The Justice Walk Travelog - April 2023

April's Walk 👟

April 11, 2023

Leadership coaching rooted in equity and justice

Rep. Justin Jones is in the foreground with a megaphone. He is a Black man wearing a suit. Rep. Gloria Johnson, a white woman, is behind him and Rep. Justin Pearson, a Black man, is to the right of the photo.

Reps. Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson, and Justin Pearson. BBC photo.

As I was preparing this month's newsletter, the TN House of Representatives took explicit, considered, broad-daylight, no-questions-about-it, public racist action.  I had to add this addendum.The TN House brought "charges" against three elected members of their body: a Black man who is 27-years-old, Rep. Jones; a Black man who is 28-years-old, Rep. Pearson and; a white woman who is 60-years-old. The two Black men were expelled. The white woman was not.Racism is the only explanation - though ageism played into as well.White supremacy was bold and loud that day. This CAN reflect the angry lashing out of a cornered, mortally wounded animal. IF we all commit to considered, intentional actions in explicit opposition to racism.Follow Rep. Gloria Johnson's example. What are your Black colleagues asking you for? How do they need you to show up in solidarity with their leadership? Do those things.If you're wondering if I'm being "too" bold, blatant, focused on race, etc., well - please check out the piece below that was going to be my opening letter.We persist.(P.S. As of sending, Rep. Justin Jones has been returned to the House by Nashville's Metro Council. Rep Justin Pearson's district may soon return him to the House as well.)

Yellow square with A 90 second pause is the difference between a reaction and a response at the top. Under that is a line with time at the left with an arrow to Trigger in a red circle, another arrow to reaction in a purple circle, and a last arrow to unwanted outcomes. Under that is a similar arrow except after the red Trigger circe is a space then a blue circle with response, another arrow, and favorable outcomes. Below the line it says, A 90 second pause gives you time to...and then in yellow circles the following 4 things: take a deep breath, resist the urge to act impulsively, name how you feel, put your ago aside and, think through consequences. The artist is @doodledwellness

This month's walking...Oh, the pause.The pause allows us to shift from simply reacting on impulse to being considered and intentional before we respond.I bet I know what you're thinking: "That sounds HARD."Yeah. Look at all of those things @doodledwellness calls us to do in the lower circles: Breathe, Resist impulsivity, Name feelings, Put aside ego, Think about consequences. Yowza!Those are all things we are not trained or socialized to do in our culture. In fact, we're often encouraged and celebrated for doing the opposite: Hustle/Grind; Move quickly; Look out for #1; Ignore/deny feelings; Ask for forgiveness rather than permission.Our impulse actions are our pre-programmed actions, how we have been socialized to think and act.The pause lets me take a second to consider: "Is that what I believe?; Is that how I want to choose to act?"Pausing is hard. But...my life and relationships are so much better since I've been integrating a pause.Let's look at those 5 circles @doodledwellness drew:Breathing is always a good thing. The other day I was starting to spiral out and my coach, Alex, said, "Hang on. Stop. Look up at the sun. Take 3 deep breaths." It helped me to reset.Resisting the urge to act impulsively reminds me to SLOW DOWN. If I can remember to breathe, that breath can take the place of an impulsive reaction.Naming my feelings gives me a chance to notice where I am in the moment. "Oh, my defensive hackles are up. Do they need to be? Do I want to act out of this feeling?"Putting my ego aside reminds me that not everything is about me. In fact, very little is about me. "Will my response center ME in this conversation? It is appropriate for me to be centered right now?"Thinking about consequences gives me a chance to wonder if the satisfaction of spitting out that biting quip will be worth the harm it might cause to my relationship with this person.Yes, all of the above takes work.It takes practice.It requires vulnerability to say, "Please give me a sec. I want to be thoughtful in my response."Ok, but, is this equity and belonging work?YES! Our reactions, as mentioned above, come from our socialization, how we have been trained to think and act.The dominant culture is the one with the most power over our socialization, meaning we are all socialized to believe that the normal and best manifestation of humanity is a white, cis, straight, physically and mental able, Christian, upper-middle to upper-class, 18-34-year-old, male.Our interactions are impacted (driven) by our biases and prejudices (which we ALL have). The majority of humans do not fit that exact "ideal" profile.The 5 pause activities give us a chance to notice and override the biases and prejudices that may have been present in a reaction and  make an intentional choice around our response.As a contrarian, part of my motivation to pause is to ensure I'm acting out of MY values, not the pre-programmed values of systems or institutions.What motivates you?

Introducing Our New Equity Coaches is in blue words at the top of a mostly white rectangle. There are six headshots from left to right, slightly offset. From left to right they are a Black man in a teal shirt, orange tie, and black vest, a Black woman with glasses and short hair, a South East Asian woman with long dark hair and a white blazer, a Black woman in a black and white photo wearing a patterned shirt, a Black woman with short hair, earings,white shirt, and blue and white scarf, and a white woman with long hair. Underneath it says, "Meet our coaches" Fresh faces, new ideas, steadfast support

Recently, I was selected to Sustainable CT's 2023 Equity Coach cohort. Sustainable CT is a free, voluntary certification program that inspires, supports, and celebrates thriving and resilient Connecticut communities. To qualify for certification, every municipality must fulfill an equity requirement.That's where my fellow equity coaches and I come in, providing FREE equity coaching to communities! (We are paid through Sustainable CT).The coaches and Sustainable CT staff met in mid-March for a day of community- and skill-building, led by Thought Partner Solutions. I left energized, excited, and thankful to be learning from and alongside these fantastic people over the coming year.Make sure to click on the photo above to learn more about Kamora Herrington, Denise Page, Ace Riker, TeriLynn Rogers, and Latha Swamy.If you're in CT and think your town would benefit from Sustainable CT supports, let me know and I'll connect you to the right people!

Two video screen rectangles are within a larger blue background. Just-In Time Conversations is above them. On the left there is a white woman in a green sweater in front of a beige wall. On the right is a Black man wearing a white collared shirt, tie, and blazer. He is wearing glasses and headphones in front of a brown wall and bookshelf

A few weeks back, Justin Farmer invited me to be a guest on his radio show. Justin is a progressive city council member in Hamden, CT and general "good trouble" maker. Being in conversation with him was an honor.Take a listen to our conversation by clicking on the image above. Justin's led us into a holistic explanation of what I do - and an example of how I do it.  If that's something you've been trying to figure out, here's a good answer!.I hope you'll listen and reach out to me with questions or feedback. Feel free to share widely and help me with my marketing!P.S. After the episode I researched the question that came up about the use of the term, "Sherpa." Sherpa is an ethnicity. Some Sherpa's are expert guides, but not all expert guides are Sherpas. As a result, it's probably most appropriate not to use the term "sherpa" as a way to talk about guiding someone through a learning experience.  (You have to listen to understand the context - see what I did there?)

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