Episode 01: The Case of Being Black, Female and Human

This episode is the fifth conversation in the Black Lives Matter
series.  In it, you will hear Dr. Ervin talk about the collapse of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for black people.  He also talks about the choice between gradual change in contrast to “cataclysmic change” (his words) as relating to the liberation of black people around the globe.

The close out of this episode is dedicated to Georgia as an instructional opportunity to understand the intersections of race, geography and politics as well as the implications of this intersection for black lives. 

For more information, visit webpage:  https://empowermentstartshere.net/2021/09/05/episode-72-the-case-of-blm-with-dr-c-eric-ervin/

This episode is the fourth conversation in the Black Lives Matter series where empowerment starts here with Reverend Dr. Valerie Bridgeman.  In this call, Rev. Valerie links BLM to the spiritual. She talks about God as not sharing, about Jesus being a black woman, and about uprooting historical systems such as the police department so we can properly replant and rebuild. 

For more about Rev. Valerie or the show (including corrections to mistakes made in this episode), please our webpage.   

In this episode, Empowerment Starts Here with Senator Lena Taylor from Wisconsin.  The Senator joins this BLM series as a public servant trying to disrupt social margins for her constituents while personally being in those margins.  She talks about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness by going right to the U.S. Constitution and then directly connecting it to George Floyd. She also talks about the “goodness” of political progressives until it comes to black folks.  Finally, she talks about black lives matter being a movement not just about black lives but about social unrest, social injustice, social inequities. For more, visit our website.

In this episode, the Informant, a local artist, talks black lives matter through the lens of a black man growing up in Milwaukee, WI.  He talks about his lived experiences with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and his encounters with police.  In the close out, the host will explore humanization, self actualization and liberation as specific points captured in the call.

In this episode, Henry Leonard talks about public education and black lives matter through the lens of a union worker.  He also shares his perspective on life as a contested experience for blacks yet a privileged experience for whites. Finally, in the close out, the host will consider white supremacy and its relatedness to the education of black minds.    

This episode is the first of a season of seven where the host explores what black lives matter means to her on a personal level and then engages with others to find out what it means to them as well.  To learn more about this episode and to access the show notes, please visit our webpage.

In this episode, the host returns (from an extended break) with a conversation about her continued commitment to Empowerment Starts Here (ESH).  She talks about the six episode gap (between Ep55-Ep60); about being on autopilot from one major project to the next (without time to reflect and recalibrate her destination); and about what is new  since she has been away.  In the reflection, you will be invited to think with Angela about the school house as a basin in our society and truly consider the ways in which education coincides (or not) with social change work. 

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In this episode, the informant talks about the capital required for parents to enroll their children in charter public schools and the ways in which this requirement violates the tenets of free education.  In the close out, the host adds to the conversation by talking about democratic education from the angle of property, privilege and power.  Visit empowermentstartshere.net (2019 Reflections) to access the show notes. 

In the recorded conversation, the Informant talks about public school employment for educators of color and how it differs from what their white counterparts experience. He also talks about educators of color only being allowed to teach in under-resourced schools and finally, he talks about different access points to privilege and power.  

In the close out of the episode, the Hosts talks about her views on traditional and charter public schools. Through this closing, she sets context for the next two cases. 

For more information about this episode and the Informant, please visit the show notes. 

Contrary to public treatment, racism is not just about the n-word. It is also not just about blatant discrimination on the grounds of color.  In this episode, the host talks about the subtleties of racism at the interpersonal level relating to legitimacy, authority and the control of resources.   For a full description and the show notes, please click here.