A black square on Instagram doesn’t make you an anti-racist, but there is a path to follow. Welcome to From Woke to Work, the Anti-Racist Journey, a podcast created and hosted by Kamala Avila-Salmon, with the mission to make an impactful dent in people’s understand of how to actually combat racism. Whether you’re an ally ready to take action or a black person with a bunch of ally-related questions, this podcast will draw a clear path for you to follow towards true anti-racism.
We have now reached the last step of our journey together: anti-racism. As a refresher, this is not the kind that just means you’re not a fan of racism. We’re talking about true, effective, committed anti-racism; the kind that actually changes you and how you show up in the world. The team behind this, especially our host Kamala, is thankful to each and every one of you listening right now for rocking with us all season long. You were pushed hard, but you stuck around anyway.
To wrap up this season and talk about what anti-racism can and should look like, Kamala has invited two people whose work in the space she deeply admires. Glenn Singleton has devoted over thirty years to constructing racial equity worldwide and developing leaders to do the same. Author, thought leader, and strategist, he is the creator of Courageous Conversation™ a protocol and framework for sustained, deepened dialogue about race, and Beyond Diversity™, the curriculum that has taught hundreds of thousands of people how to use it. JLove Calderon is a coach, creative and lifelong antiracist activist. She has coached organizers and activists, social entrepreneurs and artists, corporations and media companies – all leading to her co-founding Inspire Justice, a social impact and creative agency supporting celebrities, influencers and Hollywood in shifting a very toxic culture into a culture where everyone can truly thrive, and new narratives centering justice and equity become normalized.
Enjoy this conversation and then listen to it again and as often as you need to.
Jump straight into:
(05:58) - Kicking it with the hard stuff: Anti-racism is not a feeling, it’s a lifestyle - “It’s not about trying to keep the peace, it’s actually about trying to actively disrupt the peace, because the peace is white supremacy.”
(11:03) - A level up from allyship: Knowing about anti-racism is not the same as being anti-racist - ”We need to couple that with action and action means putting your body on the line for racial injustice.”
(15:11) - The moving walkway into racism - “Some people get on that walkway and they don’t wait, they’re running down that walkway, they get to that destination much faster, deeper into racism, but anti-racism feels like you actually turn around on the walkway.”
(20:49) - This is not a perfect island of anti-racism: Hidden places of complicity and anti-blackness - “The search to find people who can actually elevate me, push me, put me in discomfort and challenge me is so necessary”.
(27:27) - Learning in both directions: Intergenerational discussions and Courageous Conversation - “In 1990 when I wrote Courageous Conversation it was to recognize that there were a lot of people at the time, believe it or not, who knew that we needed to have a conversation.”
(33:05) - “I'm a white woman!” On JLove’s journey - “I have to consistently do my work and be in deep practice, and that includes honing and evolving my politics, that includes being in deep community with black and brown folks and paying attention.”
(39:04) - The last step from allyship to anti-racism - “Four actions every week: an action for your body, an action for your mind, an action for your money and an action for...
