Solidari-Tea Podcast

Conversations with the Resource Centers and Organizations at UCSC

Solidari-Tea podcast is a podcast that aims to uplift the voices and actions of students who work at the Resource Centers and other on-campus organizations. The topics of the episodes range in various subjects around social justice, identity, politics, and student organizing. The podcast is sponsored by the Resource Centers, however, the topics and conversations are decided and administered by students. The opinions and views expressed in the episodes are of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of the UCSC Resource Centers.

The episodes are available on our Spotify or the Solidari-Tea YouTube channel,

You can also listen to all of the Solidari-Tea Podcasts now by clicking the links below!

[SEASON 4, EPISODE 3 "Mauna Kea Protectors with Izzy Layne"]

Githika talks to Iz, a member of the student club Mauna Kea Protectors. MKP is dedicated to stopping the construction of TMT, a thirty meter telescope, on Mauna Kea which is located in Hawaii. Mauna Kea has extreme cultural, spiritual, and environmental significance to Kānaka Maoli, the Native people of Hawaii. Iz discusses the ongoing fight to protect Mauna Kea in the face of modern day colonization.

Additional Resources:

UCSC MKP Instagram: @ucscmaunakeaprotectors

About the Mauna Kea movement: ⁠Like a Mighty Wave: A Maunakea Film⁠ ⁠UC invests $68M into Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea⁠

Willow Project: ⁠The Willow Project and its impacts on Indigenous communities

Recorded on April 24th, Published June 5th, 2023

[SEASON 4, EPISODE 2 “Underground Scholars at UCSC with Donnie Veal”] 

Listen to this episode on Youtube

[SEASON 4, EPISODE 1 “Black Activism at UCSC: An Alum View with Autumn Johnson”] 

[SEASON 3, EPISODE 6 “Resource Centers Rewind 2022”] 

It’s the third year of the pandemic in which all of our lives were changed. For the resource centers, we were met with new challenges balancing the pandemic and the changing restrictions. Like last year, we’re joined with guests from each of the Resource centers here at UCSC, to discuss their experience with their respective community and the resource centers they worked at, and share some takeaways that they’ve learned from this year as well as their expectations and excitement for upcoming events next academic year.

Published August 30, 2022

[SEASON 3, EPISODE 5 “The Power of the Student Vote”] 

With statewide primary and general elections coming up, many students might be curious on what ballot measures that they should keep an eye on. So, in today's episode, we are joined with community organizers from Anakbayan, Slugs for Coast Connect, and Equity Transit to discuss local measures that might impact student life. We will also discuss the history of the student vote, voter disenfranchisement especially within marginalized groups, the importance of voting on behalf of peers who aren’t able to, and resources for students to engage politically beyond voting.

Published June 3, 2022

[SEASON 3, EPISODE 4 “3C's Extension”] 

Originally titled the Multicultural Conference (MC) and then the Communities of Color Career Series, this years 3C’s (Courageous Career Conversations) Event brought back many familiar faces of folks who worked with the RC or other student orgs on campus, to discuss their experiences from the process of securing their current jobs to sharing their experiences with navigating different corporate/work structures.

Published May 17, 2022

[SEASON 3, EPISODE 3 “Student Organizing 101”]

As we all know, UCSC has had a well-documented history of student organizing, and many students might be wondering what it takes to start a student movement. So, In this episode of Solidari-Tea we’re joined with three amazing UCSC grad students who are here to share with us their experiences with student organizing from their first-hand experience of starting and maintaining a student movement, to also helping us understand the power behind student voices.

Published Feb 17, 2022

[SEASON 3, EPISODE 2 “Sisters not Cisters”] 

During the week of Nov 15-19th the Womxn's Center hosted a series of events titled Sisters Not Cisters. These events “aim to help create a space where trans and cis women can hold space together and find solidarity.” In today’s episode, we welcome back Nicole Moroles, who is the lead intern of the Womxn's Center and a facilitator of SNC. And in this episode, we will talk about the inspiration behind SNC, the need for solidarity between trans and cis womxn, and discuss what this solidarity looks like.

Published Dec 9, 2021

[SEASON 3, EPISODE 1 “Restorative Care”] 

As many of us are returning back to campus after 16 months of online instruction, we are carrying the anxieties of the unknown. We are coming out of a year that has been marked by restriction and hypervigilance. We experienced/ still experiencing a pandemic, social movements, political unrest, and the effects of global warming all the while attending class every day. So as a result many of us are anxious about what returning to in-person is going to be like. So in today’s episode, we are joined by peers from Campus Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE) and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to provide their insights on self-care before and during in-person instruction.

Published Nov 2, 2021

[SEASON 2, EPISODE 4 “Resource Centers Rewind”] 

The fourth episode of this season's Solidari-Tea features our peers from each Resource Centers who've come together to discuss their experiences this past year with building community within the UCSC student body despite the pandemic.

Published Oct 13, 2021

[SEASON 2, EPISODE 3 “Imposter Syndrome”] 

Imposter Syndrome was first defined to be a “phenomenon” back in the 70’s for psychologists/experts to characterize the “doubting of an individual’s abilities and feeling like a fraud at work/ in upper ed”. Back then Imposter Syndrome was a diagnosis often given to women which excluded the effects of systemic racism, classism, xenophobia, and other biases, and how those biases could be just as impactful in the way an individual views their self-worth. In today’s conversation we want to help inform our audience on what Imposter Syndrome is, what it could look like, and some effective ways in which they deal with it. I also want to acknowledge that since this is a relatively big subject. Unfortunately we won't be able to speak on the behalf of all of the effects listed above. But we hope that the conversation that we have today will help our audience with their understanding of this topic. We are joined today with Nailah, Noah, and Tia, who will be sharing with us their experiences with Imposter Syndrome, and some effective ways in which they’ve dealt with the effects of it.

Published Jun 24, 2021

[SEASON 2, EPISODE 2 “Actor, Ally and Accomplices”] 

Accomplices Not Allies: Abolish the Ally Industrial Complex” published by Indigenous Action (article linked in the descriptions) they define the Ally Industrial Complex to be, “Established by activists whose careers depend on the “issues” they work to address...They often work in the guise of “grassroots” or “community-based” and are not necessarily tied to any organization.” In this conversation, We want to better inform our audience on ways in which they can effectively spend their time/ resources when standing in solidarity for various social injustices, Without patronizing the folx who they claim allyship with. We are joined today with our amazing guests, Shaye, Xaul, and Fern who will be sharing with us their experiences with “toxic allyship” as well as providing us with advice on how our audience can better stand in solidarity for various social injustices.

Publish Date: June 9, 2021

[SEASON 2, EPISODE 1 “Fetishization of Bodies”] 

The first episode of this season's Solidari-Tea features our peers from the Asian American / Pacific Islander Resource Center and the Womxn's Center, who came together to reflect on their personal experiences regarding Fetishization under the context of how one’s appearance may influence how they exist within the world.

Publish Date: Mar 19, 2021

[SEASON 1, EPISODE 3 “BIPOC Environmentalism”] 

Published Oct 21, 2020

The third episode of Solidari-Tea features students reflecting on their personal relationships to environmentalism as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). They individually organize against environmental racism, food apartheid, and the commercialization of sustainable practices.

Publish Date: Oct 21, 2020

[SEASON 1, EPISODE 2 “Black Lives Matter: Perspectives from the AA/PI Community”]

The second episode explores Black Lives Matter in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, including acts of solidarity, anti-Black racism, and calling out family, in collaboration with the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center and the Asian American Pacific Islander Student Alliance at UCSC.

Publish Date: Aug 13, 2020

[SEASON 1, EPISODE 1 “Conversations with the Undocu-Queer Community”]

This first episode explores the intersections of being queer, trans, and undocumented, in collaboration with the Cantú Queer Center and Undocumented Student Services.

Publish Date: May 28, 2020