Tag: Racial Justice

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Telling Your Story, Making a Social Impact

One of the goals of Mission in Motion is to highlight some of the ways that SCS uniquely manifests the mission and values of Georgetown by delivering a world-class, values-based education to a diverse array of communities and individuals throughout their academic and professional careers. In this Ignatian Year, we are each invited to engage with the origin story of the Jesuit founder, St. Ignatius, and then relate something from that story to the diversity of our own individual stories. 

Storytelling has become a cornerstone of the Ignatian Year, outlined as a practice on Georgetown’s Ignatian Year bookmark and highlighted during a recent signature event that modeled how to share our own stories and listen to the stories of others. An important implication of this kind of storytelling is that transformation is possible through stories, not only for individuals but also for communities. SCS is helping realize the personal and social change possibilities of telling stories. 

John Trybus, executive director and faculty of Georgetown’s Center for Social Impact Communication at SCS, interviews Dr. Tyron McKinley Freeman, author of “Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy During Jim Crow.” The event explored the story of Madam C.J. Walker and provided powerful examples of how stories can create social change. 

The Center for Social Impact Communication (CSIC), and specifically its Certificate in Social Impact Storytelling, demonstrates the potential for social change when professionals effectively tell their stories as part of social impact work. Anchored in CSIC’s mission, the Certificate in Social Impact Storytelling seeks to teach “changemakers of all types, especially current and aspiring marketers, communicators, fundraisers, and journalists, how to harness the power of effective storytelling for the strategic benefit of an organization and society as a whole.” This commitment to social change aligns with the Spirit of Georgetown and the University’s commitments to social justice and the common good. 

What is especially noteworthy is the congruence between the purpose of storytelling in the Ignatian Year and the mission of the storytelling certificate. The latter is grounded in the idea that telling stories effectively builds emotional connections that “bring to life the work of the issues we care so much about in ways that other forms of communication cannot.” The notion of connecting to others through emotions has a powerful linkage with the style of spirituality at the root of the Ignatian Year. Building relationships of trust  grounded in the honest sharing of stories aligns with a spirituality that is centered around shared human experiences. 

The starting place for a transformational spirituality is not by understanding abstract ideas, but by making meaning of our daily experiences and then relating that meaning to our ultimate purpose in life. St. Ignatius believed that through our emotions, the data of our everyday human experience, we are able to discern how we are called to lives of generous service. Our authentic callings and our deeper union with God flow out of the discernment we do of our interior, emotional experience. That interior work requires that we share our stories with others like trusted spiritual guides, friends, family, and others in our communities with whom we build trust. The philosophy of the CSIC storytelling certificate that “stories are inextricably linked to what it means to be human” similarly connects the sharing of stories with both individual and communal transformation.

Connecting stories to social change was evident this week in a special event organized by CSIC about the book “Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy During Jim Crow” by Dr. Tyrone McKinley Freeman.  In conversation with John Trybus, CSIC executive director and faculty, Dr. Freeman explored how Madam C.J. Walker used her own story and her own voice for greater justice and inclusion in a society that marginalized African Americans. The story is one about the powerful bonds of community. Walker’s story of philanthropy challenges the notion that individuals are successful in private enterprise because they are “self-made.” Rather, like Madam C.J. Walker, individuals are “mutually made” in tight-knit communities and have the potential to generously share the power and dignity of their own stories with others. This story carries powerful lessons about the evolution of Black women’s philanthropy and the events that eventually gave rise to the civil rights movement in the United States. 

The call to action at the end of the book event was: Do what you can with what you have. That same call resonates with the potential of this Ignatian Year. How might we share our stories and our gifts and talents with others in the hope of making the world a more generous and welcoming place? 

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A Prayer for Hope on Juneteenth

This week we honor Juneteenth, a day of celebration to commemorate emancipation and the end of slavery in the United States. While this holiday offers a welcome opportunity to celebrate that particular historical event of independence, Juneteenth also presents a challenge to confront the enduring legacy of slavery in America and how it continues to manifest in our social structures. More than a distant memory, the spirit of Juneteenth has the potential to energize our ongoing work at Georgetown to grapple with the institution’s own history of enslavement in order to realize in the present day more justice and more equity in our community.

The AJCU Justice in Jesuit Higher Education Conference focused this week on the work of racial justice in the mission of Jesuit higher education. The conversation surfaced many reflections that are relevant to the celebration of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth takes place in the midst of the AJCU Justice in Jesuit Higher Education Conference, a series of virtual programs intended to draw attention to the ways we are called to deepen a commitment to social justice in our schools. The conference featured a plenary session and a live question and response this week on “Racial Justice and the Mission of Jesuit Higher Education.” Many things shimmered in these discussions about racial justice in Jesuit higher education, but one image stood out for me as it relates to Juneteenth. Dr. Yohuru Williams, distinguished university chair and professor of history and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas, called attention to the longitudinal work of racial justice. Racial justice efforts on our campuses will not succeed if they are temporary and they will not succeed, said Dr. Williams, if they only focus on “massive change.” Instead, he advised, we need to also focus on the capacity and potential of individuals to make change in their own lives.

The panel and Dr. Williams’ comments reminded me of a reflection written last summer by the Jesuit Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J.: “Juneteenth: A Day of Hope.” In this piece, Saint-Jean articulates the need for transformation of individuals as well as entire systems. The key ingredient in the work, for Saint-Jean, is hope:

“As a Black man in America, I see hope as the biggest weapon that I can use to fight against systemic racism. When I wake to go jogging, go to the store, drive to school, hope is the only faith that helps me make it through. I have to hope that I will make it back home each day. As a Black body, hope gives me resilience to continue despite every dehumanizing structure oppressing and suffocating me.”

Saint-Jean links this hope to a living spirituality. He invites us to a deeper moment:

“[Of the] divine timing for us to live with the audacity of hope in the midst of the chaos. This is a time that calls us to enter into a meditative conversation with themselves [sic] and uncover the unconscious biases that keep us from moving to a place of spiritual conversion, a metanoia. … Today, Juneteenth is more than a date. It is a place of hope for the Black community. … Juneteenth is like the resurrection.” 

The Jesuit Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J., contributed a reflection on hope and Juneteenth. You can learn more about the connection between racial justice and the spirituality of the Jesuits by reading Patrick’s new book.

We are fortunate in the Jesuit network that Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J., has recently written “The Spiritual Work of Racial Justice: A Month of Meditations with Ignatius of Loyola.” This is a helpful and necessary new resource for reflecting on the work of racial justice through the lens of the Ignatian spirituality that animates our Jesuit campuses. I hope that this Juneteenth holiday provides space to reflect on how personal and collective hope can sustain the difficult work of addressing the wounds of racial injustice and struggling together toward the full promise of freedom.

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Commitment to Holistic Student Support Animates SCS Program Director

Rondha Remy, an SCS staff member who serves on the leadership team of the SCS Diversity, Equity, Belonging, & Inclusion Council (DEBIC), shares her insights with Mission in Motion. A passion for student affairs and empowering students on their journey guides Rondha’s work.

This week, Mission in Motion sits down with Rondha Remy, SCS Program Director for the Business and Management degree programs. Rondha discusses her approach to providing student support, her reflections on the ongoing work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism at Georgetown, and advice about why it is so important to take time and space for rest and recharge.

1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. What brought you to Georgetown SCS and how does your role at the School align with your professional vocation and mission? 

I am the Program Director for the Business and Management programs serving students within the Higher Education Administration, Global Hospitality Leadership, and Supply Chain Management MPS degree programs.I primarily assist students in navigating their degree progression and pairing them with various resources available within the Georgetown community or within the field. I work collaboratively with my faculty directors, our program manager, and assistant dean, to ensure that we are able to offer a great overall student experience. 

Prior to my time at Georgetown, I worked in various student affairs positions at other higher education institutions and at a non-profit education organization servicing K-12 students. My experience sparked a need to familiarize myself with the potential threats to a student’s experience within the classroom and how I can best serve them there. I truly want to learn how to be a resource to students throughout all aspects of their educational journey. Here at Georgetown, I feel empowered to continuously act as a change agent/pioneer in how we service our students holistically. 

2. In addition to serving on the leadership group of the SCS Diversity, Equity, Belonging & Inclusion Council (DEBIC), you have been participating at Georgetown in the Doyle Conversations about Anti-Racism in Higher Education. Can you share some of the most important insights from these discussions?

The discussions were empowering because they gave me comfort to know that many departments across the university are incorporating new initiatives or ways to educate the community in relationship to diversity, equity, and inclusion work. One term that was used frequently to explain the notion of “digging deeper” in a conversation was interrogation. This wording may not have been intentional in their presentation but it was a word that I took notice to. 

We all understand interrogation. We know that it is intentional questioning to unpack a thought/action. “Digging deeper,” typically used in student affairs jargon, gives a passive tone while “interrogation” gives an active tone which I believe is important when we think about this work. We need to actively think about why we have certain assumptions and why we participate in certain behaviors. Once we interrogate these thoughts/behaviors we are able to recognize, educate, and create new thinking/behaviors. 

3. Your staff responsibilities include advising students. As you reflect on the future of your approach based on advising students over the last year of global pandemic, what lessons will you carry forward with you in this student-facing work? 

Intentional follow-up is extremely important to nurture relationships and help students remain focused on their goal/investment. Whether it’s follow-up with new information on new policies set by the School, following-up on a conversation about internships with a link to a position that was shared with you, or just following up to congratulate them on their family addition because you remember their child was due sometime that month. Intentional follow-up adds an important human touch to the relationship in a time where human touch can be problematic. 

4. What one message, takeaway, inspiration, or challenge would you like to offer readers? 

At times you need to step back in order to fully recharge! AND THAT’S OKAY!

We know the fastest way to charge our phone is to put it on Do Not Disturb or Airplane mode. You are not easily distracted by the notifications and your phone data is not being used. This allows your phone to focus on one thing — charging the battery. Once charged, you can move freely and have the power to do all the things you want to do.

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SCS Faculty Director Dr. Erinn Tucker Participates in MLK Initiative Event on Food Equity, Racial Justice in DC

Georgetown’s MLK Initiative is an annual celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and consists of events, programs, and other opportunities to deepen the University’s commitment to the principles that animated Dr. King’s life and witness. Mission in Motion has written about one facet of the initiative, “Teach the Speech,” an annual invitation for students, faculty, and staff to explore critical dimensions of a speech by Dr. King with particular relevance for contemporary events.

Mission in Motion takes a closer look at an MLK Initiative event this week, “Cultivating DC’s Food Economy to Sustain Racial Justice,” which featured a panel of experts, including SCS Faculty Director Dr. Erinn Tucker

This past week, the MLK Initiative convened a panel to discuss issues of food, racial justice, and grassroots advocacy in Washington, D.C. The event, “Cultivating DC’s Food Economy to Sustain Racial Justice,” was a conversation among experts with experience in the hospitality industry, local government, community-based farming, food culture, and environmental sustainability. Dr. Erinn Tucker, SCS faculty director of the Global Hospitality Leadership program, as well as co-founder of DMV Black Restaurant Week, offered her insights about how the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged an ecosystem among Black-owned restaurants and increased awareness of what Black-owned restaurants need to sustain their businesses. The hour-long program was a deep exploration of how we at Georgetown can engage in the critical work of food justice in our local communities.

Christopher Bradshaw, founder and executive director of Dreaming Out Loud, a local food equity non-profit organization (featured in Mission in Motion as a site of SCS staff member Tremell Horne’s regular volunteer activity), made the foundational point that we care about food because it is a common bond that we all share and it tells a story about us. Food reveals not only the ways our society comes together, but also the ways that our society is divided. Bradshaw called attention to the ways that Black farmers have historically been driven from their land, contributing to a significant racial wealth gap that persists today.

The MLK Initiative event is part of a year-long series of programs to deepen Georgetown’s intentional commitment to living out the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Erinn Tucker focused many of her contributions in the discussion to the way that the COVID-19 pandemic has surfaced the need for collaboration in supporting Black-owned businesses. A healthy, sustainable business ecosystem requires cooperation among many stakeholders. The pandemic has highlighted, for example, how small Black-owned businesses need more support from the technology industry in order to meet consumer demands during a prolonged period of take-out ordering. Dr. Tucker commented that many in this hospitality space are wondering how to most effectively harness the increased corporate financial support and interest in Black-owned businesses in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. An ongoing challenge, which all of the panelists presented on to some degree, is to sustain and build upon some of the pandemic-related lessons learned about how to advance the goals of Black-owned restaurants and small businesses.

The MLK Initiative event was an important reminder about the critical importance of sustaining mutually-beneficial partnerships with local communities. The academic and professional discourses about food justice, the hospitality industry, and urban policy development provide opportunities for further exploration. The discussion illustrated two important insights about integral ecology and local culture from Pope Francis’s teaching document Laudato Si:

“There is a great variety of small-scale food production systems which feed the greater part of the world’s peoples, using a modest amount of land and producing less waste, be it in small agricultural parcels, in orchards and gardens, hunting and wild harvesting or local fishing…To ensure economic freedom from which all can effectively benefit, restraints occasionally have to be imposed on those possessing greater resources and financial power. To claim economic freedom while real conditions bar many people from actual access to it, and while possibilities for employment continue to shrink, is to practice a doublespeak which brings politics into disrepute. Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving our world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the areas in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good (129).

A consumerist vision of human beings, encouraged by the mechanisms of today’s globalized economy, has a levelling effect on cultures, diminishing the immense variety which is the heritage of all humanity. Attempts to resolve all problems through uniform regulations or technical interventions can lead to overlooking the complexities of local problems which demand the active participation of all members of the community… There is a need to respect the rights of peoples and cultures, and to appreciate that the development of a social group presupposes an historical process which takes place within a cultural context and demands the constant and active involvement of local people from within their proper culture. Nor can the notion of the quality of life be imposed from without, for quality of life must be understood within the world of symbols and customs proper to each human group (144).”