In this episode, Katherine Martin, author of the book The Colorful Image of God, joins me to talk about social injustice and how she challenges White Christians with the disconnect between their belief in “imago Dei” and the injustices that Black people, and other People of Color, face today. Katherine shares her thoughts on being born on the 3rd, how her father’s death changed her life, her inspiration to write her book, white culture and Christianity and how we can use white privilege differently.  Key Talking Points of the Episode: [05:27] How the death of Katherine’s father affected her [17:36] What inspired Katherine to write the book [27:22] Was Jesus white? [32:47] The Bible is not black and white. It is gray [39:23] Understanding white culture [51:39] How to use privilege in a different way [01:02:03] What’s wrong with the culture of white privilege? Quotes from the Episode: “The Bible is a reflection of the hands that hold it.” “People don’t believe what you say unless you prove it.” “Whiteness is the norm or likes the dominant culture, and then everything else is different. And compared against whiteness.” “We do the best we can until we know better. And once we know better, we do better.” “If we want all people to be able to live their best and fullest lives, and then there are things that we can do to help create more access and opportunity every day in our choices for that to be true.” Resources Mentioned in the Episode: https://katherinelearns.com/ https://katherinelearns.com/book/ https://a.co/d/15yNl96  

How would you feel if someone discriminated in public and no one came to your rescue? Would you have the courage to stand up for yourself? In this episode of Born on 3rd podcast, I have the privilege of hosting the amazing Monique Kelley. She recently became an associate professor at Boston University's College of Communication. She's the faculty advisor for the university's award-winning Public Relations Student Society of America chapter. She's also an entrepreneur, the founder of Monique Kelley Consulting, and a founding member of the Women's executive organization called chief. Monique grew up in New Jersey with her Iranian mom and Black dad from Trenton. Growing up, Monique had room to be independent and autonomous. Monique is a strong believer that you are what you tell yourself. Growing up, she challenged herself to do many things, especially in sports, even when she knew it wasn't her stronghold. In this episode, we dig deeper into understanding how we can have intentional diversity and inclusion. Key Takeaways from the Episode: Inaction is inexcusable: If you see or hear something racist, sexist, homophobic, or offensive, you must act. Being silent by the standard is signaling your approval. Putting fancy inclusive words up on a sign or painting them on the wall in an office to put them in an employee handbook does not make an organization inclusive. Take time to learn about other people's cultures. It will help you understand them better. Quotes from the Episode: "I'm a strong believer in you are what you tell your mind."- Monique Kelley "Belonging is accepting people for who they are."- Tim "Stop focusing so much on what you don't have and focus on what you do have and how you can add value."- Monique "Any negative energy or negative experience that I have, I'd like just to flip it on its head and use it as fuel."- Monique Connect with Monique Kelley: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquekelleygigliotti/   

Welcome back to another installment of Born On Third, this week on the show I welcome Coleen Galvin Yaroshenko to discuss her journey from growing up in the dugout to winning the whole game. Coleen was raised by two abusive parents with mental deficiencies and addiction. Though her childhood was rough, the lessons learned from that experience were even greater. She used her life-tools to raise two happy children, one of which is transgender. Coleen is a true example of resilience, grit, and wisdom.   Key Takeaways: Coming to terms of an abusive/hard past is the first step to moving forward with life People in the LGBT community are 4x more likely to commit suicide than their cis peers. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in ages 10-24. You are born with the toolbox your parents passed down to you; whether those tools are broken or not it is your responsibility to heal from trauma Episode Highlights: [00:52] Introduction to Coleen Galvin Yaroshenko [03:03] What base were you born on? [07:32] Born with your parent’s toolbox [13:11] Starting the healing process [17:50] Finding the perfect balance when raising children [22:35] Changes in the family [32:00] Naming your child again [37:08] Loving a child that is trans [47:00] Educate yourself about the LGBT community [51:13] Fighting to change policies [53:12] What base are you on now? [55:00] Outro   The Trevor Project Books: Trans Mission - Alex Bertie  Love Lives Here: Amanda Jette Knox Not Just a Tom Boy -Casper J. Baldwin The Trans-Gender Issue : An Argument for Justice -Shon Faye Trans Like Me/ CN Lester Tranny: confessions of Punk Rock’s most infamous anarchistic sellout- Laura Jane Grace  

In this episode of Born on 3rd, I welcome Matt Driscoll, an award-winning tattoo artist, entrepreneur, and Co-Owner of 9th Realm Tattoo and Art Gallery in Salem, MA. Listen in as Matt and I talk about how he’s bringing light into the world through the art of tattooing along with his candid thoughts on how society views people with tattoos. We discuss how Matt’s upbringing in Southern California has impacted his art, why he moved out to the East Coast, and how the culture differs from SoCal culture. He speaks on why he got into art and his path to becoming a tattoo artist and shop owner. Matt highlights his relationship with money, wealth, and success, how his parents’ absence affected his life, and his challenging experience raising his little sister. Then, he reflects on the increasing acceptance of tattoos in America juxtaposed with the ever-present discrimination of people based on their skin color. “Even if my subject matter is dark, I want to bring some light into this world, so everything I do is like bright-colored. I just always try to put emotion in things, man, I love it. I want to make someone feel something by looking at an image.” – Matt Driscoll Remember to support your local artists! Connect with Matt Driscoll: Check out Matt’s art on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raptorlazer Support and connect with Born on 3rd Podcast: Visit our website: https://www.bornon3rd.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bo3rdpodcast Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bo3rdpodcast Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BO3rdPodcast Subscribe to Born on 3rd for more episodes like this & Rate/Review it so we can grow and reach more people!

Welcome back to another installment of Born On Third, this week on the show I am joined by Co-founder of Kind Cotton - Kaitlin Johnstone. During her days as an educator Kaitlin noticed a lot of underrepresentation in the books she was teaching. The demographic in her classroom did not reflect the characters in the books being used, so together with her husband she sought to change that. Fast forward to 2022 Kind Cotton has donated over 52,000 books with their goal only growing and their reach expanding! Key Takeaways: Even in school districts with a high demographic of black and Hispanic students, the curriculum was not representative of them or their culture The impact education has on early childhood developments makes a huge a difference in your educational journey; from traditional knowledge to social sills Hate is taught – it is paramount to actively teach children to be anti-racist otherwise at an early age they begin to associate with other kids who look like them Episode Highlights: [00:51] Introduction to Kaitlin [03:47] What base were you born on? [08:11] Starting Kind Cotton [11:42] Kids starting at home base [17:55] Guidelines and themes of books donated [21:15] Legislation in Florida [26:00] Going against the grain [35:11] Responsibility of change falls on white people [37:39] Purchasing Kind Cotton books [42:27] Recommended books [45:20] Starting a reading program [48:31] How can people support Kind Cotton? [54:38] What base do you think you are on now? [56:33] Outr0 Quotes: “It’s hard for people to step back and outside of themselves” “My third year into teaching I started recognizing that a lot of children didn’t have access to books – they especially didn’t have access to books in which they felt seen, valued and loved” “Teachers make more decisions than brain surgeons on a daily basis which is why there’s so much tremendous mental burnout in education” “We want children to feel seen regardless of where they come from, what their culture is, or what their parent’s sexual orientation is” “Books should be windows and mirrors” Learn more about Kind Cotton here Follow Kaitlin on IG at @kindcotton

Welcome back to another episode of Born on Third, today on the show I am joined by Lonnie Brewer to discuss his experience growing up on first base and parenting. Lonnie is an H.R. consultant, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant, and has his own podcast underway titled On Becoming Bulletproof. Growing up with three sisters and a mother who continually worked at least two jobs, Lonnie felt the responsibility to be the man of the house, even at five years old. He shares the stark transition from living in a dangerous area with no racism to a safer white neighborhood with overt racism. Lonnie’s experience navigating different layers of poverty has shaped him into the resilient father he is today with wisdom that can only be taught through sharing his experience.  Key Takeaways: Being poor versus being broke is all about the mindset. Being poor is a mindset while being broke is an economic condition Saying the word “can’t” holds deeper connotation than what appears on the surface; it signifies surrendering, reluctance, and weakness The passive racist; a person who enjoys the privileges from a system that oppresses others and does nothing about it   Episode Highlights: [00:00] Introduction to Lonnie Brewer [02:33] What base were you born on? [07:21] The unwritten rules of the wealthy [12:04] Background growing up [18:41] Moving to Springfield [20:18] Broke vs poor [21:26] How do you teach resilience? [27:19] Role modeling [30:00] What parts of childhood help you as a parent? [34:17] The passive racist [37:41] Meeting your father [45:00] A purest at heart [48:55] Lessons to pass on [54:35] What base are you on now? [58:29] Outro     Quotes: “Wow, so that’s what it looks like to grow up with privilege – you don’t really feel like rules apply to you” “When I was 11 years old I was jumped by 6 guys” “My life could have easily gone in the other direction; I feel fortunate just to be alive” “Tell me and I’ll forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me, show me and I’ll learn” “I had to learn how to be a man without the benefit of having one in my life”      

Welcome back to another installment of Born on Third, this week on the show I welcome Pastor, serial non-profit entrepreneur, and author of the book Neighborliness: Love Like Jesus. Cross Dividing Lines. Transform Your Community, David Docusen. In this episode, David speaks on the hypocrisy we see in religious texts and how it addresses contemporary issues like economic divide, race, and sexual orientation. As a person who experienced living on both 3rd and 1st base, David points out the biases we are conditioned to believe and practice, even if it's subconscious. Learning through these biases is one of the many ways David is combating these predispositions to help us understand that, as he perfectly puts it, we are all one family. Key Takeaways: Reconciliation vs conciliation; to reconcile means to go back to a preexisting state when what we’re looking for is a new start Christianity and atheism are not mutually exclusive when it comes to being empathetic, virtuous, and inclusive The spirit of neighborliness goes beyond doing good deeds, its setting your biases aside to unify, understand, and grow with conviction  Episode Highlights: [00:00] introduction to David Docusen [06:01] What base were you born on? [07:51] The journey to writing Neighborliness [13:14] Weaponized religion [16:11] The hypocrisy of religion [21:40] Following the word of Jesus vs following Jesus [25:40] “We are all one family” [27:51] Embody the spirit of neighborliness [30:31] Admitting we all have biases [36:05] Reconciliation [44:37] Making an impact in your community Quotes: “If we’re not willing to acknowledge that there’s some advantage that has been given to white people in our country, then you are just making a bunch of noise” “There are some that would resonate with my faith background and some that may find that to be off putting, and I say let’s just have a conversation together” “I don’t want you to follow Jesus, I want you to embody his life and his presence to the world around you” “I think that if we actually behaved like Jesus, we would go in and build relationships and not throw down religious law” “The inevitable outcome to division is conflict, violence, and death” “Jesus wasn’t trying to win arguments; he was trying to build relationships” “We can learn so much and [yet] never do anything of substance to our community” “Systems can change because systems are made of people” Learn more about the mission of Neighborliness here Buy Neighborliness

Welcome back to another episode of Born on Third. On this episode we are joined by author of the book A White Guy Confronting Racism: An Invitation to Reflect and Act, Jared Karol. Jared has been a champion for diversity as showcased through his works at Translator, Inc. as a D.E.I consultant and public speaker. In this episode, Jared flips the connotation of privilege from a meaning of accusation to an opportunity for collaboration in dismantling oppressive systems and people. With over 20 years of expertise under his belt, Jared has been able to introduce humanity to the conversation of racism. His work has flipped the script to sway white folks into seeing people as what they are, humans.   Key Takeaways: Having the motivation to connect with people is key to understanding others. Listening to their perspective and learning of adversities they’ve faced reveals a spectrum of inequities they would have otherwise not been aware of Victims of discrimination are left with the burden of educating those who have discriminated against them. Humanity, E.Q., mindfulness, and storytelling – four critical talking points from A White Guy Confronting Racism that encapsulates the message of racism and how to combat it   Episode Highlights: [00:50] Introduction to Jared Karol [03:02] What base were you born on? [06:50] The connotation privilege holds [12:38] The privilege to not think about race [14:21] Cancel culture [19:50] Instant gratification [22:22] “Tell me more” [27:17] What are key takeaways from the book? [33:41] Humanity and political implications [39:14] When and how is confronting racism with humor affective? [43:50] Connect with Jared   Quotes: “Because we haven’t had to think about race and racism, for the most part, we’re not aware of what others go through” “Privilege, for some reason, has a connotation of an accusation” “Yes, I grew up poor, I didn’t have the nice house and the money and the amenities that my friends had, but I was still white” “If you ask 10 people what does cancel culture mean you’d get 10 different answers” “We are all traumatized from racism” “No one is free until we’re all free” “I think it would be naïve if we said racism isn’t both influenced and affected by policy, politics, and laws” “Racism at its core is about dehumanization”   Stay connect with Jared: Website | Instagram | A White Guy Confronting Racism      

Lonnie and I recorded this podcast on Tuesday, one week after the mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. We both felt it was important to share the conversation that we were having privately with others. In the time it took to edit this episode, 33 mass shootings have happened in the US. This has to stop. Something must change. We hope that our conversation will help others begin or continue their own discussions around ending gun violence. www.bornon3rd.com www.lonniebrewerconsulting.com www.everytown.org    

Lonnie and I recorded this podcast on Saturday, one week after the domestic terrorist attack at the Tops grocery store in Buffalo. We both felt it was important to share the conversation that we were having privately with others. In the time it took to edit this episode, another attack happened at an elementary school in Texas. This has to stop. Something must change. We hope that our conversation will help others begin or continue their own discussions around ending domestic terrorism.