State of Inclusion

Our guest for this episode, Dr. Kathleen Yang-Clayton, is focused on transforming public organizations and rebuilding trust in government through operationalizing racial equity. We'll hear about her diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work with communities across Illinois through her partnership with the Great Cities Institute.  Link to Full Transcript and Show Notes Signup for The Inclusive Co...

We again examine diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the intersection of business and community. In today's episode, we speak with Tiffane Davis, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, for Michelin North America. Tiffane brings a perspective from inside a company where DEI has been a way of life for decades. Where the approach to DEI is an outgrowth of the company values and where they are a...

In today's episode, we speak with Don Williams of JUMPSTART. In our interview, we explore the topic of community inclusion and belonging for individuals returning from prison. In this episode, we'll learn about the systemic barriers in many communities that make it difficult for individuals returning from prison to succeed.  Link to Full Transcript and Show Notes Signup for The Inclusive Community...

Working across the community, achieving collective impact, building civic infrastructure, and moving from talk to action. Those things are at the heart of our discussion today.  In this episode, we talk with Monroe Nichols from StriveTogether. StriveTogether animates a network of over 70 communities, reaching around 14 million students with a focus on improving cradle-to-career education outcomes....

In today's episode, we explore the topic of building an equitable entrpreneurial ecosystem. Our guest is Magalie Yacinthe. Magalie is a social innovator and an entrepreneur who also works at the community- and systems-level to make the entrepreneurial ecosystem work for everyone.  Along the way, we will learn about an initiative in North Carolina to build out Black Wall Streets across the state. I...

When you are part of a large coalition, how do you ensure the participants are centering equity in their work? Listen in on this episode as Kalika Curry, of Eastside Pathways, shares how her organization centers equity in all they do and how they align members in their coalition to the same goals. Along the way, we'll discuss targeted universalism and the four dimensions of racism.  Link to Full T...

In today’s episode, I’ll be talking with Nick Cave and Bob Faust, two very well-known artists, art entrepreneurs, and social innovators based in Chicago. Nick and Bob use their art and their platform to advance racial justice and as a way to create and co-create community conversations. One of their installations, Making #AMENDS: Letters to the World Toward the Eradication of Racism, was the spark...

In this episode we talk with Stephen Piggott, of the Western States Center. We will discuss a resource that he and his colleagues produced: A Community Guide for Opposing Hate. We'll hear more about what motivates anti-democratic groups, how they work, and talk about what communities can do to oppose hate. Link to Full Transcript and Show Notes Signup for The Inclusive Community Newsletter 

In this episode, we learn about the racial and gender justice mission of the YWCA and how the YWCA in Madison, Wisconsin, uses their values to deliver on that mission in their community. Join me as we talk with Gery Paredes Vásquez, the Director of Racial and Gender Justice at the YWCA Madison. Gery reminds us that we must first acknowledge each other as human beings in our full complexity and the...

Intro Part 2 - In this new State of Inclusion podcast sub-series, we will use what we've learned from all of our conversations, along with our research, to suggest an approach, a practice for building a more inclusive world one community at a time. In this second episode, my partner, Emma Winiski, and I will give a summary of the six areas of practice that are included in The Practice of Building...

Intro Part 1 - In this new State of Inclusion podcast sub-series, we will use what we've learned from all of our conversations, along with our research, to suggest an approach, a practice for building a more inclusive world one community at a time. In this first episode I'll introduce you to Emma Winiski, my partner in this work and this series. We will also introduce four foundational or cornerst...

Here at State of Inclusion, we are working on a capstone project of sorts. We are using all that we've learned from our conversations and research to suggest an approach, a practice for building a more inclusive world one community at a time. We will initially publish these ideas as a podcast series. We've created a new page on our website, which will house these episodes along with other assets a...

In this episode, we will learn how leaders in Greenville, SC have come together to make a difference in racial equity and economic mobility. We'll hear how the murder of George Floyd  served to inspire and motivate a strong group of leaders to take action and work towards lasting change across the community. Link to Full Transcript and Show Notes Signup for The Inclusive Community Newsletter 

Eco-Justice and Environmental Justice...What do those terms mean and how they inform our thinking about the question: Justice for Whom? Join us today as we learn more about these terms and talk with conservationist, Rebecca Bolich-Wade, about how communities can use eco-justice, environmental justice, and the community commons to build more inclusive and equitable communities. Link to Full Transcr...

In this episode, we speak with Reverend Kendra Plating and Rabbi Sam Rose from the Greenville County Interfaith Justice Network in my hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. In today's conversation, we will explore what the beginning of this type of journey looks like for a community and the keys to their early successes.  Link to Full Transcript and Show Notes Signup for The Inclusive Community N...

Listen in on the Nehemiah Action Assembly, hosted by More Justice. Learn how powerful an ally the interfaith community can be in the fight for justice and equity as we discover how More Justice is working to transform the Midlands of South Carolina. Link to Full Transcript and Show Notes Signup for The Inclusive Community Newsletter               

Creating a more just, inclusive, and equitable community requires engaging the whole community. And that means everybody. In this episode, we explore what it means to engage and empower younger members of our community in this critical and urgent work of building a more inclusive community.  Link to Full Transcript and Show Notes Signup for The Inclusive Community Newsletter         

Join us as we gather wisdom and inspiration from our discussion with Kristy Kumar, Equity and Social Justice Manager for the City of Madison, Wisconsin. Kristy comes from a background of social justice, community organizing, community care, and violence prevention work. In our discussion, she reminds us all that we haven't yet reached racially equitable societies for lack of plans and research. We...

What can we do in the face of hate? Today, we talk with Patrice O'Neill from Not in Our Town. Our discussion with Patrice reminds us that we are the authors of our own stories, and we are the authors of our community's stories. We have the ability to take events, warning signs, hatred that we and others see in our community and reframe our community's narrative. Join us as Patrice shares just how...

 We all have the power to be more inclusive. How about starting with the next meeting you are hosting or attending? In this episode we'll discuss the art of creating more inclusive meetings. This episode defines what it means to have an inclusive meeting and also includes practical information about how to make your next meeting more inclusive, whether you are a host or a participant. Link to Full...

In this episode we talk with Dr. Nika White about how to build diversity, equity, and inclusion at the intersection of community and business.  If you are a corporate leader, is your corporation showing up in your community? Are you thinking outside the four walls of your corporation? If you're a community change agent, are you partnering with the corporations in your community to advance communit...

Joel Dock, of Louisville Kentucky, shares how owning the history of their city's planning process and the harm done from that process helped inspire his city to take action to make their community more equitable and more inclusive. Joel also shares about the process his team used and introduces us to a visualization and communication tool called StoryMaps. This conversation with Joel, reminds us t...

In this episode, we lean into Community Equity with Kimberlee Archie.  We touch on complex topics such as reparations, sharing power, and confronting community history. Join us as we continue our journey to learn more about how individuals and their communities are taking on this challenging and difficult task of building a more inclusive world, one community at a time. Link to Full Transcript and...

In this episode we interview Alaina Lavoie, Program Manager for the nonprofit, We Need Diverse Books. Why do we need more diverse books? What is happening in the publishing industry that is helping to drive inclusion and what are some of the barriers that marginalized groups still face.  Alaina gives us peak behind the curtains of the publishing industry and the efforts to build a more inclusive w...

Our public libraries are vital resources to our communities and, as citizens, we own them. In this episode, we interview two librarians: Sarah Voels, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Karin Michel, from Chapel Hill, NC.  Sarah and Karin give us an introduction to the work that libraries are doing in support of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Join us and learn more about how our public libraries can ma...