Let’s Talk Race, Place, and Opportunities for DEI Practitioners with Anthony Armstrong | S1, Ep 8
Anthony Armstrong was working towards a career in film and video production when he stumbled upon a book that changed his life. After reading Crabgrass Frontier and learning about the racist and unethical act of redlining, Anthony discusses the privileges afforded him as a white-identified person and how that recognition has changed the course of his career. Today he joins me to talk about the intersection between race and place and the opportunities he sees for DEI practitioners in the current climate. We discuss how “place” racializes opportunity and how we as practitioners address these realities when working with clients. Anthony talks about what it means for an organization to “be aware” in our current climate and offers guidance for white-identified people stuck between awareness and action. To hear all this and Anthony’s most valuable piece of advice to anyone wanting to move forward in their equity journey, tune into this episode.
Here is a Glance into this Episode:
1- An introduction to Anthony Armstrong and the work that he does. [0:01:13]
2- The importance of being willing to adapt and pivot in this line of work. [0:05:02]
3- The detour that led Anthony into this line of work and how he uses this when helping his clients. [0:08:31]
4- The intersection between race, place, and access to opportunities. [0:16:54]
5- Anthony’s words of advice for white-identified people stuck between awareness and action. [0:26:32]
6- How to build your organization’s muscle or capacity for equity. [0:29:01]
7- The challenges of the positioning of the DEI role in an organization. [0:32:04]
8 - Anthony advises anyone wanting to move forward in their equity journey to understand your “why.” [0:37:26]
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States by Kenneth T. Jackson - [0:09:14]
- Segregated by Design - a video based on the work of Richard Rothstein's book, The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America - [0:10:44]
- When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America - [0:14:51]
- Curb-Cut Effect by Angela Glover Blackwell -[0:29:16]
About Anthony Armstrong:
Anthony Armstrong is a Founder and Partner of Make Communities. He provides equity-focused training, facilitation, coaching, assessment, planning, and technical assistance for mission-centered clients. With a rounded skill set at the intersections of organizational strategy, community engagement, and public policy, he brings a cross-section of experience as a consultant and a practitioner regarding policy, programs, projects, and operations, as well as individual reflection, relationship development, and team building.
His assignments and partnerships take many forms, including racial equity training and coaching; equitable development strategy and implementation; constituent engagement and inclusion; organizational and urban planning; inclusive placemaking, and mission alignment.
He is often called on to advise during start-up, transition, and transformation phases of organizations and collaborative efforts committing — or recommitting — to improving their mission performance by living into their shared values and increasing their relevancy within systemically disinvested communities.
To connect with Anthony, visit: http://makecommunities.com
If you find value in the podcast, rate us on Apple Podcasts. (We LOVE 5 stars!) I aim to help as many people as possible who are working hard to advance racial equity inside their organizations.
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