Storytelling for Change: Sarah Good Medicine!

We interviewed Sarah, host of the WLMA podcast.

The White Lives Matter Always Podcast (AKA The WLMA Podcast) is exploring diverse perspectives of Whiteness in the White-Settler-Colonial society of Mohkinstsis-Calgary, Treaty7-Alberta and Turtle Island-North America more broadly. Check out WLMA Podcast here. A bit about Sarah, Sarah Good Medicine is a Hip Hop Emcee and Deejay. She’s mixed Cree, Metis and Chippewa from the Manitoba and North Dakoda area and believes in being a good Aunty for her community in Mohkinstsis. She feels that using her medicine (gifts) is why she, and all human beings are here: to use our medicine.

How did the WLMA podcast start? 

My friend Steve reached out to me with an idea to do a podcast together. Initially Steve wanted to start to talk about trans and gender identity and a romanticized version of racism but I remember feeling that what we actually needed to talk about was race. Through the process of figuring out what we wanted to focus on we eventually came up with the WLMA (White Lives Matter Always) podcast exploring Whiteness and Settler Colonial structures of power.  
What did you learn about challenging people or about their racism?

Racism and whiteness can be challenged. However, as I was challenging Steve's Whiteness I remember feeling the need to apologize. I know Steve cares about me, BUT the challenge was and still is how do you tell someone you love that they are knowingly or unknowingly acting out the violence of white supremacy? It was hard because white supremacy and racism is also something inside of me. At its core, challenging racism is challenging the hierarchy we've personally internalized, one that assumes person is more human and therefore deserving than another. You shouldn’t have to apologize when someone is hurting you, however, the paradigm of racism is that we praise and uplift whiteness so when we're critiquing it, there is a feeling of urgency to apologize for critiquing something we are praising. The relationship between Steve and I is really strong. However, it shouldn’t just be about our relationship as individuals, but rather that we can respect each other because of our shared humanity. Yes, we have a relationship but whether it was me or someone else - what I’m saying is important to listen and be heard. The narrative of niceness is our way of avoiding the violence. 

You did a lot of teaching and reframing in the podcast.. What did that take out of you emotionally? How did you cope? 

It takes energy and I was being compensated, but I would have a feeling that I should apologize: was I too much, was I hurting his [Steve] feelings, was I crossing a line? But this is what I’m learning about love! Love has to do with risk and honesty. They’re connected inherently. We’re so conditioned to not go with our gut feeling about how we really feel. It was a practice about being honest. Me being honest, should not, warrant me to feel bad. But that's the game we play, being in a society where we’re conditioned to not feel. We have gotten good at surviving by smiling and hurting each other. 

How do you grow that instinct, that gut feeling? How do we practice it ? 

That gut feeling is my authentic self. That is, acknowledging our gut feeling is ultimately acknowledging your true and authentic self. Practicing means not separating the division of your sense of self from what you're conditioned to feel. Who we are is outside of these racial ‘categories’.
Has Steve done any actions, there’s learning and action? 

I still think he’s stuck, challenging someone's internalized violence feels like a process of trying to awaken their humanity; challenging racism is to challenge whiteness, which is inherently violent and we can’t address racism in isolation from other forms of oppression. Is he more in touch with his humanity, yes. There's this idea of 'becoming less racist' and it introduces the idea of increments and a notion of time. It reinforces this idea that you can become more or less racist, or that one can improve. This idea of increments serves to protect a misplaced desire to be less racist. The way I see it, if you’re trying to become less racist, you’re probably trying not to address your racism but you’re probably trying to just get better at hiding it. 

Until we take responsibility for this colonial virus, a virus we all have, simply memorizing your way out of your conditioning doesn't acknowledge the deep need to communicate and heal.