It feels like I am returning to a piece of myself I had to discard in order to fit in…and I didn’t fit in anyway
Jon Dujon
I found out during this interview that Jon is also a poet, if you don’t know I published this poetry collection. But that wasn’t the only thing I found out. This is the last of a two-part series and it is such a necessary conversation. One of the mot interesting bits of this chat was Jon highlighting that Black hair is policed regardless of gender. His relationship to his hair and the story of his journey back to dreadlocks is nothing short of fascinating.
At this point I am convincing Jon to leave his corporate job in finance and become some kind of academic. The way he speaks about his journey to a country that has now become home but doesn’t feel like it; the real emotions – that we never talk about – behind immigration; and the guilt of leaving your country behind – needs to be the feature of at least a TED talk. Jon is an academic at heart, an analyst by training, and a strategist by trade. He is the archetypical elder millennial: he has too many degrees, is constantly on the verge of existential crisis.
I didn’t outline a “skip ahead” section for this episode because it should be enjoyed in its entirety. This conversation was not meant to be divided but to be consumed as a whole. These two episodes are the longest we’ve ever had on the podcast and Jon and I could’ve easily talked for two or three more hours. This is his first time, but will not be the last. Some topics we covered in this epsiode:
- therapy,
- the 5 whys analysis
- why everything comes back to race
- why everything is a political statement
- hair – policing Black hair
- being “one of” in a workplace
- thoughts on Black History Month
and even some unconventional finance tips were sprinkled in there too. Jon does not hold back. Share this episode with a friend and leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts.
Hair is at the centre of so much for Black people…everything is a political statement
Jon Dujon
Podcast Episode:
- Episode 49: ..while Black with Eternity Martis