, make a mistake, But we did it. We we posted a black square before realizing wait, that's like counterproductive. That was not a helpful thing for us to do you know, and that, and and so for for those of you that have made those missteps and those mistakes, we have also made those mistakes, and we won't back off from those mistakes. We will say that we were fucking wrong and it was not helpful and it was not a productive use of our platform. But mistakes are constantly made. The question is are you willing to learn from them? Are you willing to like put your ego aside and commit to accountable Yeah, in in the long game, right, I think a lot of people are are hesitant to speak up or to engage in anything of what's going on for fear of making missteps and and and I think there's a hesitancy to engage with a lot of people who just need to understand that. Yeah, Like what you're saying, Jamie is nobody is perfect. Mistakes will be made, but you can't let that stop you from trying because putting in the work, putting in the effort is vital. You don't want to take the um I thought immediately of Sofia Coppola directing the Big Guild, like you don't want to take that approach of like, well, I don't under stay I'm not a black person, so I can't I'm going to erase black people because I might misrepresent them, and that's that is absolutely the wrong approach. Yeah, the answer is always to just educate yourself. It's not easy, like and and sometimes it's like it is like a humbling experience, like you're gonna fuck up. I over the years have funked up. We all have, of course, but but I think it is truly committing to the journey and committing to like taking ship. If you funk up, like, yeah, I think that that's all. That's all I really have to say that. It is like you're gonna sunk up. And if you funk up, continue to educate yourself. I think that, like the most one of the most common mistakes is to just double down on being like I couldn't have been wrong, I'm woke, I'm great. It's like, no, if you're like a white lady, you're gonna funk up. Like, if you're trying to speak two issues that you don't have personal experience with, you need to listen and you need to go in with the expectation that you don't have the perspective you're not going to get it right and that you know, just accept it going in, leave your ego at the door, and educate yourself. Yes, that's just it is listening. It's listening. It's being receptive to constructive feedback. It is talking with your families. It's talking to your fucking families. It's it's just getting started. You can think you have a woke family, and then you ask the one follow up question and you're like, you give how much of a ship about a billionaire's property? And it goes on, like, commit to having the hard discussion. Be in it for the long game. It's not one conversation. It's never going to be one conversation. It's not going to be one hang up. It's not going to be one family gathering when and if we're ever allowed to gather again. It's it is a lot of conversations. It is a long term commitment, indeed, but it's important. It's you gotta fucking do it. I mean, it's it's being willing to be uncomfortable, to be personally uncomfortable to get something larger accomplished another place. If you're looking for other places to donate, um, there are a number of wonderful black mental health organizations that have been fundraising UM in the past. There's several threats. I've found IOH has another wonderful one, but one that I have known about previously, and and set up a recurring donation. That's another thing. If you want to keep your little ass accountable, make it a recurring donation. Okay, to commit like we were talking about called commitments, sweetie. But the boris Lawrence Henson Foundation that is set up by Taragi p Henson UM in memory of I believe her brother UH is a an organization completely committed to advancing UM black mental health in on a person to person sense in a larger sense of educating and is wonderful. If there's what we will also link to a number of these threads. Um BEAM, the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective is another nonprofit that is wonderful to give to, and so we will shore we will share all the resources that we have on on that topic as well. Yes, indeed, since we are a movie podcast, don't know if you've heard listeners UM, I wanted to speak a little bit to some movies and other types of media you can consume to help with your ongoing education. So this is a graphic that's been shared a lot, but in case you haven't seen it, it comes from we got it from we well we we originally found it from Addie wi Ridge uh future guest of um. But yes, it was aggregated by Sarah, Sophie Flicker and Melissa Klein. This is a list of films to consume. These are ones on netflicks do with films. These are ones that are available at the time of this recording streaming on Netflix by Ava Duvernet Um which not to brag or anything, but I just rewatched last night And a side note, I went on a little bit of a Twitter rant last night speaking to how influential media is. Right of you to go on Twitter at this trying time Citland, congratulations, UM, thank you very much. But because sometimes I question the career I've made for myself. I'm like, movies, movies aren't important. Why do I like movies so much? But then I remember, Yeah, there's a larger discussion for us to be had, um in the future about how truely I mean, we've we've alluded to it. I don't think we've ever had like a really, really, really in depth discussion about it, but how you know, the propaganda around cops and the good cop and the bad apple mentality. Um starts with the media we consume as children, along with other things. But it is a large contributing factor that will continue to discuss on the show for sure, which it goes to show how influential media, including film is. A lot of people will make the argument, oh, it's just a movie, you can't take it seriously. Movies. You know, people aren't affected by what they see in the movies or what they see on TV or you know, the video games and stuff like that. And of course we've you know, demonstrated over the course of the years of doing the podcast that it is not. Yes. Um So, in watching last night, I was reminded of a very horrifying bit of information, which was that after the simply awful racist abomination of a movie, Birth of a Nation came out and I believe it was nine, there was an enormous resurgence of clan activity because of that movie. Because that movie paints the KKK as heroes and it portrays black men, which are for the most part in that movie white men in black face, but it paints those characters as violent criminals and it had such a major impact on the nation that it affected history, and that is the power that movies potentially have. So UM just it is helpful for me to be reminded of that. UM. In any case, back to this list by Ava Duvernet, American Son that we have the whole list on our Instagram. Dear White people, the movie and the series in the series wonderful See You Yesterday when they See Us another Ava Duvernet film. UM. These are on Hulu, If Bill Street Could Talk and The Hate You Give UM. Ones that are available to rent include Black Power Mix Tape, Clemency, Fruit Filed Station, one of my favorite there, I Am Not your Negro, just Mercy Selma, The Black Panthers, Vanguard of the Revolution. UM. And then I would also just recommend these are more sort of educational UM and or movies that I see. I mean, I think that in general we we recommend these movies from the specific graphic, but we also just recommend consuming black are like it is no, I mean, it's it is not just a critical thing to do to have a like a good palette, uh for your media diet, but it's also just like your life is bettered by seeing black art. And I guess if we're being biased American black art, it just it's good ship. And and you know, black artists we know we talk about are not given the opportunity at the same rate as as mediocre, random white people to make movies. And it's just you know, if you are looking at your media diet and realize that there is not really any diversity and it here's your fucking chance to research, to educate yourself and to just seek out resources and and you will be better for it. You will be happier for it. It is work that doesn't feel like work because it's just like good movies, it's just a good move us and good comedy and good books and on and on and on um. We have many recommendations that we will also link you too, and so honestly, uh, you know. To conclude, we here at the Battle Cast would like to say we think the police should be abolished. Fuck the police. There has not necessarily been a time on our program or a time where we have been I mean truly like i I've been in the past week alone, be been educated on a wild line. The line is basically, you know, a very upward line on on how to articulate these issues. I am definitely not there. I'm not going to attempt to be there right now. The American policing system has been It's not that it's broken, it's that it was built this one, UM. It was built to exclude, it was built to oppress, it was built to serve the white and the wealthy. You know, we've known this for a long time. But this is the moment where if you are not educated on this topic, get educated on this topic. We are also trying to be more educated on this topic. Two resources that we have already posted but I will direct you to right now on the topic are two studies UM. One is a book that is currently for free what uh from Verso Books. I'm halfway through it. It is intense and it is important. It's called The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale Vitale and it and it is truly just walking you through why the American policing system is not serving the people that it says it's serving. It is a system that is not serving our country period. So that is a great resource. Another study that has been really enlightening for me, UM coming from mp D one fifty, which is a study based in Minnesota that was released last year, but it's a one year performance review of the Minneapolis Police Department. Um that, wouldn't you know, it essentially reaches the same conclusion the police. It's not that they're just ineffective, it's not that they're just racist. Is that that that is the point and that is built into the d n A of what the American police forces. And I know that. I mean, I think that for a lot of people. And when I first came across the concept of abolished the police a couple of years back, it feels like, what But educate yourself, challenge yourself. I think you'll find pretty quickly that we should fucking abolish the police, we should defund the police. And we'll leave you with just uh, focusing on get involved locally, Know what's going on locally, follow your local Black Lives Matter chapter. There are so many organizations already in place that know the ship you don't know, that have the resources that you need to better understand, and that will tell you what are your opportunities to be involved and be impactful, whether it's the simplest signing an online petition or showing up at a protest, contacting your representatives, calling emailing, or if it's the complicated long term work that we all need to commit to. We have so much work to do, and we love you all. Were committed, We miss you. Yes, yes, yes, yeah. I don't have really anything else to say, I suppose, except that one of the things that everyone can do is to amplify black voices, and I would like to do that by if you don't already, follow various past guests we've had on the show on their social media channels. Many of them are comedians. Check out their comedy, check out their writing, check out their work. Top ahead. I mean, we've got Lacy Moseley, who is truly just the queen of my heart and my brain. Yes, Naomi e Paragon, both of the part Elite Bechtel Cast Club. We've got also Demi adjuy Bay another three time guest. Um, We've got Hunter Harris, We've got Maggie May, Aquila Hughes, Lexie Grace So shears amda Zaynab Johnson. Why shout out if you watty way, I want to shout out. Aaron Haynes Whack, who is our waiting to exhale and I think everyone's favorite episodes. It's constantly brought up as a faith Danielle Radford, Madison Shepherd. There's truly like and and we will continue to bring on black guests and black perspectives in the future. And we really encourage you if you've heard an episode with a guest whose perspective you value and like, then fucking follow them, like just do it, like if you haven't already. And I know that that many of you are like, Oh, I love this guest. I pledged my life to them, and that is you know, that's that's wonderful. Do that continue to do that, um, and we will continue to be committed to bring you the funniest, most wonderful people on earth. Joel Monique for fucking crying out loud. Can he'se moblikeness mobli like. The list goes on and and also look forward to We truly have like a very like we have so many wonderful people that we want to on the show that there's just simply not enough thursdays in the year for um. But I just know and and if there's also if there's people that you would like to see on the show, if there are guests that you'd like to see on the show. We want to hear about it, we want to know. Uh. I think in the past, like we've we've been introduced to guests by our own listeners and and that has led to classic episodes of the Battle Cast. And we would also recommend that you listen to UM podcasts that feature black perspectives specifically and exclusively. We are simply not the only podcasts on the air, and that's a damn good thing. UM A wonderful movie podcast if you're looking for a movie podcast that is UM specifically focused on the black American experience, is Black Men Can't Jump in Hollywood. That is like a podcast that I very much love. It's it's so wonderful. There's also a list of other podcasts that you can list and to UM that. I mean, we've already taken up so much of your airspace. But what we're saying is we're here, we're listening, we want to get better, and you're here. I hope you're listening, and I hope you want to get better too. If you're a non black listener, and if you're a black listener, thank you for your patience and thank you for thank you for being here. Yeah, we're forever grateful. And I suppose be here next week to ye, And then we got to that and I don't think we've explicitly said black lives matter. And if you don't think so, you can hit that unsubscribe. But you can straight out in all lives if you've Let's put this at the beginning of the episode, Welcome to the Bechtel cas black Dog Gay. But like the but you know, if you've gotten all lives matter our argument, you can funk off of our feed. We're not interested in it. Yeah, if you're coming at us with an all lives matter argument, we're going to tell you to funk off. We don't want you to be a part of our community. Yeah, you're you more than anybody else. Needs to educate yourself and figure out why you think that and realize why you are wrong. And uh, and then maybe we'll let you come back to us see you on the other side of that. Um. Yeah, we we love, we love, we love everybody. Uh, thanks for hanging if you did this week, and and if not, we'll see you next week. We'll be people will still be sharing all the resources and amplifying all the voices we can on the platform that we have, and feel free to send your recommendations in addition to the ones we've already provided. People to follow, black voices, black content, black art, other organizations, to donate to and get involved with any number of things that's going to be helpful in this fight. Um, feel free to recommend to us and we will reshare them. We're here to share our humble platforms with you. It's a humble one, but it's all we have and we'll be back next week. Well, we love you, ye see you then bye bye.