Iimani David said “art is what separates us from the animals.” With arts and culture being such a big part of our lives from the economy, to mental health, to community, why aren’t more of our tax dollars used to support them? To explain how the government funds the arts and what COVID recovery looks like for that sector, L. Joy brings Taneshia Nash Laird, Liz Janneman and Rachel S. Moore, to the front of the class to give us the lesson we need to #GetCivicallyEngaged, #StandForTheArts, and be an #ArtsHero.

L. Joy wanted to talk about creating a democracy agenda, advocacy in the C-Suite and Silicon Valley, coalition building, and how to #WinWithBlackWomen. She brings Jotaka Eaddy comes to the front of the class for this conversation that gives great strategic points to help you #GetCivicallyEngaged.

Do you need special training or education to get #CivicallyEngaged? Absolutely not. Democracy works best when all of the people can participate fully. L. Joy brings Leslie Danks Burke to the front of the class to discuss how we connect the dots, getting the civic conversation out of the back rooms and onto the front porch.

The New Year is right around the corner and L. Joy is committed to doubling down on organizing her community in 2022! Now, how do we join her and take our civic engagement to the next level too? L. Joy is breaking down strategies and explaining how we can think through what we will do in 2022 of course, and Lurie & June make it to class!

The bipartisan infrastructure bill, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, has been signed into law by President Biden. That takes care of roads, bridges, and broadband, but how do we invest in people? The Build Back Better bill, that just passed the House and is on its way to the Senate, is a framework to do just that. If BBB is passed, how do we ensure that everyone gets their fair share? How do we follow the money from the legislation? To answer those questions and explain how we really do build back better, L. Joy brings Taifa Smith Butler to the front of the class to give us the action items we need to make sure our communities get the most out of it.

When discussions turn to the people of Rural America, oftentimes descriptors of Mid-Western, white, and conservative are used. Guess what? That is totally wrong! L. Joy brings Cynthia Wallace and Paolo Cremidis to the front of the class to give us what we need to know, and clear up misconceptions about the people living in Rural America.

Every year the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) releases a report on crime statistics it gathers through the Unified Crime Reporting Program (UCR.) But what do those statistics mean to communities doing the work around criminal justice reform? How important is the language when discussing criminal justice reform?  L. Joy welcomes DeAnna Hoskins to lead this important lesson.

It is L. Joy’s birthday! What other way to celebrate than to discuss #Civics, specifically THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS! As L. Joy has taught us, campaign season basically never ends so,  she is bringing Clay Cane to the front of the class because he “ain’t never really gone,” to break down upcoming elections, how President Biden needs to “bussit wide open” for the people, and what you need to know about and get us prepared for midterms. And, her thoroughest girls, Lurie Daniel Favors and June Moses are here!

In a previous lesson, L. Joy told us What To Do After Your Lose. Now, L. Joy is bringing Julián Castro to the front of the class to share with us how he is staying #CivicallyEngaged and what he has been up to after being a presidential candidate-and it is, as you can guess, a LOT!

Sunday October 10, 2021 is #WorldHomelessDay2021. The first World Homeless Day in October 2010, came about as a result of online discussions from people doing work on the issue around the world. In the United States, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in January 2020 there were 580,466 people experiencing homelessness. To give us some perspective on living without a home, L. Joy brings Chase Archer Evans to the front of the class, and then she brings Jacquelyn Simone to the front of the class to break down the cold facts on homelessness.