The Chronicle of Philanthropy invited me to write an opinion piece for their issue recognizing 40 nonprofit leaders under 40 years old. I decided to use the platform to argue about how stereotypes about Millennials are often only about the most privileged Millennials, and to recognize that this list is better than that stereotype. Millennials. Nonprofits and philanthropies have been anxiously trying to…
Read more >“They still close the gates every night,” our guide explained as we drove by the 44 foot high wall that still divides the Catholic Falls Road district from the Protestant Shankhill district in Belfast. It was a stunning reminder that peace is not an event, but a process. I’ve visited Northern Ireland twice this year and experienced the hope of…
Read more >South Carolina is finally taking down its Confederate Flag, although I loved when the woman climbed the pole and took it down last week. They said it is going into a museum, so I wanted to offer my text for the display. Here is a symbol of treason, terrorism, white supremacy & oppression waved by people who hated the ideals…
Read more >I’ve been a huge Beatles fan since I was at least five years old. My first records were The Beatles Second Album, Beatles IV, Rubber Soul, and Help. My first favorite songs were “Ticket to Ride” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.” As I got to my tweens and teens, I was attracted more to the later years….
Read more >This past week I joined almost 200 community builders from 21 countries on 6 continents in Blackpool, England for a first-ever global gathering of practitioners of Asset-Based Community Development. It was great to be with John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann, the men who developed and have taught this approach to community building for the past few decades, and to see…
Read more >Often when I get to a city to speak, I’m taken to a hotel and shuttled to the venue if not in the hotel, and that is all I see. I don’t like driving, so I rarely rent a car. One thing I’ve learned to do, though, when I have a few hours, is hire a taxi and agree on…
Read more >Over the past three years, I have presented more than 150 speeches and workshops. My presentation content and style have evolved during that time gauging audience energy and response (including tweets) to hone key points, give stories more color, and create opportunities for meaningful interaction. I was recently asked to lead a workshop at The Opportunity Youth Investment Fund conference…
Read more >I read a New York Times article a few months ago about a plantation converted into a museum on slavery about an hour outside New Orleans, so I planned a visit while in New Orleans on business. It has always bugged me that people take plantation tours or visit resorts on plantations that whitewash the awful history behind these estates….
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