In this insightful conversation between Antionette D. Carroll and Marquise Stillwell, they explore the intersection of design, equity, and personal experiences. Marquise, a multi-talented professional, shares his perspectives on design, emphasizing the importance of active listening, language alignment, and the inclusion of diverse voices in the creative process. He highlights the significance of dignity in storytelling and representation and discusses his work in design, film, and journalism.

The conversation deepens as they delve into the concept of equity as a means to create conditions for individuals to excel, stressing the role of contemplation in driving positive change. Both Marquise and Antionette draw from their personal experiences and viewpoints on equity, emphasizing the need for individual accountability and systemic transformation.

Marquise also shares his vision for a world in the year 2123, where love serves as the foundational principle of society, fostering deep respect and understanding among people and their surroundings. He encourages individuals to craft their "constitution of love" as a starting point for catalyzing positive change.

This conversation beautifully weaves together themes of empathy, curiosity, perseverance, and the pursuit of joy as essential elements in the journey toward liberation and a more equitable and inclusive world.

Antionette D. Carroll welcomes Tania Anaissie, a notable figure in the field of equity design and the founder of Beytna Design. Tania shares her background and her passion for integrating design with liberation and justice work, driven by her personal experiences and connections to the healthcare and criminal justice systems. The conversation delves into the challenges of tackling systemic issues and the necessity of adopting a sector-agnostic approach to foster change. They stress the need for a paradigm shift from being heroes to hosts, focusing on the community's expertise and knowledge rather than trying to be solvers of every problem. 

Tania explains the principles of Liberatory Design, a collaborative process developed to merge the best aspects of liberation pedagogies with design thinking. She highlights the significance of a community-centric approach, where the process is more about hosting a space for the community to contribute their expertise and less about dictating terms. 

Antionette and Tania further discuss the potential pitfalls of power shifting and the importance of sharing power to foster true equity and community development. They underline the need for tangible actions that go beyond theory, emphasizing co-design and collaboration with the community at every stage.

The conversation then explores the nuances of facilitating co-design projects, including the necessity to remove design jargon and create an inviting, inclusive space. Throughout the podcast, both speakers advocate for a more human, empathetic, and inclusive approach to design, emphasizing the vital role of community involvement and co-creation in achieving equitable outcomes.

In this episode of the Reimagining & Redesigning podcast, ​Antionette D. Carroll interviews ​Terresa Moses, an Assistant Professor of ​Graphic Design and Director of ​Design Justice at the ​University of Minnesota. Terresa discusses her work in reimagining and redesigning systems, particularly in the field of education. She emphasizes the importance of centering positionality and community agreements in the classroom, as well as fostering a mentor relationship with students. Terresa also talks about her research on Black liberation in graphic design education and her goal of creating a Black liberatory curriculum. She highlights the need for action-oriented approaches to equity and envisions a future where people value each other's humanity and work towards collective health and liberation.

Antionette D. Carroll hosts Jacob Smith, a Black, queer, disabled advocate who delves deep into mobility justice. Jacob sees mobility justice as more than just transportation safety; it encompasses the recognition of historical injustices and the role of individual identities in shaping movement. He emphasizes the need to consider the broader implications of identity, particularly disability justice, ensuring people's rights to navigate and live freely, unhindered by past oppressions. 

Jacob highlights the crucial role of youth in spearheading mobility justice, introducing the National Youth Transportation Equity Fellowship as a beacon for change. The conversation turns to the significance of equity in urban planning and mobility justice, with Jacob critiquing existing power imbalances. He advocates for environments where diverse identities can flourish without marginalization fears and shares insights from his projects, such as opposing the criminalization of fare evasion and the surveillance implications of speed cameras.

Antionette D. Carroll and Managing Director of the Civil Society Fellowship Nike Irvin explore the complexities of equity, liberation, justice, and leadership in today's society. 

They stress the importance of reimagining civil leadership and decision-making through a lens of equity and liberation and share their experiences of being part of selection committees for executive roles while exploring the weight of their decisions, particularly when it comes to long-term impact and legacy. Nike shares some actionable steps for building empathy and understanding, such as writing with your non-dominant hand to challenge accepted norms and bring awareness to societal imbalances.

The conversation culminates with a future-focused discussion, urging listeners to be more curious and empathetic. Nike envisions a future where humanity has evolved to become more equitable, embracing diversity as a superpower rather than a checkbox. Antionette and Nike agree that the quest for a more equitable and liberated society is a continual journey that requires constant rethinking, reimagining, and redesigning systems and norms.

This episode is a brief introduction on what listeners can expect from the podcast.

Antionette D. Carroll welcomes Merle McGee to the Reimagining & Redesigning podcast, where they discuss the importance of authentic connection, humanity, and humility, especially in conferences and professional spaces. Merle shares personal insights on her journey to reimagine and redesign the world, emphasizing her family's legacy of fighting for equity and her experiences in suburban New Jersey, where she witnessed racial disparities in education. She reflects on her own history of activism and the need to reimagine a world where everyone has access to their full humanity.

The conversation turns to the importance of education, the work of ancestors, and the systemic roots of white supremacy and anti-Black racism. Merle highlights the common threads of oppression and the hidden norms that shape societal views and the treatment of individuals. They discuss the importance of understanding how people are institutions and the need to transform oneself to transform the world. Merle shares her work at Everyday Democracy, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and addressing the root causes of inequality.

They discuss the idea of equity in action, emphasizing the need to understand what equity means and how to dismantle oppressive systems while building systems of equity and justice. Merle uses the analogy of "pointing a building," where bricks are replaced one by one to reconstruct the building without tearing it down. The conversation emphasizes the need to hold the "both...and" of dismantling and building, with an understanding that oppression doesn't necessarily lead to oppression but requires careful unpacking and reimagining to create a more just society or institution. The dialogue concludes with a reflection on the importance of inspirational building and the possibilities of creating a more just society.
 

Guest Bio:

Merle McGee is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Everyday Democracy. Merle brings over 25 years of experience in non-profit settings fighting alongside historically marginalized and excluded communities for dignity and racial, gender, and economic justice. Before joining Everyday Democracy in May 2022, Merle served as Chief Equity and Engagement Officer at Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, where she led organizational transformation through community engagement initiatives and by conceiving and implementing Reviving Radical, an initiative to reckon with the organization’s history and build accountable relationships with communities of color.

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