Category: Uncategorized
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Isolating Unity
Unity that isolates. That might sound like an oxymoron to some, but those doing the work will easily understand. I coach and train a group of Black leaders who are all involved in different aspects of racial unity work. This week, we are in Los Angeles at a conference specifically geared toward pastors and other…
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Let Freedom Ring?
The week after the Fourth of July always leaves a lingering smoke, not just from the fireworks, but from the deep ideological fractures that divide our nation. While some celebrated unbridled liberty, others found themselves reflecting on an unfulfilled promise. As Frederick Douglass famously asked in 1852, “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth 4th…
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Mastering Cultural Agility: The Power of Coaching for Leaders
One of my longtime coaching clients gave me an interesting nickname. As I have walked her through overcoming the challenges of racial and social division as an organizational leader, she stated that Kathairo, “helped me stay accountable through growth while bringing definition to my goals.” She refers to me as the, “Cultural Sherpa” due to…
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Escaping the Matrix
The Matrix is a popular movie from 1999 about humanity being unknowingly trapped inside a digital reality. Once he achieves freedom, Keanu Reeves’ character Neo leads an effort to defeat the machines and free others. The pandemic jettisoned most people to depend on virtual meeting platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. And this…
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Healing and Restoration
Message from Sunday June 16, 2024 from Ephesians 4:11-16. The way to successful cross-cultural relationships is through empathy and engagement.
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3 Ways to Disagree Well
Do you feel like this when approaching conflict? Most people deal with conflict through avoidance or hostility. They either: Fully avoid disagreements because to avoid being uncomfortable or Make those who disagree with them their enemy, leading to unnecessary hostility There is a better way to deal with disagreements. Focusing on these three things will…
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Unoffendable
As someone that regularly speaks on race and religion (somehow politics seems to sneak its way in too), I often find myself facilitating very polarized arguments. Our society is increasingly embracing the opposite of James 1:19 and instead embracing stubbornness in listening to others, and quickness in getting angry. In the middle of these discussions,…
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Why Women’s History Month Matters!
In March of 1978 a local group in Sonoma County, CA celebrated Women’s History Week to align with International Women’s Day and the event sparked similar ones across America. In 1980 March was declared Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. Yet, even today we see great disparities toward women including the pay gap and the…
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Recommendation: Caste
Few books have the ability to educate very deeply on a particular topic, inspire readers to change their perspective, and provide a framework for action. This is especially true regarding the topic of race. Yet, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents accomplishes all of these. Isabel Wilkerson’s experience as a New York Times and Pulitzer…
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Recommendation: Who’s Black and Why?
Who’s Black and Why?: A Hidden Chapter from the Eighteenth-Century Invention of Race is without a doubt one of the most insightful books I’ve ever read. In my post addressing the question What is Race?, I list a few works that have helped form my understanding of race. This book has been quite influential in…
