Third Space with Jen Cort

LGBTQ+ advocates and facilitators Bex Mui and Emily Schorr Lesnick talk with Jen about supports for LGBTQ+ youth, from mental health to sex ed to spirituality, and how they are connected. They’ll share insights from their youth workshop, which shares a variety of perspectives on gender, sexual orientation, and relationship structures and supports students in both reflecting on their own identities, and in advocating for the LGBTQ+ affirming sexual health curriculum they need and deserve.

Bex Mui is a biracial, queer, cis femme organizer and consultant committed to the work of LGBTQ affirmation at the intersections of education, spirituality, and sexuality. She is a returning Third Space guest and core founding member of Nourish: An Emerging Ministry Collective, and founder of @HouseOfOurQueer on Instagram. Bex has supported school, district, and national LGBTQ-inclusion and social justice initiatives and has developed equity-themed professional development workshops for students, faculty, administrators, and families. Instagram @ItsBexNow and @HouseOfOurQueer, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rmui17/, Linked in:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bex-mui-12318b60/

Emily Schorr Lesnick (she/her) is a white educator, facilitator, and theater maker who has worked in independent schools for 10 years. She is the co-creator of How We GLOW, a piece of interview theatre that explores lgbtq+ youth identity, which has performed at over 30 schools and community spaces. She can be found on Instagram and Twitter @eschorrlesnick. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-schorr-lesnick-she

Over a career spanning two decades, Nishant has worked on behalf of K-12 schools of all types on issues of leadership, culture, strategy and change management, and equity and justice.

At Storbeck Search, he heads the firm’s Independent Schools practice, recruiting transformational leadership for private, charter, and mission-driven schools across the country. In addition to his active role in executive-level searches, he offers consulting on strategy and DE&I, as well as leadership and governance coaching and training for education and nonprofit organizations.

Prior to joining Storbeck, Nishant served as Head of The Children’s School (TCS), an independent JK-8 school in Atlanta that was lauded in 2017 as a “model to follow” for innovation by NAIS’s Independent School magazine. In addition to his leadership of TCS, Nishant has twice co-chaired the NAIS People of Color Conference, served on the faculty of the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and the Diversity Leadership Institute, authored articles for NAIS publications, served on the NAIS and the National Business Officers Association (NBOA) boards; led workshops on topics such as equity and inclusion and governance and school leadership at national and regional conferences, and was the founder of The Children’s School’s Master Class in Inclusive Leadership, a summer leadership opportunity designed specifically for women and people of color. Since 2018 Nishant has served each summer as a faculty mentor of the NAIS Institute for New Heads, where he coaches new heads of school.

Nishant grew up in Mumbai, India, and came to the United States as a junior in boarding school. He has lived in four countries and is fluent in several languages. Based in Atlanta, he serves on the advisory boards of the Woodruff Arts Center's Alliance Theatre and the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, and on the boards of NBOA, Asheville School, and the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA). He is a former board chair of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE). Nishant also serves as a script advisor to the show Sesame Street, and he is the founder of The Inclusive Leader Book Club which meets monthly to discuss issues of equity and inclusion in school cultures and communities.

Early in his career, Nishant spent five years at St. Alcuin Montessori School (now Alcuin School) in Dallas, serving as International Baccalaureate Coordinator, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, and teacher. He went on to teach humanities at The Allen-Stevenson School in New York City before taking the role as Assistant Head of School and Middle School Head at Alexandria Country Day School in Alexandria, VA.

Johnnie L. Foreman, Jr., longtime director of community and diversity at the Gilman School (Maryland), is the recipient of the 2014 NAIS Diversity Leadership Award. In presenting the award at the NAIS Annual Conference in Orlando, NAIS Vice President for Equity and Justice Caroline Blackwell noted the importance of Foreman’s diversity work not just at his school, but also in the broader independent school community and in the public schools of Baltimore. In all three areas, Blackwell said, Foreman has graced the “education landscape with the steady, reliable, and honorable commitment of his presence, knowledge, generosity of spirit, and matchless work ethic.”

After 10 years of teaching in the public sector, Foreman transitioned to independent schools, where he has served for 37 years at the Gilman School in Baltimore. His introduction to diversity initiatives began as he worked closely with the former assistant head of Gilman School on a citywide Upward Bound program. He has since been involved in numerous diversity initiatives at both the local and national level that have helped move the independent school community forward in its collective diversity work. Foreman is the chair of the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools, a member of the NAIS Call to Action Committee, and a facilitator at the NAIS Diversity Leadership Institute. In 2013, the Black Professional Men Organization awarded him its “Rays of Hope” award.

Elizabeth Denevi rejoins Third Space as our first 'three-peat" guest. In this episode, Elizabeth and Jen offer a view into their experiences of being called racist.

About Elizabeth:

As the director of East Ed and co-founder of Teaching While White, Elizabeth works with schools nationally to increase equity, promote diversity pedagogy, and implement strategic processes for growth and development. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark College in the Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Previously, she served as a director of studies and professional development and was responsible for the stewardship and integration of curriculum from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, as well as for the oversight and coordination of professional development and evaluation for all faculty. At Georgetown Day School (DC) she served as the co-director of diversity and a senior administrator for 10 years. Elizabeth also worked at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School (VA) to create a comprehensive professional development program. She has taught English and history at a number of K-12 schools. Elizabeth has published and presented extensively on diversity and academic excellence, social justice, and equity issues. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of London, Institute of Education, a master’s degree from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University. She also holds an Oregon Preliminary Administrative License.

www.teachingwhilewhite.org and www.easted.org

Tianna Butler is the Associate Director of Admissions and Diversity Coordinator at National Presbyterian School. She has been in education for nearly a decade working as a Lower School Theatre Director, Teaching Associate, and Lead Second Grade Teacher respectively. Her dedication to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion has its roots in her own experiences as a student in both public and independent schools and extends to ensuring students, families, and educators have the support they need. She was awarded the POCIS (People of Color in Independent Schools) Impact Award in 2014 for supporting diversity, promoting inclusion, and affirming community in her work with elementary-aged students at Charlotte Country Day School.

Shannon Montague Shannon M. Montague served as Head of the Learning Village at St. Anne’s-Belfield School, leading operational and curricular programs for students and faculty in preschool to 8th grade. In this role, she worked to build on the school’s innovative, inquiry-based programming called FabLab and Quest; helped to focus middle school faculty’s thinking and energy around best practices in coordination with the University of Virginia’s Remaking Middle School program; and relished opportunities for cross-divisional collaboration among students and chances for student leadership, voice, and agency.
Most recently, she served as the Director of Professional Development for the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. Earlier in her career, Shannon worked at the Bullis School in Potomac, MD; St. Albans School in Washington, DC; and The Bryn Mawr School. She holds a Bachelors in English from the University of Virginia and a Master’s in Education Leadership through the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University Teacher’s College

Keith Hinderlie is a licensed psychologist and educator with over 20 years of working with adults, youth and families in a variety of settings. His professional background includes a unique combination of knowledge about, psychology, personal development, education, leadership, and cultural diversity.

Find out more about Dr. Hinderlie by visiting http://www.keithhinderlie.com

Students at Mercersburg Academy and their teacher Michele Poacelli share their insights. Michelle teaches English and directs the Writing Center at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, PA. In December 2020, she taught an elective course entitled, "The Subversive Imagination: Creative Writing for Social Justice" in which students read equity-themed works of fiction and poetry and then conducted their own writing experiments, using imagination to construct worlds that explore injustice and subvert it. This is her first podcast adventure.

http://www.mercersburg.edu/

Khyati Joshi co-founder of the Summer Institute for Teaching Diversity and Social Justice - multiple days in multiple locations visit www.idsj.us, Author of White Christian Privilege: The Illusion of Religious Equality in America (NYU Press, 2020) www.whitechristianprivilege.com, co-editor for Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (3rd edition, 2016)

You might be familiar with this book https://www.khyatijoshi.com/books/teaching-for-diversity-and-social-justice Teaching Tolerance Link for ABCD's https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2007/because-i-had-a-turban

https://www.facebook.com/DrKhyatiYJoshi and khyatijoshi.com
Author White Christian Privilege: The Illusion of Religious Equality in America (NYU Press, 2020)

More info at www.whitechristianprivilege.com khyatijoshi.com | idsj.us

Eric Deggans is NPR’s first full-time TV critic, crafting stories and commentaries for the network’s shows, such as Morning Edition, Here & Now and All Things Considered, along with writing material for NPR.org. He also appears on NPR podcasts such as Life Kit, Code Switch, It’s Been a Minute and Pop Culture Happy Hour.

In addition, Eric is also a contributor and media analyst for MSNBC/NBC News and an adjunct instructor in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. And in 2020, he was given the Distinguished Alumni Service Award by Indiana University – the institution’s highest alumni honor -- four years after Indiana University’s Media School of journalism and communications named him a distinguished alumnus.

Eric came to NPR in September 2013 from the Tampa Bay Times newspaper in Florida, where he served as TV/Media Critic and in other roles for nearly 20 years. He is also author of Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation, a look at how prejudice, racism and sexism fuels modern media, published in October 2012 by Palgrave Macmillan.

He guest hosted CNN’s media analysis show Reliable Sources several times in 2013. In spring 2019, he served as chairman of the board of educators, journalists and media experts who select the George Foster Peabody Awards for excellence in electronic media.

Eric joined a prestigious group of contributors to the first ethics book created in a partnership between Craiglist founder Craig Newmark and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Developed as Poynter’s first ethics book for the digital age, The New Ethics of Journalism was published in August 2013 by Sage/CQ Press.

Born in Washington D.C. but raised in Gary, Ind., Eric has contributed as a pundit, freelance writer or essayist to many media outlets, including, The New York Times online; POLITICO; NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning; The NewsHour (PBS) and a host of public radio platforms. He is based in Saint Petersburg, Florida with an office inside The Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

Camille Gear Rich is a Professor of Law and Sociology at USC Gould School of Law. Her research and teaching interests include constitutional law, feminist legal theory, family law, children and the law, and the First Amendment. She is the founder and Director of PRYSM: The USC Initiative for the Study of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and the Law. Rich is widely known for her research on race and gender discrimination and identity-formation issues related to race, class, gender, and sexuality. Rich is the principal of Rich Diversity Consulting. Her firm designs boutique diversity training for K-12 schools, universities, and select professional organizations. Programming specialties include constructively engaging diverse constituencies, overcoming white anxiety, engaging multiracial identity questions, and bringing novel approaches to engage diverse constituencies in social justice conversations. Rich was a visiting professor at Stanford Law School in the Winter/Spring of 2017 and was a visiting professor at Yale Law School in Spring 2019.