Happy MLK Jr. Day!
I hope we can all find time today to get more acquainted with the real Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and not the sanitized version that is most widely discussed.
So many are in love with MLK Jr. the dreamer and not MLK the visionary and revolutionary. But MLK reminded us that “a visionary has his eyes open.”
Here are a few eye-opening MLK Jr. quotes I started my day with:
- “Negro goals are clearly defined, their tactics are tested, suitable and viable. The lag is appearing in the white community which now inclines toward a détente, hoping to rest upon past laurels.”
- “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”
This year, I’m trying to be more intentional about sharing my reflections and the various resources I come across with my network. I’ve shared a few below and would appreciate your feedback!
What I’m on my soapbox about this week — Watch Disney’s Encanto and “abre los ojos” (open your eyes)! You might not have young children or be into animated movies but I highly recommend checking it out. I have three children ages six and under so the movie has been on repeat in my house. And for my family, the movie means much more than entertainment. Like Jingle Jangle and Soul were in my home last holiday season, Encanto has been a reminder about representation, the richness of diversity, and the beauty that’s abundant in communities of color if we just open our eyes. Children (and adults!) all over are getting to view characters with similar hair, skin tones, and culture as theirs in Encanto and feel seen. Lin Manuel Miranda’s soundtrack for the movie is a gift and is sitting at the top of the charts. And there are so many insights about leadership and social justice to extrapolate from Encanto. I’m planning to write soon about what each member of The Family Madrigal in Encanto reveals about the burdens people of color shoulder in the workforce. I’d love to hear your take if/when you watch!
Nothing could ever be broken that we can’t fix together.
– Mirabel from Encanto
Best resource I’ve come across recently — With Black History Month approaching soon, I’m reminded about how little most organizations do to acknowledge and celebrate black history. It is also a point of frustration for me each year to watch organizations invite the same black speakers as if there’s a dearth of names they can draw from. Well, Madison Butler was tired of seeing this too and created The Black Speakers Collection — a platform to make it easier to source Black speakers. Her list grew to 1,100 speakers in just four weeks! And Giving Gap has curated a list of over 800 Black-founded and Black-led nonprofits! There are so many powerful underrepresented voices out there if we just open our eyes!
What I’m reading/watching/listening to — The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans–and How We Can Fix It by Dorothy A. Brown and She Did That (a documentary on black women entrepreneurs).
What’s inspiring me right now — I recently posted this heartwarming video of one of our TeenSHARP seniors opening his UPenn admissions decision on Linkedin. It already has nearly 1 million views! It is one of many (including Seun getting into Harvard!) I will be sharing as the admissions results come in for the Class of 2022.
One request for my network — There’s so much talk about diversifying our various professions but every year so many talented students of color are left without meaningful professional opportunities in the summer. Yet, many of us can open these doors for students pretty easily! Can you please let me know if you can connect our TeenSHARP students with any of the following: paid internship; job shadow opportunity (could just be a day or a couple of days); research opportunity (or opportunity to shadow/support in a research lab); opportunity to work on a political campaign; opportunity to help plan a major conference or event; other amazing summer learning opportunity.
Let me know if there is any way I can be helpful to you as well.
We have upcoming cohorts of The Proximity Project focused on the education sector, healthcare sector, and business/nonprofit sector. Please join if you’re interested and help us spread the word!
Regards,
Atnre
