“We can, Each of us, Do the impossible As long as we can convince ourselves That it has been done before.” – Earthseed: The Books of the Living, Octavia Butler Race, class, patriarchy and capitalism are the primary driving social & economic forces today. These forces shape and define inequitable resource distribution, power and all aspects of our social constructs. …
7 Steps to Community Social Innovation
“Chaos is another word for opportunity.” – I Ching The buzz words just keep coming. Inclusive Growth Race and Equity Sustainability Social Determinants of Health And of course last, but not least – social innovation. While I understand the importance of words to capture and focus our efforts, I’m challenged by the fact that often these concepts are primarily shaped …
Emergence, Afrofuturism and Desired Future States
“Science fiction is simply a way to practice the future together. I suspect that is what many of you are up to, practicing futures together, practicing justice together, living into new stories. It is our right and responsibility to create a new world.” – Adrienne Maree Brown, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds Recently I had the opportunity to participate …
Are training programs the answer to racial equity?
In a recent Indiana Business Journal (IBJ) article author Hayleigh Colombo shared data from the recent Opportunity Atlas study showing major persistent income disparities between Blacks and Whites regardless of education and generation. She shares that “for every dollar the average white worker in Indianapolis earns…the average black worker born to high-income parents earns 73 cents.” Turning that into dollar …
Black People and Institutional Power Structures
“They usually say the races here are getting along amicably now, and we do not want these peaceful relationships disturbed by teaching of new political thought. What they mean to say with respect to the peaceful relation of the races, then, is that the African-Americans have been terrorized to the extent that they are afraid even to discuss political matters …
A Critical Moment: The Struggle to Make Indianapolis a More Equitable City
Recently, the word equity has become more prominent in discussions of how to address growing poverty and inequality along lines of race, class and gender. Some examples in Indianapolis: The Indy Chamber recently collaborated with the Brookings Institute on a study about Committing to Inclusive Growth. The Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) recently changed their mission to “mobilize people, ideas and …
Interview with Imhotep Adisa: Culture Shift Masterclass & Scarabys
Q: What is the Culture Shift Masterclass? M: First, I’d like to say something about culture. Culture is what people use to maintain the social fabric – beliefs, ideas, etc. and most of the time it’s invisible. It’s like air. You breathe it, but you really don’t see it. With that said, why shift? What’s the shift about? Scarabys as …
Fight Like Ida, Octavia and Mari
By IMHOTEP ADISA Fight Like Ida, Octavia and MariThese are challenging times:The “coming out of the closet” of white nationalists in the United States and the worldThe unrelenting impact of climate change on our communitiesGrowing economic inequality here and abroad. In these circumstances it’s easy to become cynical and hopeless.As our academic scholars continue to provide the critical analysis and …
From the Closing of Double 8 to Marsh: Food Access Apocalypse in Central Indiana
The recent closing of 10+ Marsh grocery stores across Indianapolis has me reflecting on the challenge of food access in Central Indiana. I remember as if it were yesterday when all the Double 8 stores closed in our communities. “Oh man!” said Paulette Fair as she tried to get into the closed store. “I need carrots and collard greens and …