Dr. Alex Gee continues the conversation connected to the anniversary of the 1619 African slave trade and his trip to Ghana. On this episode, he gets the perspective on the relationship between Africans and African Americans with Dr. Kwasi Obeng. Dr. Obeng grew up in Ghana, studied in England, and now works in the U.S. Currently, Dr. Obeng is the Madison Council Chief of Staff who is responsible for coordinating the execution of strategic initiatives, assisting the program development and policy responsibilities of 20 elected City Council members, and manage the Council office and staff. alexgee.com patreon.com/blacklikeme

S3 Ep. 68: Door Of No Return: The Pan-African Perspective With Dr. Kwasi Obeng

Black Like Me with Dr. Alex Gee is a podcast that invites you to experience the world through the perspective of one Black man, one conversation, one story, or even one rant at a time.

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Justified Anger had drastically shifted the experiences and thinking of the white people who have become connected through the educational opportunities. Andrea Dearlove was an early attendee of Justified Anger's Black History for a New Day course and it drastically transformed her personal and professional priorities. She discovered that when white people step back in their power and influence, they are actually enriched and enlarged in their personal life. Andrea's allyship journey has led her to a new perspective on racial dynamics in her community and also the state of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) efforts in civic and organizational arenas. Dr. Gee discusses the system change efforts of Justified Anger and his experience with systemic racism. Learn more about Justified Anger's leadership development. alexgee.com Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme

S9 E183: "I Didn't Understand How Incredibly White and Segregated Madison Was": Andrea Dearlove Talks About Her Allyship Journey With Justified Anger

Dr. Gee talks with the experienced consultant, Jim Bower, about empowering visionary leaders to actually create the social change that they envision. Listen in on the ongoing conversation these two men have about how to approach the cross-cultural work of addressing racism in a local community, in particular through their work in developing The Center for Black Excellence and Culture. Jim responded to the call to get to work on improving racial disparities in the community as a result of the original Justified Anger article.  He helped approach the issues in the community as Complex Adaptive problems compared to technical problems. Racism is a problem that without a quick fix and eliminating racism requires a multi-layered approach, not just addressing one factor of the issue. alexgee.com Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme  

S9 E182: "What The Hell Are You Doing Working On These White People": The Complexity Of Dealing With Racism As A Social Entrepreneur With Consultant Jim Bower

Sandi Reinardy discusses how she and the Court Observer team have developed the program with the goal of holding the court accountable and advocating for a just system. Hear how it is unavoidable to see the impact of race in the courtroom and sentencing process. Sandi shares how the data they collect is used and how the system responds to information they gather. She also explains some of the biggest issues for those encountering a courtroom and what changes she would mandate for judges. Aaron informs the conversation with his experience of being in front of a judge and having the decision impact the rest of his life. He shares passionately about the disparity in how bail is used to maintain class and race lines, where some are privileged over others. They also brainstorm how they can all build on what they are already doing and use their resources and networks to create systemic change. Learn more about the Court Observers Learn more about the Justified Anger Black History for a New Day Course alexgee.com Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme

S9 E181: Awareness Of White People Will Have To Shift: 11,000 Court Cases With The Court Observer's Sandi Reinardy and Aaron Hicks

What was it like to try to create systemic change after the release of Dr. Gee's Justified Anger article? Hear how the article was encroaching on white people’s territory with pushback to maintain the system from guests Rev. Lilada Gee and Harry Hawkins.  Mr. Hawkins provides perspective on the release of the Justified Anger article from someone who had just moved to Madison and was seeing the environment with fresh eyes. They also discuss how language matters in race relations because it frames the issues and who has the power. Dr. Gee breaks down why he got labeled a “Black” leader and not just a community or civic leader.  Read Justified Anger's Our Madison Plan The Center for Black Excellence and Culture alexgee.com Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme

S9 E180: The World I Believed In Never Existed: Creating And Sustaining Justified Anger Change With Rev. Lilada Gee and Harry Hawkins

Dr. Karen Reece explains Justified Anger's  innovative research and strategic approach to Justice centered systems change work. As Justified Anger took off as a movement, Dr. Reece gives insight into the funding of Black-led organizations and the struggle to create long term solutions and change.  Dr. Reece clarifies the difference between quantitative vs qualitative analysis for the kind of work that Justified Anger does. Though it can be harder capture the data, qualitative data gives a deeper understanding of the change that is accomplished.  Dr. Reece explains how she considers Ripple Effects as a way to show the impact of Justified Anger's work. Ripple Effects looks at how people who are learning and being changed by contact with the Justified Anger initiative are enacting change in their spheres of influence, whether it is at the interpersonal, business, or community level. Learn more: Justified Voices: What we've learned about racial justice in Madison Justified Anger's Our Madison Plan Article: Disparities in Funding for Leaders of Color Leave Impact on the Table Collection of reports on racial equity in philanthropy NCRP Report: Too Many Local Community Foundations Still Underinvesting in Black Communities   alexgee.com Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme

S3 Ep. 68: Door Of No Return: The Pan-African Perspective With Dr. Kwasi Obeng

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