Civil(ish)

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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!**

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!

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.

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?

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.

What is so special about life that some people will dedicate years of their lives to preserve it?  Is life that special?