LIVE! I Can't Breathe: Dr. Ijeoma Kola's Remarkable Journey in Scholarship & Social Impact

Selam & Hello

In our first public live recording of 2023, Lilly hosts the dynamic Dr. Ijeoma Kola, a professor of history a the University of Notre Dame and a versatile presence in digital content creation, social impact entrepreneurship, and much more. Dr. Kola, the founder of Cohort Sistas, talks about her Nigerian heritage and the formative influence it had on her worldview, even after migrating to the U.S. at a young age. Ijeoma reflects on the inspirations drawn from her mother's nursing career, her resulting passion for medicine, public health, and the insights she is drawing from her scholarship connecting race, gender and socio-economic status to health outcomes and disparities.

Lilly and Ijeoma discuss her forthcoming book, "I Can't Breathe: Racism and the Rise of Asthma in Black Urban America," and the experiences she had both writing the book and completing graduate school that led her to found her organization, Cohort Sistas. Ijeoma expounds on the vital and necessary work Cohort Sistas is doing supporting Black Women and non-binary individuals in their postgraduate pursuits - and why we all benefit from their success.

Finally, the episode also reveals Ijeoma's transformative journey as a content creator, the tough decisions she made prioritizing mental health and family over a career as an influencer, and concludes with a spirited game of "Kenya or Nigeria - Who Does It Better?"

Join Lilly and Dr. Ijeoma Kola in this fun and rich conversation as they traverse diverse terrains of thought, exploring the nuances of race, medicine, and the essence of our roots.

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Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper

Production by: Sahihi Africa Productions

Technical Team: K-Krew