#hEALMETOO Podcast HOME > S3 E8: Jovan martinez & cassity yeye

#HealMeToo Podcast S3 E8:

#KeepSharingtheMic: We Need to Listen to Black Women—Jovan Martinez & Cassity Yeye

In this episode, we changed up the format to #KeepSharingtheMic with Jovan Martinez and Cassity Yeye of the STEPS to End Family Violence Early Relationship Abuse Prevention Program, who graced the stage at a #HealMeToo Festival pop up event earlier this year, A Love Thing, recorded for Season 2 of the podcast. Jovan’s beautiful lead singing at that event also graces the opening and closing credits of each episode in Season 3, sampling The Whispers.

We're so grateful that Jovan and Cassity returned to the platform to have a conversation about their work, about the intersections of so many types of stress & trauma at all times and especially right now for survivors of color, about how they're managing in 2020, and what wisdom they could share about how to heal.

About the #ShareTheMicNow and #KeepSharingtheMic Campaign:

In June, four badass women and Instagram luminaries founded the #ShareTheMicNow campaign. Bo-zoma Saint John, Luvvie Adjaii Jones, Glennon Doyle and Stacey Bendet worked together to center Black women’s voices on White women’s platforms. As they wrote: "When the world listens to women, it listens to white women. For far too long, Black women’s voices have gone unheard, even though they’ve been using their voices loudly for centuries to enact change. Today, more than ever, it is NECESSARY that we create a unifying action to center Black women’s lives, stories, and calls to action. We need to listen to Black women." Later they invited all of us to #KeepSharingtheMic. They wrote:"This campaign was born out of relationships. We invite other black and white women in relationship to recreate this action in their own spaces."

Tune in throughout the summer for new #HealMeToo #AtHome episodes on Apple and all the usual podcast platforms as well as our new YouTube channel as we continue Season 3: #HealMeToo At-Home—insights, art and activism to meet the needs of now.

Resources:

#SharetheMicNow Founders Page on Instagram

Mental Health & Other Resources by/for QTBIPOC

Trauma Processing Resources for BIPOC, compiled by Swell Collective

STEPS to End Family Violence

Early RAPP (Relationship Abuse Prevention Program) of STEPS

The #HealMeToo Podcast is hosted and edited by Hope Singsen, the artist, creativity researcher and survivor-activist who founded the #HealMeToo Festival and Podcast in NYC in the Spring of 2019. 

Music Credits:
Lead vocal: Jovan Martinez, sampling "It's a Love Thing" by The Whispers, in a Choral Improvisation recorded live at a #HealMeToo Festival & Podcast event, led by: Katie Down, Bonita Oliver, Jessica Lurie & Vanessa Marie.

Guest Bios

Jovan Martinez is a writer, poet, spoken word artist, activist and motivational speaker who for over 10 years has been a part of the Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (or RAPP), a program of STEPS to End Family Violence. She seeks to empower youth through music and poetry. Currently she works as an Early RAPP community educator teaching students about Healthy Relationship & Consent Culture.