Dr. Alex Gee has a heart-felt and truthful conversation with his white cousin, Brandon Cook, about their shared family legacy that dates back to American slavery. They are open about discussing the racial trauma that has carried through generations of their family history. Having both served as pastors and being committed to transformational leadership, they have a lot in common, while still experiencing very different sides of American society. Brandon Cook is a writer, trainer, and business/personal coach. He attended Wheaton College (IL) and studied in Jerusalem, Israel before graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University near Boston. He also received a Master’s degree in ancient Judaism from Oxford University in the UK. Brandon is passionate about helping people courageously step into their future and into who they are made to be, through Brandon Cook Coaching. You can also listen to his podcast, Naming the Real, wherever you listen to podcasts. alexgee.com Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme

S8 E161: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?: Real Family Talk About Race Related Trauma With My White Cousin, Brandon Cook

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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Dr. Gee welcomes Nolan Dunham, one of the founders of the Madison chapter of the Black Motorcycle Club. They connected while Nolan was working in the community. He explains the history of why the original Black motorcycle clubs were formed. Nolan also talks about misrepresentations of motorcycle groups with the club’s commitment to the community and the community service work they do. Don't miss Dr. Gee trying to convince Nolan into allowing him to have honorary membership in the Black Motorcycle Club. alexgee.com Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme

S9 E184: "Black Bikers Do Community Service...It's In The Charter": Dr. Gee Talks With Wolf Pack Patriarch Nolan Dunham

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

S8 E161: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?: Real Family Talk About Race Related Trauma With My White Cousin, Brandon Cook

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