The Hum Podcast

The Hum is a podcast that cuts straight to the heart of human rights stories. Raw, honest and uncensored, from the people who have lived them first-hand. Real people. Real stories. Every other Tuesday.

S05E10: When I Got Sold, It Meant That Life For Me Was Meaningless 12/21/2021

S05E10: When I Got Sold, It Meant That Life For Me Was Meaningless Soyeon Jang escaped from North Korea in 1999 at the height of a famine that killed an estimated 3-million citizens. She talks about her unimaginable escape from North Korea, being sold and human trafficked in China, losing contact with her family, and her heroic journey that eventually brought her to Toronto. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/21545312

S05E09: The Oxygen In My Lungs Was Gone 12/14/2021

S05E09: The Oxygen In My Lungs Was Gone This week, hosts Gilad Cohen and Taylah Harris-Mungo interview each other. They chat about mental health, panic attacks, and anxiety while also exploring how growing up with immigrant / racialized families impacted how they see the world around them. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/21471635

S05E08: 40 Million People Are Modern Day Slaves 11/23/2021

S05E08: 40 Million People Are Modern Day Slaves Angela Nguyen is a registered nurse, human rights activist, and Founder/President of One Body Village Canada, a charity that is committed to supporting survivors of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking from Vietnam and Cambodia. She joins us to chat about her organization, modern day slavery, and how Canadians can join in the fight to combat human trafficking. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/21251408

S05E07: I Always Figured I Was Different 11/17/2021

S05E07: I Always Figured I Was Different DijahSB is a Toronto-based rapper, advocate for mental health, and huge basketball fan. They join co-hosts Gilad Cohen and Taylah Harris-Mungo to chat about the journey of becoming a full-time artist, how being gender non-binary let them be themselves, and how being a troll on Twitter has helped them develop a community. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/21190571

S05E06: Even In Secret, You're Hunted By Society 10/26/2021

S05E06: Even In Secret, You're Hunted By Society Miral Mokhtar and Nouran Hussein are artists, activists and also queer refugees from Egypt. Forced to flee due to their sexual orientation, they join co-hosts Gilad Cohen and Taylah Harris-Mungo to chat about their love story, homophobia, their journey to Toronto and housing insecurity in Canada. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/20938544

S05E05: A Sense Of Constant Surveillance 10/12/2021

S05E05: A Sense Of Constant Surveillance Ann Shin is an award winning documentary filmmaker, advocate for North Korean refugees and author of The Last Exiles. She joins hosts Gilad Cohen and Taylah Harris-Mungo to discuss the plight of North Korean defectors, using the arts as a tool to share stories, and the misadventures of Dragon, a man with multiple cell phones. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/20788925

S05E04: He Witnessed Such Carnage 09/28/2021

S05E04: He Witnessed Such Carnage Heather Trentacosta is a mother, host of the , and brother of Sean Ryan, an incarcerated man who is claiming he is wrongfully convicted. She joins hosts Gilad Cohen and Taylah Harris-Mungo to discuss her brother’s case, him being in solitary confinement for 27+ years, how horrifically common it is for cases to be mishandled, and that time he escaped prison. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/20612723

S05E03: There Are Generations Of Afghan Women Whose Stories Are Not Being Told 09/14/2021

S05E03: There Are Generations Of Afghan Women Whose Stories Are Not Being Told Brishkay Ahmed is an Afghan-Canadian documentary filmmaker who focuses her art on sharing stories of women’s rights. She joins us to talk about her life growing up in Afghanistan, the current conflict, and what Canadians can do to help. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/20459378

S05E02: Trauma Creates A Lack Of Imagination 08/31/2021

S05E02: Trauma Creates A Lack Of Imagination Rana Abu Fraiha is a Bedouin-Palestinian documentary filmmaker and close friend of Guy Ben-Aharon, an Israeli-American theatre director. They are also artists and advocates for peace between Palestine and Israel. They join hosts Gilad Cohen and Taylah Harris-Mungo to discuss how the conflict in the Middle East has impacted them, how trauma affects the way we view the world, and six hour lunches. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/20310053

S05E01: I Don't Think People Were Expecting Me To Fight 08/17/2021

S05E01: I Don't Think People Were Expecting Me To Fight Sumaiya Matin is a social worker, a survivor of forced marriage, and author of The Shaytan Bride. She joins hosts Gilad Cohen and Taylah Harris-Mungo to talk about how people get trapped into forced marriages, how the Muslim faith is widely misinterpreted and exploited, as well as how her experiences inspired her to help others . /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/20161712

S04E10: I Needed To Deal With The Problem 02/18/2020

S04E10: I Needed To Deal With The Problem Nora Sandigo is an activist and the legal guardian of over 2,000 children of undocumented immigrants. She joins us to discuss the documentary The Great Mother, the complexities of being undocumented, and what everyday people can do to fix the problem. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/13191671

S04E09: I Have To Make Myself A Priority 02/04/2020

S04E09: I Have To Make Myself A Priority This week, hosts Gilad Cohen and Andrea Rodriguez welcome ... Gilad Cohen and Andrea Rodriguez. Join our hosts as they chat about mental health in the workplace, growing up with immigrant mothers, and what it's like to meditate for ten days straight. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/13002878

S04E08: I Remained This Beautiful Kid 01/21/2020

S04E08: I Remained This Beautiful Kid Sasha Joseph Neulinger is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, acclaimed filmmaker, and inspirational speaker. He joins us to discuss his documentary Rewind, how to create spaces for survivors, and learning to love himself again. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/12815831

S04E07: Art Overcomes Politics 01/07/2020

S04E07: Art Overcomes Politics Todd “Speech” Thomas is a Grammy-winning musician, the frontman for the hip-hop group Arrested Development, and an advocate for prison reform. He joins us to discuss the documentary 16 Bars, why it is so difficult to change the prison-industrial complex, and music’s role in social justice. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/12638678

S04E06: You Get Used To The Shootings 12/10/2019

S04E06: You Get Used To The Shootings Mohamad Lazakani is a student, photographer, and Syrian refugee. He joins us to discuss his experiences fleeing war, settling in Toronto, life after the inspirational news stories, and why he will always consider Syria home. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/12336035

S04E05: You Are Not Dictated By What Happens To Your Vagina 11/26/2019

S04E05: You Are Not Dictated By What Happens To Your Vagina Jeeti Pooni is a survivor of sexual abuse, a published author, and an advocate for the rights of survivors. She joins us with director Baljit Sangra to discuss the documentary Because We Are Girls, how the justice system can better support people living with trauma, and why she has hope for future generations. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/12174182

S04E04: If I Die, I Did Something 11/12/2019

S04E04: If I Die, I Did Something Shaparak Shajarizadeh is a mother, asylum seeker, and an activist for women’s rights in Iran. She joins us to discuss Iran’s gender dynamics, her struggles with survivor’s guilt, and what Canada’s role should be in promoting gender equality. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/11997509

S04E03: I Thought I Was The Only One 10/29/2019

S04E03: I Thought I Was The Only One Rod MacLeod is one of over 100 boys who was sexually assaulted by Father William "Hod" Marshall and the subject of the documentary "Prey." He joins us with director Matt Gallagher to discuss his 50-year struggle with trauma, how the Catholic Church has continued to fail survivors, and if the institution has really changed. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/11817476

S04E02: They Throw Us To Not Deal With Us 10/15/2019

S04E02: They Throw Us To Not Deal With Us Women are the fastest growing prison population worldwide. Bianca Mercer is a prison reform advocate, a former inmate, and subject of the film Conviction. She joins us with co-director Nance Ackerman to discuss their film, why we need to shift our resources from imprisonment to community-based rehabilitation, and the enduring stigma of life after prison. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/11645237

S04E01: Everything I Did Was For The Future 10/01/2019

S04E01: Everything I Did Was For The Future Waad and Hamza al-Kateab are activists, survivors of the ongoing civil crisis in Syria, and also the proud parents of two children. Waad and Hamza join us this week with co-director Edward Watts to discuss their film "For Sama", the hardships of living in Syria, and finding love in the midst of civil unrest. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/11455997

S03E10: If People Don't See Us As Human, Then All Of This Is Okay 05/21/2019

S03E10: If People Don't See Us As Human, Then All Of This Is Okay On August 9, 2016, Colten Boushie, a 22-year old Indigenous man, was shot in the back of the head by Gerald Stanley, sparking a national discussion about race relations in Canada. Stanley was acquitted of second degree murder by an all-white jury. Colten’s mother Debbie Baptiste and filmmaker Tasha Hubbard join us to discuss their film "Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up", the pain of losing a son, and how systemic racism impacts our justice system. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/9859727

S03E09: We Don't See Their Struggle 05/07/2019

S03E09: We Don't See Their Struggle Scarlet Estrada is an activist from Venezuela and a relative of political prisoners under the Maduro regime. She joins us to discuss the confusion around the Venezuelan crisis, reframing political prisoners as hostages, and why the rise of a dictatorship is like cooking a frog. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/9676715

S03E08: Are You Taking Up Space Or Creating Space? 04/23/2019

S03E08: Are You Taking Up Space Or Creating Space? Hosts Gilad Cohen and Simona Ramkisson open up to each other on this very special episode of The Hum. Catch up on what they have been up to in their personal lives, their thoughts on “wokeness” as a brand, and what Gilad thinks about vaping. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/9492461

S03E07: I Persevered And Here I Am 04/09/2019

S03E07: I Persevered And Here I Am Spencer West is a motivational speaker, an activist for accessibility, and an individual who lost his legs at the age of 5. He talks about growing up in Wyoming as a gay man living with a disability, the need to make Toronto more accessible, and that time he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/9313559

S03E06: We Were Meant To Be Assimilated Or Exterminated 03/26/2019

S03E06: We Were Meant To Be Assimilated Or Exterminated Jeremy Dutcher is an award-winning musician, activist and two-spirited Wolastoqiyik from the Tobique First Nation. He joins Gilad Cohen and special guest host Blanche Israël to discuss reconciliation vs revitalization, the role music has in keeping Indigenous languages alive, and changing misconceptions about Scorpios. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/9140105

S03E05: You May Not Know They're A Slave 03/12/2019

S03E05: You May Not Know They're A Slave Julie Francoeur is the Executive Director of FairTrade and a lifelong advocate of ending the modern day slave trade. She joins us this week to discuss how people get caught up in slavery, how it finds itself in nearly everything we own, and ways to address this ever-growing dilemma. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/8968988

S03E04: I Was Now Fighting The System Rather Than Myself 02/26/2019

S03E04: I Was Now Fighting The System Rather Than Myself Vuyiseka Dubula-Majola is a mother of three, a woman living with HIV, and an activist for accessible treatment in South Africa. She joins us this week to discuss the process of being diagnosed with HIV, the socio-economic politics associated with treatment, and why she has so much hope for the future of activism. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/8783312

S03E03: You Have To Be Part Of The Change 02/12/2019

S03E03: You Have To Be Part Of The Change Major Monique Brown is an eighteen-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Force and the first African American woman to hold that position. She joins us to discuss the documentary Charm City (HRFF 2018), growing up in the community she serves, and her first time trying poutine. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/8609408

S03E02: This Is Me, Now You Get To See All Of Me 01/29/2019

S03E02: This Is Me, Now You Get To See All Of Me Sargent Nina Usherwood is a nearly 40-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force, an inspirational speaker and a trans woman. She joins us to discuss her struggles coming out in the military, the changes she has seen in her career, and why she identifies as a “Ros-bien”. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/8432873

S03E01: We Feel Like We're Invalidated For Our Service 01/15/2019

S03E01: We Feel Like We're Invalidated For Our Service Laila Ireland is a veteran of the U.S. Army, a transgender woman, and an activist. She joins us to discuss her experience filming the documentary TransMilitary (Human Rights Film Festival Opening Film, 2018), why trans service members feel more comfortable in war zones than at home, and literally the greatest engagement story ever. /episode/index/show/thehumpodcast/id/8258087

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