Episode 010 - Systemic Racism w/ Dr. Rob Copeland

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On the tenth episode of Shit We Don’t Talk About, Mia chats with Rob Copeland, educator, counselor, and author of the soon-to-be-published The Synchronization of Life: A Family’s Alignment Pursued. Mia has known Rob since they were kids back in 1979, so you know they have a lot of shit to talk about that we don’t talk about!

First, please just let it be known that black people are tired right now, and rightfully so. Rob is tired, and we need to listen up to that! He is sharing with us why that is and why other people in his shoes and similar shoes(!) are tired, too!

Second, maybe you have some prejudices percolating inside you? Hey, we all do. That’s not a thing to run from, but something to acknowledge. Sometimes, black people are tired because of the way they will be perceived for daring to speak out. Have you heard of “angry black men/women” syndrome? That’s a reality Rob has to deal with–that people might view him that way before he even opens his mouth!

And we haven’t even gotten started. This is one juicy episode. Make sure you listen all the way through. Maybe even don’t multitask as you do!

Three takeaways from this episode of the Shit We Don’t Talk About podcast.

Black people are not “just” part of the black experience. They are not a “monolith”.
Look up “code-switching” and “tokenism.” And generally, make it a habit to Google terms and things you don’t understand.
Do Mia a favor and when you watch any sort of media, pay attention to all the white folks. How much are you really seeing fair representation of our black and brown friends?

For many of us, the last four years have been incredibly difficult for sure, but you’re also being exposed to experiences outside yourself, and this is what has been needed for so long–revealing the systems of racism that were put into place to make it seem like the US was rejecting racism. It’s like pacification.

You need to listen to this episode of the Shit We Don’t Talk About podcast to learn to take responsibility for the kind of ancestor you want to be. What legacy do you want to leave your family? Would you be proud of it right now? If not, sit still and learn. That is the least we all can do. Remember, this is just a little sip of what Rob brought to the show; there’s so much more truthful information to absorb.

About Dr. Rob Copeland

Dr. Rob Copeland is an Educator, Counselor, and also author of the book, The Synchronization of Life (A Family’s Alignment Pursued) which is a research-based novel that displays the complex, unique, loving, and sometimes dysfunctional interactions of an (African) American family. For more information on the book, go to SyncOfLife.com

You can also connect with Dr. Copeland online at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-m-copeland-ed-d-575b006/