Ep 14: Rooted in Resistance: Power, Politics & Community with Nneka Allen

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What does it mean when your very existence becomes political? When a simple lawn sign signals far more than party preference? When motherhood itself becomes a political act?

Nneka Allen, founder of the Empathy Agency Inc., guides us through these profound questions in an unforgettable conversation that transcends typical political discourse. Drawing from her family's deep roots in the Underground Railroad and growing up in Windsor's historic Sandwich Town, Allen reveals how socialism and communalism shaped her worldview long before she understood political labels.

"If one person is struggling, it's everyone's business," Allen explains, describing the philosophy that guided her family and now informs her support of the NDP. For Allen, displaying an NDP lawn sign in a Conservative neighbourhood isn't about opposition but alignment: ensuring her actions match her values, regardless of community pressure.

The conversation takes a powerful turn as Allen articulates how Black women's identities carry inherent political weight in a society built on white supremacy. "Everything I do that doesn't align with the standard of whiteness is a political act," she shares, from her decision to stop straightening her hair decades ago to the strategic choices about which spaces she enters. This constant navigation between dominant culture and authentic selfhood permeates every aspect of her life.

As co-editor of "Collecting Courage," Allen discusses the importance of Black people telling their own stories to counter strategic erasure from national memory. These narratives encompass both pain and joy—a multiplicity that challenges simplified portrayals of Black experience. The oral traditions that sustained her family's history through generations now serve as tools for expanding our collective consciousness.

Perhaps most thought-provoking is Allen's exploration of "radical kinship"—reimagining who we consider related to us. This framework challenges capitalist individualism, asking us to consider what society might look like if policies centered on love and community rather than profit.

Despite the discouraging aspects of our current political landscape, Allen leaves us with a powerful reminder of hope: "Our power is always with the people, it's always in community." From a woman descended from those who "weren't meant to survive," this message resonates with undeniable truth—we are more powerful than we've been led to believe.

About Nneka Allen:

Nneka Allen is a Black Afro-Métis woman, a Momma, and a descendant of the Underground Railroad. Her ancestry includes African survivors of the Transatlantic Slave Trade who built North America through both free and forced labour on stolen land.

Over centuries, her freedom-seeking ancestors forged connections with the First Peoples of Turtle Island, linking Nneka to her Cherokee and Lumbee heritage.

As a relationship builder, stone-catcher, freedom fighter, storyteller, and leadership coach. In 2018, Nneka founded The Empathy Agency Inc., where she has a passion for guiding clients toward hope, purpose, and justice in their connections with themselves, others, and Earth. Empowering wholeness and embracing humanity through empathy is her mission!

Website: https://www.theempathyagency.ca/meet-the-founder

Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/nnekaallen.bsky.social

Substack: https://substack.com/@nnekaallen

Chapters

1. Introduction with Anika Allen (00:00:00)

2. Political Signs in Conservative Neighborhoods (00:09:00)

3. Family Influences and Political Identity (00:16:35)

4. Black Identity in Political Context (00:26:23)

5. Collecting Courage and Telling Stories (00:29:51)

6. Ancestral Knowledge and National Memory (00:34:12)

7. Radical Kinship and Political Change (00:38:18)

8. Hope and Power in Community (00:43:08)