I often take away messages from music that I don't believe the artist originally intended. Music is part of what I'll call my system for sense-making and synthesis, in that I actively engage in ritual practices like listening to songs from artists I've never heard before as a way of shaking up my perspective and … Continue reading It Gets Dark
I like a lot of the points the author made in this NYT opinion piece about the dubious purpose and primary trends in the debate over Critical Race Theory. I, for one, have been quite guilty of being what she refers to as "anti-anti-CRT", because of how often I've seen tribally-aligned opponents use what I … Continue reading On the Debate Around Critical Race Theory
I was pleased to hear from my friend Austin that he felt inspired (or perhaps compelled is the right word) by a story I told recently, “Miles to Go Before We Sleep”, to write on the subject of diversity and inclusion in the Air Force and defense innovation community. His piece, “Path Before I Rest”, … Continue reading A Few Steps Further
I hope you will take the time to read and heed some of the insights shared by my friend Austin in this piece, which he shared with me as a response to a story I wrote about a white senior leader using his platform to silence the voice and experience of a Black Airman.Austin and I … Continue reading The Path Before I Rest
Yesterday, in a post about culture on an Air Force Facebook group, I watched a black Airman share that he struggled to feel comfortable around certain white leaders, that he felt more comfortable around black leaders, and that this obviously had negative implications for unit cohesion. He shared that these feelings were grounded in past … Continue reading Miles to Go Before We Sleep
I saw a post this morning on LinkedIn which I found really intriguing. It proposed a type of icebreaker for facilitated workshops in which every participant shares a personal "Song of the Day" with the group. My initial response was positive. What a wonderful way to visibly, audibly, emotionally demonstrate the diversity in the room … Continue reading On Reflecting and Being Reflected, Musically
Our 14-year old daughter Rebecca died four months ago, on May 6th, 2020. Her death was a slow trauma- the gradual unwrapping of a horrible gift we were forced to accept shortly after her birth, that we were left no choice but to keep revealing. Her death was a violence in slow-motion, carried out over … Continue reading Grief at Four Months
Sounding Slightly Off 