
Two African Americans Podcast
Two African American women, Valarie Grimes and Emra Smith, tackle the uncomfortable and necessary conversations we need to break down the walls that divide us as a human race.
#eachonematters
Episodes
14 episodes
Embracing the Mission
Today we wrap up season one of the podcast. Valarie and Emra take about the purpose behind this mission; why they chose to engage in this work of bringing unity among diverse peoples, and how it requires intentionality, compassion and empathy t...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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25:20

Surveying our Savannah, Part 2
This is the second part of a two-part conversation about the diverse ethnic roots of Savannah, Georgia, a city that has become a melting pot of African American, white, indigenous, Hispanic and Asian cultures. Emra and Valarie discuss why it is...
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22:35

Surveying our Savannah, Part 1
Today is the first of a two-part conversation about the ethnic roots of Savannah, Georgia—a city that has become a melting pot of African American, white, Indigenous, Hispanic and Asian cultures. Valarie and Emra talk about the beginnings of ou...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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28:49

Famous Firsts
We're discussing firsts today—inspired by Ian article about General Michael Langley, the U.S. Marine Corps' first African American four star general. Emra and Valarie highlight more incredible achievements in technology, health care and the art...
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16:38

Let's Talk Traditions!
This week our nation celebrated the 4th of July, and we thought it might be a good time to talk traditions. Whether drinking tea together or dancing the Samba, we can all agree that life would not be as rich or as meaningful without our fami...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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21:04

What's Love Got to Do With It?
The topic is love: how do we hold boundaries and yet continue to love? How do we forgive and remain open to love when we've been deeply hurt? Valarie shares a little bit of her own powerful story of forgiveness in this episode. It's a must-list...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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20:17

Picturing Progress
Today our first guest, author, musician and co-founder of Marigold Press Books, Rebekah McLeod, asks the questions: "What are the actual markers of progress towards racial reconciliation? What actions steps do we take to build new bridges of tr...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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22:02

Why We Need Juneteenth
Nelson Mandela said, "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." Why do we celebrate Juneteenth as a federal holiday, and what exactly does it mean...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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22:14

Rethinking Respect
Respect: How do we get back to it when our culture is hyper-focused on the individual—my needs, my thoughts, my opinions; when our media and our political system seems to divide us into right and left, and being moderate is no longer in vogue?&...
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17:49

Lament, Learn and Leverage
What does it mean to truly be an ally, to stand in solidarity with those who are treated unfairly around us?At critical moments in culture, when injustice rips the bandaid off old wounds, often the first response of the majority is blam...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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20:43

Unpacking Privilege
In this episode, our hosts, Valarie Grimes and Emra Smith, talk about privilege—some cultural and political sources of privilege and how we may differ in the ways we view our nation's history, our Founding Fathers, our Constitution, and even pu...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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27:47

Pushing Back Against Prejudice
In this episode, our hosts, Valarie Grimes and Emra Smith talk about prejudice, some of the stereotypes and myths that form the foundations of prejudice, and how we can experience a kind of cognitive dissonance when our prejudices are challenge...
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25:30

"I See You": Accepting the Other
Today our hosts, Valarie Grimes and Emra Smith, talk about what it feels like to be "othered," and the complex emotions that occur around this all-too-common human experience. Stick with this conversation through to the end, because the m...
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22:18

Episode 1: Let's Begin the Conversation
In this episode, you will be introduced to our hosts, Valarie Grimes and Emra Smith, two women in leadership who are on a mission to break down the walls that divide us as a human race.This first episode talks about the importance...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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23:33
