After witnessing the racism her Black students experienced up close on a bus trip to Kentucky, Sharman Spieser’s awareness shifted from understanding how racism operates on an intellectual level to a deeper understanding gained from lived-experience. She reflects on how segregation, isolation, and scarcity thinking operate within a white supremacist capitalist system to keep us apart, and emphasizes the power of building authentic, trusting relationships that create the conditions for honest dialogue to happen as a way of unlearning white supremacy and advancing antiracist social change.

00:00 From Knowing to Understanding

00:45 Systems Keep Us Apart

01:50 White Liberal Doubt of Black People's Lived Experiences

04:00 Book Bans and Backlash

06:07 Show Intro and Mission

07:16 Meet Sharman Spieser

08:24 Early Activations at Work

09:25 Family Modeling Justice

11:30 Kentucky Trip Wake Up

14:02 Listening Not Saving

16:51 Detroit Rebellion Revisited

28:22 Why Truth Triggers White Rage

31:37 Trauma and Openness

32:17 How A Death In The Family Changed Things

33:01 Taking Custody Suddenly

33:49 Mentor Encouragement

35:33 Rebuilding Family Life

37:11 Workplace Lessons On Power

40:19 Retirement Disillusionment

42:42 Scarcity Mindset Exposed

45:26 History Erasure And Violence

47:38 White Privilege Conference

50:14 Whats Up With White Women

52:07 Talking With White Folks

58:03 Finish The Statement

58:32 Influences And Frameworks

01:02:46 Hope Is A Practice

01:04:07 Closing And Credits

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.

This is Design Decisions: a space where I share news and updates about Social Justice Origin Stories as it continues to grow and evolve. More than updates and announcements, though, it’s a space for meaning-making, where I expand on the ideas, values, and design decisions that shape this work. It’s a space to think out loud, and a place where I talk through what it's like to build social justice origin stories in this time we’re living in, and the things I learn and experience along the way.

00:00 Why Stories Matter

00:13 Admiration Without Pedestals

00:45 Demystifying Courage

01:00 Inviting People In

01:44 Storytelling Connects Dots

02:09 Podcast Growth and Impact

02:30 Three Series Overview

03:16 Introducing Design Decisions

03:55 Updates and Meaning Making

04:27 Closing Thanks

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.

Patrick Taylor, LCSW, US Air Force veteran and doctoral student in Social Work at USC, tells the story of how learning about the Grand Challenges for Social Work in his program and being surprised by how few Social Workers knew about them led him to recognize the experience as a systemic issue. Taylor's research led him to coin the phrase the Micro Pipeline in Social Work (MPISW), the systemic funneling of social workers into clinical roles at the expense of macro exposure, development, and support.

Taylor describes how social work’s identity became tied to a medical model and overly associated with mental health. He shares his own pathway from his early beginnings as a sociology student through his experiences with the clinical licensure process, and explains why he created Macro Pathways as an early-intervention, social worker-informed prototype to help students and professionals reimagine macro work, build community, and move the profession toward balance, prevention, and broader influence.

Connect with Macro Pathways on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/macropathways/

00:00 Do You Know About The Grand Challenges Of Social Work?

00:58 Micro Pipeline Explained

03:02 Why Macro Matters Now

05:13 Show Intro And Guest Welcome

08:11 Taylor Origins And Mission

11:00 Macro Pathways Early Intervention

14:07 Rebalancing The Profession

18:50 Building The Prototype

24:43 Reimagining What Macro Social Work Is

27:40 Design Labs And Community Feedback

31:02 Big Vision And Next Steps

35:08 Why Macro Pathways Matters

35:56 MSW Training Skews Clinical

37:31 Licensure Hurdles and Feeling Trapped

39:16 Macro Pathways as Movement

41:37 Why Sociology First

44:33 Mentors Who Changed Everything

50:43 Thank You to Supporters

52:19 Creativity as Systems Change

56:39 Rejecting Status Quo Thinking

58:09 Advice for Students and Newcomers

01:00:40 True Social Justice Needs Balance

01:01:55 Tell Your Origin Story

01:02:42 Message to Future Generations

01:04:55 Thinking Beyond Direct Practice

01:05:49 Closing and Where to Listen

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

Pooja Kothari, Esq. begins her social justice origin story with memories of her father, who helped cultivate her abilities to think critically as a child, her early awareness of sexism in gender-segregated cultural spaces, and her later experiences with racism and internalizing shame as a cis, queer, first-generation Indian-American woman of color. Recalling her experiences as a former public defender with the Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Practice in Brooklyn, NY, Pooja reflects on how she became more courageous and a better advocate thanks to her mentors Michael Letwin and Azalia Torres, and explains how systemic racism shapes courtroom dynamics and even defenders’ assumptions in ways that can make or break client outcomes.

She also talks about her relationship with resisting internalized oppression through finding community and “depersonalizing” oppressive messaging, while also resisting internalized patterns of power through developing practices of accountability and self-correction. This journey informs her work as the founder and principal facilitator of Boundless Awareness, where she develops and facilitates anti-oppression and anti-bias curriculum for workplaces and organizations.

Pooja’s storytelling reminds listeners that their activism can start today by identifying and challenging their assumptions.

Connect with Pooja and Boundless Awareness:

00:00 Boundless Awareness Mindset

01:28 Coming Out Expectations

04:27 Start Where You Are

04:54 Show Intro Mission

06:08 Meet Pooja Kothari

08:38 From Public Defender to Founder

10:08 Activated by Asking Why

11:25 Gender Roles at Puja

17:06 Grassroots Calling

21:41 Identity Shame and Queerness

26:06 Resisting Internalized Oppression

31:55 Depersonalize and Self Correct

39:10 Courtroom Reality Check

42:36 Bias In Defense Work

44:09 Better Client Interviews

46:29 Language Checks And Support

48:14 Building Boundless Awareness

50:22 High Expectations And Values

55:38 Why I Do This Work

58:05 Who Gets Inspired

01:06:11 Mentors And Courage

01:10:41 Start Today And Critique

01:15:20 Accountability And Origin Stories

01:18:22 Closing Thanks And Call To Action

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

In this educational segment of Social Justice Origin Stories, Dr. Darryl B. Rice, Associate Professor of Management and Richard T. Farmer Associate Professor at Miami University, returns to discuss a recent article he and his team published on how authoritarian leadership harms Black employees in the workplace. Rice argues that, in the context of workplaces in the United States, authoritarianism is an extension of racial oppression rooted in slavery and Jim Crow, and their research shows it reduces Black employees’ perceptions of a psychologically safe environment, making it harder to thrive.

He talks about the leadership implications of their research and validates Black employees’ instincts as they experience racism at work. Dr. Rice also shares practical advice for organizational leaders and listeners contemplating their next moves on their activism journey. He talks about racial retrenchment and the ongoing backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, the impact left in the wake of institutional leadership's capitulation to the current administration, and the need for courageous leadership in these times. Dr. Rice also previews what’s next in his area of research, focusing on the impact of inclusive leadership, trust, and organizational commitment to equity.

00:00 Workplace Research Takeaways

04:05 Show Intro

05:08 Why This Article Matters

08:44 Authoritarianism As Oppression

14:27 How The Studies Worked

18:34 Leadership Implications

22:44 Future Research Directions

32:45 What Gives Me Hope And What Keeps Me Up At Night

41:00 Advice For Finding Your Role In Social Change

44:25 Wrap Up And Credits

Dr. Rice's Previous Episode: Jim Crow 2.0: How Anti-DEI Laws Are Rooted in Systemic Anti-Black Racism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8w7xCOMI-A&list=PLkddd_SjYVRaEicJ3wZn0V1SYiLG-6tcn&index=13

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.

Reflecting on his 50-year career as a Social Worker, William "Bill" Vanderwill speaks on the importance of strengths-based practice, intergenerational communication, community organizing, and the grassroots power of everyday people taking actions for social justice.

Listen in to hear insights from the man Relando affectionately calls "the Fred Rogers of Social Work."

This episode includes:

How mistakes can become valuable learning opportunities in social work and advocacy

The importance of intergenerational collaboration and recognizing elders as wisdom keepers

Practical examples of grassroots community organizing and everyday social justice actions

The evolving role of social work, from adaptation to helping clients thrive

The power of hope, compassion, and storytelling to inspire future generations and lasting change

00:00 Learning From Mistakes

01:15 Fifty Years In Social Work

04:48 Show Intro And Guest

10:49 Detroit Roots And Empathy

14:51 Intergenerational Wisdom

17:40 Youth Inspired Hope

22:14 Belonging And Inclusion

26:55 Mistakes In Practice

33:57 Hope Scrolling And Service

39:15 Key Takeaways For Listeners

41:58 Future Of Social Work

43:51 Stories For The Future

47:15 Closing And Credits

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.

Dr. Byron Green-Calisch shares how he turned 14 years of higher education and leadership research into consulting, public media work, and activism in Florida. He shares how racialized campus crime alerts and gaps in leadership education shaped his scholarship and pushed him to claim roles as educator, activist, and healer, grounded in collective liberation and a desire to help the helpers.

Byron also tells the origin story of the cookout moment that led him to co-found Justice Over Everything with State Rep. Michele Rayner, Esq., a coalition-based social justice center that leads with an intersectional approach dedicated to activating, fortifying, and uplifting communities in the margins of the margins.

We talk about the importance of intergenerational work, supporting the helpers, and why creating spaces for activism and healing are necessary for lasting change.

Connect with Byron on Instagram @Dr_BGC and @Justice_over_Everything

00:00 Cookout Reality Check

00:46 Elders to Us Moment

01:14 Stepping Up Ourselves

01:47 Justice Center Vision

03:11 The Village Program

03:39 Fixing the Burning House

04:18 Florida as National Playbook

05:01 Coalition Umbrella Model

05:20 Never Stop Fighting

33:22 Coaching for Community

34:31 Building a Justice Hub

36:35 Educate Before Activate

38:09 Hidden Dangers in Bills

42:29 Moments That Affirm

47:15 Passing the Baton

51:45 Influences and Mentors

01:02:04 Support Networks and Sacrifice

01:03:40 Three Social Justice Prompts

01:08:32 Message to the Future

01:09:54 Recreating Home

01:11:16 Closing and How to Support

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.

Drawing on her expertise in social work and education policy and her lived experience as a Black Biracial woman, Dr. Anissa L. Eddie shares how intentional racial socialization in the earliest years can disrupt anti-Blackness, foster radical self-love in Black children, counter the formation of harmful biases, and promote racial equity.

Dr. Eddie also shares her personal “Sankofa Bird” journey: reclaiming what was missing in her own racial identity formation to empower future generations.

Her storytelling reminds us why it’s never too early to engage children in racial equity work in developmentally relevant ways.

00:00 – Introduction: Dr. Anissa L. Eddie’s background in social work and education

05:27 – Why early childhood matters for racial identity development

12:32 – Dr. Eddie’s personal story as a catalyst for her work

15:14 – The science of how children absorb messages about race and difference

19:13 – Interventions to disrupt bias and socialize children for equity

23:14 – Representation in toys and media: personal anecdotes and research

26:13 – Turning points: Pre-college program, college advocacy, and identity healing

32:27 – Dr. Eddie’s research: Beliefs & practices that matter for justice-centered socialization

35:44 – Practical steps: color-conscious exposure, discussion of features, empathy, and affirming Blackness

49:00 – Children’s media as a vehicle for social justice: Wimee’s World & PBS

57:12 – Influences and resources: Marita Golden, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, self-care and values

01:00:52 – Social Justice Origin Stories prompts: What justice means, liberation, and the power of storytelling

01:04:36 – Message to future generations: Collective power, kindness, and connection

01:06:28 – “Sankofa Bird”—title and philosophy of Dr. Eddie’s journey

Visit Dr. Eddie's Website: https://liminalityconsulting.com

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.

This is Volume 3 of “Take This With You“, a special series from Social Justice Origin Stories. Storytelling is a gift, and in this series, storytellers reflect on what they hope stays with you after their episode ends. As you listen to their sharing, consider this moment as an invitation to reflect on your own journey.

00:00 Introduction to 'Take This with You'

00:17 Shoutout to the Generalists

01:10 Understanding Racism, Sexism, and Cross-Training

03:46 Personal Stories and Struggles

08:27 The Importance of Authenticity and Making Hard Choices

13:16 Dialogue and Power Dynamics

14:17 Finding Joy and Purpose in Life

19:28 The Role of Art and Activism

21:11 Empowering Leadership and Resistance

26:08 Reflecting on Stories and Taking Action

27:19 Conclusion and Call to Action

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.

Marquita D. Gooch, MLIS, reflects on the pitfalls and power dynamics of representing a library system publicly, while being limited in her ability to speak freely without fear of retaliation. She talks about the freedom she’s found to be more vocal since leaving traditional library work, and shares how her experiences became catalysts for creating Life After Libraries, her podcast and web series chronicling her journey beyond traditional libraries, and Black in the Stacks, her podcast highlighting the inspiring stories of librarians, authors, advocates, and others from the African American and African Diaspora.

Black in the Stacks is more than a project; it's a way to build narrative power. Marquita believes everyone has a story to tell, and encourages anyone who can to share theirs.

00:00 Introduction: The Spirit of Service in Libraries

01:34 Challenges and Changes in the Library System

02:26 Finding Your Calling in Librarianship

03:25 Going Viral: Highlighting Diversity in Libraries

05:30 The Power of Storytelling and Oral Histories

06:38 Introduction to Social Justice Origin Stories

07:49 Guest Introduction: Marquita Gooch

08:23 Personal Reflections on Education and Libraries

11:19 The Journey to Becoming a Librarian

14:27 Facing Challenges and Overcoming Obstacles

26:13 Navigating Library Politics and Advocacy

38:53 Coping with Loss and Grief

39:46 Making Meaning from Experiences

42:22 Life After Libraries

44:30 Challenges in Librarianship

52:00 Starting Black in the Stacks

57:31 Advice for Creatives

01:03:18 Reflections and Inspirations

01:18:33 Concluding Thoughts and Gratitude

Connect with Marquita by searching for ⁨@marquitatheelibrarian⁩ on most platforms. You can also visit the Black in the Stacks Website: https://blackinthestacks.com/

Support the podcast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories

Visit the Social Justice Origin Stories Project Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com

Listen to Social Justice Origin Stories on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991

Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/

Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.