Take This With You Vol. 3 | Social Justice Origin Stories

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This is Volume 3 of “Take This With You“, a special series from Social Justice Origin Stories. Storytelling is a gift, and in this series, storytellers reflect on what they hope stays with you after their episode ends. As you listen to their sharing, consider this moment as an invitation to reflect on your own journey.

Visit the Weaving Our Voices section for more entries in this series, as well as other special series that bring the voices and collective wisdom of storytellers together.

Episode Highlights and Featured Stories in Take This With You Vol. 3

Claire Downing asks listeners to lean into self-exploration. If you have multiple interests and talents, embrace the strength that comes with being a generalist. Your versatility can be your superpower.

Keith Edwards reminds us that progress is cumulative. There are people who came before us whose work laid the foundation for our progression. Our role is to build on what they did, so future generations can pick up where we leave off.

Emely Medina-Rodríguez says that practice is the best teacher. She encourages us to follow our innate sense of justice, whether or not we receive external validation.

Nadia Brigham supports Black people seeking practices of self-love as an act of resisting internalizing anti-Blackness and invites allies to commit to examining their relationship to anti-Blackness.

Angie Freeman chose authenticity over conformity. They remind us to be brave, to do the hard things, speak up for others, and to make sure the work doesn’t always fall on the people most impacted by oppression.

Kelly Maxwell knows that real dialogue requires acknowledging power dynamics and understanding context. Facilitators are not exempt from doing the work of increasing their awareness of themselves and their relationships to power, privilege, and oppression in relation to others in the space.

Chinyere Neale teaches us that all work has value. She wants you to seek joy in what moves you and hopes you can build a life you don’t need to escape from.

Quincy M. Simmons wants you to take action, start conversations, and spread awareness about issues connected to your identity. Genuine connection builds empathy.

Beca Velázquez-Publes wants you to know that there’s more than one way to do resistance and liberation work, and the more you learn about yourself and your guiding values, the more you’ll be able to understand what roles you can play in the movement.

Darryl B. Rice‘s message is clear. Resist. Fight back. We’ll have to meet the moment as our ancestors did. Be on the right side of history.

Our featured storytellers are below. Click on their photos to learn more about them, and listen to their stories.