Breaking Barriers to Book Distribution w/ Shane Foster and Tyrel Dale
1h 4m
·
According to Weeze
·
In this episode, Weeze and Tyrel & Shane of X Books have a very real conversation about how the prison industrial complex blocks access to books for incarcerated folks and how X Books is a part of that solution. Through book donations, drives, and funding, X Books is stepping in to fill the much needed gap of giving reading materials to folks who are in prison, so they have an opportunity to receive enrichment, education, and support.
ABOUT WEEZE
Louiza Doran, known and referred to as Weeze, is a cis-het Amazigh* female identifying human who uses she/her/they/them pronouns. She’s known as a coach, podcast host, advocate, agent of change, strategist and educator (to name a few) but is ultimately a compassionate provocateur that is out to help folks uncover their path of possibility.
ABOUT SHANE FOSTER AND TYREL DALE
Shane Foster (he/him) is part of the group that organized and founded X Books, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Atlanta, GA, in the fall of 2020. He has his bachelor's degree in social work from Florida State University and a master's degree in communications from Georgia State University. He currently works in HR for a software company, has lived in Atlanta for 8 years now, and is proud to call this community home. Shane is beyond excited for what X Books can become and is thankful for the groups across the country doing similar work and honored to work alongside them in our mission to provide books to people that are currently incarcerated.
Tyrel Dale (he/him) is a founding board member of X Books, Inc. He attended the University of Georgia and majored in Political Science and African American Studies. During his time at UGA. He is currently a Policy Analyst at the Georgia General Assembly. His focus is on education, criminal justice, and workforce-related issues. After the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and Ahmaud Arbary, he was inspired to find ways to help the incarcerated community outside of the slow moving electoral system. He sees X Books becoming a non-profit that will be able to educate and inspire all Georgians of their power to disassemble the prison industrial system.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT
- Breaking barriers to book distribution, especially within the criminal justice system.
- The prison system and how it intentionally withholds and blocks incarcerated people from accessing books.
- The system cannot afford to give those that it has intentionally disenfranchised and oppressed, the guidebook to their own liberation.
- How prisons are switching to E-Books and upcharging incarcerated folks for internet access to be able to use E-Readers, and they’re also heavily locked in with Amazon.
- Dismantling the systems that are blocking book access, teaming up with local bookstores & organizations, and providing funding to create opportunities.
CALL TO ACTION
Find an organization closest to you in your state that is doing similar work, and then follow, engage ,and donate to X Books.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OR-PfhqsJ4BM1Z2Tl9NX8JKskrt3EALX/view?usp=sharing
FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED
Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze
The Academy (it’s like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy
FOLLOW SHANE FOSTER AND TYREL DALE TO STAY ENGAGED
Website: https://xbooks.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/x__books/
The episode Breaking Barriers to Book Distribution w/ Shane Foster and Tyrel Dale from the podcast According to Weeze has a duration of
1:04:27. It was first published
More episodes from According to Weeze
Hi Friends, I'm Back!
The show is baaaaaaack! We know it’s been a little bit… and Weeze is excited to reconnect. If you’re tuned in on social media or substack, you’ve been dialed in to the shifts, changes and transformations that have been afoot. In this short and sweet chat, Weeze rehashes what’s been up, how things are shifting, what is pulling her forward and what you can expect as you dive deeper into community with Weeze whether through the Podcast, the Community or over on Patreon.
How do we continue to show up for community without first practicing and more deeply embodying the work we teach? In this episode, Weeze shares candidly about her journey towards deeper alignment with her work, and values. Tune in to hear about all the things!
Lastly, Weeze would love for you to get involved with her foundation, The Asafa Collective through Volunteering, Donating and Sharing about the work (linked below).
Key Takeaways:
-
Rest, Transformation and Alignment as Liberation Tools
-
Broadening the Conversations and Applying Liberatory Lens
-
Cultivating space for the full work
-
Get involved with The Asafa Collective; volunteer, donate, share.
-
Rewriting all the rules, all the time
Links:
Support the Show:
https://www.patreon.com/accordingtoweeze
Share, Donate, Volunteer for with the Foundation:
https://www.doranfamilyfoundation.com/
Dive deeper into the work:
https://louizadoran.com/collective
Stay Connected:
https://www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze/
1948 to Freedom: From Gaza
In this session, we speak with a Doctor from Gaza. For their safety and protection, their voice has been altered. There is a transcript below for easier listening.
This Doctor shares important data and experiences to keep in mind regarding the day to day lived experience of those in Palestine, centralized in Gaza; from manufactuered poverty, to education, to the power grid, to daily struggles of families before and after 10/7/2023.
Transcript Here:
https://1948tofreedom.com/2023/10/30/session-1-from-gaza/
1948 to Freedom: From Palestine To Lebanon
In this session, Louiza “Weeze” Doran talks with a biracial Palestinian whose family fled Palestine during 1948, landing in Lebanon and later in the United States. They share insight from their lived experience, as well as, point us to research and tracked data regarding the experiences of those in Palestine. From refugee experiences during the Nakba to refugee camps, to Palestinian rights to Israeli apartheid, to mental health and resistance to settler colonialism.
They state, “And so part of our rage about the reaction to certain things, to only certain communities, is that these decades and decades and decades of violence have been literally unknown, ignored. I mean, by everyone, forever, and yet, suddenly, they’re worth attending to and I would say they’re absolutely worth just like they’ve been worth attending to, for the last 75 plus years.”
Resources:
More Learning:
–https://www.jadaliyya.com/
More On Apartheid:
– https://jewishcurrents.org/understanding-apartheid
–https://www.btselem.org/apartheid
–https://thisisapartheid.btselem.org/eng/#1
Transcript Here:
https://1948tofreedom.com/2023/10/30/session-3/
1948 to Freedom: From Yaffa
Mx. Yaffa is an acclaimed disabled, autistic, trans, queer, Muslim, and indigenous Palestinian individual who has received multiple awards for their transformative work around displacement, decolonization, equity, and centering the lived experiences of individuals most impacted by injustice.
In this session, Louiza “Weeze” Doran speaks with Yaffa regarding their experience as a displaced indigenous Palestinian, who has lived in multiple countries during war and revolutionary movements. They share about their family’s experience of displacement in Palestine, the family that still lives in Gaza, and more. Yaffa also shares about their work in the Muslim community around Sexual & Gender diveristy as the Executive Director of Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD), and their forthcoming book regarding the same experiences.
Resources:
Ebook Preorder Now
Paperback Preorder Link – Coming Soon
Virtual Book Launch 11/13
Yaffa’s Instagram: @yaffasutopia
Yaffa’s Tiktok: @yaffasutopia
Yaffa’s Linktree
Transcript Here:
https://1948tofreedom.com/2023/10/30/session-2-yaffa/
The Enneagram Journey with Jessica Dickson
At this point we all know all about the Enneagram, right? Wrong. Take what you think you know and set it aside. I am honored to have Jessica Dickson here with me today. Jessica is an Enneagram genius and an antiracism educator, and a RAY OF SUNSHINE! She is utilizing the inner work of the Enneagram, with the context setting of antiracism, to create healing environments for her clients and we are lucky to have her share some of that with us today! Join me as I sit down with Jessica and dig into the challenges that come along with the Enneagram, why embodiment work has to come first, and the problematic practices that have been involved with both.
We’re exploring:
- The goal of body love and how it may need to start with body relationship and loyalty
- What exactly Enneagram is, and how can it drive our liberation work
- How our social conditioning changes how we access ourselves
- Why it’s important to allow yourself to hold on to your protection
- Dealing with labels specific to being a certain “type”
- Getting underneath a behavior to find the motivation driving it
- Avoiding healing work that “tells” you what you are and what to do
- Why tests are not the best way to find your Enneagram
- And so much more!!
Mentioned in this episode:
The Enneagram for Black Liberation: Return to Who You Are Beneath the Armor You Carry by Chichi Agorom https://bit.ly/Theenneagramforblackliberation
Listen to Episode 36 with Elizabeth DiAlto HERE
Catch up with Weeze!
Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/
Instagram: @accordingtoweeze
The Academy (it’s like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy
Get to know Jessica and sign up for her courses at https://jessicaddickson.com/
Instagram: @jessicaddicksoncoaching