Civil(ish)
By Johnny R. Byrd
Civil(ish)Nov 25, 2020
Revolution? Reform? Social Change...
Social Justice is the issue of the day and Tish Beauford is on the forefront of that battle...a battle she has been waging for years now. Join Tish and I as we discuss the state of race relations along with the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. We've got a lot of acronyms to cover here. Enjoy the discussion.
Tish Beauford is a 40-year resident of Denver and Aurora. She is community activist, organizer, and radio show host. She has been involved in community service and activism for over 26 years. She became involved in serving the community as member of the International Junior Chamber of Commerce serving as Englewood Local President in 1993 and then was elected to the State Board Of Directors as Membership Development Vice President for the Colorado Junior Chamber of Commerce and served from 1994 to 1996. She was the first African American to serve as a local president and state vice president in Colorado history.
She has served on the Colorado Women's March Board of Directors and as one of the original organizers that mobilized a movement of 3,000 Colorado citizens to the nation's capital to participate in the national Women's March on Washington D.C. in 2017. In 2018, she also went on to serve on the Board of Directors for the Women’s March Denver and served as the Logistics Director for that organization, March for Our Lives and March for Black Women Denver which she still serves on the Board of Directors. In the same year she was nominated and appointed to a two-year term serving as a member on the Colorado Democratic Party Rules Committee for the State of Colorado.
In March 2020, she was also nominated and appointed to a four-year term to the Citizens Advisory Budget Committee for the City of Aurora. Recently, in August 2020, she served as on
The Women for Biden Colorado Advisory Committee for the Biden-Harris Campaign.
In addition to Tish’s community endeavors, she is an outspoken social justice advocate for marginalized people of color, indigenous, LQTBQTIA+, immigrant and homeless communities. She is also an active supporter of children literacy programs and voter rights initiatives.
She is the currently the host of the popular morning radio show “A Public Affair” which airs on KGNU 88.5 FM Radio from 8:30 - 9 a.m. the fourth Thursday of every month.
Saving Faith...
I was born and raised in the faith of my (fore)fathers, just the way a number of us were. But, we've seen a tremendous amount of kids leaving the faith of their fathers while transitioning into adulthood. Why? What can be done? Should anything be done? Join Morgan Mitchell, the High School & College Director at Journey Community Church, and I as we discuss this and more.
Morgan is from Rochester NY originally. Being born and raised within a faith-based background, he has found his calling to teach people what it means to look, live, and love like Jesus within a ministry context. Morgan is on his last semester of his Master of Divinity degree from Azusa Pacific Seminary. At the age of 19, he started a Spoken Word Ministry where he uses poetry creatively to minister to thousands of people. In his free time, he enjoys walking his puppy, date nights with his wife Emma, reading, and good food.
This Ain't Your Grandmother's World
This ain't your grandmother's world. Not in the least. Things that were not are being reframed, retrained, and rebuilt before our very eyes.
You've heard talk of the good old days...but not everyone remembers them quite so fondly. Sarah Bacerra is at the forefront of today's cultural conversations on remaking society. You've heard the words social justice...intersectionality...same sex marriage. We've got all that and more in this episode. It is an eye-opener. And, most definitely worth your time.1
Sarah Bacerra is an Inclusion Strategist, Learning Experience Designer, and Certified High Performance Coach, leveraging cutting-edge learning practices to help build organizational cultures of curiosity, belonging, and intention. Sarah has had the privilege of working with some of the world’s leading organizations with experience spanning the technology, government, media, hospitality, and non-profit sectors. Going beyond traditional, superficial means, Sarah is laser focused on the intentional architecture of cultures and systems that move us towards achievements in pay equity, gender parity, and racial justice.
Sarah serves on the Advisory Council for Center for Respectful Leadership and is an Executive Board Member for Women’s March San Diego.
A Muslim in the Bible Belt
Milia Islam-Majeed stopped by to regale us with stories of faith, acceptance, belonging, and the Bible Belt! Growing up as a religious minority in the Bible Belt, she learned first hand the hard lessons of prejudice and overcoming. Hers is a story of hard work, overcoming, and pressing on as she tirelessly carries forth the torch of religious tolerance and diversity. Listen in...then share the episode.
Milia Islam-Majeed is the daughter of immigrant parents who migrated here in 1986 from Bangladesh. She has since then lived in the United States spending most of her childhood and adolescence in the small Midwestern town of Fulton, Missouri. She obtained her undergraduate degree in World Religions and Psychology from Westminster College in Missouri and thereafter moved to Boston for her graduate work. She is a 2004 graduate of Harvard University where she earned her Masters in Theological Studies of the World Religions and Anthropology.
She has spoken worldwide about her interfaith work and some of her recognitions include being one of eight national recipients of the USA Network 2010 Character Unite Awards, awarded the NAACP “2011 Woman of the Year” in Long Beach, selected in 2015 as one of the Future-50 Emerging Leaders under the age of 35 who are shaping the landscape of faith in Los Angeles by the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture & Interreligious Council of Los Angeles. Most recently in 2017, Milia was chosen as one of 11 individuals throughout the world to be a research fellow at the Dali Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT where her research focuses on the intersection of Islam and Ethics. Most recently in 2020, she was awarded the Harvard Divinity School 2020 Peter J. Gomes, STB ’68 Distinguished Alumni Honoree. This award honors distinguished HDS alumni whose excellence in life, work, and service pays homage to the mission and values of Harvard Divinity School and Peter J. Gomes, STB ’68.
In 2008 Milia joined as the Executive Director of the South Coast Interfaith Council (SCIC) – the largest and oldest interfaith council in California, serving 35 cities in Southern California.
Life, Violence & Authenticity
Dancing through life enjoying every minute...until...something comes along to change it. For Nurjahan Boulden, that time came in 2006. While in Canada to attend a family wedding, she went out with family to go dancing. Sitting at this rooftop club, she suddenly felt pain in her leg and dropped to the ground. She had been shot!
Nurjahan's story is story of hurting, persevering, and finally thriving. This is a powerful story.
Nurjahan Boulden grew up with dreams of becoming a dancer. When she was shot in the leg with an assault rifle in a random attack at age 21, she thought those dreams were destroyed. She suffered in silence physically and emotionally for almost a decade before she met another survivor who inspired her to share her story. She’s now a dancer, survivor, and storyteller, inspiring audiences around the world to face their greatest fears and rise in the face of adversity.
You may find out more about her at www.nurjahanboulden.com or follow her on Facebook at /nurjahanboulden/
Living and Learning and Growing
Live and learn. That's what we all do. Rabbis are no different.
In this episode, Rabbi Zachary Zysman shares some amazing family stories and how those stories have shaped his life. Family history can enrich our lives and provide connections to the past. What happens when you find out that your intensely personal family stories are very similar to other people's family stories - people that are so very dissimilar to you as to make this unthinkable?
Join us for a conversation on family history, getting along with others and seeing the humanity in everyone.
Since 2002, Rabbi Zachary Zysman has dedicated his life to Jewish education. He holds an undergraduate degree in child and adolescent development from San Francisco State University and a master’s degree in human development from Pacific Oaks College.
Zysman also has two additional master’s degrees in Hebrew letters and Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, the same location where he received his rabbinic ordination in May 2016.
Zach hopes to weave together his many years of experience working with children and families and the twelve years in Jewish education as an early childhood educator, combined with the rabbinical education to make a significant and measurable difference in people’s Jewish and spiritual lives.
Rabbi Zysman is currently the Campus Rabbi and Director of Jewish Life at Loyola Marymount University.
Art Just for the Sake of Art?
Ars Gratia Artis (art for art's sake) so goes the Latin phrase. But is it true? Do we produce art simply for the enjoyment of ourselves and, hopefully, others? Or, does it do more? Does it need to do more? Join Terrilynn Moore and me as we discuss these very issues.
...and she's got some great stories to tell along the way.
Terrilynn Moore, a retired police officer, is now a passionate and vibrant storyteller and artist. Her stories will entrance or delight you or they may move you to tears. Her stories can start deep and meaningful conversations about slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement and just being black in America.
You may follow her at www.terrilynnmoore.com or on Facebook at /TerryilynnMooreArtist
Engaging those employees
"Employee Engagement" is thrown around like a faddish buzzword of the corporate world. But does it really exist? While much ink has been spilled on this very issue, execution...shall we say...varies. John's got some answers on this stuff though that just might make it stick. He's thought through this stuff extensively and makes it seem doable.
**You might even want to share this one with your boss!**
John Gates is a Partner with Avion Consulting and the co-author of two books: “The Five Coaching Conversations” (2020) and “How Leaders Improve” (2017). John provides coaching and counsel to leaders from the middle management to senior executive levels; he partners with clients in the design and implementation of high-impact leadership development solutions; and he works with management teams on issues related to both team and organizational effectiveness. John began his career in higher education, and has served in both faculty and leadership positions at several universities. John has a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the University of Southern California.
Building Peace through Faith
Building peace through faith seems like a pretty tall order but that is exactly what Tasneem Noor is doing. Wait...faith? Isn't that people fight about? Does it have to be that way?
In this episode, we define faith (it takes me a while to get it) and explore what that means to each person and how faith can be the foundation for peace. I'm still mulling over this conversation!
Tasneem Noor is the award-winning author of the best-seller The Faith Connection: Your Journey Starts with Knowing Yourself; and the founder of Noor Enterprises: SOULful Transformations. She is committed to having, and facilitating, courageous conversations over differences. Tasneem has trained over 200 community leaders through 9 month long conflict transformational programs for healthy relations, productive engagement and social change. As a leadership coach, Tasneem helps her clients to build their teams and communities' capacity for authentic engagement, explore diversity, dismantle stereotypes, and create lasting partnerships. The Inter-religious Council of Southern CA recognized Tasneem as an emerging faith leader and she is serving as the interfaith-minister-in-residence for the Episcopalian Diocese of Southern CA.
Does Education have a Purpose?
Does education have a purpose? Is it to produce an informed citizenry or economic actors? At its best, education can be a tool used to empower others. Does "others" include everyone or just a select few?
Join Benoni Pantoja and me this week as we discuss all this and more regarding education.
Benoni Pantoja has over twenty years of experience in empowering youth, leadership development, and community engagement. He has been a teacher, a coach, Youth Director, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Vice President of Schools. He holds a master’s degree in secondary education from Loyola Marymount University, a California teaching credential, a California administrative services credential, and is bilingual cross-cultural language and academic development certified.
He believes that purpose-driven education is a significant contributor to equity, inclusion and opportunities for all. Benoni loves to serve the community as an innovator, connector, and collaborator. He received his bachelor’s degree in United States history with a double minor in Spanish literature and ethnic studies from the University of California, San Diego. He is an avid learner and currently studying business leadership, management, and marketing.
One of Benoni’s passion projects is his podcast Humanity Tribe. You can hear him interview individuals and organizations that are making a positive contribution to humanity on his website.
Defying the Odds
Criminal justice, race, and...humanity. What do they all have in common? People. Sometimes we forget that people are at the center of every major societal issue. Perhaps ...just perhaps...if we kept that in mind, couldn't we then have a rational and substantive discussion seeking to raise people up rather than arguing for the sake of winning an argument?
This time around, we're talking prisons and race with Paul Lamb of Defy Ventures.
Paul Lamb has over 25 years experience as a consultant, nonprofit executive, and entrepreneur. He is currently the Executive Director of Defy Ventures of Northern California, which provides entrepreneurship training, career development, and personal development to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women.
Paul has built several successful nonprofit organizations and social enterprises in the areas of youth, workforce development, and digital inclusion. His business background includes positions as Director of Programs at the US-China Business Council in Washington, D.C., a business analyst for Ernst & Young, and a marketing consultant for both U.S. and Asian firms.
Paul is also an author, blogger, and radio commentator and his Op-Eds have appeared in a broad range of media outlets including NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, CNET, the Huffington Post, and the Christian Science Monitor. He also been featured in books such as “The Networked Nonprofit” and “Finding Your Passion: The Easy Guide to Your Dream Career."
Paul was a 2007 winner of the Knight Foundation 21st Century Media Challenge, was named the 2005 University of California, San Diego Alumnus of the Year, and was awarded the California Governor’s Technology & Innovation Award in 2002. Paul was a “Next Generation Fellow” with the American Assembly at Columbia University and was a founding Board member of the Social Enterprise Alliance SF Bay Area Chapter. He currently serves on the Board of the BitGive Foundation and is an advisor to the California Emerging Technologies Fund and Mannabase – an organization providing Universal Basic Income through cryptocurrency.
Peace?
Peace does not seem to be the default relationship between people that are different in any way. In many ways, the same may be said of the relationship between Muslims and Christians. But we owe it to the world to ask the question...is peace possible? Today, I'm talking to Nicole Wriedt at Peace Catalyst International about ongoing efforts to bridge that divide.
Nicole Wriedt is Program Director in San Diego with Peace Catalyst International, an organization that supports Christian-Muslim peacemaking through experiential learning opportunities. Christians and Muslims comprise over half the wold’s population. We’ve seen what happens when our mutual mistrust swells into hatred and violence. We believe in our capacity to be a powerful reconciling force as allies and friends.
Before joining Peace Catalyst, Nicole was based in India for two years, working as the Programs and Partnerships Director for an international sports-based peacebuilding non-profit. Nicole holds a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, concentrating on Christian-Muslim relations, and a Certificate in Youth Program Development from Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
Golf, Bias and New Opportunities
Vivian Sayward loves golf. Before long, she recognized a bias in the golf retail clothing industry. What did she do? Vivian created a new business to solve that very issue.
Join in on this great conversation as we discuss entrepreneurship, the retail world, and bias.
Vivian Sayward is founder and CEO of Vivacity Sportswear®, an inclusive apparel line designed for and by women and based in San Diego, California.
Vivian has held positions in finance, marketing and business development at Fortune 500 high tech and healthcare companies. She has also consulted for start-ups in the healthcare and fashion/beauty industries.
Vivian was always inspired by her Colombian born, entrepreneurial parents who immigrated to the US in the 1960s and built a successful manufacturing business in Orange County, California. After years in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, Vivian wanted to go in a new direction career wise with something she could build and grow.
At Vivacity Sportswear, Vivian and her team have created a classic and sophisticated women's lifestyle collection in misses and plus sizes that is sold online, on cruise ships, and in fine retail shops throughout the US. Vivian built a team of experts in design, development and manufacturing that produces sought after quality pieces with innovative fabrics and sustainability features. The company now offers product development and private label services for other companies through its affiliate Vivacity Advantage.
Vivian remains active in her local community, volunteering time and resources to educational and healthcare related foundations including Pro Kids/First Tee of San Diego, of which she serves on the board. She also participates on the small business advocacy council for the National Retail Federation and serves as a business mentor for various undergraduate program business incubation programs.
What's So Special About Life?
What is so special about life that some people will dedicate years of their lives to preserve it? Is life that special?
In this episode of Civil(ish), we discuss this very issue with Toni Smith. Toni has been volunteering her time at College Area Pregnancy Services for 17 years. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother and holds all life to be special.
Mission to Find Nutrition?
What role does food play in our daily lives (besides keeping us alive, of course)? Does it affect our mood? Do we only eat for nutrition or do other reasons come into play? Join me in a conversation with Sese Liua to discuss this and much more.
Sese is the Founder and Health Coach at Mission to Find Nutrition. He is a fun guy who's is always on a Mission to Find Nutrition!
You may connect with him in the following ways:
facebook - Ulisese Liua
instagram -@bigbodysay
website - www.missiontofindnutrition.com
Purpose and Passion?
Do you have it? Is it important? Is it necessary? Listen in on the conversation with Marcy Morrison as we discuss the importance of passion and purpose in life and work. Hitting that pause button in life, taking a step back, and asking the hard questions...is my life in congruence with the real me?
Marcy Morrison, Founder/Career & Life Coach at Careers with Wings (www.careerswithwings.com), and Founder of Passion Purpose Academy (www.passionpurposeacademy.com). Marcy has helped 100's of people uncover and live their passion and purpose for over 13 years. She is the author of "Finding Your Passion: The Easy Guide To Your Dream Career" and "Falling in Love With Me: A Personal Journey and A Guide to Falling in Love with You." You can reach Marcy at marcy@careerswithwings.com.
Second Chances?
You'll enjoy this fascinating conversation with Jonathan Yackley, the Deputy Executive Director of Rise Up Industries. He works with lifers coming out of prison and we discuss second chances, personal responsibility, and if change is possible.
- Should former gang members be given a second chance?
- Is change possible?
- Is it worth the effort? (How's that for being provocative?)
Civil(ish) Trailer
Welcome to Civil(ish) - a podcast about respecting the differences!
This trailer will introduce you to my vision for Civil(ish).
I do hope you'll join me along the way!