Twenty Teachers in 2020
So much has been said about 2020, and so much more will be said in the future. No matter how you see this year, I hope you can find moments of gratitude. One of my year-end gifts is sending thanks to the people who have taught me this year. Each person has offered insights into lived experiences with deep generosity and vulnerability. I am sharing the public figures list here so you can check them out, too. Thank you!
Jameela Jamil is an English actress and host. You may know her as Tahani from The Good Place. This NBC show explored the afterlife and definitions of good for humanity. The series wrapped in January 2020; however, Jameela Jamil was just getting started. She used her downtime in the pandemic to educate and promote trans rights, especially on Instagram. She also started a podcast for the iWeigh community, which is a community allyship platform built to share ideas and stories that ultimately mobilize activism. Her vulnerability rocks me every time.
When religious gatherings stopped in the spring, my partner and I acquired a new pastor – Brene Brown. I know, I know – she’s not a spiritual leader. However, my partner and I began our Sunday mornings with her weekly podcast, Unlocking Us, and usually ended in tears by lunch. Now she has started another podcast called Dare to Lead, which addresses organizational leadership. Plus, she provides Spotify playlists. This DJ appreciates that.
At one point this year, I was headed to Johannesburg, South Africa, for two weeks to finish my masters’ program in organizational development. Thanks, COVID-19 pandemic. Ugh. Even though our class did not travel, we still worked with South African clients, which was amazing. Part of our learning included Trevor Noah material – his book Born A Crime and his Netflix comedy specials. Then I started following The Daily Show on Instagram. Trevor Noah has been on fire in the pandemic. His daily videos are one of my morning pleasures.
Who do I listen to (and possibly stalk) the most on Instagram? Ijeoma Oluo. I read her book So You Want to Talk About Race back in March, and I have been on fire ever since. Ijeoma Oluo has taught me how to center the black experience and expand my understanding about the intersection of racism, feminism, and capitalism. Her Instagram videos are just incredible. Plus, she loves makeup more than me. Amazing.
Well, I changed pastors this fall. Funny enough, I made that change when Sonja Renee Taylor was a guest on the Unlocking Us podcast. Beyond her writing, activism, and performer, she started The Body Is Not An Apology movement, which is an international movement committed to cultivating global Radical Self Love and Body Empowerment. Similar to Ijeoma Oluo’s influence this year, Sonya Renee Taylor has taught me so much about marginalization and oppression through her Instagram videos.
One of my 2020 highlights was hearing Gloria Steinem speak live at a Time’s Up virtual event. In the last few years, I’ve read about every book and essay by this feminist icon. And I am grateful that she has lived this long to speak into 2020. If you have Audible, you can listen to a great interview with Gloria Steinem, Alice Walker, and Wilma Mankiller. This quote by Gloria Steinem follows me most days – “Planning ahead is a measure of class. The rich and even the middle-class plan for future generations, but the poor can plan ahead only a few weeks or days.”
Angela Davis is someone that I discovered this year, which is such a white woman thing to say! I first read her book Freedom Is A Constant Struggle in preparation for my South Africa work. Her ability to connect global struggles to individual and community experiences is powerful. Then I heard her name while reading Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow and saw her speak on Black Power Mixtape. Every time she speaks, I shut up and listen deeply.
It is hard to believe that I kicked off 2020 with civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni speaking at a local university to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. I first heard of her back in 2007 when she gave a healing speech after the Virginia Tech mass shooting. My dominant white culture self wasn’t awake enough to start following her then. Yet, my eyes are open now, and I sit at her feet whenever I can.
Instagram allows me to access incredible teachers who provide insights in sizes that I can handle. One of my favorites is Alok Vaid-Menon. ALOK is an American Indian writer and performance artist. They have exposed me to in-depth resources, especially books, that teach the history behind social constructs like race and gender. They also published a book this year that I highly recommend, Beyond the Gender Binary.
I’ve been in graduate school for the last two years, which means that I’ve missed binge watching shows. That includes the final season of Orange Is The New Black. In the beginning, my uneducated and biased self thought this show was about lesbians in prison. However, as my knowledge has deepened and the show continued, I learned about so much more – mass incarceration, punitive sentencing, immigration courts, family separations, police brutality, and most importantly, relationships. I just can’t brag on this show enough to reflect my love for it.
Documentaries have been my jam this year, so you will see several on this list. The Pieces I Am is a documentary that follows the life of author Toni Morrison. I grew up in a heavy white narrative, so I didn’t have exposure to Toni Morrison’s work until my adult years. This piece reflects the long and powerful career of a beloved author and public figure. I read Sula this year and plan to read all of her work in 2021.
After reading about my love for Gloria Steinem, it will be no surprise that Mrs. America made this list. Mrs. America is a historical mini-series based on the women’s movement to approve the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. Beyond the fascinating story that I didn’t know, I appreciated the representation of women and their thoughts about the ERA in different ways. This series led me to two great reads this year – Man-Made Language by Dale Spender and What Women Want by Caroline Bird. Highly recommend.
We lost a true icon in September, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She became the first woman to lie in state at the US Capitol. I built an appreciation for her work during lockdown when we watched the movie On The Basis of Sex and documentary RBG. Knowing that she argued for the rights of women by helping a man just makes the story! So much has been written about her, so I will just leave links to the famous RBG workouts for you.
Did you know that work accommodations for people with disabilities average $500 or less? The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) has really put forth thought-provoking and actionable work toward building equity and inclusion this year. A free offering by the SHRM Foundation is the Employing Abilities at Work certificate. The 10-hour program builds the skills for professionals to hire, develop, advance, and retain individuals with disabilities in the workplace. SHRM is a great resource for anyone who needs HR help.
This year has been one where you can’t help but be pulled into political work. I’ve gotten so many “asks” this year to help in a variety of ways, so I was surprised when the Women’s March offered powerful training back to its followers. The Feminist Future Series is a series of five webinars that share tools for inclusive organizing and non-dominant practices for building community. I have gone back to my notes again and again from Michelle Casandra Johnson and Kerri Kelly’s teachings.
America Ferrera is known primarily for her acting roles, such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Ugly Betty. In recent years, she has grown into a leader and activist for women and Latino people. In fact, she is a founding member of the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which provides funding for people to fight sexual harassment at work. I follow her on Instagram and continue to be inspired by her ferocious commitment to bringing Latinx voices to the forefront.
I jumped back on LinkedIn this year while building my consulting firm. What a refreshing place! I’ve been following and listening to some compelling voices in the equity and inclusion space. I recommend Amanda Andere, Diverse City LLC, The Winters Group, and Candie J. These people continue to challenge and educate me about white supremacy and oppression.
I graduated with my masters in organization development in August. While I’ve been grateful for a break from schoolwork, I have missed the continuous learning with people who want to push the envelope in the way we work. Enter Brave New Work, a podcast about adaptive and more human ways of working. The hosts discuss topics that are human-centered design processes. Topics include: Liberating Structures, humanocracy, participatory governance, and equity & inclusion. Plus, the episodes are typically 30-40 minutes. Score.
You may wonder why many men haven’t made that list. Well, that’s another conversation for another day. However, Larry Wilmore is one of my favorite guys. He is the creator of The Bernie Mac Show, which is my all-time favorites. Larry Wilmore is also a comedian, magician, and mad advocate for women. I religiously listen to his podcast Black on the Air, which covers politics, sports, and race.
It’s funny to think that Stacey Abrams was on my list before the election. I’ve been following her since 2017 when Full Frontal with Samantha Bee introduced her work. Stacey Abrams has taught millions of people about voter suppression, which was a game changer in the 2020 elections. Take the time to learn and follow Stacey Abrams. Plus, I give her book Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change to friends in their twenties.
Who has been teaching you this year? I look forwarding to hearing from you.
Photo Credit: SOULSANA on Unsplash