Working in Cooperation and Opposition for the Greater Good with Courtney Holland

October 17, 2024

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“I have very fond memories, of just, being on the picket line as a six and seven-year-old on a line with a picket sign and just being in that space with these folks who are, in a lot of ways, Overlooked in society in some ways because they are on the line building your car. You might not think about them, but they put the tire on your car, right? They build your struts and put your entire car together, but they are often not thought about in the pop culture lexicon of work experiences, although very common here in the metro Detroit area.”

–Courtney Holland

DEI Practitioner, Health Equity advocate, Educator, and lover of STEM Courtney Holland shares how her experiences spending Saturdays at a union hall for auto workers with her father in Detroit and her academic and cultural awakening after taking an Introduction to African American Studies as an undergraduate student laid the foundation for her current understanding of equity issues and her commitment to social justice.

She speaks on the essential role of culturally relevant education, the power of sharing our collective narratives, the complexities of doing DEI work within a capitalistic framework, and the journey of sitting with anger in social justice work.

“Those are the first sort of equity conversations I remember hearing and being a part of, right? Those are the first times I remember hearing words like equal pay paternity leave and maternity leave, and how do we advocate for higher pay? And now that I’m older. I just recognize how much of a privilege that is and was to be able to hear those things, learn from those conversations, and see a sort of collectivist care or collectivist community in action, right? And see folks really care about one another and wanting all of us, everyone in the union to do well and wanting us all to make more money on us all to have better health care to take care of one another in a way that is, really authentic. and I just am really grateful for that.”

–Courtney Holland

Meet Courtney

My activism is informed by many things and experiences. Other forces that inform my work are my training as an Intergroup Dialogue facilitator, my degree in education, and my international experiences and investment in global equity, inspired by my weekends with Dad. As a highly empathic person, I care about people, and I care about folks thriving. I want people at school, at work, or anywhere else to have economic freedom and sovereignty over their bodies, minds, and expression, and for empathy to prevail.

Tell your inspirations about the ways they inform your lives; I wish more than anything I could just tell my Dad how our weekends have shaped my career. How union breakfasts and picnics set me on a course to places I couldn’t even imagine, and I am just so grateful.

For those of us who work in corporate DEI, we really need to reflect on our work and our relationships with organizations. We exist in a capitalist society, but we want to do social justice work and make money. How do we strike a balance between pushing and advocating, but also not wanting to disturb too much to interrupt our bag?

Read BIPOC literature, I’m looking at you states with book bans! My finding myself and my ancestors in the curriculum inspired me to become a scholar, an educator, and a thinker. It made me ask questions about my upbringing, my relationships, my body.

Connect with Courtney on LinkedIn

What You’ll Learn from Courtney

00:00 Union Hall Memories: Weekends with My Father
03:30 Social Justice Origin Stories: Introduction
04:38 Meet Courtney Holland: A Journey in DEI
06:30 Reflections on Union Life and Social Justice
12:04 The Power of Collective Bargaining
19:23 Educational Journey: From Suburbs to Social Justice
22:04 Awakening to African American Studies
24:01 The Impact of Culturally Relevant Education
27:26 Navigating Social Justice and Personal Growth
36:41 Reflections on Anger and Systemic Awareness
37:31 Finding Balance Through Education and Dialogue
39:21 The Role of Therapy in Personal Growth
43:17 Global Perspectives on Oppression and Privilege
47:27 Influential People and Mentors
58:48 The Importance of Mentorship and Compensation
01:05:56 Navigating DEI Work in Capitalistic Systems
01:21:04 Final Thoughts and Future Generations

Name Drops, References, and Resources from Courtney

Emmitt Holland, My Dad. Dr. Rik Stevenson, Dr. Donna Kaplowitz (Intergroup Dialogue), Unity Christian Church,

Books: All About Love by bell hooks, Teaching to transgress by bell hooks, Dignity by Donna Hicks, Their eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, My grandmother’s Hands Reesma Menakem, The deepest well by Nadine Burke Harris