"Lest We Forget" CSN Maryland Printing Hate, Buttigieg Parental Leave and Opposing the Holocaust

Julie Sowash      "Welcome. Welcome. Welcome to Crazy and the King."                                                                    

Torin Ellis           “You know all my life when I was growing up. You know people would call me stubborn. You know my mom would refer to me as being stubborn. My father every once in a while would say you know young king you are stubborn my teachers called me stubborn folks in the military called me. Corporate America I've always been stubborn I had to fight it this morning because you know we got a routine of recording and I normally have my cognac so today it's 9:30 in the morning I have an Izzy cranberry pomegranate some Blackberry."                                                                      

Julie Sowash      "Yep."                                                             

Torin Ellis           "So I'm being good. How are you?"                                                                    

Julie Sowash      "I'm good and I thank you for being flexible as always because I'm always fucking up our schedule and your cognac time. So I appreciate you today."                                                           

Torin Ellis           "Did you all hear that like I just really want to know? Did you all catch that that Julie see you know you all have no idea what happens behind the scenes when we put the show sausage together and so. But it's all good I don't mind being amenable because I always know that we will record when we are supposed to Record. So what are we gonna talk about today."                                                      

Julie Sowash      "So some good stuff. Ah what we start with PayPal a company whose CEO I have a lot of respect for. He's done a lot of good work around mental health then and for our agency at Ability Beyond in particular."                                                               

Torin Ellis           "Yeah."                                                           

Julie Sowash      "Has deployed $510 million toward closing the racial wealth gap which you and I have talked a lot about hasn't happened in terms of what companies have said that they're going to do and pledges that they've made and how they're doing this is by making deposits into Black and Latin."                                                            

Torin Ellis           "Yeah."                                           

Julie Sowash      "Owned financial institutions and also early stage VC funding for Black and Latinx managers I think that's pretty cost pretty awesome."                                                                 

Torin Ellis           "I absolutely agree and you know what I enjoy is the fact that they can document their contribution I know Fortune did an article I don't have the link in front of me but I know Fortune did an article on them. . . Couple of weeks back even before this particular announcement right here and I absolutely appreciate that they recognize listen you know we could be doing more in many ways we have benefited from privilege from access. We know that these other audiences groups communities are often left out of the conversation. So what can we do to usher them in what can we do to support them and 1 of the biggest things you can do is put your money behind them which is why I try to tell people put some of your money in a Black bank. Like I get it that you want to be with some of the major banks. The banks that have a national footprint but find a Black bank. They may only have ATMs but put some money in a Black bank help them build up their deposits. So I love that story."                                                                 

Julie Sowash      "Yeah and that's an important thing right is access to capital helps build wealth and that's why we I think have to think more actively about where we do business and in terms of not just the spend but also our deposits. A great point."                                                 

Torin Ellis         "Yeah. So we have a journalistic, I call it a news outlet, here in Maryland and I'm not sure let me see if I can get the name of them really quickly. No I can't. But in any event it's here in Maryland and we will put the link in the show notes. But there's this new series out and I just thought we had to mention it. It's an educational piece. It's a historical piece and not that we need to continue to absorb what happened during the time of lynching. What happened in the sixties or the thirties, forties, fifties and sixties, if you will.  Maybe in thirties is probably too far back, but the fifties and the sixties, primarily. You know when we are thinking about those lynching. There was a lot that the media did to help propel and to promulgate that. To make that natural. You know in the Black community, Julie I don't know if you know this, but a lot of people don't say the word picnic did you know that have you ever heard that before? Yeah so."                 

Julie Sowash      "Ah, so I just recently learned this like in the last 2 months."                                                      

Torin Ellis           "Part of the reason why is because of lynching. So the story here is the printing hate series. You can google it Printing Hate series. It highlights the negative role the media had during the time of lynching here in America. And so again as I said Julie and I will make sure we put the link in the show notes."                                            

Julie Sowash      "Yeah. So I just want to so it's CNS Maryland.org so Capital News Service and it's the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism and it's actually pretty fantastic I think that one thing I heard.                                              

Torin Ellis           "Thank you. Thank you."                                            

Julie Sowash      "This week from a listener torn was that they really appreciate appreciated the history that we did on Bruce's beach because they're somewhat new to the DEIB space a white person didn't really know that history and so I think. This kind of story is critical for our listeners to check out and to learn I've spent some time on it just I haven't even been able to get deep and I learned a lot there. There are things that I just don't know that I should definitely know and this is a great. A great example of where to learn."                                                                       

Torin Ellis           “You know we got another reference that we'll make later in the show and sometimes you know when I'm putting the sheet together for us I actually drop links on even though I know we're not gonna be able to get to them because what I do know is that quickly I can get on our. Drive and I can type in this so I can type in that phrase and it'll show us all of the shows where we've talked about it or mentioned it. The show has actually become a bit of a library for me. It's become a bit of a research repository for me. So when I'm preparing for other podcasts or."                                                                    

Torin Ellis           “Speaking engagements I may say you know I feel like Julie and I talked about or and so this is part of the reason why I do it like this and so I love hearing that feedback from the listener because it hits on that value point learning and development. You can't do d and I. In an organization without having a robust learning and development so we need so much more and part of this type of content should be in corporate organizations."                                                          

Julie Sowash      “Yeah. Absolutely so check out lynching.CNSMaryland.org.                                                    

Torin Ellis           “Yeah and this is for you Stubbsy across the Pond I was gonna actually talk about  the first audio book we know audible now in a couple of other platforms. But I was gonna talk about. The first audio book was designed by somebody because they were trying to reach the blind community. We bumped that story but this 1 right here is for you Stubbsy UK's first l g b t business. Champion like they've hired someone officially to focus on the issues in the UK around the LGBTQ community fascinating that I love it. I absolutely love it.”                                                     

Julie Sowash      “Wow! Yes. Yes, this is from Unleashed.ai. They've got tons of fantastic news that come comes out every week if you don't get that newsletter, sign up for it. So it looks like its Ian Anderson is going to work on behalf of the United Kingdom.”                   

Torin Ellis           “Yeah, but and absolutely better businesses like you know incorporating the needs of the community being sensitive to some of the issues that are important to them which we'll hit on in just a moment as a matter of fact and we could probably use the same type of Ian Anderson individual here in the US and so I think that it's important and good that the u k decided that look we need to amplify these issues to a degree of awareness and it says a lot It says a lot about the u k and the. The work that Ian is going to be doing and I'm interested in following this journey closely over the next several months to see how things unfold it's a brand new position. But again he is going to focus on I would assume that I'm assuming that he uses the he pronoun. . But he's going to focus on making sure that we focus on the issues that are important to the LGBTQ community and I think that that's a good thing.                            

Julie Sowash     “Yeah. It looks like he's going to take about 18 months to just get out and talk about or talk to businesses. NGOs, trade unions and other stakeholders about how to create not create but identify evidence-based policies that are going to help drive LGBTQ engagement for employees and customers. So that everyone can do it better in real life.”                                        

Torin Ellis           “All right? So our last quick story this is round Pete Buttigieg does say right? All right? Good transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and he's been criticized for taking time off with his new twins. Julie and I talked about."                                                                

Julie Sowash      Buttigieg. Yep."                                                         

Torin Ellis           “Ah, the twins a couple of weeks ago. We you know looked at the picture we smiled we were I mean it was a good story for us and so the question becomes and this is where I would love for you to respond Julie should gay men that adopt get the same benefit as straight men that father a child should gay men. 2 gay men that adopt should they get is it called paternal leave should they be able to benefit from that.”                                             

Julie Sowash      “So do 2 gay men who adopt a child have any less legal or more responsibility over those children then?"                                                                   

Torin Ellis           “I think the answer is an even easy and no. No less.”                                                     

Julie Sowash      “Yes, so with all of the same responsibilities should come the same benefits and let's talk specifically to Secretary Buttigieg’s twins, who are 2 of them, twins. First of all, they're premature. They were adopted. So…”                        

Torin Ellis           “Yep."                                                             

Julie Sowash      “You and I have both raised newborns I've never done 2 at the same time. It takes more than just Mom. It takes more than just 1 parent and those critical first few weeks of bonding are incredibly important time and I think really that when, you know, people like Matt Walsh and Tucker Carlson and Tom Cotton are out here criticizing and using homophobic tropes against Secretary Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, Really? That's what it is. It's not really about should a man take time to bond with his child. It's about how do we undermine the station of LGBTQ individuals in our society and in our community. It really is just another form for these guys to pull out homophobia. Absolutely Secretary Buttigieg should have that time with his family. He should have that time with his husband and have that time to bond with his beautiful new babies."                                                                  

Torin Ellis           “Yeah, you know what? You, it is, I so appreciate how you just synthesize that with a very easy question in the front and then you in in your description I thought about it I said wait a minute. Okay, straight father is looking to bond with his child. Why would we deprive Chasten or Pete 1 of them from having that opportunity to bond. Like it's so simple. Thank you appreciate that and for all of you out there. It's 1 of those things that Julie and I talk about often once again if we are going to do DEIB  better, we do have to evaluate how are we curating our benefit packages for the people that we care about in our organizations our employees and so here's what Alex Ohanian from Reedit had to say. It's a quick like 1 minute clip have a listen.

Torin Ellis           “Awesome! So yeah there you have it I mean our quick takes of the week and we'll be right back."                                                                

Julie Sowash      “All right? So you and I have spent a lot of damn time in Texas over these past few episodes and you're going to take us back again."                                                               

Torin Ellis           Ah"        yeah     we're gonna make our way back to Texas and this time yet again. Well maybe not this time but the proper context is yet again time. Ah       once again time ah 1 more time we are shaking our head. Because these folks in Texas like let me be fair I think people say crazy things no matter what state they're located in. We just don't seem to get the crazy folks from Montana we don't seem to get the crazy folks. From Idaho like they are out probably doing something incredible building you know software. There's a lot of software companies.  in in Idaho and maybe as you you go to five guys. They always talk about the little Idaho potatoes. It seems like the 1 by my house always has like Idaho potatoes. So but.    

Julie Sowash      “Oh yeah, sometimes.”                                                

Torin Ellis          “Texas has made the news again in this time because there's an administrator who had something to say around the holocaust and encouraging educators in classrooms. That if they are going to present a version of the holocaust if they're going to present the version of the holocaust that they had to present an alternative version and like you hear all of the gasping in the room. Matter Of fact let's just play the clip. Let's let you hear what we heard? How about we do that”.                                  

Julie Sowash      “So it's even more dumbfounding when you hear it out loud, right?"                                                            

Torin Ellis           “Did you use did you use did you use the word dumbfounding? You know that that's the second funny phrase that I heard today. I haven't heard the...Wow, I'm not going to repeat the first one. The first one has something to do with Merrick Garland and these January six folks and you know it's the p word. Anyway. Keep going -  dumbfounded, it so go ahead. It is I mean like hearing that makes you say like are you serious. She said that”                                       

Julie Sowash      “Yes, so let's take that second and give a little bit of history here so in in earlier this session in the legislative session for the Texas house they drafted a bill 3979 which is basically known as the anti-critical race theory bill. We can talk about that in depth.    But it passed and Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law and made it effective I think this is also something that's really interesting.                  

Torin Ellis           “Yep."                                                             

Julie Sowash      “Effective 9/1 so it was passed in august signed into law in august and literally took effect the very next month and basically the summary right is ah of what you need to know and thanks to the Texas tribune for helping me size it up so easily is that. Majority again of white legislatures in Texas which I think is why we're getting a lot of this crazy limited. How race is taught in schools right? So this is really the social studies curriculum legislation. It has a provision that says. Students should not feel discomfort guilt or anguish that are related to their race or the behaviors or actions of their ancestors. Yeah."                                                                     

Torin Ellis           “Yeah let me let me jump in real quick and again I just want to put a pen in this the piece that really annoys me around this critical race theory conversation. The piece that annoys me around what I note the legislature or maybe it's the Texas educational department I don't know but they've been trying to change language in textbooks for over a decade. So you all have to understand part of my annoyance is not so much so of recent activity. Its activity from 2008 2009 they were trying to remove. . In books the n -word that slave owners were using they were trying to make slaves immigrants and other things in books. They've been trying to do this for over a decade like almost 15 years so this is not new. It's just at a crescendo and it's 1 that you are recognizing. It's almost like when we say an overnight success but you don't recognize that the person has been getting busy for the last decade this is what we're talking about right here. Go ahead."                                                                    

Julie Sowash      “Yeah. No an excellent point again that the history and the way that especially in Texas I think is a really great example of how impactful census participation is. Gerrymandering and legislative districts because what has happened is that the Texas legislature has a super majority that is not representative of the people of Texas and they now are able to impose the will of the minority onto. People right? Which is specifically something that they are trying to put on teachers who want to teach critical race theory who want to have current events and topical conversations that can drive a generation of young students. To create a world that is more inclusive right? This is really about curbing civic engagement whitewashing history and the reason you know as we kind of say okay this is what the law is designed to do and what you heard in that clip is the output. And the exact thing that the legislature hoped would happen is teachers are scared to teach. They don't know the parameters for enforcement or punishment around this law should they break it and it's so ambiguous in its writing it would be hard not to break it. That this administrator said hey we're all in a tough spot. Maybe you should teach an alternative an opposing view to the holocaust right? That's it's and back to your point turn it. It is not it. It is overt but the impact that it has. Is that it will chill. People's conversations they will change a nuanced dialogue that is so important for us to have with our young children with our students and that teachers are critical in in creating that civic mindedness within our generation. That they'll start to change their behaviors in subtle ways. Perhaps overt ways sometimes but that it just begins that dumbing down or the continuation of the dumbing down of America”.                                 

Torin Ellis           “Yep, yeah that desensitizing their consciousness and their awareness and connectedness to our history and humanity and only 1 correction in what you said 1 minor correction these educators.”                                     

Julie Sowash      “Yeah."                                                           

"Torin Ellis          “As with almost every educator that is in a public school system public school system. They're not trying to teach critical Race Theory I think they're just trying to teach history. So that's the only and I know why you said it? But outside of that you're absolutely right? They are.”                                                        

Torin Ellis          “ Trying to dumb down and desensitize these young people and they're amplifying it by saying well what we're doing in teaching history the way that history really happened like we don't want to talk about the trail of tears. We don't want to talk about Andrew Jackson the way that he really was a savage you know we don't want to talk about. That part of history because it makes white children feel bad about themselves. Well how the hell do you think Black children feel when you are trying to touch their hair or when you try to put out a quiz that says we want you to pretend like you're a slave and we're gonna make somebody else in the classroom. The slave master. How do you think? Black children feel having to deal with that. How do you think? Black children feel when you talk about every single thing and then you refer and connected back to Chicago or you call them monsters or savages or hood. We feel that so bump that teach history the way. That history should be taught and quite frankly I think it's really telling of these parents in south lake ah the south lake school district I think it's telling of the parents there and across the country that are not willing to face history the way that history really happened. And then allow us to grow and be better moving forward I think it's telling about them that that's what I think."                                                             

Julie Sowash      “Yeah and you're and I do want to say I have a great article from the American bar association that I was reading just in prep for this story and you're right Again. Let's just say critical. Race Theory is not diversity inclusion training right? It's a practice. Coined and created by Kimberle Crenshaw of interrogating the role of race and racism in society that came from really again a legal framework and has spread now to other forms of scholarship. But what it's become is sort of like that cancel Christmas right? Baiting word. It's how do we…”                                 

Torin Ellis           “Nope."                                                          

Julie Sowash      “Enraged people when we say that we're gonna be critical of their race of my race with the fuck ever right? And it's getting used out of context and I need to make sure as ah as a practitioner that I'm always using it correctly because I don't want to lose the importance of all of the words that you just said. Make myself corrected in in this record. So again a very important story a very important demonstration of how the fabric of our nation is moving in a way that's being completely white whitewashed in certain parts of our country. And we don't have in this case the power to overrule that that minority rule in Texas and that's really where that activism and so civic engagement becomes critically important.”                              

Torin Ellis           “Yeah. So to close out this story I just wanted you to hear from a student. He's an adult now a Jewish former student who is Jewish from that particular community that school district and he shares an account. It's about two minutes but I want you to take a listen I want you to hear. What the life was like for him while he went to school. Awesome! So it brings us to our Her Voice segment. Thanks DJ Cellz for like working all these clips in I appreciate you man.

Torin Ellis       “Our Her Voice segment we love to amplify women that are making moves and this week is no different. We just want to shout out in the beginning we want you to meet Pinterest always say that name wrong. Pinterest First Black board Member. Her name is Andrea Wishhom I think it's about time. I'm not going to put the name out. But if you do your research earlier this year they went through some major litigation while starting late last year and earlier this year went through some major or was facing some major litigation for wrongfully terminating. The employment of their then c o now they finally have put a person of color a Black woman on their board so shout out to Andrea Wishom.”                    

Julie Sowash      “Yep and to Kave Bulambo Director of TA at Smart Recruiters who grew up in South Africa before moving to berlin and who will be working to address representation in Berlin for Smart recruiters. And you can follow her at KaveBulambo on twitter.                                                        

Torin Ellis           “And Praxis Labs on last Friday raised 15 and a half million dollars in funding from Norwest venture partners and Penny Jar Capital. I think Penny Jar Capital happens to be an early stage investment firm. Where Steph Curry is a partner or a participant in that particular firm and the reason why I bring up Praxis Labs this is actually, J, the second or third time I've seen a story on them. And I don't believe I've ever made reference to them. But I have kind of watched over the months the work that they are doing to try to institute VR related training in the DEIB space and so they really try to submerge people into situations that are a bit more real so I'm happy to see that they are gaining funding. Hopefully gaining traction and making a difference inside of organizations. Are you Beehive fan you a fan?

Julie Sowash     “You know I am you know I am and so."                                                            

Torin Ellis       “I know it I know it I know it so this one right here was really good. This was the one that I was referring to earlier in the show and I really dropped this note in because if you haven't clicked on the link.  Solange Knowles has opened up a library and let me just make it really short. It's a library of rare books. Love it. These are rare out of print books that you can capture for free. You can watch them for I'm sorry read them and review them hold them in your possession for about 45 days as long as you're in the US. Unfortunately, they're not shipping out of the country. But if you are in the US you should visit Saint Heron That's Saint Heron. “                                 

Julie Sowash      “Absolutely so still in Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) we've got about a week left it's not too late for you to recognize your employees that are a part of my community. The disability community take advantage. We've got 2 good weeks left and it's our 10 good days left and it's been a great month so far."                                                                

Torin Ellis           “Yeah and there's an advance in equity webinar that's taking place ‘How nonprofits can hire more leaders of color’. It's a free online session that's happening November 2^nd at 2 pm eastern if you want to follow them. The organization is Chronicle of Philanthropy on Twitter. Philanthropy on Twitter, you can go there get more details about the upcoming November event and all of the other great work that they are doing.”                                                

Julie Sowash      “All right a quick name drop for me this week to the wonderful women, especially Elena Valentine, at Skill Scout who is she is my girl who did an amazing job teaching.”                                           

Torin Ellis           “Shout out. Yes."                                                        

Julie Sowash     “New videographers at Ability Beyond how to capture our stories of belonging and beyond and inclusion. So thank you to the Skill Scout team for being phenomenal as always."                                                                  

Torin Ellis           “Always phenomena. Listen j and I close reminding each and every 1 of you to be better humans to build better teams build better workplaces. We also remind you to share the pod with your tribe like we want to grow the listed audience and the only way that we can do that is to 1 try to curate and deliver. Great content informing content actionable content and then you share that after you take a listen so hit that share button hit that retweet button hit that post button hit that heart button and do j and I a favor help us to hit like I don't know some stupid number of downloads before the end of the year for now j and I are ghost."    

Julie Sowash   “See ya!”