1 MAY 2024 · Kwanzaa Principle of Imani (Faith) The Imani principle calls for us to believe in ourselves and our capacity to bring about a better society and a better world. On the 7th Day of Kwanzaa, Imani Day, we give thanks and remembrance to family, friends, and historical figures who have contributed to their lives and the betterment of America. This day we remember the faith that our family members and ancestors had to bring us to this point. In this episode Anita, Mavis, and Gail continue their Community Conversation. They examine Christian Nationalism through the lens of the Kwanzaa Principle, Imani (Faith). Join in as they take a deep dive into the ideology of Christian Nationalism, those engaged in active opposition, and The (Unholy) Slave Bible published by missionaries in 1807. Points of Reflection: - Christian Nationalism differs from nationalism, patriotism, and Christianity. - Clergy opposition to Christian Nationalism - The (Unholy) Slave Bible produced by missionaries in 1807 for the use of enslaved Africans. “Let nobody give you the impression that the problem of racial injustice will work itself out. Let nobody give you the impression that only time will solve the problem. That is a myth, and it is a myth because time is neutral.” — Jim Wallis (America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America)  

17 APR 2024 · Ujamaa Collective, An Experience That Lasts! Fair Trade | Meaningful Work | Community | Creativity | Wellness FEATURED GUEST: FRANKIE HARRIS, BOUTIQUE MERCHANDISER/SPECIAL EVENT DECORATOR  Ujamaa Collective is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded with a social mission to act as a catalyst to advance Africana Women by providing a fair trade marketplace for cultural, artistic and entrepreneurial exchange through cooperative economics in the Historic Hill District and beyond. “We lift as we climb.” The mission of Ujamaa Collective is accomplished through an artisan boutique, pop-up marketplace events, arts and entrepreneurship programming, and advocacy on health and wealth. The boutique operators, LaKeisha Wolf, Executive Director and Frankie Harris, Boutique Merchandiser/Special Event Decorator, have a  passion for cooperatives, rooted in values of meaningful work, creativity, community and wellness. Ujamaa Collective is located in the Hill District, an historically African American community in Pittsburgh PA. "The Hill, or "Little Harlem" as it was referred to from the '30s thru the '50s, was one of the elite African-American neighborhoods in America. It was home to one of the most vibrant jazz scenes in the country, as well as one of its hottest clubs, The Crawford Grill, which was owned by Gus Greenlee."— https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pittsburghs-hill-district-dream_b_1669867

3 APR 2024 · What Is Your Key Antiracism Challenge? In this episode Anita, Mavis, and Gail continue their Community Conversation making it personal. They each discuss what they each define as their Key Racism Challenge. Points of Reflection: • Based on your George Floyd origin story, what is your definition of yourself after vs before the murder? Has there been a shift? • What is most challenging — knowing yourself, knowing where you stand, or being visible to others? • How does doing the work antiracism connect to your social identity?   Examples of Key Antiracism Challenges: Expressing empathy through perspective-taking along with immersion into the historical narratives and personal experiences of others.  Engaging in conversations about antiracism in all the spaces in which you move - your home, workplace, place of worship, your immediate community, and the communities of those who are different from you.  Engaging in conversations with racism deniers or those who believe we live in a post-racial/colorblind society.  Persuading those who claim to be nonracist or not racist that racism is a problem that affects us all because it is embedded in the social, economic, systemic, educational, and institutional fabric that covers all of America

20 MAR 2024 · The Roots of Policing in America: Slave Patrols  To understand community policing in a contemporary context requires a look through the long lens of history, enslavement, and slave patrols. Where and why did it begin? - Charleston City Watch and Guard (1790s) Charleston, NC Slave Patrols - Majority black (slaves) population - Minority white population terrified at the possibility of slave uprisings wanted a group focused on the control of black people. - Reconstruction/Jim Crow Era - focused on enforcing black codes, the laws and policies meant to control the lives/movement of black people. In this episode Anita, Mavis, and Gails discuss the remnants of slave patrols and community policing in contemporary history.  Community Policing Defined: What/How Community policing is a collaboration between the police and the community that identifies and solves community problems. With the police no longer the sole guardians of law and order, all members of the community become active allies in the effort to enhance the safety and quality of neighborhoods. "In general terms, community policing is not a program; it is not a set of activities; it is not a personnel designation. Rather, community policing is a law enforcement philosophy, a way of thinking about improving public safety." https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/What_Works_in_Community_Policing.pdf  

6 MAR 2024 · Don't miss this episode of #InflexionPointPodcast on The Transformation Network™. Join Anita, Mavis, and Gail as they discuss "The Art of Community Conversations in Today's Climate of EDI, Antiracism, and Book Banning."   Why Community Conversations? These are an essential tool for promoting dialogue and understanding within communities. The PRESS Model, developed by Robert Livingston, is a valuable resource for facilitating these conversations. In today's climate of EDI and antiracism, community conversations are more important than ever. Join the discussion as the hosts explore the intersection of community conversations and book banning.    Add Your Voice to the Conversation: Join the InflexionPoint Podcast Facebook Community. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1863715990493524   

21 FEB 2024 · Meet Guest Khamil Bailey, Founder of Cocoapreneur, Co-Founder of Greenwood Week Pittsburgh, and The Greenwood Plan | Corporate Consultant | Speaker | Black Business Advocate Khamil's Backstory Begins in East Orange, NJ Then Evolves After Attending University of Pittsburgh. Khamil's vision of thriving Black communities was planted in her home city of East Orange, NJ; and then transplanted to the city of Pittsburgh when she attended the University of Pittsburgh. The evolution includes the Greenwood Plan, Greenwood Week, Emerald City Co-Working Space, and the acquisition of a $4.1M building in Pittsburgh PA. "Life experience and an apparent need pushed me into social entrepreneurship and solving prominent and longstanding issues of inequity against Black Americans. My areas of focus is business, enterprise, and self-sustenance within predominantly African American communities. Read Black Enterprise Article: https://www.blackenterprise.com/downtown-pittsburghs-pitt-building-now-black-owned-aiming-to-ignite-black-businesses/

7 FEB 2024 · Final Community Conversation on the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa. Mavis, Gail, and Anita finish up the series of Community Conversations about the Nguzo Saba: The 7 Principles of Kwanzaa. The goal with the series was to drive home the point that Kwanzaa Principles are working ideals. These ideals can be embedded into everyday life, particularly on the journey towards antiracist activation. In this episode they finish up the final two principles.   Creativity & Faith Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. “Be unapologetically powerful and brave. Let no one convince you there are limits or boundaries to what you can achieve.” —Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts   Watch Here: https://youtu.be/cNe8CQnIg9E  

17 JAN 2024 · Collective Work & Responsibility. Cooperative Economics. Purpose. In the previous episode we opened up our community conversation with a discussion of the first 2 principles of the Nguzo Saba, Unity and Self Determination. In this episode we discuss the next 3 principles — Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, and Purpose, providig personal experiences and examples of work that exhibits the principles.   Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibilility - To build and maintain our community together and make our community’s problems our problems and to solve them together. Ujamaa: Cooperative Economics - To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together. Nia: Purpose - To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

3 JAN 2024 · Happy New Year! Thank you for joining us for the first episode of InflexionPoint Podcast in 2024. This the spot where we are dedicated to the art of listening in authentic conversation. We challenge our audience to listen actively and intentionally for the purpose of self-awareness, understanding, personal transformation, and ultimately social impact. As a matter of fact the 2024 Theme is Community Conversations.   So What's the Big Deal With Community Conversations? Michael Halt, Founder of the https://www.liminalschool.org defines Community Conversations as a process designed to be a simple and sociable informal conversation in which a small group of people come together to get to know one another, in a more meaningful way than usual, by talking about their sense of personal purpose in their lives and our community and about the issues that are of personal priority and concern. The mission of the American Libraries Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. Libraries Transforming Communities is an initiative of the American Libraries Association that seeks to strengthen the role of librarians as core community leaders and agents of change. LTC addresses a critical need within the library field by developing and distributing new tools, resources, and support for librarians to engage with their communities in new ways. One of the ways is through Community Conversations. The LTC and the Community Conversations Workbook is also supported by the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, which is creating a counterforce in society powered by community-led change. Website quote: "Our task is to get on a more equitable, fair, just, inclusive, and hopeful path forward."   Community Conversation - The Hidden Potential of the Nguzo Saba: 7 Principles of Kwanzaa Frank Dobson Associate Dean of Students, Vanderbilt University, describes What Kwanzaa Means for Black Americans:  Each day of Kwanzaa is devoted to celebrating the seven basic values of African culture or the “Nguzo Saba” which in Swahili means the seven principles. The principles are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics (building Black businesses), purpose, creativity and faith. A candle is lit on each day to celebrate each one of these principles. On the last day, a black candle is lit and gifts are shared. Kwanzaa is rooted in the struggles and the gains of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements in the 50s and 60s. Professor Keith A. Mayes, a scholar of African American History at the University of Minnesota said, "For Black power activists, Kwanzaa was just as important as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Kwanzaa was their answer to what they understood as the ubiquity of white cultural practices that oppressed them as thoroughly as had Jim Crow laws.”   Watch Here: https://youtu.be/p2vF1sgcY2k  

20 DEC 2023 · Book Discussion - White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity by Robert P. Jones Land, Labor, and Slavery “It's nothing short of astonishing that a religious tradition with this relentless emphasis on salvation and one so hyper attuned to personal sin can simultaneously maintain such blindness to social sins swirling about it, such as slavery and race-based segregation and bigotry.” ― Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity   Doctrine of Discovery: The International Law of Colonialism (a) The idea that God designated America as a new promised land—shaped how five centuries of Europeans would understand the “new” world and the people who populated it. (b) The right to go in and kill, conquer and reduce their persons to perpetual slavery. (c) Interconnection between land and slavery - enslavement of Africans was the continuation of genocide and dispossession flowing from the first European contact with Native Americans.   Legal Dimensions of the Doctrine of Discovery (a) First discovery. (b) Occupancy and current possession. (c) Religion - a significant aspect of the Doctrine of Discovery (d) Civilization.    From Columbus Day to Black History Month and Indigenous People’s Day Recognize the significance and need for a broader understanding of American history that includes the contributions and perspectives of Indigenous and African-American peoples.   Watch Here: https://youtu.be/cux-vwcPLtc