Below is an executive summary of a Brookings report on Black Owned Businesses from May of 2023. Read it. Have it in your back pocket when people give you excuses about why we don't invest in small businesses. -----------------------------Using the Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey (ABS) data on employer firms (those that have at least … Continue reading Black Owned Businesses

A few days ago I wrote a post called Exploring Our Values inspired by a long list of values shared by Elena Aguilar. The values I chose from her list were: Imagination, Equity, and Meaningful Work. To the value Imagination I added the word Collective. Solo imagination is great and needed but in order to … Continue reading From Meaning to Results

https://youtu.be/W6dBQ2UM6JI?si=uWKaFc-txAZdyM0X Just in life. You gotta keep showing up. Just keep showing up. You gotta keep showing up.

In recent weeks, we've had a few days when the weather has been mild enough to take our puppy out for a walk by the shoreline. What surprises us is her reaction to it. Even when the water is calm, the line where the water meets the land moves slightly, pulsating. But she is used … Continue reading Beginner’s Mind

Yesterday I participated in an "applied theater" workshop. The term "Applied Theater" is new to me. From the CUNY website:The MA in Applied Theatre degree program, the first program of its kind in the United States, uses theatre as a medium for education, community development, and the pursuit of social justice... Applied Theatre involves the use of … Continue reading From Image to Gesture

The impact of race on children's career aspirations is undeniable. Those of us in positions to plan career days, guest speaker visits, and mentoring networks must be mindful of this. While white role models bring valuable perspectives, especially in terms of economic diversity, we must also ensure that we are inclusive of Black role models … Continue reading Role Models and Race

What if we structured conversations like songs? Would that help us listen more deeply to each other? Would structuring conversation like a song set us up to learn something together that could be remembered, developed, repeated, and shared easily and artfully with others? While there is a lot of variation on song structure, we can … Continue reading Song Structure as Conversation

Closing the wealth gap closes a lot of other gaps. Closing the wealth gap should be our number one priority. What good is a clean environment if so many folks are struggling with poverty and all of the pain and systemic disparities that come with it. Closing the wealth gap requires imagination, innovation, and work … Continue reading Wealth Has a Need for Speed

https://youtu.be/wwtkmuqhXAs?si=Dp-oUSYEpN8KBn4B&t=1416 This long-form interview with audio engineer Young Guru is worth listening to from start to finish. However, if you're pressed for time, focus on the section in which they talk about using technology to solve real problems. Technical skills empower us to address problems of all kinds—many of the problems we address are trivial … Continue reading Who Solves Meaningful Problems?

https://youtu.be/LPW5Zx3ntZo?si=iSielrtRgi_J6CGt Check out Sofia Ongele's TEDx talk about how she uses code and social media to create platforms for positive, meaningful change that are joyful, fun, and easy to use. ------------------------------------------------"I've realized over the course of growing up that what we largely consider to be participating in democracy is honestly kind of narrow and unimaginative. We're taught that … Continue reading Creative Superpowers + Democracy