Podcast Summary
Seales' Expansion: Amanda Seales is expanding her podcast and Patreon community through bonus episodes and tour dates, offering a more personal and interactive experience for members and emphasizing the importance of community engagement and supporting impactful individuals and organizations.
Amanda Seales is expanding her Small Doses podcast and Patreon community through weekly bonus episodes and upcoming tour dates. These bonus episodes offer a more personal and interactive experience for members, allowing them to engage with Seales in real-time. Additionally, Seales emphasizes the importance of community engagement and supporting the work of individuals and organizations making a difference. The tour dates mark a significant milestone for Seales, who is betting on herself for this independent venture. She encourages fans to join the Seal Squad and become a part of this growing community. Overall, Seales' message encourages listeners to be more connected and engaged with the world around them.
Equity vs Equality: Equity expands access to opportunities, while equality requires adherence to a white benchmark. It's crucial to recognize and reject attempts to flip their meanings.
We are currently in a learning phase of the revolution, focusing on expanding knowledge and understanding to push for change. Equity, including DEI and affirmative action, is about expanding access to opportunities rather than lowering standards. The difference between equality and equity lies in the fact that equality often requires adherence to a white benchmark, while equity ensures everyone has the same capability to reach their goals without obstacles based on race, gender, or other factors. It's crucial to recognize and reject attempts to flip the meaning of these concepts. Join us as we delve deeper into these topics with Duwana Thompson from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on the Small Doses Podcast.
Systemic doubt and lack of succession planning: Systemic doubt and lack of succession planning hinder the principle of equity by creating a deterrent to progress and preventing the creation of new opportunities for growth
Equity is the belief that everyone has the same opportunity to access resources, opportunities, and growth, regardless of their starting point. However, systemic doubt and lack of succession planning can hinder this principle in America. Systemic doubt refers to the belief that something is impossible, which can be implanted regardless of who is conveying it, creating a deterrent to progress. Lack of succession planning perpetuates the idea that power and opportunities are limited and not meant to be shared, preventing the creation of new opportunities for growth. To combat these challenges, it's essential to increase knowledge and awareness of the work being done by individuals in various fields and promote the idea that power and opportunities should be shared and passed on to create a more equitable society.
Organizing Principles and Mentorship: Having a clear vision, the ability to execute, and the support of mentors and leaders are crucial for effective organizing. Young leaders must define their agenda and learn strategies for maintaining rights and fighting for change from experienced mentors.
Effective organizing requires a clear vision, the ability to execute, and the support of mentors and leaders. The speaker shares her personal experiences of learning from leaders like Cara Belafonte, Angela Davis, and John Lewis, and how they helped her develop her organizing skills. From her first job as a community liaison for the Birmingham City Council to attending The Gathering for Justice with Harry Belafonte, she was surrounded by individuals who saw her potential and provided opportunities for growth. A key lesson she learned was the importance of having an agenda and the responsibility of young leaders to define it. Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of mentors passing down strategies for maintaining rights and fighting for change. Overall, her experiences highlight the importance of having a strong foundation in organizing principles and the impact of mentorship in shaping the next generation of leaders.
Perseverance and Change: Passion and determination can lead to significant change, even when faced with adversity. Never giving up on your beliefs can result in progress.
Passion and determination can lead to significant change, even when faced with adversity. The speaker shares her experiences, from teaching young students about civil rights to working in various prestigious organizations and eventually starting her own organization. Despite encountering obstacles and being unable to fully execute her plans in some places, she never gave up and continued to advocate for what she believed in. Her story culminated in successfully turning out 100,000 black voters in Alabama, proving that progress is possible with unwavering commitment.
Investing in diverse leadership: Investing in diverse leadership without pushing specific candidates can lead to significant impact. It requires passion, preparation, and teamwork to secure resources, be prepared for opportunities, and hold leaders accountable.
Investing in diverse leadership and community power, without pushing specific candidates, can lead to significant impact. This approach requires passion, preparation, and teamwork. The speaker's story demonstrates the importance of reaching deep to secure resources, being prepared for opportunities, and holding leaders accountable. The success of their efforts came from a combination of their own hard work and the support of key individuals and teams on the ground. Ultimately, the message is that the next generation of political activists must understand the responsibility that comes with power and deliver results.
Holding elected officials accountable: Understanding roles, attending meetings, following budgets, volunteering, voting, building new leaders, and working together ensure progress and a better future.
Holding elected officials accountable goes beyond just not electing them. It requires understanding the roles and responsibilities of those in power, attending meetings, following budgets, volunteering, and voting. But it also means building a bench of new leaders with an equity mindset who can step in when necessary. This multi-faceted approach ensures that progress is not lost when leaders are removed, and that a vision for a better future is constantly being pursued. Ultimately, it's about working together, with each person playing their unique role, to create lasting change.
Narrative preservation in DEI: Preserving and owning our narratives in DEI is crucial to prevent erasure and manipulation. The silence of allies and abandonment of stance by those claiming to be on the side of justice is frustrating. Find spaces to speak truth to power and ensure accurate representation of our narratives.
Preserving and owning our narratives, especially in the context of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), is crucial. At the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, they understand the importance of preserving history and firsthand accounts, not just from the 1950s and 1960s but also from the present. The erasure or manipulation of narratives can lead to a loss of understanding and ownership of our experiences. The recent manipulation of terms like "Woke" and "DEI" is a prime example of this. It's disheartening when those who claim to be on the side of justice and equity abandon their stance due to external pressure. The silence of allies is especially frustrating. It's essential to find spaces where we can speak truth to power, even if our voice shakes. We all have a role to play in imagining equity and ensuring that our narratives are preserved and accurately represented.
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute: The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute inspires critical thinking and fosters the next generation of revolutionaries through education, research, and advocacy, emphasizing the importance of doing good effectively.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, though not a political organization per se, plays a significant role in reforming and revolutionizing perspectives through education, research, and advocacy. Amanda McNulty, the executive director, emphasizes the importance of not just doing good but doing it well, and uses her platform to inspire the next generation of critical thinkers and potential revolutionaries. The Institute's history and longevity lend credibility and create a safe space for questioning, challenging, and rebuilding ideas. To learn more, follow the Institute on social media, visit their website at www.bcri.org, or apply for their fellowship program.