Juneteenth: Are you on a Learning Journey?

Yesterday was Juneteenth, the holiday honoring in 1865 the end of slavery in the United States. This week was also the 10-year anniversary of my daughter Kenya's adoption day.

Both significant days for us as a multi-racial and trans-racial adoption family - and for me as a Leadership Coach. Racial equity and inclusion is paramount in all that I do.

Wow, that’s a lot of racial-ness I mentioned there, huh….

Many people may want to stop reading right there and might ask: ?Why do you have to focus on race? Why is this holiday and acknowledging skin color important?

Disclaimer: Before I learned about all this I was NEVER into history or honestly thought it was all that important (I know, I’m sorry history buffs and teachers, you can throw the book at me!)

But I have learned and know more now and as Maya Angelou once eloquently said:

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”.

If you don’t know or get the meaning of Juneteenth, or think it’s just for African Americans to celebrate, I invite you into a learning journey with 3 actions and resources below to connect with its importance for our country, your work, life and relationships with those that have a different skin color.

My Learning Journey

Before I outline actions, I want share a few tidbits about my own journey of learning that showed me how critical it is to see racial differences, get educated on the history and learn from African American people that have opened my eyes and heart.

18 years ago, well before I adopted my daughter, during a Gestalt consulting leadership training experience, I had what I call THE FRYING PAN MOMENT.

I literally felt like someone smacked me over the head hard with a frying pan!! I was dizzy with emotional overwhelm and my head was exploding with realizations of things I NEVER KNEW or saw that black people experienced and lived with daily.

Thank you to Amber Mayes, MSOD (she/her) who is a DEIB expert who was in my cohort that over the many years has coached and mentored me since that moment and now a dear sister friend and coaching partner.

Five years after that I went to indigenous Africa and had many mind, body, spirit immersion experiences starting a women's mission there that flipped everything I knew about skin color and social economic class upside down.

Thank you to Becky Chebet who led the women's mission and Risper Pete from Kenya and all the women of Pokot indigenous tribe who taught me about life in Africa.

Then later I fostered and adopted my girl Kenya above and had to get lots of training, education and advice to learn about African American history, culture, lifestyle, hair and racism so that I could properly support and raise my girl.

Thank you to the MANY black mamas, friends, transracial adoptees and parents and braider hairdressers. There are too many to name all but special thanks to a few coaches Milton Eric Fletcher, PCC, NLPCA and Jacqueline Browning who gave me important perspectives.

Now I coach leaders of all races, cultures and differences and have learned how to facilitate open, inclusive and brave conversations that are transformational.

Thank you to my wise friends and DEIB colleagues who have given me feedback and guidance on the complex intricacies of this work Wil Johnson , Renée A. Freeman and Dr. Robert Martin.

I'm so grateful for these black and African American friends, professionals and colleagues for pouring into me with grace and compassion so I could become racially aware and competent. Many of which have met and loved and poured into my daughter too. They say it takes a VILLAGE to raise a child and wow we have one. THANK YOU, swooning in gratitude.

My learning has not stopped, it will be life-long, so I’ve learned to embrace the process. ?

What’s Your Learning Journey?

If you are on a racial awareness learning journey too, here are my 3 L steps that I offer to support you that have helped me along the way...

1) LISTEN?– Engage with and develop authentic connections with those different from you by compassionate listening to their stories and experiences. Get curious, validate their experiences and do not negate, debate or diminish the pains of their past or their ancestors.

2) LEARN?– Educate yourself on the true history of this holiday, slavery, racism through the eyes of black people who lived it. I know it’s very unpleasant and uncomfortable. If you are white, you do not have to feel blame or shame, you can just learn the truth and let it move and inform you.

3) LOVE and LEAN into differences?– Be color mindful. Instead of ignoring or avoiding differences or being color blind, get curious and lean into conversations with others that look different from you. For some "how to" on that, check out my blog I wrote with my friend Wil Johnson for #A Human Workplace:?Color Mindfulness: Honoring and Valuing Our Skin.

Resources to Learn More

History of Juneteenth?–?What Is Juneteenth? | HISTORY

Why Not to be Color Blind and How to be Color Mindful?– The blog I wrote for #A Human Workplace. Thank you Renée Smith for being a champion for racial equity??

Color Mindfulness: Honoring and Valuing Our Skin — A Human Workplace (makeworkmorehuman.com)

How to Create Brave Spaces for Inclusion and Race Conversations?– My blog and video?Do you create BRAVE spaces? – Breakthrough Partners?and 11 steps for leaders blog with my friends at a #Center for Loving Workplace?Brave Spaces: 11 Steps Towards Inclusive and Respectful Work Environments | LinkedIn

May we keep learning and honor the history of the FREEDOM to bring equity, inclusion and belonging for black people and all people so that we can ALL be free and live out our purpose together in this country.?

With love, freedom and honor for all,

Jen?Todd

Leadership & Transformation Coach

CEO,?Breakthrough?Partners?Inc.

312-543-2595? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??

[email protected]

www.breakthroughpartner.com

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