Brown Taboo Project

In this episode, we kick off Season 3 with some quick updates of what we've been doing at SASMHA in the past year and how we’ve navigated the sh*tshow that was 2020. Tune in to hear some exciting updates we have as an org, our thoughts on bellybutton humor, and how we personally have gotten through the pandemic so far!

• • Intro and Outro Music adapted from: "DJ" by Jazzhar, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License. • •

Domestic Violence and Domestic Abuse reports have shot up during COVID-19 overall, and individual organizations are trying to adjust their work to fit the constraints of the pandemic. We spoke with Navneet Bhalla and Razia Meer from Manavi, an organization dedicated towards ending violence against women with a South Asian focus based in NJ.

Manavi speaks over 20 languages, and has services to support victims like a 24-hour hotline (+1 (732) 435-1414) and a long-term safe house (Project Ashiana). If you are in immediate danger, please call 911. Visit them at manavi.org or on social media for more information! // Opening and Closing Music: "The Future is Female" by Madame Gandhi //

COVID-19 has impacted certain communities in particular quite harshly, including the Bangladeshi immigrant community in New York City. We sat down to speak with Riya and Tazin from Bengali Mental Health Movement to discuss the emotional toll on the community, the difficulties of translating mental health resources into Bengali, the experiences of being a brown therapist, and how economics affects care. If you'd like to learn more, check out their Insta (@bengalimentalhealthmvmt), Twitter (@bengalimentalhm), or website. Access their directory of culturally-competent therapists from all over the US at bengalimentalhealth.org/directory. // Opening and Closing Music: "The Future is Female" by Madame Gandhi //

Quarantine has really thrown our intimate lives for a loop: our needs have shifted one way or another, we're discovering new things about their loved ones, and people are breaking quarantine for less-than-ideal hookups (even though COVID might be spread via... fluids). In this episode, we talk about our thoughts and quarantine experiences with sexual health, intimacy, and relationships with Vanessa Geffrard, sexual health educator and founder of the workshop series + podcast VagEsteem.  

VagEsteem is a workshop series created in 2014, and a podcast as well since 2016. Vanessa says, "I  created VagEsteem  because I realized that once folks hit a certain age, they don't keep up with sex education. Folks leave high school and never learn a new thing about sex... and that's not good." Follow her or send her a message at @VagEsteem on social media and visit her at www.vagesteem.com/! // Opening and Closing Music: "The Future is Female" by Madame Gandhi //

Need some recs for some TV shows, books, and content to get you through this time? In our final episode of the season, we're discussing some pop culture content that we've been enjoying recently. Thanks for joining us this season! Our recs are listed here. // Opening and Closing Music: "The Future is Female" by Madame Gandhi //

TV: "Made in Heaven", on Amazon Prime

TV: "The Family Man", on Amazon Prime

TV: "Sense8" on Netflix

MINISERIES: "Insomnia", on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg2okJmEdVs)

PODCAST: Queering Desi, on any podcast Platform

NOVEL: "Freshwater" by Akwaeke Emezi

NOVEL: "The Kaunteyas", by Madhavi S. Mahadevan

ANTHOLOGY: "Out! Stories from the New Queer India", edited by Manal Hajratwala

INSTA: @wordsinurdu and @wordsinbangla

IMPROV SHOW: Sriya's improve team is Kennedy's Mistress (at The Pit in NYC, stay tuned for their schedule here: pit-nyc.com)

Let’s face the music: humans are sexual beings, and whether we like to admit it or not, sexuality can (and often is) a huge part of our mental, emotional, and spiritual lives. How can we give ourselves space to understand our relationships with our bodies and other people? In this episode, we talk about two of our favorite things (mental health and sexuality) together with healer, licensed psychotherapist, and sexuality expert Tara Abrol!

// Opening and Closing Music: "The Future is Female" by Madame Gandhi //

Food is identity. Food is culture. Food is... cultural appropriation? In this episode, we welcome Rachel Gurjar, a professional chef currently based in NYC about Desi food! We touch on memories, recipes, how our food is received by others, and Rachel's own experiences with Desi food and other cultures' food. Grab a snack and tune in now!

Rachel is a professional chef, who loves sharing her culture through recipes and delicious food with people. She moved to NYC from India 4 years ago to attend culinary school. While working in restaurant kitchens gave her real-life experience behind the “line,” she found herself searching for different outlets to explore her creativity. She started experimenting with food photography/styling and soon realized how much she loves it and made the switch to food media. She is currently the Test Kitchen Manager and Food Editor at The Feed Feed. In her spare time, you will find her exploring street food in different parts of the city!

// Opening and Closing Music: "The Future is Female" by Madame Gandhi //

No doubt about it: the world is going to shit. And no, not just because of the pandemic going around! In this episode, we talk about the environment and the ways that South Asians are or aren’t more sustainable than their peers across the globe and in the West. How can be learn to be sustainable from our roots, and how can we think critically about the impact of our practices? Tune in to find out! In this episode, we talk about some really cool practice and even mention some South Asian-American activists that are doing some good for the environment and for progressive politics, including Varshini Prakash (Executive Director of the Sunrise Movement), Pramila Jayapal (Congressmember and activist from WA-07), Ro Khanna (Congressmember, CA-17), and Kshama Sawant (Socialist Seattle City Councilmember).

// Opening and Closing Music: "The Future is Female" by Madame Gandhi //

We've all gotten those comments: too big, too small, too tall, too short, too dark, too hairy, too bald, too slutty, too modest... We could go on and on. In this episode, we dive deep into South Asian beauty standards and share stories about how they affect our personal lives, our sex lives, our perceptions of self, and more! // This episode includes shoutouts to some awesome activists like Alok Vaid-Menon (@alokvmenon) and Harnaam Kaur (@Harnaam Kaur)!

// Opening and Closing Music: "The Future is Female" by Madame Gandhi //

Starting off this season, we dive into a topic that’s touched us all: Desi-American pop culture! Listen in to learn more about the kinds of things that we were listening to, reading, and watching as we grew up that explored South Asian-American identity in whatever way it might be. Among our recommendations name dropped in this episode, we have:

- Bend it like Beckham (2002 Movie)

- Born Confused, by Tanuja Desai Hidier (novel)

- A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray (novel)

- The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri (novel and 2006 movie)

- Deepica Mutyala, CEO of Live Tinted (@deepica)

- Hari Kondabolu (Comedian, @harikondabolu)

- 2 Step Bhangra by Kashif & The Bilz (record)

- Penn Masala (artist)

Others we discussed in this episode include: Aziz Ansari, Jus Reign, Mindy Kaling, Lilly Singh (Superwoman), Russell Peters, and the ever infamous Apu.

Happy Listening from SASMHA!

// Opening and Closing Music: "The Future is Female" by Madame Gandhi //