On a recent episode of The Pop-Up!, host The Big O sat down with Seattle-born musician, mother, and cultural worker Moni Tep, also known as JusMoni. Serving currently as the Decrim Director at Lavender Rights Project and the founder of How We Met Apothecary, Tep brought insights into ancestral memory, community-led safety, and the vulnerability of motherhood.

Alongside fellow guest Kesha Credit, Tep unpacked everything from local political fallout to the nuanced structures of white supremacy affecting grassroots organizations.

Rooting Art and Advocacy in Ancestral Memory

Tep’s work spans across creative spaces, including her involvement with the artist collective Black Constellation and the DJ collective Sway & Swoon Unit. When asked how her artistry intersects with her advocacy, Tep connected both back to the preservation of culture and a legacy of survival.

Reflecting on her heritage, her mother’s family escaped the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s and her father’s lineage traces back to enslaved Black Americans. Tep explained how history dictates her approach to healing.

"I think of my liberation as my God-given born right,” she said. “I want everybody who I'm able to impact and touch to know that you were born free. We live in a system that forces you to believe that you are not."

This ancestral reverence dictates how she runs her apothecary business, working with herbs, oils, and natural elements as a form of medicine to heal her community.

"Every single thing that I do is Black. It's rooted in Blackness and it's rooted in a self-proclaimed liberation that I have within myself."

Motherhood, Autonomy, and Community Care

Tep spoke on parenting her 16-year-old son. Having had him when she was 16 herself, she described their journey as one of growing up together through trials and beautiful milestones.

"I choose daily to not give up... I make a conscious choice to be in love with a child and to ask my child if he will also love me,” she said.

In a world that frequently inflicts harm on young Black boys, Tep treats her home as a laboratory for liberation and absolute agency.

"What that looks like in practice is... giving my son options and agency. Looks like he can be in respectful conversation with me about when things don't feel good to him or when he is in disagreement,” she said.

This practice extends beyond her own household. Tep said she views all of her son’s peers as her children, consistently organizing mutual aid and offering her home as a safe haven to keep local youth safe and fed

To wrap up the evening, Tep was asked how the community can effectively band together to heal moving forward. Her answer returned to a balance of the spiritual and the tactical.

"Pray... to whatever higher energy, to whatever soil you set your feet on, whatever water you take into your body. Lifting up a word about your intentionality and about your impact is going to make a difference,” she said. “And I think after prayer comes action."

Learn more about Moni Tep and her business ventures on her socials, and check out Lavender Rights Project at lavenderrightsproject.org

Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 7 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.

Culture, Collective Liberation, and Core Truths: Moni Tep on The Pop-Up!

Keisha Credit Brings Authenticity, Activism, and ‘One-Two Punches’ to The Pop-Up!