B-Change

Aaron Tanaka was just twenty two, a recent Harvard graduate, when he was given a small fellowship grant and the chance to test his chops as an organizer in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. Acknowledging that he was “just a kid who didn’t know what he was doing”, he trusted his mentors, people of color from the community with hard-earned lessons to share. Now, seven years later, Tanaka shares his journey as executive director of the Boston Workers Alliance, describing:

What’s the connection between brass bands and social justice? Wouldn’t you naturally think of this kind of music as more appropriate for a military parade? But these brass bands now play music at social justice protests as well as at street festivals in 21 cities across the world! They are loud and boisterous, but still acoustic and mobile — like the protest music strummed on acoustic guitars in the 1960s. Only much louder! Reebee Garofalo plays drums in the HONK band, The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society. He is also a musicologist, familiar with the HONK phenomenon. 

When a hurricane or tropical storm hits Texas, Tomas Aguilar wants the immigrant residents he works with to be effectively organized to withstand the storms. The Living Hope Wheelchair Association where he works seeks to make sure that immigrants of limited means can be protected and that they have a voice in public policy that will improve the chances for their survival in the future.

Marcy Goldstein-Gelb is not only the cohost of the B-change podcast, but she has also served as executive director of several social justice organizations. In this episode, Marcy tackles the question: how can the internal values and practices of your organization be consistent with the organization’s external mission? 

In this episode, Marcy shares her experiences:

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Democratic Leadership articles:

Woullard Lett served as president of the Manchester, NH branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) before becoming president of the New England Unitarian Universalist Association. In this episode, Woullard talks about how he developed his leadership and spiritual practices.

The Practices of Spiritual Leadership, New England Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association

As a positive psychologist (Psy.D.) Maria Sirois focuses on the resilience of the human spirit, particularly when under chronic stress, during significant transitions, and/or feeling the shock of wholesale change. 

Shirronda Almeida grew up in affordable housing, Georgetowne Homes, in Boston, during the period of “white flight” and “urban renewal.” She experienced busing, the moving of the orange line, witnessed the tensions of segregated neighborhoods, and the severe disinvestment in communities of color. What is now Government Center and Copley Square Mall were both taken in the name of urban renewal, tearing down, for example, the West End, which was a vibrant low-income community. Almeida first learned of an alternative model — non-profit community development — more than a decade later.

When Maria Elena Letona began her tenure as executive director at Centro Presente, she was confident her academic training had well prepared her for the job. She was wrong.

Aaron Tanaka was just twenty two, a recent Harvard graduate, when he was given a small fellowship grant and the chance to test his chops as an organizer in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. Acknowledging that he was “just a kid who didn’t know what he was doing”, he trusted his mentors, people of color from the community with hard-earned lessons to share. Now, seven years later, Tanaka shares his journey as executive director of the Boston Workers Alliance, describing:

Is it healthy for an organization to have leadership centralized in one person — the executive director? Is leadership development “one size fits all”?

Sheerine recommended two resources: