Colorful Talks originated in 2020 from a mom, Vera Jones, living in Astoria, Queens NY who was concerned about the increasing violence and evidence of racial unrest in America.

She realized there wasn't a group or organization she knew of that aimed to specifically help parents facilitate positive and healthy discussions about race and diversity with their school-aged children....so she created one!

Their mission is to provide educational tools for families that will facilitate meaningful conversation and activities while developing an emerging awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion with their school-aged children and creating a lasting, positive impact on their communities and the world.

Vera Jones is the President of Colorful Talks and is also a motivational speaker, author, and professional development trainer with over 30 years of experience in varied disciplines. She offers leadership, communication, resilience, diversity, and inclusion, and conflict resolution coaching and consulting.

Vera has her master’s degree in television and radio from Syracuse University and ascertained in conflict dynamics and workplace conflict. A former ESPN and Big Ten Network basketball analyst, Vera is also featured in a 47-million view Goalcast viral video called “Trust Your Vision”-- the inspiring story of her young son overcoming the challenges of a brain tumor and blindness. Vera is a Prince George’s County, MD native, who now resides in Jacksonville, FL.

Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.

Show Notes‍Segment 1

The segment begins with a discussion about how Vera Jones came into the non-profit work. Vera tells a story about how her love for basketball led her to a sports broadcasting career. She shares that due to the disability of her son, she was able to learn more about the emotional challenges and struggles that arise due to issues such as bullying. She thought about the intersection between racism and ableism and discovered that children are often ill-equipped to deal with these sorts of challenges. She then created a grassroots organization to address these challenges and was eventually promoted to the role of president of the organization.

Segment 2

The second segment begins with a discussion about the value of this type of non-profit work and the importance of giving people the tools to succeed. Vera shares that time is often the resource that is limited or constrained when it comes to the work done by her organization. Vera is looking to get more people involved in the organization’s mission in addition to more sources of funding. Vera also shares that they also need parents to get more involved in the organization’s programs. Her organization would also like to form more connections and find more networking opportunities to grow the organization.

Segment 3

The third segment begins with a brief overview of the different types of modules which teach students how to acknowledge and accept differences; these modules are used to begin conversations with children about social differences. Vera briefly goes over the module and shares that the ultimate purpose is to teach children that across differences, we are all still human. Tommy then discusses the importance of the conversations and he shares that many people are not well informed about racism. Vera then reinforces the need for these kinds of conversations so that people are able to navigate differences. Vera emphasizes the importance of helping children understand that the world is full of differences and that differences don’t have to be negative.

‍Segment 4

The final segment of the interview focuses on the mission and the vision of the non-profit organization. Tommy then discusses that although there have been structures created to create divisions amongst people, all of us are members of ‘the human race’. Vera shares details on how to get in contact with her organization and Tommy re-emphasizes the needs of vera’s organization.