Shared Learning Community Circle

Sponsored by FREC and the East Side Freedom Library

MONTHLY SPEAKER AND DISCUSSION SERIES

FREC’s online shared learning community circle is a way to share ideas, stories, articles, videos, books, blogs, poems and more with others who are interested in learning together to gain new perspectives, exchange bold ideas and build knowledge. 

May Guest Speaker:

Crixell Shell, MS

(Executive Director, Peacebuilding Trainer, and Coming to the Table Racial Talking Circle Facilitator at the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute) She/Her

Thursday, May 18th 2023

4:30-6 PM (CST)

 

Topic:

The links between Trauma, Harm and the Cycles of Violence

In 2022, Crixell assumed the role of Executive Director of the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute. From 2020-2021, she held the position of Assistant Executive Director. Crixell is a legal, technology and higher educational professional who holds a Master of Software Systems degree from the University of St. Thomas, a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies from Southern Illinois University, and is a Rule 114 Community Mediator. She graduated from the STAR Training in 2010 and has been passionate about sharing STAR with others since then. In 2013 she attended the STAR Level II Training at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and the Restorative Justice 101 Training in 2014. She is a charter member of Peacebuilding’s Community Advisory Board. In June 2013 she become a Peacebuilding Associate Trainer. She facilitates the free monthly Minnesota Peacebuilding Film Series and Coming to the Table program.


HOW TO JOIN US

We will be meeting online using the Zoom link through the button below. Please contact us if there are any additional accommodations we can provide to encourage comfortable participation. All are welcome!   

Shared Learning Community Circle Zoom link

Click the button below to join us on the Zoom meeting platform every third Thursday of the month from 4:30-6 PM CST

WHAT TO EXPECT

Previous shared learning sessions have included topics such as what does reparations look like, traits of whiteness and how they show up, redistribution of wealth and privilege, BIPOC farming and more. 

There will be a highlighted speaker and/or content to preview prior to each session for a more in depth discussion on the presented topic. 

The group will share introductions and review the FREC Guidelines for Dialogue document to be sure we are all honoring the space and care of ourselves and others prior to conversation. 

All are welcome! We are excited to have you join our learning community.

Can’t join us?
Attend a quarterly orientation/information session to learn more about FREC committees and programs.
Check out our Get Involved page to learn more!

NEXT MONTH'S TOPIC AND SPEAKER - 2/16/23

Dr. Antija Allen & Justin Stewart

Based on the Book “We’re Not OK”

Black Faculty Experiences & Higher Education

In Fall 2018, there were 1.5 million faculty in degree-granting post-secondary institutions with 53% full time and 47% part time (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). 76% of full-time faculty were white, while only 6% were Black. While many institutions tout the idea of diversity recruitment, not much progress has been made to diversify faculty ranks (Hazelrigg, 2019). In fact, professors are more likely than their students to be White (Flaherty, 2019). These statistics display a disparity, resulting in the unique experiences of Black faculty left to work in spaces as either the only Black faculty member, or one in a limited population, which sometimes results in feeling like you don’t belong. 
In this hands-on workshop, the authors of “We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies” will take a deep dive into the potential ramifications of these racial disparities on inclusion, retention, and mental health. Topics include tokenism, microaggressions, code switching, and imposter syndrome. Participants will dissect narratives from Black faculty, engage in group discussion, take part in reflective exercises, and explore practical strategies to promote mental wellness, foster inclusion, and retain Black faculty.
Dr. Antija M. Allen is the Director of the Pellissippi Academic Center for Excellence (PACE) and a tenured Assistant Professor of Psychology at Pellissippi State Community College with two decades of experience as an educator. She was the 2021-2022 recipient of the Roger Crowe Excellence in Teaching award and is certified in both DEI and online teaching. Antija championed Pellissippi Academy’s Emotional Intelligence cohort successfully for 2 years and served as the 2019-2021 PACE Faculty Fellow for First Year Experience. She was selected by the Tennessee Board of Regents to be a 2021-2022 Maxine Smith leadership fellow; her cohort developed a toolkit of best practices for Black male: student success, faculty recruitment and faculty retention in public higher education. Dr. Allen is the Owner of Allen Ivy Prep Consulting (www.AllenIvyPrep.org), which specializes in career coaching and professional development. Antija’s recent publications include a chapter on Academic Freedom in Classroom Discussions and a bestselling edited collection entitled, We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies. This Cambridge University Press publication discusses promoting mental health, diversity recruitment, faculty retention, and fostering an inclusive environment for Black faculty. It was book of the month for the society of diversity and recommended by the Journal of Blacks in higher education, Inside Higher Ed, Diverse: Issues in higher education, Teaching in higher ed, and several DEI experts. She has led and conducted research on several topics at NYU, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Teachers College Columbia University. Dr. Allen earned her BA in Psychology from Neumann University and MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Most recently, Antija has returned to Columbia University Teachers College where she earned her EdD in Adult Learning & Leadership to teach as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in their Summer Principals Academy, educating aspiring school leaders.
Justin T. Stewart s a risk program execution and administration adviser in financial services/commercial banking, a member of the company’s BOLD (Black Organizers Leaders Doers) network, and co-owner of Allen Ivy Prep Consulting. Justin has worked in multiple industries including higher education, career services and corporate banking. These experiences have exposed him to diverse individuals, cultures and perspectives, enabling him to share the stories of those he has encountered. Since his days as an adolescent, Justin has gravitated towards literature, transforming into a passion to become a storyteller. Alongside his colleague Dr. Allen, We’re Not OK is an opportunity to shine a light on racial disparities and continue conversations that can lead to a meaningful and progressive shift in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Justin earned his B.A. in Journalism from Clark Atlanta University.

What did you miss?
Shared Learning Bios & Topics Library

Review this section to find previous Shared Learning Circle discussions and  materials facilitators have shared with the community. 

April 2023

Kate Towle

Finding Our Place in the Talk about Race: A Path Toward Reclaiming Whiteness as Caring, Open and Courageous

Resmaa Menakem, author of My Grandmother’s Hands, writes that “White activists can deliberately reclaim whiteness. They can first call it out as the sleight of hand and the swindle it has always been.  Then they can publicly redefine it as something caring, open, and grown up.”

What does it look like for white activists to reclaim whiteness?  As our society looks at the ways we all must heal from racialized trauma, how can white people who are committed to racial justice find an authentic path to liberation?  Kate Towle’s novel, Sweet Burden of Crossing, is uncommon for its perspective of a white woman humbling herself to learn about the impact of white supremacy on her Black friend–and in her own life.  Kate will share how white people must do their own work for racial healing to do less harm in a society that has prioritized white dominance.  She will help us all reflect about building muscle for white agility over white fragility and the unique place in history to play an important role in dismantling personal and systemic racism.

Kate Towle is author of the novel, Sweet Burden of Crossing, a story of interracial friendship, racial justice and healing from trauma as a path to shared humanity. As a writer, community educator and weaver, she works with organizations, non-profits and community leaders to organize and facilitate events and story circles that advance racial and gender equity through trauma-informed community action. She is a founding organizer of the community-building model Sweet Potato Comfort Pie® and was editor of the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie Guide.

March 2023

Hector E. Garcia

Intergenerational Alliances to Counter Silo Mindset, which Leads to Division, Confusion, Paralysis and Violence

This presentation is intended to add a broader and deeper perspective to the currently predominant one. Millions of citizens and residents of the U.S. and other nations have been increasingly influenced by the forces of Reductionism and Positivism. Since the mid 19th century, these forces have eclipsed The Age of Reflection and created the illusion that reality is only that which can be measured and has a monetary and popularity value during one’s lifetime. What future are some acclaimed international thought leaders proposing we live for and bequeath to our children?

 Hector E. Garcia is a published author of English and Spanish articles and essays in American, Canadian and Mexican printed and e-publications as well as the 2017 Rowman & Littlefield textbook Clash or Complement of Cultures?: Peace & Productivity in the New Global Reality.” Hector is also a University of Minnesota OLLI Course Leader and speaker on subjects covered in said book and article below published by Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies U of MN May 2020  “Optimizing Globalization will become Possible through a New Paradigm”

Hector serves on the following advisory positions: Americans for Humanity Advisory Team, Bethel University, Business & Economics Department’s Business Advisory Council, Caux Round Table (global association of corporate CEOs) MN Character Council, MICAH (Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing).

February 2023

Dr. Antija Allen & Justin Stewart

St. Paul’s Response to Address Reparations for American Descendents of Chattle Slavery
In Fall 2018, there were 1.5 million faculty in degree-granting post-secondary institutions with 53% full time and 47% part time (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). 76% of full-time faculty were white, while only 6% were Black. While many institutions tout the idea of diversity recruitment, not much progress has been made to diversify faculty ranks (Hazelrigg, 2019). In fact, professors are more likely than their students to be White (Flaherty, 2019). These statistics display a disparity, resulting in the unique experiences of Black faculty left to work in spaces as either the only Black faculty member, or one in a limited population, which sometimes results in feeling like you don’t belong. In this hands-on workshop, the authors of “We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies” will take a deep dive into the potential ramifications of these racial disparities on inclusion, retention, and mental health. Topics include tokenism, microaggressions, code switching, and imposter syndrome. Participants will dissect narratives from Black faculty, engage in group discussion, take part in reflective exercises, and explore practical strategies to promote mental wellness, foster inclusion, and retain Black faculty.

January 2023

Trahern Crews

St. Paul’s Response to Address Reparations for American Descendents of Chattle Slavery
Trahern Crews is a Reparationist, Social Justice Advocate, Grassroots Organizer and Saint Paul Native who is a descendant of the Rondo Neighborhood. He also hosts a talk show called The Trahern Crews Show and operates Original Man Farms which teaches youth about urban agriculture. Trahern has run for public office and has held the following positions; Former Chair of the Green Party of The United States, Former Chair of The Green Party of The United States Reparations Working Group, Former Chair of The National Green Party Black Caucus, Former Chair of The Green Party of Minnesota, Co convener of The Saint Paul Recovery Act Reparations Commission, Chair of the Saint Paul Recovery Act Steering Committee / Minnesota Migration Act Steering Committee, Co-Founder and Lead Organizer with Black Lives Matter Minnesota.

November 2022

Jennings Mergenthal 

Controversies Around Naming and Renaming
Jennings Mergenthal is a former student organizer for Proud Indigenous Peoples for Education who does community centered public history and mapping related work. They have done several historical research projects for the Macalester College, the Metropolitan Council, the Lake Street Truth Collective and the Science Museum of Minnesota. In 2020 they authored an anticolonial historical atlas of Minnesota. They currently do collections-related community engagement work at the Science Museum and also, occasionally, puppet shows.

 

October 2022

Ykatirina “Katia” Cardenas (she/her/hers)
The Power of Truth: Reflections on “The Burning Truth Project”
Ykatirina “Katia” Cardenas (she/her/hers) is a performing artist hailing from the Pacific Northwest, and California’s Central Valley. A jazz and r&b vocalist, as well as an actor, dancer, director, teaching artist, and arts administrator, Katia came to the Twin Cities in 2006 to attend Macalester College. An active member of the local arts community, Katia is passionate about community building, art for social change and opportunities to inspire the next generation. Katia is Executive Director of Minnesota Jazz Education, a non-profit organization that provides access to quality jazz education to Minnesota youth. She has also worked with numerous local arts networks and organizations, including Pangea World Theater, Teatro del Pueblo, TigerLion Arts, Six-Points Theater, Volunteers of America, City of St. Paul and St. Paul Public Schools’ Community Education and Flipside afterschool programs. Katia also volunteers with Jazz Central Studios and serves on the Executive Board of the Twin Cities Cabaret Artists Network. To learn more, visit KatiaCardenas.com.

September 2022

Zeke Caligiuri
“Writing and Creating in Defiance of Minnesota’s Love Story with Punishment”
Zeke Caligiuri is a writer and activist from South Minneapolis. He is the author of “This is Where I Am.” published by University of Minnesota Press. He has won multiple awards through the PEN Prison Writing Contest and is the co-founder of the Stillwater Writer’s Collective, the first all-prisoner created and facilitated collective in the country. He is a contributor to the “The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer’s Life in Prison” as well as “School, Not Jail: How Educators Can Disrupt School Pushout and Mass Incarceration.” He is directly impacted by over two decades of incarceration and is now currently the re-entry education coordinator for the Minnesota Justice Research Center re-investing in the humanization of those still stuck within the captivity business.

August 2022

Selena Moon
“The Free-Thinking Abolitionists Interpreting Racism (FAIR) Collective” 
As a disabled, mixed race Japanese American independent scholar researching Japanese American mixed race and disability history. Ms. Moon has written and presented her work at various historical and ethnic studies conferences and has written for historical and history of medicine organizations. She is on the Advocacy Committees for the National Council on Public History (NCPH) and the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS), to increase membership and support for underrepresented communities and was recently elected to the East Side Freedom Library (ESFL) board. 
Selena is working on publishing a picture book and writing a middle grade book about her research about disabled Japanese American children in the World War II incarceration camps. She hopes to begin a PhD next year to pioneer Japanese American disability history. The FAIR Collective recruited exhibit designers, artists, and others, to create the interactive components to be housed in a school bus to teach kids about racism, its effects, and ways to combat it. Collaborating with the local community at each host site to make the exhibit relevant.

July 2022

Tony Carr
Tony Carr grew up in Beloit, Wisconsin and excelled in athletics. Decades ago, he was busy becoming the all-time leading scorer for the UW- Eau Claire basketball team. He went on to be a member of the U.S. Basketball Olympic trial team and was drafted in the NBA by the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, he shares his unique and thought-provoking collection of black memorabilia as a reminder of what others had to endure to clear the path he now travels. 
Tony is an experienced public speaker who has given many presentations to students and professional staff at the high school and college level, as well as corporate, government and civic groups. His collection and story were featured on KARE-11 TV as part of Boyd Huppert’s popular series Land of 10,000 Stories. Tony has also written a biography titled Time Bring About Change. In addition to working as a Senior Donor Advisor for the Greater Twin Cities United Way, Tony has served as a member of the Washington County Community Corrections Advisory Board. He spent eight years as the chairperson for the Human Rights Commission for the City of Stillwater, Minnesota.
 

June 2022

William Moore
Can systemic racism be eradicated in a racialized nation as America?
William Moore is a 44-year resident of Saint Paul, husband, 36 years, and parent of three children all graduates of the Saint Paul Public School system and a papa of three grandsons. William Moore has over 35 years and counting, working in public service starting in 1985 as a Youth Worker for the non-profit organization Saint Paul Youth Service Bureau. In 1988 began working with Ramsey County Corrections first as a Juvenile Petty Offender officer, Adult Probation Officer and finally as a Family Court Officer providing court ordered evaluations or mediation services on child custody and visitation issues for divorcing parents.
 In 1998 began working for Hennepin County Health & Human Services, (HHS), as a Senior Planning Analyst, initially in Community-Based Prevention & Intervention Services area, currently working with Internal Services in the data analysis area of HHS. A graduate at University of Wisconsin at River Falls in 1989, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Liberal Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology. William is a member of Saint Paul Branch of NAACP since 2010, and currently serving on the Executive Board of the NAACP Minnesota/Dakota State Conference as Chair of its Economic Development Committee, since 2012. William is an active member of Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative, (FREC), since 2011. 

May 2022

Sangay Taythi
Recognizing & Dismantling Anti-Blackness and Racism
Sangay Taythi is a Tibetan refugee born in India who with his family immigrated to the United States in 1998.  He is an activist for the Tibetan independence movement and has served in leadership roles in Students for a Free Tibet, Tibetan Youth Congress chapter of Minnesota and the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota.  He was also involved in the establishment of Tibetan National Congress and is a current member.  Recently, he was involved in co-establishing the Tibetan for Black Lives collective.  Sangay currently serves on the board of AFL-CIO Minnesota and was recently elected to the board of East Side Freedom Library.  An Organizer for SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa, Sangay is also the president of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) of Minnesota.
 

April 2022

Beverly Bushyhead
Threshold of Radical Reflection
Beverly Bushyhead, she/her pronouns is an Independent Equity Strategist and Visionary. Bev is an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and grew up with her tribe on their original lands. She demonstrates a rich equity lens and follows curiosity, activating empathy and asks illuminating questions to build greater understanding and connection. She asks questions that emerge origins of unconscious personal bias and connect across culture, ethnicity and race.
Bev is a systems thinker and gifted at creating innovations that inspire action steps toward racial justice. Beverly Bushyhead has over 20 years’ experience. Beverly is an officer on the Executive Committee and Chair of the Board Development Committee at Family Tree Clinic. Bev is a community lead for Transforming Systems Together (TST) a shared decision-making initiative of community and Ramsey County to change county decision-making by influencing priorities, approaches, budgets and program design. Beverly earned a degree in psychology at Augsburg College and two master’s degrees in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management at Hamline University. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Threshold of Radical Reflection 
Now is the time for direct truth telling. Challenging conversations we’ve avoided could lead to a firm of storytelling that puts us in touch with our core selves and our humanity.  This humanizing factor leads us to recognize the humanity of others as well. 
Explore this style of sharing as we practice Radical Reflection. Join us in creating a context of connecting our humanity with promising methods of anti-racism.