Becoming Courageous

When it comes to nourishing a culture of belonging in our community, sometimes people ask "Where do I begin?" or "Does this small thing really make a difference?" To unpack these questions, host Jessica sits down with Brian Turcotte, Social Worker at Barrington Middle School Prairie Campus, someone we admire for showing up to do his part in learning, listening and building a more inclusive community. Turcotte is also a member of the Barrington 220 School District Equity Team, and serves on the board of BStrong Together, that works to enhance the health and well-being of Barrington area youth in mind, body, and spirit.REFERENCES:BStrong Together - http://bstrongtogether.orgEquity 220 - https://www.barrington220.org/equity-220QPR Method (Question, Persuade, and Refer) - https://qprinstitute.com/about-qprOne Trusted Adult - https://www.onetrustedadult.comWe Belong To Each Other - http://webelongtoeachother.orgFor more episodes, resources & upcoming events, visit CourageousCommunity.us

"If you don't have hope, you can never have peace," says inspiring international peacemaker Robi Damelin. Jess & Zina talk with Robi about tragically losing her son in the Israel Palestine conflict, and what she has learned through the Parents Circle Families Forum about the freedom of forgiveness, truth & reconciliation, and finding solidarity with women around the world, including on a recent Telos pilgrimage through the American South.References;Parents Circle Families Forum - https://www.theparentscircle.org/One Day After Peace (documentary film) - http://onedayafterpeace.com/Women for Women - https://www.womenforwomen.orgTelos - https://www.telosgroup.org/The Legacy Museum - https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/museumThe National Memorial for Peace & Justice - https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial

In the midst of loss and change, how do you find the courage to let go of certainty and lean into curiosity and humility? In this episode, Zina & Jessica sit down with Barrington native Shauna Niequist for a candid conversation about Shauna's new NYT bestselling book, I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When The Old Ways Stop Working, including reflections on the power of hospitality, apology and empathy across difference.References:I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet by Shauna NiequistThink Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam GrantGrounding Virtues from The On Being ProjectTo learn more, visit CourageousCommunity.us

"We have an opportunity to show the rest of America what it looks like when we come together," says community innovator Terrance Wallace, founder of InZone Project. In this powerful conversation with Rev. Dr. Zina Jacque and Jessica Green, Terrance shares what he is learning as he builds bridges and gathers circles for racial healing in Barrington, Illinois. (Including practical steps for how to join or co-lead a circle!)Mentioned in this Episode:Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT)Racial Healing Conversation GuideEmmanuel Acho - Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black ManUpcoming Event:Courageous Conversations: Reckoning with the History of SlaveryFeaturing Clint Smith, author, How The Word is Passed Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 7pm CSTBarrington's White House + livestreamTickets hereTo learn more, visit http://courageouscommunity.us

It's been a year since we interviewed Nathaniel Rouse, the first Director of Equity, Race & Cultural Diversity for Barrington 220 School District, so we wanted to check-in: How has it been going? What is he learning? What questions has he been hearing? How can parents, students & educators plug-in to help foster greater inclusion & belonging in schools? As we reflect & recommit to bridge-building on this National Day of Racial Healing, Nate talks with Jessica about culturally responsive learning, listening to the needs of students, and why this work of building empathy benefits us all.Related Resources:Podcast Episode: Learning to Transform (with Nathaniel Rouse)Session Video: Parenting for Inclusion (with Courtney E. Martin & Grant Elliott)To learn more about the Courageous Conversations series, and subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or Google, visit CourageousCommunity.us.

"Perhaps, like a field in the springtime that is newly plowed, my brain, my opinions, my algorithms, need to be turned over, leaving me a little unsettled," says Dr. Carol Bier-Laning, who dove into Courageous Conversations from day one — and has leaned in with beautiful curiosity and humility since. In this episode, hosts Rev. Dr. Zina Jacque & Jessica Green invite Carol to reflect on what she is learning and how she is shifting — including understanding her privilege, examining her biases, and finding the right moments to scatter seeds with others, not knowing which will find fertile ground.References:Small Boat, Big Sea by Dr. Carol Bier-LaningProud to be Maladjusted by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.We Wear The Mask by Paul Laurence DunbarParable of the Sower ( Matthew 13:1-23)To learn more about the series, visit http://courageouscommunity.us

How can we respond to bias when we encounter it? How do we not become paralyzed, but instead lean in with courage and curiosity? Zina & Jess welcome friend and community leader Ellaine Sambo-Reyther to share a story of prejudice she witnessed — and the lessons she learned about using her voice to speak up, then continue conversation with friends. For more tips, tools & resources:Confronting PrejudiceCultivating CuriosityPracticing MindfulnessCalling In or Calling Out?Join us:  CourageousCommunity.us

What do we have to do in our bodies, minds & hearts to stay present and to not give up, even when it's hard? Zina & Jess welcome the amazing Dr. Krista Robinson-Lyles of Hope Education Group for a beautiful, personal conversation about practical ways to listen to our bodies, ask ourselves questions, and find our "joy, anyhow" as we surf the waves of building more just and inclusive communities.Suggested Resources:Practicing Mindfulness by Dr. Krista Robinson-Lyles Holding Change by adrienne maree brownThe Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der KolkMy Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa MenakemSomatics Resources from Resmaa MenakemQuestions for moments of overwhelm:Where is this tension happening in my body? How and why is it happening?What are my options?Who else is in this with me?What might stillness look like?What might action look like?Where do I have influence and control?Where are my islands of sanity? (Margaret Wheatley)How difficult is this? What is possible nonetheless? (Sam Nurding)What is my next most elegant step?  (Gibrán Rivera) To learn more about building Courageous Community, visit http://courageouscommunity.us

“Asian Americans inhabit a purgatorial status: neither white enough nor black enough, unmentioned in most conversations about racial identity," writes Cathy Park Hong in her award-winning book, Minor Feelings. In this courageous and vulnerable conversation recorded during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Barrington mothers and community leaders Erin Chan Ding and Crystal Pepper sit down with hosts Zina Jacque and Jessica Green to share their experiences navigating pride in identity, the pain of discrimination, questions of visibility & invisibility, and the power of representation to create a more inclusive and equitable future for their children. Resources:Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (Library of Congress)Asian Americans (PBS)The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika LeeMinor Feelings by Cathy Park HongHow to Be An Anti-Racist by Dr. Ibram X. KendiCOVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (U.S. Congress) TEAACH Act (State of Illinois HB 376)Bystander Intervention Guide by hollabackConfronting Prejudice by Jenan MohajirSummer Book Club: Minor Feelings with Barrington Area LibraryTo learn more, visit CourageousCommunity.us

After our Courageous Conversations session on Disability Inclusion with deaf advocates & educators Jason Altmann and Crystal Kelley Schwartz, Zina & Jess invite Joy Wagner, Founder and President of NeuroBalance Center, to dive deeper into the question: How do we design our communities to remove barriers to dignity and belonging? Joy shares her personal story about a disability literally knocking her off her feet, and how that led her to design and build a center from the ground up to go beyond ADA compliance and set new standards for what a truly accessible building can be. "There is such a positive impact on everybody involved when a place is getting it right," says Joy. "There are three terms in public health: Make things accessible, make them affordable, and make them available."Suggested Resources:7 Principles of Universal Design10 Principles of Disability RightsThe Curb Cut Effect: How universal design makes things better for everyoneAmericans with Disabilities ActTo learn more about the series and join future sessions, visit CourageousCommunity.us.

As we think about coming back together after a year of physical distancing, what have we learned about ourselves and our social needs? What have we lost? What new things have we noticed? What might we leave behind? Zina & Jess welcome Nancy Burgoyne, Ph.D., chief clinical officer at The Family Institute at Northwestern University, who led one of our first and favorite Courageous Conversations sessions, "The Art of Listening." Revisit the video & recap: CourageousCommunity.us

After our inspiring evening with Valarie Kaur, civil rights lawyer and author of See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, Zina & Jessica welcome Orlando Bailey of Urban Consulate in Detroit for a conversation about the relationship between truth, accountability, forgiveness & reconciliation as we heal the wounds of inequality and injustice in our nation. To watch Valarie's talk, visit CourageousCommunity.us.

"The inequity in our nation finally burst the doors open. And we have to keep them open by continuing the conversation." In this episode recorded after the inauguration, Zina & Jessica reflect on what they've learned over the last year and a half of Courageous Conversations — and why truth and accountability are essential to have any shot at healing and unity. To learn more, visit CourageousCommunity.us.

"Absent grappling with race in predominantly white communities, we will never get to the point of really addressing these issues and will continue to repeat history." In this episode, hosts Zina Jacque & Jessica Green talk with Nate Rouse, the first Director of Equity, Race & Cultural Diversity Initiatives for Barrington 220 School District. What is he discovering as he steps into this role? They discuss the need for empathy, the value of allies, and the gift of "unsettledness" in moving from awareness to action. Recorded December 2020. To learn more about Courageous Community, visit CourageousCommunity.us.

To build more inclusive & equitable communities, we will need to repair trust with fellow citizens and regenerate hope within ourselves. How do we do this? In this episode, Zina Jacque, Jessica Green & Claire Nelson reflect on wisdom shared by civic evangelist Eric Liu of Citizen University immediately following the 2020 Election. Among our charges: questioning our certitude, leaning into curiosity, being trustworthy, and rehumanizing each other. To watch Zina's conversation with Eric, visit CourageousCommunity.us.

"We won't make real progress on racial justice until those who are unaffected are as moved to action as those who are," says guest Grant Elliott, co-founder of Be The Change, a coalition to improve the culture around race in Barrington schools. So how does this happen? Grant talks with hosts Zina Jacque & Jessica Green after welcoming guest Courtney E. Martin, author of The Examined Family and The New Better Off, about what they are learning as they pursue equity & inclusion for future generations. Grant shares the 3 "C's" he is discovering in this work: consistency, complacency & comfort. To join future Courageous Conversations, or watch video from past sessions, visit CourageousCommunity.us.

Inspired by visionary Bryan Stevenson who calls us to "get proximate" to better understand different lived experiences, Zina & Jessica share some ways they are learning how to practice curiosity, generous listening, and standing in another's shoes to build more inclusive communities. Zina tells the story of how three magic words—"help me understand"—helped her unpack her own "suitcase of stereotypes" in cross-racial relationships. Jess shares a great list of resources for anyone looking to make curiosity a life practice, including dialogues offered by Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT), Interfaith Youth Core, Telos Group, Braver Angels, and Urban Consulate. As Winston Churchill said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” To join Zina & Jessica in their own series of courageous conversations, visit CourageousCommunity.us.

Meet Zina Jacque & Jessica Green, co-hosts of a series of courageous conversations in Barrington, Illinois. Hear what they're learning—and unlearning—as they invite their community to look inward and forward together. Produced by Claire Nelson. Audio engineering by Ed Bornstein. Original music by Ben McFadden. To learn more, visit CourageousCommunity.us.