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We trace how Black feminist networks form, sustain, and transform lives, from a painful academic slight to a thriving community rooted in mentorship, writing, and everyday care. Prof. Sharon Harley (University of Maryland) joins us to unpack bias, honor invisible labor, and share a living philosophy of mentoring across generations.

• black feminist networks as infrastructure for survival and joy
• the hidden curriculum and practical mentoring that meets basic needs
• bias in the academy and how community counters it
• allies within and beyond Black studies strengthening the web
• writing as resistance, archive, and liberation
• re-centering women builders like Nannie Helen Burroughs
• soundtracks that score struggle, study, and celebration

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In this episode, LT reconnects with longtime friend and colleague Professor Jim Lee (Asian American Studies, UC Irvine), who played a pivotal role in her transition from undergrad to graduate school. Together they reflect on their shared journey through UCLA in the 1990s—navigating the promises and limits of multiculturalism, coalition-building between Black and Asian students, and the hidden curriculum of academia.

From memories of the Rodney King era and Prop 209 debates, to pop culture touchstones like Dawson’s Creek, The X-Files, and Buffy, LT and Jim weave together stories of scholarship, friendship, and first-gen identity. They also explore how chosen family, imposter syndrome, and parenthood continue to shape their lives and teaching today.

This conversation is as much about solidarity and survival as it is about joy, fandom, and building lasting first-gen coalitions.

For more info:

https://www.smartgirlbook.com/

https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=5634

https://tupress.temple.edu/books/pedagogies-of-woundedness

https://www.humanities.uci.edu/news/james-kyung-jin-lee-honored-prestigious-book-award

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It all started with a routine self-exam.

In this episode, LT and Sam get specific in all the ways search results rarely do. We talk costs in plain numbers, coordination with surgeons and oncologists, and the difference it makes when a Black nurse names what darker skin may experience and pushes a prescription through before travel. Along the way, a small community forms in the clinic: therapists who notice the sneakers, remember your name, and walk you down the hall.

We also unlearn the media script that equates “real cancer” with chemo and visible decline. LT names cancer imposter syndrome, the pressure to fit a narrative, and the relief of replacing it with truth: early is still cancer. The final note is an anthem: keep writing, keep traveling, keep cheering the WNBA, keep choosing the life you built. It’s far from over.

If this conversation helps you or someone you love, share it with a friend, follow the show, and leave a rating or review—your support helps more listeners find honest, practical stories like this one.

https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-awareness-month/

https://www.pinterest.com/firstgenation/breast-cancer-diagnosis/

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/123027172