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#85: Performative Allyship & Going Viral with Holiday Phillips

Ziada and Mary Ann talk with Holiday Phillips about her article that recently went viral ‘Performative Allyship Is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead)‘. She tells us about what made her write it, the experience of it going viral and some of her other thoughts about racial justice and anti-racist practice in this time.

 

 

 

 

Find the article at: https://forge.medium.com/performative-allyship-is-deadly-c900645d9f1f

And Holiday on
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holidayphillips/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/holidayphillips
Her website: https://www.holidayphillips.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFIndcHQuGPPv9KLJC2kYQg?view_as=subscriber

Holiday is a sociologist, coach, writer and speaker on the topics of philosophy, spirituality, culture and personal transformation. She is also co-founder of Kula, a consultancy that helps organisations develop conscious leadership and diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces. All of her work is in service of this question:

“What will it take to build a wiser, kinder world?”

To that end, she is interested in exploring a wide range of topics that touch on soul and society – personal healing, non-violent communication, integral solutions to racial inequality, new economic models, and the practical application of ancient wisdom to name a few!

Some quotes from Holiday in this episode:

‘I’m really, really passionate about in anti-racism is not recreating the same systems of violence that define racism, which are morality versus immorality, good versus bad, better versus worse.’

‘I think one of the things that non-black people can do to be allies is to be able to hold space for that rage to be processed, without taking it personally, without getting defensive. Just understanding that this is something that needs to happen.’

‘For the first time, there are so many ears willing to listen and because that space is being cleared, there will be an explosion of rage and rage rooted in grief.’

‘And these societal issues are rooted in people having power, needing to have power over someone else, judging people, denigrating people. So we don’t want to bring those methods into the new world that we’re trying to create’.

#84: Speaking Up with Animah Kosai

In this episode, Ziada and Mary Ann talk with Animah Kosai about her work on Speaking Up in the workplace.

Animah Kosai speaks, writes and advises on workplace sexual harassment & bullying, and speaking up on corporate wrongdoing. She formed Speak Up At Work and is co-founder of Speak Up Academy – a soon to be launched platform of thought leaders and change makers driven to create safe and inclusive work environments in the corporate world.

Animah is Malaysian-British, based in London. She practiced law for 9 years in Malaysia, before joining the oil and gas industry as corporate counsel for 14 years – covering South East Asia (except Indonesia) and India.

She has given talks and training in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore and London, as well as media interviews, on topics ranging from #MeToo to global corporate scandals.

Find Animah’s work on her website: www.speakupatwork.com
Find her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/animah-kosai/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/SpeakUpAtWork

Guest Series: Embodying Change 4 – Nasra Ismail, Director of the Somalia NGO consortium

In this conversation, Melissa Pitotti talks with Nasra Ismail, Director of the Somalia NGO consortium. They talk about wellbeing in the context of the localisation agenda in humanitarian aid and why conversations about wellbeing require us to consider our privilege and to think about our work in radically new ways.

Nasra is the director of the Somalia NGO Consortium and currently lives in Mogadishu, Somalia. She cares particularly about women’s rights, rights of minorities and people of colour, generosity and healing as ways to transform her own leadership and the issues the coalition tackles in the sector she works in.

Her motto this year and decade is for all of us to connect with the communities we serve through the everyday practice of grace, coalition building across differences and laughter. And she loves to shine a light on others through her use of social media platforms. You can follow her on Twitter @nas_isms

Melissa Pitotti has been working in humanitarian affairs since 2003 wearing different hats: donor, UN member state, multilateral, NGO coalition, independent. She’s also a mom, bookworm, and burnout-survivor. She is currently collaborating with Mary Ann on a project being incubated by CHS alliance looking at building care and compassion in aid and in humanitarian work.

This episode is part of a special series of conversations entitled – Embodying Change: A series of conversations on care and compassion in Aid and Development curated by Mary Ann Clements and Melissa Pitotti and in partnership with CHS Alliance, Global Fund for Community Foundations, Healing Solidarity and Change Making Women Podcast. This episode was produced and edited by Ziada Abeid and the music was written and performed by Eleanor Brown who you can find at eleanorbrownmusic.com

Find out more about ‘Cultivating Care and Compassion in Aid and Development’ an initiative being incubated by CHS Alliance here: https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/compassionate-organisations/

Guest Series: Embodying Change 3 – Kate Gilmore, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights

Kate Gilmore

In this conversation, Melissa Pitotti talks with Kate Gilmore the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. They talk about wellbeing in the UN system and other humanitarian and human rights work, about how Kate sees the connections between personal and political and some tangible ways she has tried, in her role, to do things differently.

Kate Gilmore was appointed United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights on 1st December 2015. She brings to the position diverse and longstanding experience in strategic leadership and human rights advocacy with the United Nations, government and non-government organisations.

Prior to joining OHCHR, Kate was Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director for Programmes with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Previously she was National Director of Amnesty International Australia and then Executive Deputy Secretary General of Amnesty International.

Kate started her career as a social worker and government policy officer in Australia. She helped establish Australia’s first Centre Against Sexual Assault at Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital and her work over a number of years focused on prevention of violence against women. In Australia, she was granted honorary appointments to provincial and national public policy and law reform processes, including membership of the country’s first National Committee on Violence Against Women.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New England and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Melbourne, and has pursued post-graduate studies in social work and community development in Australia.

Melissa Pitotti has been working in humanitarian affairs since 2003 wearing different hats: donor, UN member state, multilateral, NGO coalition, independent. She’s also a mom, bookworm, and burnout-survivor. She is currently collaborating with Mary Ann on a project being incubated by CHS alliance looking at building care and compassion in aid and in humanitarian work.

This episode is part of a special series of conversations entitled – Embodying Change: A series of conversations on care and compassion in Aid and Development curated by Mary Ann Clements and Melissa Pitotti and in partnership with CHS Alliance, Global Fund for Community Foundations, Healing Solidarity and Change Making Women Podcast. This episode was produced and edited by Ziada Abeid and the music was written and performed by Eleanor Brown who you can find at eleanorbrownmusic.com

Find out more about ‘Cultivating Care and Compassion in Aid and Development’ an initiative being incubated by CHS Alliance here: www.chsalliance.org/get-support/art…-organisations/

Guest Series: Embodying Change 2 – Care and Compassion with Shuhba Chako & Artemisa Castro

In this conversation, Mary Ann talks with Shuhba Chacko in India and Artemisa Castro in Mexico. They consider together how we might cultivate caring and compassion in our organisations and movements.

Shubha Chacko is a joyful activist who has drawn strength, knowledge, and warmth from strong alliances and friendships forged with people from different walks of life. She is the Executive Director of Solidarity Foundation, an NGO that supports grassroots level organisations of gender/sexual minorities (LGBTIAQ+)and sex workers by building collectives, capacities and connections with resources. The broader goal is to enhance leadership of those currently excluded. Solidarity Foundation also works with companies and other organisations on their LGBT journeys. Shubha is also a researcher and has authored books, reports and articles and has been an invited speaker at many national and international conferences.

Artemisa Castro is Executive Director of Fondo Acción Solidaria(FASOL) in Mexico. She is also a member of the Global Funders Alliance for Social Environmental Action. A biologist by training, she founded a local organization in Baja California Sur in the 1990s to spark and develop community action both to improve the local social and environmental conditions and to empower local women. This led to her collaboration with a group of other environmental activists and ultimately to the founding of FASOL in 2007, the first fund in Mexico dedicated to supporting grassroots community action through a programme of small grants, mentorship, capacity building and networking. Artemisa’s dog also makes a special appearance in this episode!

This episode is part of a special series of conversations entitled – Embodying Change: A series of conversations on care and compassion in Aid and Development curated by Mary Ann Clements and Melissa Pitotti and in partnership with CHS Alliance, Global Fund for Community Foundations, Healing Solidarity and Change Making Women Podcast. This episode was produced and edited by Ziada Abeid and the music was written and performed by Eleanor Brown who you can find at eleanorbrownmusic.com

Find out more about ‘Cultivating Care and Compassion in Aid and Development’ an initiative being incubated by CHS Alliance here: https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/compassionate-organisations/

Find out more about ‘Pathways to Power Symposium’ being co-ordinated by Global Fund for Community Foundations here: https://globalfundcommunityfoundations.org/what-we-stand-for/shiftthepower/a-symposium-on-people-led-development-pathways-to-power-new-ways-of-deciding-and-doing/

Guest Series: Embodying Change 1 – Space and Wellbeing with Penelope Sanyu & Eshban Kwesiga

In this conversation, Mary Ann talks with Penelope Sanyu from Femme Forte (www.femmeforteug.org/) in Uganda about how she links space and wellbeing in her work. They are joined with Eshban Kwesiga who has experienced the spaces Penelope creates and who also shares his perspective on her work and it’s importance.

Penelope Sanyu is Team Leader and Founder of Femme Forte in Uganda. She is a young lawyer, thinker, writer and author, policy analyst, solution architect and Agent of Positive Social Change and Transformation. She has dedicated most of her career to building the capacity of young people to innovatively engage with and influence public policy in various spaces. She has experience using social arts as a tool for socio-political transformation and has organized several social arts platforms at a national level. Penelope has a wealth of knowledge working with Civil Society Organisations, the women’s movement and feminist organisations in Uganda.

Eshban Kwesiga is very interested in feminist scholarly thought. He has written on the limitation of economics as a tool to feminist progress. Eshban has also curated conversations for men in consent. His includes advocacy for inclusion of an anti-gender pay gap in the Minimum Wage legislation, legislation against sexual offences, advocacy to have more women in Uganda’s security forces and agencies and access to contraceptives for women and girls.

This episode is part of a special series of conversations entitled – Embodying Change: A series of conversations on care and compassion in Aid and Development curated by Mary Ann Clements and Melissa Pitotti and in partnership with CHS Alliance, Global Fund for Community Foundations, Healing Solidarity and Change Making Women Podcast. This episode was produced and edited by Ziada Abeid and the music was written and performed by Eleanor Brown who you can find at eleanorbrownmusic.com

Find out more about ‘Cultivating Care and Compassion in Aid and Development’ an initiative being incubated by CHS Alliance here: https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/compassionate-organisations/

Find out more about ‘Pathways to Power Symposium’ being co-ordinated by Global Fund for Community Foundations here: https://globalfundcommunityfoundations.org/what-we-stand-for/shiftthepower/a-symposium-on-people-led-development-pathways-to-power-new-ways-of-deciding-and-doing/

#77: My Always Experience Campaign with Christine Gatwiri

This week Ziada and Mary Ann talk with Christine Gatwiri about the #myalwaysexperience campaign in Kenya in which women used social media to share their experience of using Always menstrual products. Christine is a multifaceted woman who is still figuring life out, and is championing for women’s rights in very small ways. Christine has recently begun, My Period and Me (see the Instagram link below) to give women a platform to talk about menstruation and everything in between from menstrual disorders to menstrual hygiene products.

Find Christine Online:
Twitter: @atwirich
Instagram: @myperiodandme

#73: Sauti Za Busara -Enjoying the Music Festival in Zanzibar

In this show, Ziada tells Mary Ann all about her recent trip to Sauti Za Busara, a Music festival held in Stone Town on Unguja Island, Zanzibar. They talk what music really excited her and Ziada gives us some top listening tips as well as telling us which festivals are next on her ‘bucket list’!

Music Ziada enjoyed a Sauti Za Busara and mentions in this show:

BCUC, South Africa: https://blackmajor.co.za/artist/bcuc/

Asia Madani Band, Sudan/Eqypt: https://www.facebook.com/Asia-Madani-187059958001209 

Taarab (Musical Style which is mentioned in the show): 
Tausi Womens Taarab – https://www.facebook.com/tausiwomenstaarab
Grand Orchestre Tarran de Zanzibar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmnp8HFzNo4

Music Festivals we mention:

Sauti Za Busara, Stone Town, Unguja Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania: http://www.busaramusic.org/

Nyege Nyege, Jina, Uganda: http://nyegenyege.com/

Afrochella, Accra. Ghana: https://afrochella.com/home

 

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