Today we’d like to introduce you to Misasha Suzuki Graham.
Hi Misasha, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up biracial, identity is always a big issue – because when everyone’s trying to define who you are, you fight for the ability to define yourself. It was that constant awareness of race and identity that drew me to my best friend and business partner Sara Blanchard when we met as undergrads in college, and it was the knowledge that not everyone was having these conversations that led us to first start the Dear White Women podcast back in 2019, and translate that into the book Dear White Women: Let’s Get (Un)comfortable Talking About Race that came out in October of 2021!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say that podcasting was a natural fit for us because we both love talking and writing – two main components of podcasting. That said, we went into it kind of blind – we got mics, set up our computers, and started recording, figuring that perhaps we could strongarm some friends and family into listening to us. Sheltering in place during COVID meant that we were recording in corners of bedrooms while helping kids do online school – which was definitely NOT how we thought we would be preparing for and recording researched social justice podcast episodes or conducting interviews with amazing guests while our kid’s army crawled past our chairs like they were coming out of Seal Team 6. But, as these past 18+ months have taught us – resilience is a key part of any endeavor. And I think we’re better off because of those challenges – we found our voice in ways that we might not have otherwise.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a speaker, writer, and facilitator regarding social justice issues, especially when related to kids (I’m a mom, after all!). I think being biracial gives me, as well as my best friend who I do this work with, special insight into the conversations that are – or aren’t – happening in solely White spaces. That’s why we created Dear White Women (the podcast) – to change the narratives and conversations in those spaces, and that’s why we also wrote Dear White Women: Let’s Get (Un)comfortable Talking About Racism, to provide some of that learning in another form, along with really practical tips about how to be more anti-racist in your everyday life.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Every day I take a risk when I open my mouth and start talking about social justice – because, honestly, it makes everyone uncomfortable. I risk making people angry, I risk being called racist when I call White people White (yes, that really happens!), I risk having people try and silence me through various ways. But I’m also the mom of Black sons – so in so many ways, I have to take those risks to make sure my kids survive. A terrible thought – yes. But it’s also made why risk taking is SO important for me, and I encourage those who feel that it’s risky to use their voices to really do so. We need all voices in this conversation.
Pricing:
- Dear White Women: Let’s Get (Un)comfortable Talking About Racism – $17.95 where books are sold!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.dearwhitewomen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearwhitewomenpodcast
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dearwhitewomenpodcast
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DWWPodcast
Image Credits:
Pamela Li
