This episode focuses on the topics of race, racism and antiracism, which we have often done here, but this time we are going to hear the insights of a younger generation. In an especially personal episode for me, I’ve invited the members of my family to join me for this conversation. My co-host for this episode is my wife, Me’lani Labat Joseph, and together we explore these topics with our three adult children, Layla, Malik and Ayande. As a family, we’ve discussed these issues informally for years and I’ve been increasingly curious how they are thinking about these issues in today’s social and political climate. And I thought our Bending the Arc audience might be interested in listening in on this conversation as well!

Me’lani Labat Joseph is a youth enrichment and community development professional who has spent her entire career devising ways to expand the horizons of young people, particularly youth of color and young folks in an urban environment. Trained at MIT as a mechanical engineer, and at the University of Chicago in public policy studies, she is now the principal of Transformative Innovations, LLC, her consulting firm that provides strategic thinking and technical assistance to organizations and institutions to help them maximize outcomes for youth.

Layla Imani Joseph is currently working on an MD-PhD at Northwestern University with a focus on medical anthropology and the social determinants of health. She is particularly interested in issues of Black women’s health and wellness, the impact of policing and neighborhood violence, and community-based approaches to safety and healing. Layla is a graduate of Stanford and currently a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Research Scholar.

Malik Sankara Joseph is building a career in strategic communications and media relations. He currently works as an Account Executive at Rudd Resources LLC., a Black-owned PR and communication services firm based on the south side of Chicago. Malik graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Public Relations and Advertising, and a minor in African/Black Diaspora Studies. One of his primary current projects is staffing the Chicago Reparations Task Force, a 40-member community task force led by the City’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice and tasked by the Mayor with helping to center the lived experiences of Black Chicagoans.

Ayande Patrice Joseph just graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He’s moving to Minneapolis where he will be working with Pentair, a global company focused on smart, sustainable water solutions. Ayande currently serves as one of five members of the President’s Youth Advisory Council for Engineers Without Borders International. And while at Harvard, he served as Co-President of the local Engineers Without Borders chapter, making two visits to the village of Kiboun, Kenya to help implement water distribution systems to expand villagers’ safe access to clean water.

Joseph family pic

NP3: Nurturing People. Power. Place

This is the final episode in our podcast series focused on the powerful work of ThirdSpace Action Lab, a racial equity consulting firm based here in Cleveland. We welcomed back the founders of ThirdSpace, Evelyn Burnett and Mordecai Cargill, to reflect with me on the podcast series and consider the path ahead for ThirdSpace. We launched the series with Episode 32, where Evelyn and Mordecai talked to me about the origin story and mission of Thirdspace and set the stage for the episodes focusing on various elements of their work and mission.Evelyn Burnett is the CEO and Mordecai Cargill is the Creative Director of ThirdSpace Action Lab and the ThirdSpace Reading Room. Please check out Episode 32 for much more on their backgrounds and their journey to launching this groundbreaking organization.We are grateful that they joined me to wrap up this very special podcast series on Moving Towards Healing.ThirdSpace Action LabNP3: Nurturing People. Power. Place.

This is the fifth episode in the podcast series Moving Toward Healing focused on the incredible work of ThirdSpace Action Lab, a racial equity consulting firm based in Cleveland. The series features seven episodes exploring the philosophy, strategies, and achievements of this extremely unique and innovative changemaking powerhouse.

In this episode we focus on a specific example of ThirdSpace magic with a deep dive on the monthlong celebration of Juneteenth this past summer that they called the Summer of Soul, with the theme Bet on Black. We’re joined by two of the ThirdSpace team members who had lead roles in bringing the Summer of Soul to life. 

Dr. Martha Potts (affectionately known as Dr. Bibi) left a career at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to pursue a doctorate in organizational behavior at Case Western Reserve University. Her research was conducted in Rwanda, Africa and focused on human systems transformation. She retired from a career in non-profit sector but then came out to retirement to join ThirdSpace Action Lab where she functions as the Awareness Building Manager. Her current interest is supporting and nurturing the multidimensionality of Black identities in an anti-Black society in which systems, institutions and policies built for disenfranchisement. 

Jenn Short is the Executive Coordinator at ThirdSpace Action Lab. Prior to joining ThirdSpace, she served as the Content Support Coordinator at Ideastream Public Media and as an Executive Assistant at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Drawing on a wealth of experience in administrative coordination and creative collaboration, Jenn is passionate about amplifying impactful projects and fostering meaningful change.

ThirdSpace Action Lab

Juneteenth 2025: Summer of Soul - Betting on Black

NP3: Nurturing People. Power. Place.

We are coming up on two years since we launched a period of reflecting, reimagining and recommitting at our center’s tenth anniversary. We are now fully into a major strategic pivot on our quest to promote place-based social transformation. We dedicate this episode to bring our listeners fully up to speed on the next chapter of our mission. To describe the details of our organizational pivot, I am joined by two colleagues who are helping us to bridge from our first decade of work and a third colleague who has recently joined to advance our new focus.

Debbie Wilber is our Associate Director at NIMC and a Research Associate at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western. Debbie serves both as our COO and as a leader of some of our project work. She’s been with us for five years.

Salin Geevarghese is the principal of his consulting firm SGG Insight and has been a constant collaborator with our center since 2016. He has helped lead our Mixed-Income Strategic Alliance work as well as our consultation with the Washington Housing Conservancy in D.C.

Laylah Allen joined us two months ago as our first ever Senior Community Builder on staff. She brings experience in community outreach, strategic partnerships, and youth mental health and wellness. She joined us from the Swetland Center for Environmental Health at Case Western.

The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities/NP3: Nurturing People.Place.Power.

SGG Insight

This is the fourth episode in the podcast series Moving Toward Healing focused on the incredible work of ThirdSpace Action Lab, a racial equity consulting firm based in Cleveland. The series features six episodes exploring the philosophy, strategies, and achievements of this extremely unique and innovative changemaking powerhouse. In this episode we focus on the Space in ThirdSpace, liberated space that is. And, for the first time ever, we recorded on-site at a guest location. We were joined by three members of the team who lead the space cultivation and hosting in the ThirdSpace Reading Room and the Black Radical Imagination Bookstore.

Celia Williamson is the Community manager at the ThirdSpace Reading Room. Born and raised on Cleveland’s East Side, Celia moved to NYC after graduating from the University of Akron. While in NY, Celia worked in various fashion industry settings but spent 9 years at Brooks Brothers as a marketing stylist. A recent return to Cleveland has allowed Celia to join the team at the Reading Room while continuing to grow her interior design practice.

Harry Atwell is a native Clevelander, born and raised in Glenville in a multigenerational household by grandparents who moved here from West Virginia in 1950. Harry’s work experience varies across several industries, including graphic design and health care, including 17 years at Cleveland Clinic but he is most proud of the work he did during his two years as Community Manager and caregiver of ThirdSpace Reading Room. He stepped away from his position last year to pursue personal creative passions in residential interior design.

Sean Clark is the current Marketing Director for ThirdSpace Action Lab. A Cleveland transplant by way of Brooklyn, NY, and a graduate of Morehouse College, Sean has worked in marketing and advertising for the past 13 years after a brief stint as a union organizer with SEIU. He has worked to craft large-scale digital marketing campaigns for brands such as Microsoft, Samsung Electronics, Hennessey, Amazon, Marriott, and Vevo,

ThirdSpace Action Lab

ThirdSpace Photo Gallery

Chocolate City Cleveland

The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities

This is the third episode in the podcast series Moving Toward Healing focused on the incredible work of ThirdSpace Action Lab, a racial equity consulting firm based in Cleveland. The series features six episodes exploring the philosophy, strategies, and achievements of this extremely unique and innovative changemaking powerhouse. ThirdSpace Action Lab was launched five years ago and is based in the historically Black neighborhood of Glenville where they also have a café and bookstore. They describe their purpose as follows: “The future of this country’s neighborhoods depends on our collective efforts to transcend the limitations of the popular imagination.” They like to say, imagine if Parliament Funkadelic and McKinsey Consulting had a love child – that is ThirdSpace Action Lab – and they are poised to turn their call for radical imagination into reality. 

In this episode we focus on the ThirdSpace approach to antiracist community development.  Antiracism was at the core of the founding of ThirdSpace and their first major programming was a series of racial equity and inclusion workshops offered to the community development and nonprofit sector in Cleveland. With a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the ThirdSpace team conducted research and produced a report laying out principles and imperatives of antiracist community development. For this episode, we’re joined by the three members of the ThirdSpace team who lead the Peoples Practice, the hub for the organization’s focus on antiracist community development.

Monica Copeland is the Project Director of The People’s Practice at ThirdSpace Action Lab. Prior to working at ThirdSpace, Monica was the MDI Network Director at Inclusiv where she helped provide technical assistance and resources to help strengthen community development credit unions led by communities of color. She has also worked with several other financial empowerment and asset building organizations. She earned a dual B.A. in Sociology and African & African American Studies from Duke University and an M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University.

Curtis Minter, Jr. is the Senior Fellow of Community of Practice + Convenings at ThirdSpace Action Lab. He previously launched Talented Xth Consulting and served as Operations Director of The Well CDC in Akron, OH. He has more than a decade of experience working in the nonprofit sector and supporting coalition building.

Karis Tzeng is the Senior Fellow for Content + Research at ThirdSpace Action Lab. She has worked in community development for 10 years, including most recently as Vice President of Planning for MidTown Cleveland, where she led neighborhood planning and place building efforts in the MidTown and AsiaTown neighborhoods. She has a Bachelor of Arts in urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania and Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan.

ThirdSpace Action Lab

The People’s Practice

Toward a New Paradigm in Antiracism Community Development: High-Level Research Findings

The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities

This is the second episode in the podcast series Moving Toward Healing focused on the incredible work of ThirdSpace Action Lab, a racial equity consulting firm based in Cleveland. The series features six episodes exploring the philosophy, strategies, and achievements of this extremely unique and innovative changemaking powerhouse. ThirdSpace Action Lab was launched five years ago and is based in the historically Black neighborhood of Glenville where they also have a café and bookstore. They describe their purpose as follows: “The future of this country’s neighborhoods depends on our collective efforts to transcend the limitations of the popular imagination.” They like to say, imagine if Parliament Funkadelic and McKinsey Consulting had a love child – that is ThirdSpace Action Lab – and they are poised to turn their call for radical imagination into reality. 

In this episode we explore the ThirdSpace approach to community collaboration and we hear from four dynamic young leaders brimming with passion for the creative social impact they are engaged in every day. At ThirdSpace, they are bringing to life modes of collaboration that are boldly authentic and empowering for community members.

Dr. Sherrae Mack currently serves as a Senior Consultant with ThirdSpace Action Lab, drawing on her experience in areas of racial equity, anti-oppression, community engagement, intergenerational change, and community branding. She has a Ph.D. in African American and African Studies and a graduate certification in Urban Education from Michigan State University. Her B.A. is from Tennessee State University in Speech Communications.

Dr. Chavone Nash serves as the Project Director of the Partnership for Equitable + Resilient Communities with ThirdSpace Action Lab and also leads the Cleveland Freedom Dreams Coalition, which focuses on Housing, Civic Infrastructure, Equitable Democracy Building and Economic Development. She obtained her Doctorate in Education in Organizational Leadership and Policy at the University of Dayton and she holds a Master's in Urban Studies and Development from University of Akron and a Bachelor's in Political Science from Alabama A&M University. 

Tristen Hall is a Senior Consultant for Digital Media & Storytelling at ThirdSpace Action Lab. Tristen is currently a 4th year PhD candidate at Miami University in Ohio where her research explores how the social networks of students of color impact their attitudes on community and coalition building. Tristen has a Masters in Higher Education and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati.

Evan Green is a Senior Consultant with ThirdSpace Action Lab deploying his experience from a career in higher education, with work focused on intercultural programming and fostering inclusive environments. Evan earned a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, specializing in Black Theology and Black Church Studies.

ThirdSpace Action Lab

The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities

This episode launches a new podcast series Moving Toward Healing focused on the incredible work of ThirdSpace Action Lab, a racial equity consulting firm based in Cleveland. The series features six episodes exploring the philosophy, strategies, and achievements of this extremely unique and innovative changemaking powerhouse. ThirdSpace Action Lab was launched five years ago and is based in the historically Black neighborhood of Glenville where they also have a café and bookstore. They describe their purpose as follows: “The future of this country’s neighborhoods depends on our collective efforts to transcend the limitations of the popular imagination.” 

They like to say, imagine if Parliament Funkadelic and McKinsey Consulting had a love child – that is ThirdSpace Action Lab – and they are poised to turn their call for radical imagination into reality. 

We kick off this series with the two change warriors who kicked off the ThirdSpace journey. 

Evelyn Burnett is a co-founder and CEO of ThirdSpace Action Lab and Third Space Café. Her previous roles included Vice President for Economic Opportunity at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Associate Director for Program Strategies at Living Cities, and Project Director in the City of Cleveland’s Office of Sustainability. Evelyn holds a BA in Business and Organizational Communications and Public Relations and a master’s degree in Public Administration from The University of Akron.

Mordecai Cargill is a co-founder and Creative Director of ThirdSpace Action Lab and Third Space Café. Prior to launching ThirdSpace, he served as the Director of Strategy, Research and Impact at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. Mordecai earned his BA in African American Studies from Yale University, with a concentration on Black Culture in the 20th Century.

ThirdSpace Action Lab

The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities

This episode, recorded in early Fall 2024, completes our 10th Anniversary podcast series focused on revisiting some of our favorite reports from our first decade. In this episode, we took a lookback at our very first podcast episode which focused on the Future of Mixed-Income Policy and Practice, in which we introduced our edited volume What Works to Promote Inclusive and Equitable Mixed-Income Communities. My guest for that episode was the Research Director at our center, Dr. Amy Khare. Amy has been on leave from our center working on a book and she returned for this lookback episode with me. As a bonus, we also discuss a preview of her recently completed book manuscriptPoverty, Power and Profit: How Chicago’s Public Housing Reforms Reproduced Racial Inequality.

Amy’s career has combined social work, community development and racial justice. She was formally trained as a social worker at the University of Kansas and has her Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of Chicago. She has had professional roles working for community development corporations, real estate development agencies, social service agencies, policy institutes and university research centers. Amy has been a colleague and friend for almost 20 years and has done so much to shape our work at the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities.

Prioritizing Inclusion and Equity in the Next Generation of Mixed-Income Communities

What Works to Promote Inclusive, Equitable Mixed-Income Communities

The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities

This episode continues our 10th Anniversary podcast series focused on revisiting some of our favorite reports from our first decade. In this episode, our guest host Salin Geevarghese revisits our Promising Practices in Inclusive Social Dynamics report which spotlights exemplary efforts to build inclusive communities across lines of income, race and ethnicity. The lead authors of the paper are Joni Hirsh and Mark Joseph. In this episode, Salin talks with two deeply experienced mixed-income community builders who have been part of the exemplary transformation initiatives we spotlighted in the paper.

Ashlei Hurst is the Director of Community Life at Mercy Housing California, which a major development partner in the HOPE SF initiative in San Francisco. Mercy Housing is leading a multi-phase mixed-income transformation of the Sunnydale public housing community.

Julio Rigores is the Tenant Engagement System Manager at the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. TCHC has been co-leading the multi-phase transformation of the Regent Park social housing development.

Promising Practices in Inclusive Social Dynamics Paper

Regent Park, Toronto

HOPE SF, San Francisco

The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities

SGG Insight