Other Projects & Roles
STL SANDBOX
Capacity and Community Building workshop series and online community building. STL Sandbox is a space to hone the tools, skills, & perspective you need to be a part of transformative change where you live/work/play. In partnership with Nicole Hudson.
YA2A - FREEDOM TO READ
A community building and awareness raising effort for the Ypsilanti / Ann Arbor MI area. All signs indicate that book bans anywhere are creating a chilling effect everywhere. One of the most protective factors in any community is...COMMUNITY, and we are working to build it. JOIN US.
THE HERE AND THEN
A creative space where I geek out about story time travel - harvesting wisdom from past and present humans; chronicling my own intersection of public and private experience for those who come after (and also my own future self); and capturing the inspiration of other communities who in retelling the past help to re-story our future. (Re-Storying is a concept of scholar Ebony Elizabeth Thomas.)
TELL THE TRUTH TOURs
The intersection between truth telling and parenting is a fiercesome and necessary space. As a White family, we consider especially our responsibility to seek truth, identify myths, advocate for reconciliation and reparations, and help expand our collective notion of what inter-generational learning and commitment can look like. It’s a massive family independent study of sorts that was to take place over the summer of 2020 - until, hello pandemic. Interruption aside, our travels have taken us through: MO, IL, TN, NC, AL, AR, CO, AZ, UT, MI, OH, PA, WV, VA, DC, and parts of Ontario. Yet unvisited is: NY, CT, MA, VT, ME, & SC. We work to capture our learning journey sharing our experience and reflections, as well as any resulting synthesis. I do this work in partnership with my three children whom have ranged in ages 0-11, and whatever other friends and family have joined up for the ride.
Parenting while white
A mostly dormant blog that captures some earlier parts of my parenting journey, before beginning We Stories. Other writing, reflections and resources can also be found on the We Stories Blog.
FORward through ferguson
Forward Through Ferguson is the organizational outgrowth of the Ferguson Commission Report, mandated by then Missouri Governor Jay Nixon in the wake of unrest after the shooting death of Michael Brown. Today this organization continues to chart a path toward regional Racial Equity. We work as a catalyst, connecting and challenging stakeholders across the region to implement the 189 calls to action outlined in the Ferguson Commission report; help organizations and institutions build the capacity they need to dismantle systemic racism; and serve people of color, who most experience inequity, through a systems approach that will strengthen the region for us all.
I’m proud to have served on the Board of Directors from 2016 - 2022, including two years in the role of co-chair. I aim to continue my support of my colleagues and community in the ever-challenging work of maintaining organizational wellness while aspiring to create transformational change.
WE STORIES
We Stories is a St. Louis-based non-profit organization that engages White families to change the conversation about and build momentum towards racial justice and equity. In 4 short years they have directly engaged 900 families, helping them to start and strengthen conversations about race and racism and increase their capacity for civic engagement and advocacy. The work is built on a bedrock of research about on racial socialization and bias formation, habit and behavior change, peer learning and community formation from the fields of child development, psychology, sociology, education, and more. Early results from research conducted with children who have participated in We Stories by Washington University’s Cognition and Development lab is demonstrating that exposure to We Stories is shifting the bias trajectory of participating children.
I co-founded this organization in 2015, have served as it’s Director of Community and Collaboration as well as it’s Executive Director through 2021 - no small feat during pandemic upheaval and a relocation to MI. We Stories sunset in 2023 and made all of it's materials and curriculum free and available to the public for use!