The Leadership Learning Community is saddened and outraged about the heinous and frightening attacks on Asian Americans which have exploded over the course of the last year. The recent murders in the Atlanta area that killed 8 people, 6 of them
In our blog, we include the voices of not only LLC staff, but also trusted leadership and racial equity practitioners, by speaking on a wide range of topics that advance an equity-centered agenda
Dig into our blog posts below and share with your community!
February calls to mind three distinct things for me, Black History Month, Valentine’s Day and my mother’s Birthday. As I reflect on these events, my mind comes to the challenges of Black leaders, especially Black womxn and the degree to which these leaders are, or are not, shown love. These reflections are sparked by my experiences as a Black leader, as well the experiences of my peers gleaned from conversations in both formal convenings and informal venting sessions.
Bella Celnik
December 31st was Deborah’s last day as LLC’s Co-Executive Director, and marked her transition as an LLC Senior Consultant. This was not how I imagined her sendoff (virtual celebration).
Happy New Year!
Like many of you, LLC is kicking off the year with a set of new goals and an emerging vision for the future. We hope you are as excited about LLC’s future as we are, and we invite you to be our partners as LLC sets out to realize our goal of advancing leadership for liberation.
We are happy to announce that the networkweaver site will soon become a project of the Leadership Learning Community. The networkweaver site has been an invaluable resource for beginners wanting to learn about networks and experienced network weavers eager to deepen their skills or connect with others. Networkweaver has also been at the forefront of supporting BIPOC and innovative network voices.
Wow, so this is really happening.
This month, LLC celebrates its 20th Anniversary. Wow! At the beginning of the year when we talked about coming up on the 20 year mark and reflections we might want to share about the future, we could not have anticipated the pandemic, massive uprising for racial justice, or corresponding level of state repression. Quite frankly, I was finding it very hard to write this blog caught up in anxiety about what will happen over the next months.
This Saturday marks July 4th, Independence Day, a day where Americans celebrate the USA’s Declaration of Independence in 1776, freedom, and liberty for all with barbeques and fireworks. The last time LLC reached out to our network about a holiday it was Juneteenth, the celebration of African Americans emancipation from chattel slavery in 1865.
Juneteenth, a holiday many are only recently discovering, celebrates the emancipation of the last U.S. slaves more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The racially disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sean Reed, Tony McDade, and many others at the hands of police and white supremacists reveal that while emancipated, black Americans are still seeking full liberation.
At LLC our hearts are heavy, and for those of us who identify as people of color, we are exhausted. On this National Day of Mourning, we want to acknowledge and hold the pain and trauma many of you are experiencing as well. As evidenced by the murder of George Floyd and the disproportionate COVID-19 deaths of people of color, we see that racism is killing people of color.