Although this podcast never gained the group of concerned learners that I was hoping that it would, my gratitude for all the Black people who shared their insights, wisdom, and solutions-oriented thinking is immeasurable. My thinking about, my awareness of, and my respect for Black fellow Americans has grown in ways I never could have imagined without those 1-to-1 conversations... which I recommend for all White people who care about healing the racial divides in our country. This most essential elements of this podcast will now be merged with my other podcast, the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning podcast.  It might seem like an odd transfer, but it's logical and makes a great deal of good sense, because Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and well-rounded human development.  Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

According to Jason "Phatz" Kirkman, hip-hop has been misused and misappropriated. He’s written a book to shine a light on how the genre originated in the Bronx in the mid-60’s, as a peaceful, cultural alternative to crime. Phatz is on a mission to help youth understand hip-hop’s true purpose and to take it back. Here's an article worth reading to understand some of Phatz' work:  Mentors and hip-hop combine in Virginia Beach Here's a link to the Kindle edition of Phatz' book:   OFFSTAGE: The Culture of Hip Hop Before the Elements  Here's a description of the book:  OFFSTAGE offers the reader a look at Hip-Hop from a historical perspective and a cultural perspective. The history of a people will give you people, places, times and things that culminate in their experiences. The culture of a people tell you who the people were in their heart and soul. It gives you insight on their walk, their talk and how their path formed and shaped them. The original people of Hip-Hop accomplished way more than redefining the get down part of a song. Before anyone can begin expressing their artistic and musical capabilities (the elements) they must first present themselves to you. OFFSTAGE gives you the opportunity to get to know the original people of Hip-Hop before the party started.

Here's the YouTube version of this episode, with lots of visuals:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5SRfbrD-kA&t=2s Here's a link to SEL DAY info for the many ways you can help boost its success:  https://selday.org #SELday Letter to the Editor Toolkit link:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/173T0MrbfuA4urQZvGYRp6ccRr45dKDDjMUTZeesWl94/edit David Adams, the CEO of Urban Assembly, made time for this conversation because he places a premium on dialogue that is seen by both parties as an opportunity to actively listen to each other, to learn from each other and to connect with each other in order to achieve a meaningful exchange of understanding and perspectives. From that point, David and I both agreed that dialogue at that level is ever-evolving, because in any relationship … between individuals, within a community, or between different cultures … people are always changing, circumstances are always changing, and so there is always more to learn from and with each other. From there we focused on how the group of 23 schools over which he presides works to bring the most meaningful and enriching education to underserved youth. These schools would be any parents’ dream for their children’s development, not only because they nurture individual skills and even hidden talents, but because they are doing the active work of prioritizing social emotional learning for every person within each school’s community. We talked about the challenges, specifically the challenges caused by this country’s long history and undeniable patterns of racial injustice, that gave rise to the powerful solutions manifesting everyday at the Urban Assembly schools.

Assata Moore is that rare, gifted, and generous educator who is uncommonly successful at helping students (melanated or not) enjoy the power of mathematics to make life, in school and beyond, successful and rewarding. Here is the link to Assata's BLACK MATH GENIUS online course. On sale in the month of February at a 62% savings.  In 2017, Assata retired from her district-level position at the University of Chicago's Urban Education Institute. Before that position, Assata spent five years as a high school principal. Assata has traveled the world teaching other teachers how to teach mathematics, physics, and engineering in ways that engage students of all ages. In 2009, under the Obama Administration, Assata received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. My name is nini white, I was a teacher for over 20 years, and now I am the One White Teacher of this podcast, seeking out meaningful conversations with Black people, so that all of us can, little by little, know each other better, so that we can undo the miseducation that has separated with racist policies and systems, that really only hurt all of us. Thank you for sharing these learning experiences with me.

YouTube of this conversation. ThePocketUSA - includes excellent info about interacting with police when pulled over for a traffic stop. ClippersandCops - effectively mending the gap between community and police: definitely a site worth checking out to see the positive community-level work being achieved. Once in awhile, a problem is so pervasive it seems insurmountable, and then someone comes along with a solution so sensible and so simple that you can’t help but wonder why it took so long to show up. Well, Brian Wilturner, a Black man and the loving father of a teenage boy had plenty of motivation to come up with a legitimate solution for traffic stops by police. Our conversation is short and to the point, and, while acknowledging the tragic outcomes of far too many traffic stops by police involving Black people, what we focus on together is the many layered benefits for all of us, no matter the color of our skin, including benefits for police officers. Thank you for joining us to learn about one more way in which a racially-based challenge is being creatively addressed in the most Win-Win of ways. Welcome to the One White Woman podcast. My name is Nini White and I’m truly grateful to you for being the person who is taking time to learn so that real change can happen and move all of us, all Americans, forward. Oh, and this conversation, as all One White Woman conversations going forward, is viewable on YouTube if you’d like to see the actual item that Brian is talking about.

Alvin Garrett is not interested in partial truths, and in this conversation we cover a broad range of topics, which several times circled back to the issue of real empathy, which Alvin affirmed, cannot be forced through a sense of guilt or in any other way. If you, as a ‘white’ person, have ever felt uneasy about talking to a Black person, for fear of saying the wrong thing, or making the wrong move, Alvin helps to clarify the root cause of that frustration. And he follows that insight with a view from the Black person’s perspective. He explains that we need to stop trying to prove to each other what we are, and what we are not, let our ‘guards’ down, and start connecting from that place of openness. We go on to talk about Braver Angels, a highly effective nonprofit organization to which he and I, independently, have found a home for engaging in the process of bringing Americans together to listen and learn from each other (rather than listening to the media’s inflammatory soundbites) in order to, with mutual respect, bridge the destructive partisan divides for the purpose of strengthening our democratic republic for everyone’s benefit. Alvin’s viewpoint on the reason that George Floyd’s murder triggered a global response brings this conversation to a whole other level… and… if you’ve ever wondered, as I often have, how some Black people, in spite of all the challenges they live with, on a daily basis, just by being Black in America, how they only grow stronger - maintaining their freedom from the toxicity of negativity, you will definitely appreciate Alvin’s answer. The part of our conversation about privilege and white privilege is pure gold… and just to give you a quick heads up: guilt has no value and no place in what he suggests we can do with our white privilege to make a positive difference. And… we concluded with some of our combined thoughts on critical thinking: its importance, its obstacles, its challenges, and its rewards.

https://www.13blacktownstour.com https://studio.youtube.com/video/5Phj93CKxjs/edit These are intense times, with battles being fought in school districts over how and what today’s students should be learning about this country’s history. Many of us are waking up to the fact that parts of this country’s history, the parts about which no one can feel any pride, have been and continue to be buried, withheld, and intentionally covered up. One of the many things I found most fascinating about conversation with Derrick Smith, the Young Black Mayor, is his positive and constructive approach to turning things around for everyone’s benefit… and by everyone, I mean all Americans, whatever the color of their skin. Education is how we become stronger as a nation… and Derrick is committed to education that not only informs but also entertains. Derrick has a big-hearted and worthwhile vision for how his community can independently grow and thrive, and I loved talking with this wise and creative gentleman. See if you agree about the positive value of his ideas and his vision. Thank you for joining me on this the One White Woman podcast. My name is Nini White and this podcast is my way to learn and grow, by sharing my learning journey, one conversation at a time to move out of the cluelessness in which I’ve been swimming my entire life, and I want to breathe the clean fresh air of unaltered facts, because as James Baldwin famously said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Thank you again for sharing these conversations with me.

This podcast is for people who know they want to whole-heartedly move forward with their intention to be part of solutions to the racial disparities and inequities in America.  We need to be very realistic about the fact that nothing will change just because we want it to change... but let's abandon the concept that it's 'hard work.'  Instead, let's identify what's required of us 'white' people as 'worthwhile work,' or 'rewarding work' ... something more along those lines, because words do matter.... and words can exhaust us before we get started or they can energize and inspire us. Let's be energized and inspired. Yes?!! You can learn more about Tom Morgan on his website, here:  https://www.morganintercultural.com Here is a link for an abundance of information provided by Mitch Hammer:  https://idiinventory.com/about-us/our-team/mitchell-r-hammer-ph-d/ Here's a link to a helpful distillation of Bennett's Model of Intercultural Sensitivity:  https://www.arlt-foundation.org/blog-post/the-developmental-model-of-intercultural-sensitivity-dmis Please remember to subscribe, to leave a rating and a review.   I'm starting to think that we 'white' people who value this kind of wisdom are in the minority of 'white' people, but if we stick together, and learn together so we can grow together, we will make a difference. Thank you again for being here.

Dr. Rachelle Rogers-Ard. Rachelle is a published author, adjunct professor, district administrator and she has over 25 years experience as an organizational development specialist focused on coaching school and business leaders in effective approaches for dismantling racist policies, practices and procedures that threaten organizational health. Currently, Dr. Ard is the Principal Lead for Harvest Consulting. REAL relationships, Rachelle points out, are based on the people in those relationships being SEEN… and being SEEN is a prerequisite for the possibility to engage in COURAGEOUS conversations. In this conversation, which I’m so grateful to be able to share with other “white” people who are sincere in their efforts to heal the destructive racial divisions in this country, Rachelle describes, with uncommon clarity, the mindset required for us to make forward progress. One particularly helpful insight I gained from Rachelle for checking my ‘whiteness’ in relation to Black people is to be aware of my surprise - spoken, thought or wordlessly felt - in response to Black people’s intelligence, accomplishments, skills, etc., etc. Have you ever noticed that response in yourself, even if you didn’t give voice to it? THAT is clear evidence of how we, as ‘white’ people, have been programmed as ‘superior’ and to expect inferior intelligence, accomplishments and skills from Black people. THIS is the insidious nature (to use Rachelle’s vocabulary) of how ‘white’ privilege and ‘white’ supremacy manifest… most often under the radar of our own conscious awareness. It hurts a LOT to tell you I’ve caught those thoughts, which I hate to admit, even to myself, but if I don’t catch them, and I don’t admit to myself that I caught them, then how else can I become more conscious of, and eventually eliminate, the programming I and all of us ‘whites’ grew up with? Rachelle tells us that we need to ‘name what is invisible to make it visible,’ because as Ibram X. Kendi explains, ‘The heartbeat of racism is denial.’ … a little bit more about Rachelle: Her upcoming remote leadership engagement series is: “WOKENESS DON’T STOP BULLETS: Authentic Leadership to Challenge Intersectional Racism.” The purpose of this 3-day remote leadership engagement series is to “shake systems and soothe souls.” Dates are August 9th, 10th & 13th, (2021) from 9am - noon PST.  For more info contact: [email protected] Rachelle’s recently published book, “Black Educational Leadership: From Silencing to Authenticity” which she co-authored with Christopher Knaus, PhD, explores a topic few of us ‘white’ people are even aware needs attention.  The book’s dedication reads “To the many, many children who grow up without being able to learn from powerful, authentic Black school leaders and to the many, many Black educators who feel they cannot be who they are and keep their jobs.”  A dedication that clearly speaks to an unacceptable deficiency in our educational systems that we ‘whites’ must acknowledge, absorb, and be intentional in helping to correct.   Rachelle's website link. YouTube link for our conversation:  https://youtu.be/Bky6WpsjeoA

Are you, like me, finally realizing that it’s up to so-called “white” people, to examine our woefully incomplete knowledge of history, and current realities, so that we are better able to contribute, in whatever ways feel most right for each of us, to practical and constructive solutions that will move all of us, as Americans, permanently forward.  We've come a long way, yet we need to remain open to how very much more we need to learn and understand so we can consciously be part of the solutions, rather than continuing to unconsciously enable systemic racism in America. Today’s conversation is with Ashley Scott, a realtor and visionary entrepreneur. Ashley is a fireball of positive, practical and constructive energy, and she’s dedicated to creating a safe future, characterized by fully realized potentials for her family, her friends’ families, and all future generations of Black families in America. Towards the end of Ashley’s and my conversation, the connection got a little wobbly, but I hope you’ll listen all the way through… and then I very much hope you’ll check this show’s notes for links to the sites Ashley shared with us. Organizations suggested by Ashley deserving of your attention and contributions: The Freedom Georgia Initiative: Creating generational wealth for Black families. Providing a place for safety, restoration, recreation, and reformation for Black families during this time of racial trauma and economic instabilities across the United States of America. All well-wishers are invited to upcoming events and support our fundraiser. We are doing a new thing. We are building for ourselves! Freedom Georgia’s GO FUND ME page: Help us build a new future for Black families and our allies by bringing amenities and utilities to our 96.71 acres of land in Toomsboro, GA. The Black Achievement Fund:  Working together with the Freedom Georgia Initiative to establish safe communities, towns and municipalities for Black people across the country in which we have our own police departments, court systems, and control of our own social, political and economic affairs. NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People): A multigenerational network of activists dismantling structural racism by taking action on the most pressing issues of our time. A small sampling of the media coverage Freedom, Georgia has attracted: CNN video: 19 families buy nearly 97 acres of land in Georgia to create a city safe for Black people Newsweek article: 'We're Creating a City in Georgia for Black People to Live Without Racism' USA Today Article:  “19 Black families bought 97 acres of land, and they want to turn it into a city called Freedom”