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The Truth Summit is an interactive event to investigate and analyze important topics influencing Black Milwaukee. Three thought-provoking panels will be presented at this year's summit, each addressing a topic with insight. Speakers include Sherwin Hughes, On-air Host; Jason Fields, On-air Host; Dr. Lita Mallett; Dr. Glen Mathews; LaNelle Ramey, MA; J.B. Bell, Bell & Wright; and Fred Johnson, Erie Insurance Policy and Politics: “Chasing Demographics” Experts and analysts explore the complex interplay between political policies and demographic shifts in this panel discussion. Higher Education: “From First to Third Generation” This conversation explores how higher education improves lives by looking at it from the perspective of generational advancement. Black Economics: “The Four Walls of Wealth” The goal of the conversation is to draw attention to methods for resolving financial difficulties and fostering legacy wealth-building. Register today: https://lnkd.in/gT4_pXsY

It is very important for white leaders to understand this and take the lead. Thank you, Jamila and Shari, for this article, which provides an excellent grounding point for leaders who want to do it right. We address these issues and more in our Racial Equity Guide, and at BoardSource, we also are on a similar journey by hiring Monika Kalra Varma, our first BIPOC leader. We also support BIPOC leaders through our BIPOC Leadership Initiative, the Glass Cliff Initiative. https://lnkd.in/eacKX4BE

There is another way to executive transitions, a way that doesn't put undue burden on Black leaders to justify their existence or prove their worth and capability to funders. I'm really proud of the way Shari Silberstein and I partnered on our transition, and we wrote about it so others might learn. Check out our blog article here: https://lnkd.in/eNX66i7N Equal Justice USA Leading Forward

As we usher in the next generation of Black business leaders, it is imperative that we have platforms that reflect our experiences, challenges, triumphs, and aspirations through a fresh and authentic lens.

Financial literacy disproportionately affects Black communities. John Hope Bryant, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, is changing that. Discover his lessons and insights in this Leading in the B-Suite interview, our series with prominent Black leaders. 🔗 https://hubs.la/Q02xjzGn0 #FinancialLiteracyMatters #EqualityThroughEducation #BlackLeadership

We're launching our 2024 offering of Self-Care for Black Folks Learning Series! Black folks in leadership at all levels, apply now: https://lnkd.in/gAy5Ta7F Self-care is an essential part of social justice work, and in the words of Audre Lorde, it is an act of self-preservation and political warfare—particularly for Black folks. Navigating and dismantling white supremacy and anti-Blackness at the interpersonal, organizational, and structural levels requires rigorous joy, replenishment, connection, and community building. With these priorities in mind, we are overjoyed to offer a self-care series for Black folks in leadership at every level who are looking to... + build knowledge, practices, and skills around self-care + create a culture of care at their organizations + develop a practice of community care in service of our collective liberation Make the most of your learning by registering for all events, OR only register for the session(s) that align with your time, energy, and interest! The series starts July 31st and concludes with the panel on October 3rd. Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/gAy5Ta7F

I had the honor of attending the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Conference in Baltimore, Maryland! This was my first time back at the conference in three years, so it was great to see colleagues I haven’t seen in a long time. The National Forum for Black Public Administrators works to center the specific needs of African American public administrators for professional development and provide resources on how to address issues affecting cities across the country. Here are my key takeaways from the conference: • Understand who holds the power and who implements the policy to effectively strategize how to advance Racial Equity. • Don’t allow performative activism stop us from having actionable and effective change for BIPOC communities. • Economic power influences the policies to have the systemic change we desire. • It’s critical to have collective action and help everyone understand (including white folks) how we all benefit from racial equity initiatives. In the words of Janet Jackson, “What have you done for me lately.” • As we strategize to further Racial Equity, we have to help white folks understand they are not losing anything from our society centering Racial Equity. • Conducting a “Power Map” is important as you work to be strategic in understanding who holds power, who holds a Racial Equity analysis, and how to proceed forward in this work.

Over the past 5 months, The Black Educator Advocates Network collaborated with Black educators, school and district leaders, and school psychologists to co create the Liberatory Black Educator Retention Framework. Broken into 5 tenets, this framework supports school and district leaders in their efforts to retain Black educators. https://lnkd.in/gr5Rf8UM #CABlackeducators #WENEEDBLACKEDUCATORS #Blackeducatorvoice #Blackeducators4ALL

I spent several days with Seth Kaplan last week. It was truly a pleasure to host him in Memphis. It was also a great opportunity to add a bit of energy to a years long conversation I’ve been in about why neighborhoods are the unit of intervention for Memphis. I appreciated the things that were confirmed for me as well as those brought back to the front of my mind. Seth will certainly not agree with all of these which makes this new acquaintance all the richer. 1. Human relationships are at the heart of our society. We really can’t go any further upstream than that. 2. Investments in social cohesion AND economic justice AND physical infrastructure (including environmental justice) are essential. One without the others is a waste of resources. 3. Social cohesion is a democratic necessity. It is an existential issue for us all. 4. We need pragmatists, who listen deeply to people across the spectrum and integrate their perspectives, to lead and be respected. And those pragmatists need to love Black folk fiercely and unequivocally. 5. A quasi-governmental agency I proposed years ago checks all the boxes necessary for a citywide focus on neighborhoods. (If y’all would just listen to me…😆) 6. Both philanthropic and political impatience is killing people and neighborhoods. An artificial and imposed sense of urgency on the necessarily inefficient nature of human relationships only serves to maintain the status quo. 7. Black leaders in the nonprofit sector need to determine whether their work is about them and their organizations or about the Black folk who are most burdened by systems. The former exists without the latter in far too many instances, which serves to bolster more organized and better funded white people who are fundamentally anti-Black. Some perspectives are specific to Memphis, but I’m guessing they are applicable elsewhere.

It's the last day of #BlackAugust and #BlackBusinessMonth! This month is all about honoring Black resistance and celebrating the ways Black communities and businesses excel—despite relentless structural barriers. But let’s be real: Black-owned businesses make up just 2.5% of all businesses in the U.S., while Black people represent over 14% of the population. This gap is not by accident—it's the result of systemic anti-Blackness that restricts access to capital, opportunities, and networks. At Ocha Transformations, we proudly stand in that 2.5%, driving impact through: ✨ High-Impact Facilitation & Coaching ✨ Strategic Partnership Development ✨ Customized Learning Experiences We work with leaders, organizations, and communities to scale social impact and create sustainable change. But we all need to do better—support Black businesses, dismantle these systems, and push for real change every single day. Connect with us! Let's talk strategy, implementation and dissemination. P.S. Don’t forget to check out The Script Lab for Public Health (TSL), our partnership with Joyee Washington, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES®. TSL supports public health practitioners, researchers, and students to conquer writing and publishing challenges and amplify the impact of their work by publishing with confidence. #SupportBlackBusinesses #Equity #SocialImpact #OchaTransformations #CommunityEngagement #StrategicPartnerships