In our sixth episode of the JUST THREE podcast, host Catherine LaSota talks with writer, podcaster, and anthropology graduate student Alyssa A.L. James, who works as the graduate coordinator for the Black Atlantic Ecologies working group at the Center for the Study of Social Difference.

In this conversation, Alyssa talks about her research, the podcast she co-hosts with fellow Black woman Ph.D. student in Anthropology Brendane A. Tyne, and the fact that none of us are free until all of us are free. She also shares the following quote that she always keeps close by:

“People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others.” (attributed to Youssou N'Dour)

Alyssa A.L. James is a third-year anthropology Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology at Columbia University. She is a 2020 SSHRC Doctoral Fellow whose research centers the stakes of commodifying the colonial past in the contemporary revival of coffee production in Martinique. She is an editorial assistant for the Small Axe journal, and co-host of the Black feminist anthropology podcast, Zora's Daughters. In her free time, you'll find Alyssa dancing, travelling, and writing about it.

Learn more about the Zora's Daughters podcast and listen to episodes by visiting their website here:
https://zorasdaughters.com/

You can also find Zora's Daughters on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. Follow them on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/zorasdaughters/

Learn more about the Black Atlantic Ecologies working group, which is supported by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, here:
https://www.socialdifference.columbia.edu/projects-/black-atlantic-ecologies

Website of the Center for the Study of Social Difference: https://www.socialdifference.columbia.edu/

Music in our podcasts is by Blue Dot Sessions, and episodes are mixed by Craig Eley.

Catherine LaSota, host of the JUST THREE podcast, is Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Social Difference at Columbia University.