A Window into the Criminal Justice System Laura Marti – September 19, 2023 “Justice is never actually experienced directly. By contrast, we do experience injustice, and it is only through this that we form an idea of justice.” — Nancy Fraser, Professor of Philosophy & Politics at the New School for Social Research I recently had the opportunity to gain insight
by Sara Chinakwe • September 12, 2023 In elementary school, the only thing I learned about Black history was condensed into a chapter of our history book which highlighted the enslavement of my ancestors. I didn’t know how to verbalize my feelings when it came to learning about slavery, but I knew I felt…shame, sadness, misunderstood, and singled out.
Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • June, 2023 Do you find it challenging to discuss the important topic of race/ism with kids? Do you wish there was a comprehensive and impactful way to approach this subject without overwhelming children or ourselves? Addressing race/ism and other social schisms with children from an early age is crucial for promoting a more inclusive and equitable
Afrika Afeni Mills • August 29, 2023 What comes to mind for you when you think of healing? For me, I immediately think of wounds, and when I think of wounds, I think about the many I experienced as a child while playing outside. One incident comes to mind in particular. When I was around five years old, I was playing
Tracey McKee • August 22, 2023 The first time I heard the term white privilege, I remember thinking that it didn’t apply to me. My reaction was not unique; as you have probably seen, the media has covered a lot of stories about the backlash to terms like white privilege and oppression. Almost as if a default setting had kicked in, when
Dan Berry • August 15, 2023 Having a productive conversation with anyone about any subject will only happen if you have a basic understanding of the terminology that is included in said subject. Here at Brownicity we have identified 43 different terms and their definitions that will help us all get on the same page when it comes to race related
How a comprehensive understanding deflates its power Lucretia Berry • August 8, 2023 “We didn’t know if you’d be a boy or girl, but we knew you’d be Black!” As a child, I heard this phrase a number of times. It speaks to the significance of racial identity – to the certainty and weight of race in our society. It’s
Tracey McKee • June 26, 2023 I was admittedly nervous and unsure when I stepped into my first anti-racism course over five years ago. I had no idea what to expect and worried that there were many ways such an endeavor could go wrong. After all, the fact that we need anti-racism education in our country isn’t because we are good
Dan Berry • June 20, 2023 My wife Anne and I will be married for 48 years this August. Over the years, we have had a boatload of disagreements. Whenever a disagreement would arise, I would feel personally attacked, become defensive, and we became two rocks in a blender. Because my go-to was to become insecure, I would get angry, frustrated
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Why talking about race is especially hard for White people Laura Marti – June 13, 2023 Feature Image: Boston College Talking about race is challenging for many people, but it can be particularly difficult for White people. Why is that? Discussions about race often evoke strong emotions and opinions, which can make it difficult to have a productive and respectful conversation.
Lucretia Berry • June 6, 2023 Monday, June 12th is Loving Day — a day that holds special significance as it honors the love and resilience of Richard and Mildred Loving, whose courageous fight against anti-miscegenation laws changed the course of history. Before I share four ways to celebrate, let’s understand the history that demanded their fight. A Brief History
A Transformative Antiracism Journey for Kids! Lucretia Berry • May 30, 2023 Are you a parent or educator who finds it challenging to discuss the important topic of race/ism with kids? Do you wish there was a comprehensive and impactful way to approach this subject without overwhelming children or ourselves? Look no further! Hues of You Summer Camp is here
FREE 2023 Speech, Language and Communication Early Years Summit Lucretia Carter Berry • May 23, 2023 Join Dr. Tehia Starker Glass and me, and 27 other amazing speakers at the upcoming 2023 Speech, Language and Communication Early Years Summit. The Summit is free to watch all week from May 29th to June 4th. Each speaker is an expert in their
But Teaching Kids is Fun! Lucretia Berry • May 16, 2023 “They can educate themselves!” I often hear this proposed as a viable strategy for transformation. My thought is that if people have enough comprehension, competency, and efficacy to design their own education – one that builds their capacity to confidently engage in dismantling harmful practices and cultivating justice and
and how we can get better Afrika Afeni Mills • May 9, 2023 When I think back on the hard things I learned how to do when I was a child, lots of examples come to mind. In sixth grade, I experienced learning a new language in school for the first time. I had some familiarity with the Spanish language from
Reflections of a Certified Instructor Dan Berry – May 2, 2023 How many times in our lives have we learned a truth about something and ran with it like we had all the understanding we needed to change the world – maybe to our spouse, our partner, or our kids? Every time that happened in my life, I found out there
Tracey McKee – April 25, 2023 A couple of weeks ago, I met with Joy Warner, the recently retired director of Community School of Davidson (CSD) in Davidson, NC. I wanted to talk with her about her journey to find an anti race/ism curriculum for CSD. Community School of Davidson is a K-12 public charter school that has been wildly
Brownicity • April 4, 2023 feature image source: https://musaalgharbi.com/2020/09/16/diversity-important-related-training-terrible/ Diversity programs have been implemented in many organizations with the goal of creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace. However, despite good intentions, many of these programs have failed to achieve their intended outcomes. Let’s explore some of the reasons why diversity programs may fail and what organizations can do to
Dan Berry – March 28, 2023 Have you ever sat with a person as they tried to explain to you how your new computer, phone, or some electronic device worked and you nodded in agreement, left the impression you understood everything they just explained to you, but were actually clueless? Okay, maybe that’s just my story, but why? Why did I
Tracey McKee – March 21, 2023 Race and racism are hard to talk about. Having open, honest, and productive dialogue with others always helps us arrive at more thoughtful and creative ways to solve our issues. But when we consider talking about race/ism, most of us tend to shy away. If you are a person of color, you may be
Lucretia Berry • March 14, 2023 So, you want to actively engage in dismantling race/ism, but fear making mistakes? Here are seven of the most common mistakes people make when broaching the subjects of race and racism. 1. Believing that race/ism only affects certain races: Racism affects all racial groups, including white people (e.g. historically, real estate speculators profited from
Lucretia Berry • March 7, 2023 Race/ism touches every aspect of our lives – identity, interpersonal relationships, access to healthcare and food, our finances, where we live, go to school, work, gather to worship, and play – yet we struggle to talk about it coherently, confidently, and in ways that help us create a society free of race/ism. Here are
Laura Marti – February 23, 2023 Sherrilyn Ifill is a prominent civil rights lawyer, legal scholar, and activist who dedicated her career to advancing racial justice and equality. She served as the seventh President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), one of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations, from 2013 to 2022, and currently serves as President and
The Neo-Expressionist Black artist who changed the face of contemporary art Laura Marti – February 21, 2023 Feature image: Jean-Michel Basquiat | Getty Images Jean-Michel Basquiat was a pioneering artist who used his art to explore complex issues of race, class, and identity. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1960, Basquiat was the son of Haitian and Puerto Rican immigrants. He
On February 22, the activity book, Hues of You turns one!! Stay tuned for fun ways to celebrate. In the meantime, for ❤️Valentine’s Day❤️ here are 22 reasons to LOVE this book. How will you help children navigate things you aren’t sure of yourself? With children, learning doesn’t always happen with words. Complex concepts can’t be figured out in a
Dan Berry – February 14, 2023 As a follower of Jesus who is learning how to truly love all of my neighbors — not just the ones that are like me — sometimes I wonder why there is so much opposition from others who claim to follow Him. As much as I try to avoid misinformed commentary, it seems that
Tracey McKee – February 9, 2023 As February approached, I found myself wanting to know more about Black History Month’s origins. Who was behind its inception? When was it first observed? What were the hopes for the celebration? How has it grown? I began to research Black History Month and was delighted to meet Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the Father
Laura Marti – February 7, 2023 Feature image: William Still (1821-1902), a conductor on the Underground Railroad who helped nearly 800 enslaved African Americans to freedom. William Still was an abolitionist and civil rights activist who played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad. He risked his life shepherding runaway enslaved people to freedom in the tumultuous years leading up to
Lucretia Berry • February 2, 2023 Because Black History Month is for acknowledging, honoring, and celebrating the contributions of African-Americans that are largely absent from the education on American history and formation, I typically stay away from teaching about chattel slavery during this time. As one of my Antiracism 101 high school students stated, “Black people are not the awful thing that was
Anthony Bittner • January 31, 2023 When I think about the phrase, “racial healing,” I have to admit that my brain instinctively goes to a dark place. I find it hard to acknowledge there’s much healing at all when racism, antisemitism, and hate in general seem to be running rampant from coast to coast. It sometimes feels like we’re
Afrika Afeni Mills • January 26, 2023 A few years ago, I facilitated a discussion group about the America to Me docu-series, and in preparation for our first meeting, the group’s homework was to read Langston Hughes’ Let America Be America Again and answer the following question: What is America (actually, the United States to honor that there are several countries
Laura Marti – January 24, 2023 Feature image: freepik Happy Lunar New Year 2023‼️ Growing up in Akron, Ohio in the 70s, I knew next to nothing about Asian culture. My first exposure was going to a Chinese restaurant with my grandmother as a child. She took me to one particular restaurant because she worked in a doctor’s office for a
Dan Berry – January 19, 2023 Growing up in Iowa and living in a small, rural white community, race had never entered my mind. I guess when you are born into whiteness, race is something that belongs to everyone else but you. The irony of my story is that for most of my life, I didn’t realize that my mom
What IS Racial Healing? Lucretia Berry • January 17, 2023 “THIS is what healing looks like,” Spirit whispered. Instead of fighting sickness, healing is intentional love and support lavished upon the burdened parts of my body that have become weak, bruised, and depleted. The daily hours, the focused care, and months of commitment taught me that healing asks for a significant investment –
Tracey McKee – January 12, 2023 As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday this month, we are reminded of his urgent desire to see a great racial healing in our country. He bravely spoke of a day when we would move past the racial divide and embrace one another as brothers and sisters regardless of skin color. For
Dr. Gerardo Marti – January 10, 2023 The Housing Needs Assessment tool is a valuable resource for those working in the housing and community development fields. Created in partnership with PolicyMap, this tool provides detailed reports for every US Census jurisdiction in the country, and so allows users to analyze and assess the housing needs of their communities, providing important
Afrika Afeni Mills • December 22, 2022 I’ve never seen South Pacific, but I’ve heard of the song You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught. The lyrics have been on my mind as I think about what learning experiences I want to support educators to create for ourselves and students in the midst of political polarization and social distress. You’ve got
Seeing Jesus and Each Other Dan Berry – December 20, 2022 In this season of Advent I reflect about how I came to a place in my life decades ago where I saw Jesus for who He was. I tell people how it was like a light came on and I went from simply ‘believing’ in someone to actually opening
Laura Marti – December 15, 2022 Brownicity’s theme for the month of December, “Darkness Welcomes Light,” gave me something new to think about and explore. The beginnings of this have been with me for a while. I love learning, and what is most fun about it is the discovery that comes from digging into a topic and seeing where things lead.