Podcasts by The Joyous Justice Podcast
Systemic oppression conditions us to deny others’ and our own humanity. Many justice-seekers unwittingly perpetuate that dehumanization when they assume they must suffer, punish, or martyr themselves to dismantle oppression. At Joyous Justice, we're imagining and embodying a different way. Wholeness, love, and thriving are the antidotes to the brokenness in our world and in our own lives. Each week, April Baskin–with her friend and colleague, Tracie Guy-Decker–delves into theoretical and practical aspects of the pursuit of justice AND wellness.
Further podcasts by April Baskin and Tracie Guy-Decker
Podcast on the topic Gesellschaft und Kultur
All episodes
Ep 77: When you think you’re The Good Place ?but you’re really Schitt’s Creek ? from 2022-02-24T06:00
A couple of weeks ago, we did a Facebook Live where we used popular tv shows to help us playfully make a point about how folks sometimes overestimate their skills when it comes to DEI work–or re...
Listen
Ep 76: Jewishness is a particle AND a wave from 2022-02-17T06:00
In today’s conversation, April and Tracie unpack white Jews’ whiteness, the history of race and Jewish racialized identities, and the benefits of getting clear about who is actually in the ingro...
Listen
Ep 75: Whoopi Goldberg, the Oppression Scale, and the Emotional Thermometer from 2022-02-10T06:00
In this edited version of a Facebook live that April recorded after Whoopi Goldberg’s comments and the controversy that followed, April digs deep into her analysis of the reactions many in the J...
Listen
Ep 74: Intellectual intimacy and interdependent intellectual independence from 2022-02-03T06:00
Many of us are learning about racial justice and trying to implement DEI in our lives and workplaces, but sometimes we become so stuck in our questions that it keeps us distanced and prevents us...
Listen
Ep 73: Colleyville, Community Healing, and Showing Up from 2022-01-27T06:00
It’s been almost two weeks since the Colleyville synagogue hostage situation, an antisemitic event that was incredibly scary for Jewish communities. During this conversation from just a few days...
Listen
Ep 72: If Enoughness is a Carrot It Can Be an Obstacle from 2022-01-20T06:00
A few weeks into 2022, April and Tracie share with us what they’ve learned about how to set intentions and their best practices for succeeding. Referencing the conversation they had in Episode 7...
Listen
Ep 71: Tu B’Shvat and MLK Day: Deepening the Roots of Racial Justice from 2022-01-13T06:00
As MLK Day and Tu B'Shvat overlap this coming week, April and Tracie unpack the lessons we can learn from trees and their growth in our racial justice journeys. They get into the nuances an...
Listen
Ep 70: Why Do So Many Resolutions “Fail”? from 2022-01-06T06:00
It’s the first week of January and April and Tracie are thinking about resolutions. We delve into willpower, habits, and mindset, and discuss the role of American individualism in the culture of...
Listen
Ep 69: Q&A Or Q&Stay? from 2021-12-30T06:00
In this week’s episode, April and Tracie talk about how questions around racial justice often come from a place of “stuckness,” keeping us from making real progress on racial justice. They discu...
Listen
Ep 68: Stay Humble and Keep Going from 2021-12-23T06:00
In this week’s episode, Tracie and April discuss the phrase, “stay humble and keep going,” the final words of the podcast every week. They explore why they chose this simple phrase and what it m...
Listen
Ep 67: When “Helpful” Feedback is Hurtful from 2021-12-16T06:00
This week, we’re sharing an excerpt from one of our “Shared Agreements” videos of Racial Justice Launch Pad, a recently-released Joyous Justice program. April and Tracie discuss the dynamics of ...
Listen
Ep 66: Shleimut - Wholeness and JOC’s Multi-dimensional Consciousness from 2021-12-09T06:00
In this week’s episode, Tracie and April reflect on the concept of Shleimut, Wholeness, and how it was a driving force for April when she created the Ko’ach Fellowship, supported by Rise Up. Apr...
Listen
Ep 65: Chanukah: Light and Darkness from 2021-12-02T06:00
In this week’s episode, April and Tracie use the Talmudic debate on how to light the Chanukah menorah to reflect on light, darkness, and what this holiday can teach us about navigating the diffi...
Listen
Ep 64: Grateful Family Day from 2021-11-25T06:00
In this week’s episode April and Tracie continue to explore their thoughts around Thanksgiving and the tension between a holiday about gratitude and family and its racist, genocidal origins. Listen
Ep 63: Proximity Alone is NOT Antiracism from 2021-11-18T06:00
April and Tracie dig into and challenge the oft-repeated notion that proximity across a line of difference immunizes against bigotry or racism. In other words, the assertion “I can’t be racist, ...
Listen
Ep 62: Support People Support Peace from 2021-11-11T06:00
April and Tracie spend Veterans’ Day reflecting on their family connections to veterans and the ways in which our country has treated veterans throughout our history. The political conversations...
Listen
Ep 61: Does April hate America? from 2021-11-04T06:00
In this week’s episode, April and Tracie unpack the false assumption that some folks have expressed--that April “hates America” since she has chosen to relocate out of the States, and to West Af...
Listen
Ep 60: You Can’t Hire Your Way to Racial Justice from 2021-10-28T06:00
In this week’s episode, April and Tracie discuss the dangers of making that “diversity hire” when the organization hasn’t done the necessary work of deconstructing dynamics of oppression, so tha...
Listen
Ep 59: Jewface and Jewish Characters in Media from 2021-10-21T06:00
On this week’s episode, Tracie and April discuss the recent discussion on the concept of “Jewface” that followed a recent podcast by Sarah Silverman on the topic. They discuss a few different pe...
Listen
Ep 58: We are the Product of Our Ancestor’s Choices from 2021-10-14T06:00
In this week’s episode, April shares more about her ongoing exploration around her Indigenous, Cherokee heritage and the impact a healing workshop had on her desire to live and embody this aspec...
Listen
Ep 57: The Shmita Year, the Year of Release from 2021-10-07T06:00
In our current pandemic-, racism-, and climate-change-ravaged times, April and Tracie talk about the Shmita Year, or Sabbatical Year, which we just began at Rosh Hashanah. How does one live out ...
Listen
Ep 56: Simchat Torah, Essential Letters, and Why ALL of Our Life Curricula is Needed from 2021-09-30T06:00
In this week’s episode Tracie and April discuss some of the traditions related to the holiday of Simchat Torah (lit. “Joy of Torah”). The symbolism of the holiday--appreciating the totality of t...
Listen
Ep 55: Sukkot, Shelter, and Sacrifice from 2021-09-23T06:00
In this week’s episode, April and Tracie mark Sukkot and discuss themes around shelter, safety and security, and sacrifice, and the trade-offs that exist which this holiday helps to illuminate f...
Listen
Ep 54: Yom Kippur and the Importance of Process from 2021-09-16T06:00
In this week’s episode, as we mark Yom Kippur, April and Tracie discuss the big concepts and ideas that can frame Yom Kippur and give some practical tips for how to work through our collective a...
Listen
Ep 53: Yom Kippur, T’shuvah, and the Load-Bearing Beam from 2021-09-09T06:00
As Yom Kippur approaches, April and Tracie reflect on T'shuvah. We specifically dig into what Jewish tradition teaches us about what to do when “return” requires us to ask how much...
Listen
Ep 52: Rosh HaShanah 5782 and our 1st Anniversary from 2021-09-02T06:00
As the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, approaches, we think about the year that was, and reflect on ways to improve while still holding ourselves tenderly.
Check out our discussion/reflec...
Listen
Ep 51: The Other 50% from 2021-08-26T06:00
In this week’s episode, we talk about how we often forget that Jewish leaders in the civil rights movement who are lauded today were not universally supported in their time. We often pretend the...
Listen
Ep 50: It's In Our Bones: Liberation and Grief from 2021-08-19T06:00
In this week’s episode, Tracie and April both react to recent experiences they have had which have deepened their consciousness or understanding around racial justice and healing. For Tracie it ...
Listen
Ep 49: Elul, the Shofar, and Awakeness from 2021-08-12T06:00
In this week’s episode, we reflect on the meaning of Elul, the month in the Jewish calendar that leads up to Rosh HaShanah and the high holidays. This time of anticipation calls us to prepare ou...
Listen
Ep 48: Thinking Outside of the Box, part 2 from 2021-08-05T06:00
Ep 48: Thinking Outside of the Box, part 2
In this week's episode, part 2 of 2, we continue our discussion about the need for outside-the-box thinking by asking what gets in the way. ...
Listen
Ep 47: Thinking Outside of the Box, part 1 from 2021-07-29T06:00
In this week’s episode, part 1 of 2, April and Tracie think about new paradigms for the future. Inspired by a song, we use the prison abolition movement & criminal legal system as well as We...
Listen
Ep 46: Racism in the US Medical System from 2021-07-22T06:00
Tracie brings up a recent NFL announcement that they will change a racist policy, just another example of the systematic, racist oppression that permeates US society. This leads to a discussion ...
Listen
Ep 45: Conditional Whiteness is Still Whiteness from 2021-07-15T06:00
In this week's episode, April and Tracie discuss Eric Ward’s Skin in the Game point about the conditional whiteness of Ashkenazi Jews, unpacking (with both/and thinking) the reacti...
Listen
Ep. 44: Racial Justice IS a Jewish Issue from 2021-07-08T07:00
In this week's episode, we respond to a common question about racial justice work and explain that because the Jewish community is a global, multi-racial people, racial justice already is a...
Listen
Ep 43: The Importance of Affinity Spaces from 2021-07-01T07:00
In this week’s episode, we talk about the importance of affinity groups, which are spaces for people with shared identity to safely unpack dynamics around oppression. Though it may feel counter-...
Listen
Ep. 42: Juneteenth and the Importance of Rest from 2021-06-24T06:00
In this week’s episode April and Tracie reflect on Juneteenth and continue to think about how liberation from enslavement looked different for Jews and Black people. April also shares the ways i...
Listen
Ep. 41: When You Overhear Microaggressions, Pt 2: Responding to a Question from 2021-06-17T06:00
Ep 41 (S3E1): When You Overhear Microaggressions, Pt 2: Responding to a Question
One of our listeners posed an interesting question in response to a previous episode (39/Season 2...
Listen
S2E20: Examining Jewish Outsider Status through MaNishtana’s ELI Talk from 2021-06-10T06:00
The feeling of being an outsider is an all too familiar one for most human beings. The experience of a Jewish person being made to feel an outsider in Jewish spaces is eloquently investigated...
Listen
S2E19: When You Overhear Microaggressions from 2021-06-03T06:00
Way back in episode 2, April and Tracie spoke about better alternatives to some of the micro-aggressive things white-identified Jews often say to Jews of Color. So what happens if you overhear s...
Listen
S2E18 (14 Reprise): White Supremacy and the Power of Culture from 2021-05-27T06:00
QUICK EPISODE OVERVIEW
April and Tracie take the time to unpack a phrase that often comes up when Jews Talk Racial Justice: "white supremacy." The phrase has entered th...
S2E17 (10 Reprise): Feeling Rage, Finding Joy: Managing Emotions in Justice Work from 2021-05-20T06:00
QUICK EPISODE OVERVIEW
As the election season concludes, Tracie asks April for advice on working through the negative emotions that sometimes accompany justice work. The two friends u...
S2E16 (8 Reprise): Oppression Olympics, Intergenerational Trauma, and Shared Liberation from 2021-05-13T06:00
QUICK EPISODE OVERVIEW
Even more than other episodes, you'll find yourself eavesdropping on this conversation. April and Tracie unpack the deep and intergenerational effects of s...
S2E15 (6 Reprise): White Fragility, DARVO, and Accepting Feedback from 2021-05-06T06:00
QUICK EPISODE OVERVIEW
April and Tracie discuss Robin DiAngelo's book, White Fragility. They unpack some of the courage and vulnerability it takes to both give and recei...
S2E14: The quicksand of comparing pain from 2021-04-29T06:00
Why do we sometimes find ourselves arguing over whose pain is the worst? What effect does that competition, also known as Oppression Olympics, have on us? How can we find an alternative to the v...
Listen
S2E13: Recovering from mistakes and recovering trust from 2021-04-22T06:00
April and Tracie unpack the idea that "publicly addressing an organization's mistakes does more harm than good." Though there are some who would advise against drawing attention t...
Listen
S2E12: Interrogating the Antisemitism Litmus Test from 2021-04-15T06:00
In another episode tied to their "Flip the Script" resource, April and Tracie investigate the notion that the presence of antisemitism in progressive movements disqualifies those movem...
Listen
S2E11: Transition, Trajectory, and Trellises from 2021-04-08T06:00
April and Tracie explore the ways the messiness of spring contributes to its beauty and potential. The also notice how structure--whether the practice of counting the Omer, a vine's trellis...
Listen
S2E10: Eight Passover Practices for Collective Liberation from 2021-04-01T06:00
In the second of two Passover episodes, April and Tracie reveal the liberatory wisdom in eight practices from Passover observance.
Find April and Tracie's full bios and submit topi...
S2E9: The Sea Never Parted from 2021-03-25T06:00
In the first of two Passover-themed shows, April shares her epiphany that despite a resonance between the story of the Israelites leaving mitzrayim (Egypt, the narrow place) and the ema...
Listen
S2E8: BOTH a lot to learn AND something to contribute from 2021-03-18T06:00
April and Tracie continue to flesh out some of the key obstacles from their flip the script resource with the help of a question from a listener. One of the limiting beliefs that shows up in rac...
Listen
S2E7: Exhaustion from 2021-03-11T06:00
The work of fighting racism can be exhausting. This is especially true for Black folks and other people of color who have to work to dismantle systems that are actively oppressing them. Today Ap...
Listen
S2E6: Getting Unstuck when Fear Has You Frozen from 2021-03-04T06:00
Sometimes people, especially white folks, choose not to engage with racial justice work, for fear of making a mistake. April and Tracie dig in to those fears, what's behind them, how they s...
Listen
S2E5: On Purim, Joy, and Liberation from 2021-02-25T06:00
April and Tracie think about some of the lessons of Purim: hidden identities, the power of 'no,' the power of being in the right place, the importance of joy, and the links between joy...
Listen
S2E4: Deepen the Learning on White Leadership from 2021-02-18T06:00
Continuing their work in "flipping the script," April and Tracie offer some nuance and context for when white people can and should lead racial justice work. That conversation leads to...
Listen
S2E3: Flip the Script on Urgent Action from 2021-02-11T06:00
April and Tracie address the impulse to act NOW when (white) people begin their racial justice journey.
Find April and Tracie's full bios and submit topic suggestions for the show ...
S2E2 There is no Jewish space laser. Period. from 2021-02-04T06:00
After Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene's tweet about the 2018 California Wildfires being caused by a space laser controlled by the Rothschild family ignited a slew of jokes on social me...
Listen
S2E1: Tu B'Shevat and the Wisdom of Trees from 2021-01-28T07:00
In honor of the New Year of Trees, April and Tracie take some time to think about what we have to learn from trees. From rootedness to developmental stages in a life cycle to the capacity to be ...
Listen
Ep 20: The Insurrection and the Delusion of White Supremacy from 2021-01-21T06:00
Though the full impact and effect of the Insurrection that occurred that day won't be known for weeks, months, and years to come, April and Tracie take the time to reflect on the events of ...
Listen
Ep 19: Jews Talk Black Lives Matter from 2021-01-14T06:00
April and Tracie investigate the ways arguing against the adopted slogans of justice movements, for instance #BlackLivesMatter or #DefundThePolice, distracts us from the work of advancing justic...
Listen
Ep 18: Hamilton and White Comfort from 2021-01-07T06:00
Starting with reflections on the musical Hamilton, April and Tracie dig into some of the nuance around comfort, right to comfort, and the tension between what we might appreciate about ...
Listen
Ep 17: BOTH Ownership AND Community from 2020-12-31T06:00
As 2020 comes to a close, April and Tracie talk about the importance of everyone taking ownership over their own journeys, even as we work in community. With some tips and insights to think abou...
Listen
Ep 16: Ways of Knowing and Finding Ease from 2020-12-24T07:00
April and Tracie discuss different ways we process our experiences and knowledge: intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual. We notice the way, especially when those modes are out of bala...
Listen
Ep 15: Oil, Co-Creation, and Having What We Need from 2020-12-17T05:00
April and Tracie mark the end of the Festival of Lights with a drash (interpretation) of some of the lessons of the Hanukkah story. When one day's worth of oil lasts eight days--ex...
Listen
Ep 14: White Supremacy and the Power of Culture from 2020-12-10T09:00
April and Tracie take the time to unpack a phrase that often comes up when Jews Talk Racial Justice: "white supremacy." The phrase has entered the lexicon of individual antiracists and...
Listen
Ep 13: Jews Talk Thanksgiving, Part 2 from 2020-12-03T08:00
In this second Thanksgiving episode, April and Tracie dig in to the unpleasant truths behind the myths of Thanksgiving. April recounts some of the deep sadness and loss she feels around missing ...
Listen
Ep 12: Jews Talk Thanksgiving, Part I from 2020-11-26T07:00
For Thanksgiving, April and Tracie talk a little about the holiday: the role it's played in Jewish American identity, those who work to make the day special for others, and the joys and pit...
Listen
Ep 11: Intentionally Infusing Joy into Justice Work from 2020-11-19T08:00
April and Tracie continue their conversation about bringing more joy into everyday life and into the work for justice. From dance and music (and a little bit of singing!) to relationship to cele...
Listen
Ep 10: Feeling Rage, Finding Joy: Managing Emotions in Justice Work from 2020-11-12T08:00
As the election season concludes, Tracie asks April for advice on working through the negative emotions that sometimes accompany justice work. The two friends unpack the ways we've been tau...
Listen
Ep 9: Digital Skin Color, Either/Or Thinking, and Pizza in Dakar from 2020-11-05T08:00
April and Tracie riff on a seemingly small manifestation of white dominance in our everyday lives: the skin color of emojis. The discussion of digital skin tone leads into a conversation about r...
Listen
Ep 8: Oppression Olympics, Intergenerational Trauma, and Shared Liberation from 2020-10-29T08:00
Even more than other episodes, you'll find yourself eavesdropping on this conversation. April and Tracie unpack the deep and intergenerational effects of shared trauma and oppression, and t...
Listen
Ep 7: Everyone is Racist! from 2020-10-22T09:00
April and Tracie unpack the notion that everyone is racist, naming the trauma and the cost of racism. Their conversation delves deep into the American investment in systemic racism and the human...
Listen
Ep 6: White Fragility, DARVO, and Accepting Feedback from 2020-10-15T09:00
April and Tracie discuss Robin DiAngelo's book, White Fragility. They unpack some of the courage and vulnerability it takes to both give and receive feedback around racism, and ima...
Listen
Ep 5: April and Tracie Live: Intergroup Collaboration in Savannah and Beyond from 2020-10-08T09:00
In a live launch for the podcast, April and Tracie interact with nearly 200 supporters. After participants talk in small groups (not recorded), April and Tracie dig deep into a question from Mor...
Listen
Ep 4: Sukkot, Black Panther, and Gratitude in the Wilderness from 2020-10-01T09:00
Sukkot proves a rich holiday for April and Tracie's meaning-making. Together they discuss the importance of gratitude, *especially* in the wilderness, what Black Panther can teach ...
Listen
Ep 3: Yom Kippur, Cows, and Collective Accountability from 2020-09-24T08:00
April and Tracie consider the meaning of the Yom Kippur fast and its relation to racial justice work. Drawing on resources and stories from their own lives, Brene Brown's work, and the rabb...
Listen
Ep 2: Rosh Hashanah, Prince, and Visions, Both Big&Small from 2020-09-17T09:00
As they prepare for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, April and Tracie explore their thoughts about the holiday, kavanot or intentions and racial justice visions for the new year, and...
Listen
Ep 1: Join the Conversation from the Beginning from 2020-09-06T10:00
The week when it all started (sort of). April and Tracie introduce themselves, share more about how they connected, and their vision for sharing and modeling conversations about race for the Jew...
Listen
Ep 1: Join the Conversation from the Beginning from 2020-09-06T10:00
The week when it all started (sort of). April and Tracie introduce themselves, share more about how they connected, and their vision for sharing and modeling conversations about race for the Jew...
Listen