CATCH UP WITH US
Season 2
Providing Context: Our Hidden American History
Did you miss Season 2? That’s OK too. We’ve gathered the videos and materials so you can catch up with Your Kitchen Cabinet. The second season focused on the hidden stories within American history to provide context and shed light on today.
Book a SessionEPISODE 1
OUR ORIGIN STORY. WHERE DID WE COME FROM?
Many of the ideals and governance structures touted by the “Founding Founders and Mothers” as uniquely American were actually ideas, laws, and values from an alliance of multiple Indigenous nations called the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, meaning "People of the longhouse." This group was also called the Iroquois Confederacy by the French, and the League of Five Nations by the English. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is often described as the oldest participatory democracy on Earth, and its constitution is believed to be the model on which the American Constitution is based. Ironically, while the ideas, laws and values of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy were integral in the writing of the Constitution, Native Americans' cultural and religious traditions and practices were outlawed until 1978, with the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. How people gather, express their cultural identities, and practice community continues to be an issue of contention in modern America. Most recently, the restrictions placed on building mosques in certain neighborhoods, the uncovering of women’s hijabs for government issued IDs, or the Muslim travel ban are examples of how this is still playing out. How are these issues manifested at the many levels of government and how can we approach these issues of religious and cultural freedoms with an equity lens?
Experts: Prairie Rose Seminole, Policy Analyst; Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner, Executive Director for the Matilda Joslyn Gage Center for Social Justice Dialogue; Sabina Mohyuddin, Executive Director for the American Muslim Advisory Council in Nashville, TN
Resources:
Deck [download]
Resources List [download]
Prairie Rose Seminole's Powerpoint [download]
Sabina Mohyuddin's Powerpoint [download]
Case Study on why building Mosques is so controversial [download]
EPISODE 2
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. HOW DID WE BEGIN?
When the “Founding Fathers” declared independence from British rule in 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” But at that time, half of the 2.5 million people living in the colonies were enslaved. How did the Revolutionists reconcile their notions of equality with the widespread system of slavery. And what about the enslaved people in the 13 colonies? What were they thinking, feeling and doing during this time? Surprisingly, over 15% of the Revolutionary Army was made up of enslaved Black people. Why did they risk their lives for a cause that denied them those very same rights? Fast forward to modern time, and the question still reverberates of why so many people of color and indigenous folks risk their lives for a country, that some would argue, denies them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In 2017, over 43% of the United States’ active duty military were minorities. That same year, the Enlist Act was introduced in Congress which would automatically give Dreamers a lawful entry status and a pathway to citizenship, if they enlisted in the military. Was that a noble concession or an exploitation of Dreamers’ desperation and fear? Is slavery abolished or are we still in bonds today? And lastly, what is the obligation of a grateful nation to its soldiers, especially when those soldiers are not even citizens?
Experts: Professor Andrew Delbanco, Alexander Hamilton Professor of American Studies at Columbia University and the author of The War Before the War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America's Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War; Felicia Escobar, Former Obama Administration Official; Manisha Sinha, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs; Dr. Nneka D. Dennie, Assistant Professor of History at Washington and Lee University; Milteri Tucker, Milteri Tucker Concepcion, Founder and CEO of Bombazo Dance Co, Inc
Resources:
Deck [download]
Resources List [download]
EPISODE 3
CITIZENSHIP. WHO ARE WE?
When the Founding Fathers declared independence from the British Empire, they were in essence saying we do not want to belong to you anymore. They sought to create a new country and a new government to oversee the 2.5 million people living in the 13 colonies. But half of those people were enslaved. Were they given citizenship in this new country? So who really belonged in this new country? Even nowadays we ask ourselves, who truly counts in the United States and who gets counted? This week’s Your Kitchen Cabinet will explore the technicalities of citizenship, and notions of belonging in the United States and how those notions play out today with the recent citizenship question on the US Census. Moreover, we will explore times in our history when the legalities of citizenship were overshadowed with racism.
Experts: Kathy Masaoka, Co chair, Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress; Eric Foner, Professor Emeritus of History, Columbia University; Karen Ishizuka, Ph.D., writer, and chief curator, Japanese American National Museum
Resources:
Deck [download]
Resource List [download]
Case Study on Thind vs. US [download]
EPISODE 4
RULE OF LAW. WHAT DO WE CARE ABOUT?
On May 25, 2020 George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis Police. His death ignited an international outcry that Black Lives Matter and illuminated other cases of police brutality and lack of accountability. What does the rule of law, and conversely, justice for all truly mean? This week’s Your Kitchen Cabinet will explore different ways of thinking, speaking and working towards a safer community and justice for all.
Experts: Vanessa Cooksey, Board of Directors, Vote Run Lead; Natalie Parks, CEO & Founder, Behavior Leader, Inc.; Jehmu Greene, Vote Run Lead Board Member, Founder of Barbara’s Legacy, FOX News Political Analyst; Leslie Herod, Colorado State Representative
Resources:
Resource List [download]
Case Study on Camden Police Department [download]
EPISODE 5
COMMERCE. WHAT DO WE CARE ABOUT?
Throughout American history, the labor and property of Black, Indigenous and People of Color have been commodified to increase the wealth of white people, where in “a capitalist economic system, commodification is the transformation of goods, services, ideas, nature, personal information and people into commodities or objects of trade.” But what would it look like if Black, Indigenous and People of Color owned their own labor? What has happened when they strived to touch the sun? And what can lawmakers do to create a more equitable economy?
Experts: Karlos K. Hill, Associate Professor and Chair of the Clara Luper Department of African and African-American Studies at the University of Oklahoma; Nkuli Shongwe, Community Wealth Building Coordinator, Nexus Community Partners; Urvashi Banerjea, Co-Chair of Women Advancing Microfinance NY; Briana Sidney, Worker/ Owner, Mandela Grocery
Resources:
Deck [download]
Resource List [download]
EPISODE 6
REPRESENTATION. WHAT DO WE DESERVE?
What type of democracy do we deserve? We deserve a democracy that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. In short, one that is grassroots and representative. This week’s Your Kitchen Cabinet will engage in an intimate conversation with Alicia Garza, Principal at Black Futures Lab and feature performances by spoken words artist, Julissa Contreras, and singer Abbie Npauj Lee as we explore how we can transform our democracy and push it closer to the true promise of liberty and justice for all.
Experts: Julissa Contreras, Creator, Ladies Who Bronché; Alicia Garza, Principal at the Black Futures Lab; Abbie Npauj Lee, Singer;
Resources:
Deck [download]
Resource List [download]
This I Believe Group Exercise Worksheet [download]
If I Want to Get Free By Julissa Contreras [download]
KITCHEN CABINET CONVERSATIONS
W. DR. LINDA BURKE, MD, MS, FACOG, BLOGGER, AND FOUNDER OF THE SMART MOTHER'S GUIDE AND CEO OF PERINATAL SOLUTIONS LLC
Dr. Linda Burke talks to our very own Zanade Mann about the history, commodification and treatment of Black lives in medical research.
KITCHEN CABINET CONVERSATIONS
W. KEESHA GASKINS, ROCKEFELLER BROTHERS FUND DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE PROGRAM & RACIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE & ALEJANDRA CASTILLO, CEO OF YWCA USA
Erin will go live with Alejandra Castillo, President of YWCA USA and Keesha Gaskins-Nathan of Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Democratic Practice Program & Racial Justice Initiative for ideas and actions you can take to create fair districts maps and get everyone counted for the U.S. Census.
KITCHEN CABINET CONVERSATIONS
W. ZULFAT SUARA, NASHVILLE AT-LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER
Join us for Kitchen Cabinet Conversations with Zulfat Suara, Nashville At-Large Council Member where she will share her expertise on city budgeting,how the government budget can be intentional about communities of color, and her role within the Nashville Metro Council.
KITCHEN CABINET CONVERSATIONS
W. CORI BUSH & TISHAURA JONES
Celebrate with us at the Season 2 Finale of Kitchen Cabinet Conversations with two Radical Leaders we deserve! Cori Bush and St. Louis Treasurer, Tishaura Jones will talk with Erin about their recent victories, the critical work in Missouri, and how you can take the lead in your community. Thursday, August 20 at 1pm EST Live on Facebook and YouTube.