Monthly Archives: January 2021

Credit: Jessica Fender, IG: @travelerbroads; Co-credit: Where Black NOLA Eats

Its been a rough few days for grocery store owners in New Orleans. Whether it is fair to free enterprise or not, many consumers shop, not only with their wallets, but with their consciences, as well. In these situations, politics of many stripes plays a role.

Would you shop somewhere you are not welcome? Would you spend your dollars in a place that doesnt share the same views and concerns as your community? Would you shop with a business that would make such a barbaric decision? Would you spend money with someone who doesnt mind the country being divided? Ajiajade Winslow Thomas says, when asked why one should spend their money on black-owned businesses instead of Rouses or Breaux Mart.

Right now, Breaux Mart and Rouses are two grocery store businesses that are supported or owned by people who move in the same circles as white supremacists. Both businesses have commented in previous articles.

In addition, there is the issue of food deserts: places that seemingly deprive local communities of real quality food thats healthy for people to consume. Instead, we have easily accessible gas station and convenience store junk food keeping people alive, but making them sick as well. Meanwhile, the best grocery stores are often made available to more affluent neighborhoods.

Or as Jalence Isles, the founder of Where Black NOLA Eats puts it:

Grocery stores are anchors in their communities and impact the entire supply chain. Our black grocers have smaller operations and often not only live in the communities they operate in, they help to keep dollars circulating in our community and, they are more in tune with community needs and resources. Because of their smaller operations, they are also more likely to source from smaller growers and manufacturers within their community, which helps to cut down the cost associated with importing goods.

In addressing the controversy regarding Rouses and Breaux Mart, Isles adds, Systemic injustice is perpetuated by people in power who seek to enshrine their values and beliefs in the systems they control. The continuous support provided to the current presidential administration by the owner of Rouses, not just by attending the most recent treasonous rally, but through his years of financial contributions off the backs of black people is a slap in our faces. We cannot afford to continue to knowingly fund our oppression.

Says Dana Blandin, a member of Where Black NOLA Eats on why she supports black-owned businesses:

When you support black-owned grocery stores you also help to support the communities and people in which they serve. The revenue that these groceries earn will allow them to grow, bringing a number of benefits to the black communities they likely serve, including the creation of jobs and greater food access. People should not support Rouses because their leadership clearly dont stand for or support the communities in New Orleans who contribute greatly to their success through their patronage. But support for black groceries shouldnt be in spite of anything. Theyre deserving and in need of support on any given day. It should be an intentional effort to support the small black businesses that help to drive our local communities.

New Orleans not only has a rich black culture, but a thriving industry run and supported by people of color. Thanks toWhere Black NOLA Eats, Big Easy Magazine would like to present to you these businesses for your groceries and other food items.

For more information on these conversations, please go toWhere Black NOLA Eats

Special thanks to Jessica Fender for the graphic. Her Instagram account is @travelerbroads

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Black Owned Food Markets in New Orleans: An Alternative to Breaux Mart and Rouses - Big Easy Magazine

The Oracle interviewed public health professor and Senior Associate Dean of the Morsani College of Medicine Jay Wolfson about the challenges posed by COVID-19 for the spring semester as well as essential safety precautions to slow down the spread of the virus.

1. What risks do you think the new variant of the virus poses to the community?

Were learning about it every day. Its brand new, we only have a few hundred cases of it to look at. Weve only known about the core COVID variant since January of last year, and were still learning about that. So we have to be able to monitor and understand how it works, and whether or not it will be susceptible to this vaccine or whether its going to pivot again and do something different. The fact is, its extremely contagious. So it doesnt appear to be any stronger, it doesnt make you any sicker. But it makes more people sicker faster.

2. What does a higher transmissibility rate mean?

If I have a cup of poison, and that cup of poison could make 1,000 people in Hillsborough County very sick, but then I get a different variety of it, and I take one-third of a cup of that poison and it can make 1,000 people, or 2,000 or 3,000 people sick. Its a more powerful poison only in terms of its ability to get into peoples bodies and infect them. It doesnt make them any sicker, but it gets more people faster and it spreads more easily. So it requires less exposure. Thats why its dangerous. And again, were still learning about it, we dont know enough so were building that airplane as were flying it.

3. What are some of the dangers associated with noncompliance of the safety protocols, including the use of face coverings and avoiding large crowds, as the new semester starts?

Well, the dangers are especially high because most of our students are fairly young and healthy, and they would be most likely, if they were exposed to and contracted the disease, to have minimal or no symptoms, be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, so they wouldnt even know it. And then they could spread it.

So its not so much that weve had a problem on campus, weve been very good on campus But what happens off campus before classes, after classes and on weekends is the great danger. And as you said, our students like to be able to chill out [but] this time, weve got a silent, deadly killer. And the silent, deadly, infectious agent that will make a lot of people sick.

The sad part of this, not just for our students but for our community at large, is that it doesnt seem to hit home until somebody has had it come into their life, directly or indirectly because its invisible.

So, the university is a safe place. We want it to be safe in a lot of ways. Its a safe place for the spread of disease on campus, but its not being generated on campus. Its being generated off campus and when people do get sick, or if theyre asymptomatic and they come into the classroom, even though were social distancing within the classroom, it increases the risk.

I think were still doing a really good job of separating folks, checkerboarding people in the classrooms and giving people the option and appropriate classes of doing asynchronous learning, teaching from home if they can until we get a better handle on this disease. Again, were learning as were going and whatever we do, we should not imagine that just because there is a vaccine that Oh, its OK now. I dont have to worry now more than any other time. We have to be even more diligent, more vigilant because these next two months are when we project the disease to skyrocket. Then were in worse trouble than we can imagine so we have to find a way to push that curve down, and the only way, the only way to do this, which is the very hard way, is through personal discipline and responsibility.

The challenge is that even when we have [a vaccine], we dont know if it is going to confer long-term immunity. So we still have to be careful. This is an alien. This is a creature that has come to us from outer space. Its like its traveled billions of light years through wormholes, and its really smart, and it knows how to sneak up on us and change. This COVID thing is like nothing else weve ever had and we have to play by the rules based on how it behaves because its not going to change this behavior, and it doesnt care if were older, young, black or green, tall or short. Its going to come into us, its going to attach to one of our organs and either immediately or sometime in the future is going to erupt and give us respiratory illness, kidney disease, brain disease or heart disease. Thats what its doing. And just being young does not exempt you at all.

4. When do you think the college student age group will get to take the vaccine?

Well, first we have to have enough vaccines. I expect by April to May well have enough being produced. We need tens of millions of doses, so by April and May for sure, unless something happens with the production, we should have enough available to begin to vaccinate, but then we have to get over that hump and we have to vaccinate 75% of the population to achieve what we believe to be a successful herd immunity, assuming that the herd immunity lasts.

5. What message do you have for students as they return to campus for the spring semester?

Its not over yet, were right in the midst of it. Dont imagine that the vaccine, which you dont have access to yet, is going to protect you. The only thing we can do is develop this team spirit and USF has the capacity to organize itself around being a team thats going to protect itself and its community and its family members from this horrible disease, which were still learning about every day and which is growing and affecting our community. But, it has to be a conscious, intentional, responsible and respectful effort that we engage in. And each one of us, as a student, faculty member and staff member is a member of this team. And while we have to work together, the key is that each one of us has to actively be present and make this happen.

We have to tell ourselves and each other, We can do this together. Because if we dont, the downside is economically, politically, and from a health perspective, horribly devastating. Its our responsibility. If we screw it up, weve screwed it up. Lets get USF, as a major research university, to take the lead and demonstrate that we are one, and were one not just in terms of sports and academics and research. Were thriving and growing as a community that recognizes that were on the same team against that enemy which is out to kill us and hurt us, and hurt our families and our communities. The sooner we can do that, the better chance we have of coming through this thing and demonstrating that we really are pretty cool.

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A Q&A with Dr. Jay Wolfson The Oracle - The Oracle

Now we know who the real thugs are, and they are not just the ones who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. President Trump publicly condoned the use of the term thug when he referenced Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists whose disdain for the more recent negligent and unwarranted police shootings of Black people led them to protest. Despite seeking some redress and accountability from law enforcement, Trump and his administration have ignored and politicized their calls for police reform. He also regularly referred to them as thugs before and after an incident where he plowed through BLM activists outside of the White House with the National Guard and Bible in his hand to show his rebuke.

But the true thugs were revealed during and after fervent Trump supporters and far-right, white supremacist, and Neo-Nazis factions took over the U.S. Capitol.

The thugs on that day were not just the rebellious, lawless, Confederate-flag-toting Trump supporters turned domestic terrorists who took over the building. They were directed by the leading thugsDonald J. Trump and his co-agitators, Donald Trump Jr. and Rudy Giuliani, to wreak havoc on our democracy. The four-year trance of Trumps misinformation about stolen elections, the denial of COVID-19 as a public health threat, among other un-related online conspiracy theories, led his supporters to storm the heart of official national business, vandalize memorials, ransack private offices, position pipe bombs near DNC and RNC headquarters, and attempt to break into the congressional chamber with force, leaving five people dead when it was all over.

But on this same day, other individuals joined the list of thugs, like a U.S. Capitol police officer who was recorded taking selfies with insurgents, and another video appearing to show a soft breach of the security gate, allowing hundreds of protestors to walk into federal property. The day following the incident, the Capitol police chief, and two security officers resigned in response to the criticism of their lax handling of the coup and the double standard treatment when confronting peaceful BLM protestors.

The day-of visuals of this uncontrolled mob were the highest level of contemporary thuggery done by Americans. With one exception. Because they were not Black, Latino, or Native American, there were no visible arrests, riot gear, dogs, or batons until District of Columbia police stepped in to curb the melee and make arrests. Trumps thugs were destroying and trespassing on Capitol property. They were not fighting for the inalienable right to vote, walk safely in their community without being profiled by neighbors and the police, or have full accessibility to the rights of citizenship mandated by the U.S. Constitution.

The decision by some Capitol police officers to be less confrontational before groups of angry, predominantly white mobsters that were trying to break into the nations most important building with members of Congress inside showed the persistent irony of equitable treatment in the United States. Angry Black Americans have been attacked, bullied, lynched, and killed by police for exercising their civil rights, like attempting to vote, enter a public school building, or ride on a public bus, starting after slaverys abolition.

The activities that America and the world witnessed did not happen in a vacuum or overnight. Trumps thugs reacted to the cumulative build-up of rhetoric from a long list of more powerful thugs who have leaned heavily into Trumps divisive and racist rhetoric over the last four years. A few of them are in Congress, like Trump-enablers Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who refused to concede to their pronouncements of election fraud hours after a failed coup of Congress orchestrated by their leader. There are Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and other Republican leaders who sided often with Trumps insatiable appetite for power and lack of empathy for Americas more vulnerable populations, especially people of color. Many of these Republican legislators and administration staff thwarted the appropriate and rapid response to COVID-19, stalled delivery of the necessary economic relief to struggling citizens, fed into the campaign to invalidate the 2020 presidential election, blocked legislation for police reform, supported cuts to federal safety-net programs and universal health care, and rejected proposals to remove Confederate monuments of slave owners and other oppressors who are the stimuli for current day right-wing aggression.

On the thug list are also non-elected officials, including some owners of professional sports teams who initially banned NFL players from taking a knee in support of Colin Kaepernicks demonstration of solidarity with efforts to reduce Black racism. Some CEOs of major corporations also make the list, especially the leaders who increased their contributions to the Trump campaign, despite his misleading claims and policy assaults on communities of color. Many of these companies would later seek redemption after watching the reckless murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer by contributing millions of dollars to racial equity organizations.

The bad apples in local law enforcement departments join the list of thugs due to their lack of empathy for the communities that they serve, which for decades have led to countless shootings, murders, and home invasions, including the one that killed Breanna Taylor. But these deaths under Trump were more likely to go unpunished because of protective police unions and the lack of federal legislation establishing more accountability in policing.

Let us not forget those people across the nation, also known as the Karens or Kens, who have come to epitomize white privilege because they find it acceptable to call the police on Blacks walking, dining, shopping, smoking, talking, birdwatching, and sometimes just minding their own business. Their explicit racism and cowardice make them eligible for the thug list.

Finally, there are the nameless thugs whose unconscious bias allowed them to sit silent and numb to the Trump administrations hardline immigration policies that separated immigrant children from their parents or refuse to wear face masks even though minorities are more likely to get and die from COVID-19.

These are all the real thugs. Some of them carry loaded guns and others spew loaded rhetoric under the protection of white privilege.

Our society will always have a population of irreconcilables who do not respect the law and engage in intentional acts of malfeasance. But contrary to the skewed realities of Trump and his allies, not all thugs are people of color. In fact, the people who rushed the Capitol and the ones that contributed to Trumps four years of upheaval come from all educational and income levels. While some people can make the case that the coup was reminiscent of the Civil War period, I would tend to disagree. Thankfully, Black people have been granted full citizenship since then, at least on paper. We just found out that thugs are everywhere, and white privilege allows for anonymity and validation.

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The thugs that stormed the Capitol just joined a long list of others - Brookings Institution

Transportation activist and two-time Portland mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone will lead The Street Trust into their next era. Iannarone has been hired as interim executive director on a six-month contract. Her main focus will be a strategic planning process that will help the nonprofit advocacy group determine what type of leadership model they need.

Iannarone, whos often seen at community events riding her electric bike with an Ortlieb pannier slung over her shoulder, comes to the position fresh of her second mayoral campaign where she garnered a respectable 41% of the vote (to incumbent Ted Wheelers 46%). No stranger to cycling advocacy, Iannarone is an outspoken member of the City of Portlands Bicycle Advisory Committee. She also represents cycling on the Portland Bureau of Transportation Budget Advisory Committee.

In a statement released today, The Street Trust board member Thomas Ngo said, Iannarone brings the global expertise, commitment to equity, and passion for the work these times demand.

Heres more from The Street Trust:

An urban climate policy expert notable for her candidacy for Portland mayor in 2020, Iannarones visionary leadership will help The Street Trust tackle unprecedented challenges facing transportation in the Portland region. Traffic fatalities are at a 24-year record high; the ongoing pandemic has gutted transit ridership and funding; and the current recession has exacerbated disparities for BIPOC and low-income communities around jobs, housing, and transportation. As local jurisdictions tend to the most immediate crises, theyre struggling to make the necessary investments to advance mobility justice and tackle climate change.

After The Street Trusts previous executive director Jillian Detweiler stepped down last summer, the organization named three staff members as co-directors. It was an embrace of a new leadership model that reflected the changes we would like to see in society. the organization said at the time.

Iannarone will not be a co-director. Asked whether she sees herself staying on past the six-month contract, Iannarone shared with me this morning that, If its a good fit for me depending what comes out of the strategic plan Im committed to this work. I want to make sure the organization is stable because theres such a strong need for leadership in this space.

Before running for mayor in 2016 and 2020, Iannarone was associate director of First Stop Portland, a program at Portland State University that showcased local urban planning innovations to visitors from around the nation and globe. An urban policy expert, Iannarone is also well-versed in politics. Late last year she launched the Our Portland Political Action Committee (PAC) to promote progressive policies.

The Street Trust launched a PAC of their own in 2017 when they changed their name from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. Iannarones mix of political acumen, experiences in community organizing, and passion for cycling and transportation advocacy should make her an effective addition to The Street Trust at a time when theyre in desperate need of vision and leadership.

In recent years staff turnover and departures have become the norm at The Street Trust. Theyve struggled to find a balance between appealing to donors and conservative elements of the community while still being effective with the type of activism needed to move the needle for cycling growth in Portland.

In 2017 the organization had 15 paid staff. In May 2020 that number was down to 10. Back in August when Detweiler stepped down, The Street Trust named their existing development, advocacy and financial directors to co-director roles. All three of those former directors are now gone. Before Iannarone was hired The Street Trust was down to just three full-time staff: an education program manager, an events director, and a communications director (who joined the organization in November).

According to 2018 tax filings (for a period through August 2019), The Street Trust earned $963,092 in revenue and spent $972,972 a loss of $9,880. Their revenue included $97,606 in membership dues and $457,958 in government grants.

If Iannarone is able to work on advocacy strategy in addition to the strategic planning work, her style would mark a major departure for The Street Trust. Since its scrappy roots in the 1990s, The Street Trust has become much more conservative in recent years. Past leader Rob Sadowsky told us in 2014 that the sidelining of an aggressive advocacy style was an intentional strategy to forge productive, long-term relationships with electeds and policymakers. Detweiler, who came from a background in real estate development with TriMet, continued that trend.

That shift to the center at The Street Trust gave rise to Bike Loud PDX, an all-volunteer group that has tried to fill Portlands bike activism gap. While Bike Loud has done impressive work without any paid staff, the need for a respected and feared cycling advocacy organization in Portland has never been stronger. Cycling has been flat for years in Portland. The latest U.S. Census bicycle commuting numbers put Portlands bike commuting rate at a paltry 5.2 percent, down from a peak of 7.2% in 2014. 2019s bike commute rate was down from an average of 6.3 percent over the previous five years and the lowest single-year estimate since 2007.

Iannarone isnt likely to stand on the sidelines while current trends continue. Shes one of the most ardently progressive voices ever to be taken seriously in Portland political circles and has made a reputation for herself in taking on the local status quo. One of Iannarones main policy planks in her recent mayoral campaign was a detailed Green New Deal plan that blasted, tepid leadership and centrist incrementalism.

If The Street Trusts board of directors give Iannarone the green light to do for cycling and active transportation advocacy what she has done for progressive politics in Portland we could be in for a very interesting next six months.

Iannarone has an opportunity to set The Street Trust on a new path at a very opportune moment. With the incoming Biden administration promising big investments in infrastructure, several new faces at Portland City Hall, and new leadership at sister nonprofits Oregon Walks and the Community Cycling Center, Iannarone will take over a once-powerful organization in a city that used to be known as one of the greatest cities for cycling in the world. If Portland is to ever shake itself out of its cycling stupor, Iannarone could be just the type of fearless, focused, and experienced leader to do the job.

Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org Get our headlines delivered to your inbox. Support this independent community media outlet with a one-time contribution or monthly subscription.

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Sarah Iannarone picked as new leader of The Street Trust - BikePortland.org

I think what 2020 has brought is this triple pandemic of COVID-19, social injustice and economic insecurity like we havent seen in a while. And there is this energy and desire for change and a knowingness among our entire community that it is time for a change but not knowing how to get there, says Brandi Grayson, the CEO of Urban Triage, Inc. If we want to get there, we have to have the right folks in there. Its time to pass the baton for innovation. Were so used to enrolling those who are the masters of the systems to do the work without considering that they are the masters of a broken system. So we just need to practice creating the opportunity to think outside the box.

Grayson announced last week that she was running for alder for District 14 on Madisons south side noting that she wants to continue to work hard to ensure that all Madisonians have a chance to succeed.

The reason that I decided to jump in right now is that we need leadership in the south district. We havent had leadership in years. And we need folks who are rooting for our community and advocating and creating policies that reflect the needs of the south side, Grayson tells Madison365. So, thats why Im jumping in.

Its the perfect time and I have amazing supporters. The reason why Ive been able to move so quickly and so impactfully and effectively is because of the supporters my families, my volunteers, our advocates. They just make the work doable, she adds. I have a lot of support. Its not just me. Its not just Brandi coming to the table; its my whole squad coming to the table to serve District 14.

Grayson is the co-founder of Young, Gifted and Black, a grassroots coalition of young leaders who have worked tirelessly to raise the voice of communities of color in Madison, and later founded Urban Triage, a nonprofit organization that addresses critical needs in the Madison community by way of transformative education and strategic partnerships. She is running against incumbent alder Sheri Carter who was elected Madison Common Council president in April of 2020.

District 14 takes up most of Madisons south side and is part of one of the most racially diverse zip codes in the state.

I think what distinguishes District 14 from other areas is the aggressive gentrification that is taking place on the south side that is pushing working-class people out. People cant afford to live over here, Grayson says. I think thats one of the largest issues which leads us to the conversation: how do we act in a radical way that supports the needs of the folks who have been a part of the southside district for generations?

Grayson grew up on Madisons south side where she has been a big part of the fabric of the community. She has lived there for all but about three years of her life.

The south side is different from any other area in Madison because of its diversity and richness. I live in an area where there are African immigrants, Latino immigrants, born-and-raised-here Africans, born-and-raised-here Latinos we have southeast Asian people across the street. We have Muslims, Grayson says. Im a very personable person and I meet a lot of my neighbors and people are looking for not just affordable housing, but safety for their children.

Oftentimes, we choose either or. We assume that in order to keep neighborhoods safe we have to build more luxury apartments and buildings. Things to generate property taxes and money. I get that part of capitalism, she adds. But we have to make sure that we are doing our due diligence to protect the culture of the south side and preserve it. Its so rich in culture. If were not intentional about protecting it, its going to be gone.

Another challenge facing south Madison, and all of Madison for that matter, is finding alternative spaces for youth.

Youth and family empowerment programs that work and that are rooted in the needs of the community versus what we think is useful, Grayson says. We have a lot of community programs that are not meeting the needs of our community members so we have to be creative and we have to have relationships with the people who are the most impacted by the lack of programmings and support.

I bring all of that with me. I have the social capital of our community members and constituents and Ive built relationships and a reputation in Madison for standing in integrity meaning that I say what I say and I mean what I say, Grayson adds. If there is room for adjustments, Im always willing to adjust because there are plenty of things we dont know that we dont know until we know it. Im always willing to honor my word by taking in more and new information and I think thats required for the position of alder.

Its important, now more than ever, to build programming through relationships and strategic partnerships, Grayson says, giving the example of her organization, Urban Triage, which works to foster self-sufficiency through healing, community leadership and personal development in African-American families and provides community support, training, coaching and workshops centered in transformative justice, equity and transformative education.

One of the things that people often say is that we dont have that in the budget. But we do! Youd be surprised how far a little can go if we have the right people at the table, the right partnerships and the right support and right resources. Urban Triage is a reflection of that the work that Ive been able to do in a year, Grayson says. I realized a long time ago that we dont get anything done without our community. We are for the people and by the people and that is really what Im rooted in. Not hearing from some people, but all of the people because everyone matters.

This years Common Council race is seeing a racial diversity in its candidates that Madison has never seen before. Grayson says that is important.

One of the challenges that we face in Madison is how we talk about race and how we deal with race. We talk about race from a very simplistic view and lens. If youre Black, you get it. But its not just race that matters, its lived experience and being able to provide a perspective that is only gained through experience, she says. When you understand what it means to be homeless and sleep on concrete and wake up on concrete, you have a different approach to policy. Thats very important.

The COVID pandemic has really changed how politicians can get people out to vote. It used to be all about going door-to-door, neighborhood to neighborhood. Grayson says that she and her team have adapted to the new world of campaigning during Coronavirus.

Fortunately, I know a lot of people. Normally, you would send a whole group of people door-knocking every single day, but we have a strategy where we are having people call people that they know, Grayson says. We have a huge digital presence and we will be ramping that up in the next week or two, as well. We will be getting groups together on Zoom where I can discuss my platform.

A lot of times people focus on endorsements, but I have to get to my constituents because they are the voters, she adds. We may do some events where people can drive by. We are going to be creative like we always are.

Grayson has already nabbed the impressive endorsements of State Rep. Francesca Hong of the 76th Assembly District, longtime Madison alder Shiva Bidar and former Wisconsin State Senate candidate Nada Elmikashfi. She has also gotten the endorsements of MMSD School Board members Nicki Vander Meulen, Savion Castro, Ananda Mirilli and Ali Muldrow and Madison alders Rebecca Kemble, Tag Evers, Keith Furman, Arvina Martin, Max Prestigiacamo, and Grant Foster

Im proud of the great endorsements and the support I have been getting, Grayson says.

On Tuesday, the Grayson team announced the endorsements of Dane County board members Elena Hassl, Heidi Wegleitner, and Elizabeth Doyle and former Dane County Supervisors Leland Pan and Kyle Richmond.

In one of Graysons campaign ads, Grayson says, Madison is like a small, big Pleasantville. And now if we can just get Pleasantville to include all people, then we would be right where we should be.

The biggest thing for me is that healthy communities are safe communities. We really need to focus on that, Grayson says. We need to make sure that people on the south side are not being left behind. We have to be intentional about creating affordable housing, healthy communities and wealth building for those who are often pushed out.

For more information about Graysons campaign, click here.

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"We are for the people and by the people." Brandi Grayson looking to bring all voices to the table in District 14 - madison365.com

Lauren Zabierek is the Executive Director of the Cyber Project at Harvard Kennedy Schools Belfer Center. She previously served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force and as a civilian intelligence analyst with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA).

Paul Kolbe is Director of The Intelligence Project at Harvard Universitys Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He is a former member of CIAs Senior Intelligence Service and formerly led BPs global Intelligence and Analysis team.

OPINION In the Intelligence Community we like to discuss cutting-edge technology, complex operations, and advanced analytics to give us an edge over our adversaries. But the most important element in our intelligence advantage is the quality and makeup of the ICs corps of professionals. Much like we accept that the best equipment and training is vital to military effectiveness, diversity across all functions within the IC is essential to the conduct of our intelligence activities. Unfortunately, the IC is not as diverse as it needs to be and is not recruiting from as wide a talent pool as it could. The CIA recently launched its newwebsitededicated to hiring intelligence officers from different backgrounds. This is an important step, but its important to note that the Intelligence Community comprises more than just the CIAits other agencies must also step up and make diversity a priority. Additionally, a truly diverse workforce does not rest alone on hiring; retention and development of officers is an equally important pillar in this mission.

In September, the Intelligence and Cyber Projects at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs hosted a virtual conference exploring Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging in the IC with over 600 participants from the Community, academia, and private sector.During the conference, panelists and attendees shared their experiences and ideas for concrete policy and cultural changes to improve DIB in the IC for the benefit of our national security. Speakers examined the historical record and the experiences of underrepresented groups in the IC and compared strategies for recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse workforce. The participants identified pathways for improving the diversity of thought in the IC, including how academia and the private sector could play a facilitating role. Panelists also reexamined the role of networking, mentorship, and leadership within national security organizations. The purpose of these conversations was to stimulatedialogue, spark creative new solutions, and inspire a diverse new generation to consider service in the intelligence community.

Changes to improve diversity of thought, experience and background must start in the way the IC defines and looks for talent. Can we acknowledge that the understanding of what it means to be elite has evolved from pedigree to capability and talent? What does talent actually look like? To us, talent looks like curiosity, integrity, honor, grit, courage, the ability to think on ones feet, and the ability to speak up and go against conventional thinking. Diversity of experience and backgrounds, we believe, is a necessary foundation for those qualities. In addition to more intentional hiring, we must also nurture our talent as well, or else these attributes can be dulled by groupthink, bureaucracy, the grind, or lost entirely to attrition. Too few make it into the senior ranks.

We invest massively in IC technology an indication that we believe in its ability to powerfully augment the mission. All the technology in the world, however, wont do much when intelligence officers are reticent to embrace it in favor of traditional methods. Developing new methodologies, moving away from the way things have always been done, and incorporating technology into analysis and operations is a hallmark of an elite organization. Though there are pockets of innovation and excellence across the community, we must aspire to building more capable IC across the board. Doing so requires people from every background, race, age, and gender denomination, to imagine and work and evangelize. It also requires de-prioritizing elite pedigrees and educational backgrounds as indicators of success.

So how do we recruit this talent? Our panelists stated we must start by acknowledging that the talent pool is not limited and continue by building connectivity in underserved communities. One key step is to understand that just because a candidate might be interested, they wont always apply. We must have models to demonstrate value and belonging, and more transparent pathways into the IC. And if an officer departs, we must offer them pathways back into the community so that we do not lose that institutional knowledge and experience forever.

Policy and culture play important roles in nurturing our talent. We can create community wide policies that promote diversity and leaders actions and intentional messaging matter to create a truly diverse and inclusive culture that supports innovation is critical. Culture starts at the top, and so a leaders actions and intentional messaging matter to create a truly diverse and inclusive culture that supports innovation. Its not enough to offer platitudes and designate diversity officers, change must be modeled from the top-down, and be lived and championed throughout the ranks. It must also take place in the course of everyday hiring, promotion, and assignment decisions.

In the IC, all human capital issues are inherently national security issues, and diversity is one of mission effectiveness. Officers must look like and understand the makeup of the nation to truly understand the threats we face. The IC needs to develop strategic human capital policies and programs that hire, develop, respect, and properly communicate with an evolving workforce that reflects the diversity of the public it serves. Failure to address these issues will diminish the ICs ability to recruit, retain, and develop the best talent, thereby reducing the ICs ability to maintain its most mission critical asset its people.

Read more expert-driven national security insight, perspective and analysis in The Cipher Brief

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Toward a More Diverse and Inclusive Intelligence Community - The Cipher Brief

The clean slate of the New Year offers a natural time to set new goals and build new habits.

We caught up with CIOs who recently won the2020 Bay AreaCIO of the Year ORBIE Awardsto find out see what habits they believe will be important in the year ahead. The awards were presented by theBay Area CIO Leadership Association, a professional community that annually recognizes CIOs for their excellence in technology leadership.

Common themes from their suggestions include being change ready and more deeply supportive of the people you lead.

[ Get exercises and approaches that make disparate teams stronger. Read the digital transformation ebook:Transformation Takes Practice. ]

Read on to learn the key habitsthese CIOsbelieve IT executives should cultivate to adapt to our newnormal.

Jacob Sorensen, EVP & CIO, Bank of the West: In the year ahead, it is extremely important that CIOs are intentional about checking in on the wellbeing of our teams and individuals. The pandemic has challenged everyone in many different ways, and IT leaders must be proactive about checking in our team members regardless of how theyve been impacted. Many of our team members are working long hours in an always on mode. Other team members may be living alone, while others may be feeling isolated from the rest of the team.

As leaders, we must ensure our team members are getting the required downtime to recover from the long hours working from home. Make it a habit to encourage your teams to set aside time for their healthy habits of choice, whether thats exercising, doing a hobby, or spending time with loved ones preferably away from a screen. Frankly, this is something I am still trying to improve myself.

Ultimately this downtime makes for a more productive and effective person. It helps avoid burnout and fosters more creative and innovative outcomes. By being consistently deliberate with these well-being check-ins, CIOs will build a more stable, supportive IT culture that will better serve everyone in the future.

Todd Wilson, Senior Vice President of IT, Clif: As Heraclitus said, the only thing constant is change. This has never been more true than in 2020. As CIOs and technology leaders, change is a given, but generally far out of the comfort zone of most. To adapt to the new normal we are adjusting to a state of constant change. As technology leaders it is essential for us to keep a people-centric focus as we digitally transform. We can promote an attitude of adopting this new norm of constant change, even championing it to disrupt our organizations and industries for the better, while keeping people top of mind.

Clif Bar is a values-based company intentionally focused on sustaining our people, community, planet, business, and brand. It begins with our people. For IT leaders, driving change and adding value across the organization must revolve around our people and their needs. This includes asking some key questions, such as: How will our people respond? Will they adapt? How do we create quick wins to provide a beacon for adoption? We must be intentional in our empathy while evangelizing the tremendous value we are unlocking. To be an effective technology leader in this new era, we must put our people at the center of our strategies while promoting, championing, and embracing a world of constant change."

Kirsten Wolberg, Chief Technology & Operations Officer, Docusign: Habits are our behaviors. For me, how I behave and show up in the world is tied to my values. In 2021, I believe CIOs and IT executives will be well served to get really clear on their values and what is truly important to them and to their companies. Importantly, DocuSign has company values that are consistent with my personal values trusted, loved and responsible. These values were essential to guide me and my team to do the right thing for our fellow employees and our customers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It was challenging to move everyone to remote work, and for many CIOs it will be even more difficult to navigate bringing employees back to the office. There will be hundreds of decisions to make, and thousands of lives will be impacted. Staying focused on ensuring the company values guide the way will simplify the move back to the office and help tackle every new obstacle that 2021 brings.

Sally Gilligan, CIO & Head of Corporate Strategy, Gap Inc.: As technology continues to accelerate the pace of change across industries, it is important for CIOs and IT executives to stay connected outside of your organization. This habit helps to foster an agile learning organization that is aware and can respond to change. By having that external orientation, it also allows the organization to have awareness of any emerging innovation that may shape industries and shift underlying economics. Additionally, this helps leaders understand where to invest. As a leader, this understanding informs where you need flexibility, where your strategy needs to evolve, and the talent you need to grow and deliver.

The pace will continue to accelerate. CIOs and IT executives will need to be integrated into a broader ecosystem of innovation to participate in the broader conversation. By cultivating the habit of seeking outside opinions, it allows you to understand what you should be considering and how best to navigate the emerging landscape. Talent will continue to be one of the most critical aspects of your ability to deliver the business needs. When you understand what is possible and what is emerging, you can also develop and invest in your teams today to be able to deliver tomorrow.

Adhir Mattu, VP & CIO, Marvell: CIOs are leading a world where a multitude of changes are happening around us from emerging technologies, such as 5G, artificial intelligence and edge computing, to industry model changes like autonomous vehicles, online retail, and Industry 4.0. Were also leading in a time when there are ever-increasing cyber security challenges, as well as changing environmental and geo-political situations. As business models continue to adjust amid these myriad changes, it will become increasingly imperative for CIOs to reimagine and rescale IT accordingly, enabling profitable growth for their firms.

In the year ahead, CIOs must develop the habit of constantly looking out for change patterns and make quick adjustments accordingly. While every industry faces its own unique set of challenges and opportunities, as CIOs, we all find ourselves in a position where we must focus on innovative ways of supporting the business in the most scalable and cost-efficient manner, all while still offering high-performance IT services with excellent user-experience. CIOs who remain adaptable amid all of this change will add more value to their organizations in the years ahead.

Rob Lloyd, CIO, City of San Jose: 2020 proved the importance of people and trust. For CIOs, we saw our organizations (and communities) turn to us in a true moment of need. How powerful it was that we solved keeping people collaborating and working remotely in days/weeks, that they openly invited us to help redesign business processes for an instantly digital work. How meaningful it is that we are tending to new, transformational challenges facing us together and with more empathy than ever before.

That ability of CIOs to think operationally, tactically, and strategically at the same time has translated well. We've helped our organizations address how to pivot today's work, how to organize tomorrow's work, and how to prepare for what's important on the horizon. I've never seen so many leaders from across organizational disciplines take the time to appreciate how the IT team has kept things running, kept people connected, anticipated change, and listened deeply to work with peers/partners to solve big, new challenges in novel ways. This will continue to be useful in the year ahead as we face even more economic uncertainty, deep challenges to people's lives and livelihoods, and bonds of community.

One area where I need to improve my abilities is in how I help our people take care of themselves. Making time to reinforce interpersonal bonds. Protecting our people from falling into over-working and over-meeting. Providing time, space, tools, and guidance for people to take care of their minds, bodies, and families. Leading by example in setting new norms for work-life integration. Finding recognition and team building rituals that work in hybrid work environments. I'm convinced the best of us in the CIO and IT executive community will be the ones who can lead in terms of that mental, physical, and family well-being."

[ How can automation free up more staff time for innovation? Get the free eBook: Managing IT with Automation. ]

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IT leadership: 6 CIO habits to develop in 2021, from Bay Area CIO of the Year winners - The Enterprisers Project

Nothing symbolized the year 2020 quite like the face mask. It became a ubiquitous, often required, item for people around the world to wear in response to the pandemic, to keep themselves and those around them safe.

The need for masks was so urgent that many companies quickly pivoted to begin producing masks at large quantities. It was an entrepreneurial, and even heroic, response to the immediate demands of hospitals, communities, and consumers.

Like many companies, Mighty Wella medical accessory company built at Babsonalso began producing face masks in 2020. But, unlike most companies, it wasnt a change of direction, it wasnt in response to the pandemic, and it was highly personalfor its customers and for its founders. And, it already was part of the plan.

This wasnt really a pivot for Mighty Well, said Yousef Al-Humaidhi 15, co-founder and CFO. Weve always prioritized the needs of our patients and the needs of our community members. The difference is that as the pandemic came in, those needs shifted drastically. So, we didnt completely throw out the old business model and replace it with a new one. We just moved with our market considering what was going on with COVID.

Mighty Wells founding has been well documented. As a Babson sophomore, co-founder Emily Levy 16 was diagnosed with chronic neurological Lyme disease. Working with Maria Del Mar Gomez 16, and Al-Humaidhi (now her husband), Levy created a fashionable and functionable PICC line protector, which led to the formation of Mighty Well and a line of wellness accessories.

Weve always designed products that were specifically made for chronically ill patients, Gomez said.

For Mighty Wells immunocompromised customers, wearing masks was not a new concept. Even before the pandemic, its customers were clamoring for high-quality face masks, so Mighty Well began development in 2019. The pandemic only accelerated the need and the production, resulting in the launch of the Mighty Well Mask in June.

It definitely helped that Mighty Well was founded by a chronically ill patient, because we understood what our consumers were going through, Gomez said. Our target market is my best friend and, for Yousef, his wife.

Because of the pandemic, Mighty Wells mask also helped increase its brand awareness and open new markets, including caregivers and those who have immunocompromised family and friends. The companys community has more than doubled, from 20,000 community members to more than 50,000.

It allowed us to reach another huge, different audience, she said. This has allowed us to grow the reach and the bulk of Mighty Well through this face mask.

Like any entrepreneurial endeavor, especially a startup company, the ability to adapt to changing conditions is critical. Mighty Well is no different, although its approach might be.

Considering Emily has had chronic Lyme disease since the inception of the company, we have a built-in flexibility and agility in our team, Gomez said, because we know that with a chronically ill founder, we need to be able to adapt quickly if something happens.

With the pandemic and the growth of the company, Gomez and Al-Humaidhi have taken on greater responsibility and expanded roles. Plus, the company has been able to add three new part-time employees.

Al-Humaidhi notes that a purposeful level of redundancy has existed since the companys earliest days.

If someone critical to the business were to walk away, the business has the people in place, built in, to continue operation as though nothing happened, he said. Weve really been intentional about making sure that we have that flexibility, not just as a startup, but considering that we work with several chronically ill and immunocompromised people in our team, we work with people that might have a bad day, and we have to be able to work around it because the business cant stop.

Mighty Well has proven in the past year that nothing can stop it. In addition to expanding its product line and its markets, Mighty Well is working on starting a clinical trial in 2021 and launching a new catheter securement device with medical distributors and hospitals.

Babson always taught us to think on the fly and react to things as they came, Gomez said. The biggest thing that Emily was pushing for at the beginning of the pandemic was Entrepreneurial Thought & Action. A huge part of it is you really need to put something out in the market first to get feedback right away and then iterate, iterate, and make changes as you need.

And, the maskthat symbol of 2020is here to stay, for Mighty Well and for its customers.

As the caregiver of someone who is chronically ill, I know that I will wear a mask for the foreseeable future in settings like on planes and on buses, so I dont see that really disappearing from the needs of our consumers, Al-Humaidhi said, and I think itll always be a core product line for us.

Posted in Entrepreneurship of All Kinds

Tagged Alumni, Startups, Entrepreneurs of All Kinds

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When Making Masks Proves Purposeful and Personal - Babson Thought & Action

Updated at 3:15 a.m. ET

A pair of Louisville, Ky., police officers connected to the raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment last year were formally terminated from the force, a spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed Wednesday.

The termination letters, signed by interim Police Chief Yvette Gentry, said Detective Joshua Jaynes, who secured the warrant for the March 13 raid on Taylor's home, and Detective Myles Cosgrove, who federal and Louisville investigators said fired the shot that killed the 26-year-old Taylor, were dismissed from the force as of Tuesday.

Each has 10 days to appeal the police department's decision.

The announcement of the terminations comes the same day Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer formally announced the hiring of Erika Shields, who previously led the Atlanta Police Department, as LMPD's next police chief.

During a Wednesday morning press conference, Fischer described Shields, who will be sworn in as Louisville's top cop on Jan. 19, as a "well-respected visionary" adding that she was the unanimous choice of the city's diverse selection committee.

He also alluded to the fact that she comes to Louisville with a keen understanding of a police force and a community in search of a path forward. Shields left her post in Atlanta in the aftermath of the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks in June.

"And when tragedy happened in her city, she put her city before herself, stepping down, so she would not be a distraction, as her community worked to heal," Fischer said.

The two officers involved in the Atlanta incident are facing criminal charges stemming from the encounter. The officer who shot and killed Brooks has been terminated from the Atlanta Police Department.

"I understand there is much healing to do across the country and here in Louisville," Shields said Wednesday, addressing residents of the city for the first time.

Shields, who is white, spoke of her quarter-century working her way up the ranks in Atlanta and how it informed her about present-day challenges facing police interactions with communities of color.

"Policing to me, and race, to me, [are] not mere training blocks of instruction or a work rule in a disciplinary manual," Shields said. "The last year has shown that we have a long way to go."

New details in Cosgrove and Jaynes termination letters

In the termination letters to Cosgrove and Jaynes, Gentry, the interim LMPD chief, said each had violated department policy.

According to the documents, Jaynes ran afoul of department protocols in connection with the preparation of the search warrant and truthfulness.

"The evidence in this case revealed a sustained untruthfulness violation based on information included in an affidavit completed by you and submitted to a judge," the letter reads. "It is my decision to terminate your employment based on that evidence."

For Cosgrove, LMPD said he violated department procedures including on the use of deadly force and failing to operate his officer-worn body camera.

LMPD also found that Cosgrove fired 16 shots into Taylor's apartment, striking her twice.

"The shots you fired went in three different directions, indicating you did not verify a threat or have target acquisition," the letter to Cosgrove states.

"In other words, the evidence shows that you fired wildly at unidentified subjects or targets located within the apartment."

Both Cosgrove and Jaynes have been on paid leave in the months since the shooting and in late December received notification from Gentry that LMPD intended to sever their employment.

Earlier this week a lawyer for Jaynes told Louisville NPR member station WFPL his client's dismissal from LMPD would not come as a surprise.

"I think the outcome [has] already been pre-determined," Thomas Clay said to WFPL. "I think Detective Jaynes is going to be terminated. And we're prepared to do what needs to be done in order to appeal that decision."

Dispute over charging decisions

None of the officers who discharged their service weapons during the raid faces criminal charges for Taylor's death.

Another member of the search party, former Officer Brett Hankison, was terminated from LMPD in June.

A Kentucky grand jury indicted Hankison in September on three counts of wanton endangerment for his role in shooting into an apartment unit near Taylor's.

When Daniel Cameron, the Kentucky attorney general, announced Hankison's indictment during a press briefing on Sept. 23, he said that Cosgrove, who fired the fatal shot, and another officer, Jonathan Mattingly, "were justified in their use of force."

Both Cosgrove and Mattingly fired into Taylor's apartment after her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, first fired upon them.

Walker has maintained that the couple did not hear officers announce themselves before entering the apartment. He also said he mistook them for intruders. Walker, a licensed gun owner, said he fired a warning shot, which struck Mattingly in the leg.

That prompted officers to return fire.

In October, Mattingly filed a counter-suit against Walker, saying that Walker committed assault, battery and intentional emotional distress. Earlier that month, Mattingly sat down for an interview with ABC News and the Courier Journal where he claimed that the Taylor shooting was "not a race thing like people try to make it to be."

Breonna Taylor's name became a rallying cry, along with George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Jacob Blake and other Black Americans who were killed or seriously injured by law enforcement last year. Those encounters sparked a national reckoning on race and social inequities in the United States and internationally.

One of the grand jurors in the Taylor case said the move to terminate additional officers made him feel "vindicated," according to WFPL. The grand juror, who has remained anonymous, has joined two others in coming forward to raise concerns about how Cameron, the attorney general, presented the case.

Cameron had said grand jurors agreed with not charging any of the officers for the killing of Taylor.

However, the three grand jurors have said they not only disagreed with Cameron's characterization, but also said they pressed for more charges to be considered, but those requests were rebuffed by prosecutors.

You can read the full Louisville Metro Police Department Final Action report below.

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2 Louisville Police Officers Connected To Breonna Taylor's Death Have Been Fired - KPCW

Triumph in the Midst of Tribulation: Our Good News of 2020

I could feel the anger starting before I even finished watching the media clip. A 14-year-old Black boy, the son of award-winning jazz artist Keyon Harrold, was being violated in the lobby of a boutique New York hotel by a White woman who claimed he had her smartphone. Another racial incident went viral because of the glaring abuse of privilege whereby irrationality disses a respect for life. This trauma made me pause and think about how many times this year and in the past Blacks have observed or experienced acts of racism by systems, institutions or well-intentioned people. Im not like the victims mother who repeatedly asked why this would happen to her gentle son. I know why. I analyze and reflect on the why in my daily racial justice work. It is hurtful and tiring to know that there are people who hate you, institutions who work against you, or policies written to hold you back just because of the color of your skin.

And yet, it is the close of the year and the holiday season of love, peace, and joy is upon us. To that end, I know that this year has not only been one of the most challenging in racial matters but also economics, healthcare, and politics have divided Americans. We are polarized on issues and in need of hope and belonging. So, I decided to contact some Black friends who reside in my local community of Chapel Hill-Carrboro to hear of their good news. Black Americans are a people who have overcome enslavement, Jim Crow or segregation, lynching, exclusion, and now Jim Code. Weve been managing two pandemics: coronavirus and racism. What has been our triumph this year? What are the blessings that have sustained us?

Sibby Anderson-Thompkins (Interim Chief Diversity Officer, UNC) For me professionally and personally, 2020 brought tremendous growth, abundance, and purpose.Professionally, I agreed to take on a challenging job, one that I wasnt sure I wanted.Still, I was able to successfully leverage my experience and expertise as a seasoned diversity, equity and inclusion architect to move campus leaders towards meaningful charge.2020 was also a growth year for my son, graduating from high school and starting college virtually. He had his ups and downs, but he finished his first semester with a 3.3 GPA.Im grateful and blessed to serve.

Sylvia Black (CEO, Black Star Strategies) Since COVID-19 has prevented us from seeing our grandchildren as often as we normally would, my two grandchildren and I now have standing appointments to talk via phone every other week. They each call me at their appointed time and we talk for 30-45 minutes about what is going on in their lives. As a result, I feel much more involved in their lives than I have in several years now that they are teenagers.

Michelle Laws (Community Activist and Assistant Director, NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services) Ive witnessed the amazing resiliency of historically marginalized populations who came into the pandemic shouldering a disproportionate share of the disease burden due in large part to the effects of historical and durable structural inequality and racism. Although communities of color have been hit the hardest in terms of COVID-19 related mortality and morbidity, we have been fighting back hard to survive in spite of the challenges operating against our favor including the economic fallout from this pandemic. And personally, being turned inside out from the pandemic has forced me to draw from my inner strength, hope and faith (inside/internal work) to explore the new opportunities (outside) that this crisis presents. Im focused on what really matters and realize the role my gifts and talents play in helping to make my community and state better have been the wonders of 2020. I didnt break during this pandemic and all of the tragedies and losses that occurred in 2020; I got better.

Marilyn McClain (Physical Therapist, UNC Healthcare) In spite of all that has gone on that is perceived as negative, the spirit of love prevails. This quarantine provided me an opportunity to be intentional about connecting with friends and family. I also participated in three global meditation events for love, peace and unity that were powerful and energizing. I am also grateful to have remained free of COVID-19 even though I have to go into the homes of patients who tested positive to provide physical therapy. I am blessed.

Paris Miller (Community Activist and NAACP Officer) Soon after the U.S.A. went into COVID-19 lockdown, the holy month of Ramadan began for millions of Muslims around the world. Ramadan is usually a very communal period of time, but this year I was forced to be still, break-fast, and worship in the solitude of my home. This solitude would usher in a spiritual journey and awakening I hadnt experienced since my initial embracing of Islam over 20 years ago. As the death toll climbed, and anxiety and stress rose for many, I set my goals of spending more time with the holy Quran and standing in the late-night prayers as much as possible.Although I was hungry, tired and sleep deprived, a PEACE descended upon me, and my faith was renewed and fortified in ways that continue to sustain me during these difficult timesI pray to see another Ramadan.

Chi Nwogu (Founder, GameFlo and Entrepreneur-in-Residence, UNC Entrepreneurship Center) This year I was able to face my depression head on through adversity. A childhood friend was arrested in New York City on May 30, the fourth straight night of nationwide protests against police brutality. His arrest brought communities of people together, but also sent me into a deep depression. Two months later, I told my six siblings for the first time about childhood trauma that was the root cause of my depression. Being vulnerable is not something that happens often in my family, and my courage to tell the whole truth has freed me to have deeper conversations with my family, particularly my parents who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in November!

Halona (Founder, Breakroom Consulting, Inc.) and Ted Shaw (Julius L. Chambers Distinguished Professor, UNC School of Law) What was great for us in 2020 was the time our family had together in Chapel Hill. That included dinner at home every night, movies, games, puzzles and conversation. We were reminded of the deep bonds of love that hold us together. On a societal level, while it came as the result of racial injustice, the awakening among many White Americans and institutions to that injustice has been a positive development. Racial progress has always been bought and paid for in blood.

Soteria Shepperson (Artivist and Coordinator, Interfaith Council of Social Service) Artivism inspires community and transforms culture. Be inspired, live courageous, and transform the world. This work has been my joy.

Robert Smith III (Associate Chair for Administration, Department of Neurology, UNC School of Medicine) We were blessed with our first grandchild. A pure joy in the midst of these trying times.

Nicho Stevens (Community Activist and Marketing & Communications Associate, Broadstep Behavioral Health) Professionally, I started a new full-time job amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic. On a more personal note, I learned to value myself more! Ive always been the one to work hard to please other people. However, this year I took more time for self-care (mentally and physically) and as a result I feel like a more confident and happier person.

Elmira Mangum(Education Leadership Consultant) I am grateful to be a witness to monumental changes in our society to see love continue to win because love can use anybody the most unlikely among us. Being a person born before we had the right to vote, I am so grateful to see 2020 prove the importance of that right when exercised to its full extent. Im thankful that it is just the beginning of the changes to come. And on the lighter side, Im grateful that my black cake and peach cobbler can share the same table.

These voices of gratitude and perspective give us the language and hope to breathe more. As the cliches go in the midst of it all and when you add it all up, life really is too short. The racial tension and violence wont end tomorrow. However, we all have the capacity to learn, evolve, and transform ourselves to be better neighbors and coworkers. I refused to allow that crazy reaction and mishap by that hostile woman to dictate my joy. I trust that over time Keyon Jr. will rebound and find support from his loving family. And just perhaps, the woman will accept counseling to heal her own insecurities.

I have no doubt that 2021 will bring to us exactly what we believe we deserve. There is too much work to be done to allow evil doers to impede our purpose. Therefore, my frustration towards an interrupted routine, mask-wearing, and thwarted travel plans pales in comparison to my many 2020 blessings. The spirit of my friends (as noted in the aforementioned testimonies) provides a demonstration of the will and beauty of humanity. This past year Ive especially enjoyed the exploration of deeper loving relationships, more focused study and reading, new passion-filled clients, and jaunts on my new electric bike.

Im looking forward to the next chapter. Why? I see blue skies and more triumphs. How about you?

Never Too Far contains perspectives and insights from an inquisitive and engaged Orange County transplant from Philly. Deborah Stroman is an entrepreneur and UNC leadership professor who has seen too much and not enough, and thus continues to question and explore the thoughts and actions of humankind.

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Never Too Far: Triumph in the Midst of Tribulation - Chapelboro.com