March 28, 2023

OTS 325: Peace Queen - Melannie Denise Cunningham

46 minutes

Today’s guest is a dynamic leader and social justice advocate.

She is a highly sought-after social justice thought partner recognized for her passion, activism, and unapologetic talk around anti-racist community building and healing.

With a diverse background spanning industries like college administration, media, public relations, government service, television/radio production, and entrepreneurship, her work has touched countless lives - locally, nationally, and internationally in Ghana and South Africa specifically.

Melannie is the Creator and Executive Producer of both The People's Gathering: A Revolution of Consciousness Conference and The People's Golf Gathering: Out of Bounds Conversations About Race - both professional development learning experiences that focus participants on anti-racist skill building.

In 2018, she was awarded the Greater Tacoma Peace Prize for her lifetime achievements in racial reconciliation. Her documentary about her trip to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, "Peace Queen," won a 2021 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Northwest Emmy®.

Please join me in welcoming Peace Queen-Melannie Denise Cunningham.

In this episode, we discuss:

her thoughts on leadership: “When I think about leadership, I think about followers. Who wants to follow me? I am thinking about creating possibilities to inspire people to follow me.”

Her experiences with leadership while in high school with community building and crossing cultures.

Why she’s having a blast “making stuff up” as she goes along.

How she came to be a founding member of Delta Sigma Theta Inc.

How she started the first indoor celebration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s life in Tacoma (and now it’s still the most prominent indoor celebration of its kind).

Different ways to maximize the use of every single day.

How we can all center ourselves and our actions around joy.

Her initial goal of being a pediatrician, and when she decided that was not for her, and switching her major to General Studies.

Her experience of heading down to the unemployment office and getting hired at General Electric’s marketing department (and getting fired from that job for being a few minutes late a few times).

How she negotiated herself into being laid off in 1997. She didn’t know what path she needed to take, but she knew she was not on it.

How she helped open the first McDonald’s in South Africa (and the second and third)!

The awakening and how she stays focused and determined on anti-racist work.

How she repurposed the boxes on the US Census form to gather people and start healing through race and knowledge.

The difference between offering a “safe space” vs. a “supportive space.”

How working with me as their Zoom Producer has added a relational component to The People’s Gathering.

How she nurtures and sustains her network.

Her chile farm in Ghana!!

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com

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