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How “I’ll Have What She’s Having” supports restaurant workers seeking abortions in Texas

Posted on May 4, 2022January 19, 2024 by Anthony Smith

NationSwell Council Member Lori Choi, M.D., is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of I’ll Have What She’s Having, a Texas-based non-profit organization dedicated to breaking down systemic barriers that prevent hospitality workers — who are less likely to have health care than their counterparts in other industries — from getting the medical treatment they need.

Since the 2021 passing of SB 8, a Texas bill criminalizing abortions, Choi and her organization have accelerated their efforts to build coalitions and systems that support women and pregnant people in the industry seeking safe abortions.

Following the Supreme Court leak of a draft opinion reversing Roe v. Wade, a decades-standing precedent legalizing abortion in all fifty states, NationSwell spoke with Choi about what this moment means for our nation’s most vulnerable, why the work she’s leading matters now more than ever, and how anyone can get involved to support her mission to help uninsured and marginalized workers in Texas.

NationSwell: Thanks for talking today, Lori. Tell us about how your personal and professional journey led you to start I’ll Have What She’s Having.

Lori Choi, CEO, I’ll Have What She’s Having: I was living in New York and moved to Houston, Texas to train in surgery. Houston’s a known center for cardiovascular surgery. I’ve never regretted that decision — I just don’t think that I realized before I moved here exactly how conservative this state really was.

You hear stereotypes, but there’s no doubt that this state government was regressing, becoming more and more conservative, and there were some nutty things going on, and even being completely preoccupied with surgery training, the stuff would trickle through. And I found myself going around in a really grouchy mood all the time.

I finished training, and then my life was going pretty much as expected for an academic surgeon when Trump was elected. And by that time, I’d spent a lot of time with my husband’s peers, who were all in the food and beverage industry — that was my part-time job before medical school, and one of my first jobs after college.

This is an industry which is by and large uninsured, and very, very hard working. And the small businesses themselves, they don’t have large profit margins — so most are not able to provide benefits to their employees.

Here in Texas in 2011, there were some substantial changes made to family planning budgets in public health as a result of a tremendous change in the political makeup of the state legislature and the state Senate. They really pushed through a lot of budget cuts which were meant to attack abortion access — and they did this by shutting down family planning clinics.

And so we saw the writing on the wall for uninsured people, and we foresaw, with all those federal judgeships that were vacant at the time that Trump took office, we really could see the path to decreasing abortion access, which was already lousy in Texas in a lot of rural communities. So we decided to form our nonprofit, I’ll Have What She’s Having, which consisted of mostly chefs, restauranteurs, food and beverage workers, and several doctors.

NationSwell: Can you talk about your mission and how it took form?

Choi: Our mission was really to educate ourselves and our community on overcoming barriers to maintain our health and well-being, identify non-profit health care partners and raise funds for and awareness of their vital work, including women’s and mental health, and partner with professionals in science, medicine, sports and the arts to highlight the diverse coalition of individuals prepared to fight for a Texan’s access to high quality, affordable health care and reproductive rights.

The food community here is very beloved, and because of my husband and my backgrounds, I brought to the table those connections to both the medical center and food and beverage.

When we started, we raised the question of what participants wanted to raise money for — and it was really the restaurateurs and entrepreneurs who drove our efforts towards abortion protection. It didn’t come from me. Someone close to me really didn’t think it was a good idea for the volunteers’ careers.

The vast majority of Americans are quietly in favor of some form of safe and legal abortion. But these women were willing to put their names out there, to be the face of that pro-abortion majority. And to put their small businesses at risk. It’s quite common in liberal enclaves like New York or San Francisco to take a stand for abortion rights, but it really was quite unheard of for Texas.

But these young women were really adamant. They themselves had been patients of Planned Parenthood. And many of them — most of us — have been uninsured at one or more times in our careers. And they felt strongly that they wanted to make that stand.

I’m amazed by their courage. I know that some of them have suffered. One of our partners is a wonderful chef who, when she began to support abortion access, received death threats. We’ve had protestors show up at our events. After all they’ve been through with the pandemic, for these small businesses to stand up and make their voices heard at this crucial time, I think that should really motivate all of us to get outside of our comfort zones.

When we got started, we spoke kind of in euphemisms about abortion – we called it reproductive rights, women’s health. But in the summer of 2021, when SB 8, the Texas bill criminalizing abortion, got passed, we decided to change our language and start using the word abortion, talking about abortion as an issue of health care, of bodily autonomy, and how, until everyone in this country is guaranteed abortion access, 50% of our population doesn’t have the rights to decide what happens to their own bodies.

That lack of freedom is deeply disturbing to me as a citizen, as an individual. To have the government so involved in health care decisions, and discussions between a physician and his or her patient is, as a physician, deeply offensive. And now we’re preparing to return to a period of time prior to Roe V. Wade in which women routinely died of infection. And I really don’t see any way around that because states are putting in place legislation to criminalize even medical abortions. As long as that’s the case, pregnant people who don’t want to be pregnant will have no choice except to take serious risks with their lives. And we know from history what that means. It really is risky.

NationSwell: Why will the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade hit hospitality workers harder than workers in other industries?

Choi: The Texas government is profoundly hypocritical when it comes to this point. We have more uninsured individuals, men, women, and children than any other state in the country. We refused Medicaid expansion, which would have enabled some of our poorest citizens to access care.

Because of that, when people become pregnant, if they’re not insured, they’re less likely to have access to a physician at that point. And because of paperwork delays, people will often not see a physician until their second or even their third trimester. As a result, we have increased infant mortality, and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country — especially for women of color.

We walked into all of this because in 2011, when the Texas Legislature slashed the family planning budget, we actually saw 83 community clinics close in the next several years because that lack of funding meant that they weren’t unable to keep their doors open to provide low cost, quality care to women who weren’t insured.

So uninsured people with ovaries don’t have access to contraception. They don’t have access to consistent medical care to treat their chronic illnesses. If they become pregnant, they often are going to be a high risk for complications during and after pregnancy. If they have high blood pressure, if they have poorly controlled diabetes, these factors will really impact the health of their pregnancy. And if they are keeping the child, it oftentimes impacts the child health, as well as the health of the parent.

NationSwell: You mentioned that you moved away from saying “reproductive rights” and started to purposefully use the word “abortion.” What did that change for your organization?

Choi: As a woman in Texas, when we first got started, just to talk about anything between the belly button and the knees on a woman was really freaking people out. I mean, they just didn’t want to talk about women’s health, which is so strange to me. But we feel like we’ve really turned the corner on that part, at least. We advocate for mammograms, STD screening, cancer screenings — all of which involve pap smears that take place in this general region. But abortion is a procedure which one in four persons in the US with a uterus need during their lifetime. So, it’s very, very common. It’s very, very needed. And until we normalize discussion about all parts of it, including using the word “abortion” itself, it’s really, really difficult to get people to think about what individuals actually need.

Under conservative status quo, the majority of the responsibility for avoiding pregnancy has fallen squarely on people who have uteruses. So, until we normalize that kind of conversation, I really think it’s difficult for us to move forward. And until people voice their support for abortion, I think that the politicians are just not going to get it.

To say things like reproductive justice, reproductive healthcare, I just don’t think that we’re getting people to really think about what’s involved with that. And that’s part of the reason why we felt like we needed to change our language and to be part of that change for the community. We did see a decrease in press coverage for our events when we changed that language, but since the Politico article really is a wakeup call for everyone who’ve been ignoring the course of history, I don’t think the press can shy away from this discussion any longer.

NationSwell: What are some of the ways I’ll Have What She’s Having is taking action?

Choi: Most of the women we support are uninsured. I’m not actually certain how some of them are getting their contraception, but we’re really trying to encourage women to get that annual visit with their physicians, for people to go and have that preventive medical exam and get their care.

It’s not realized, but if you look at people who are born with an XY chromosome, the biggest cause of mortality for someone until they’re about 50 is trauma and accidents. But for people who are born XX, cancer actually becomes the leading cause of mortality in their 20s.

So it’s really important that we encourage people to go to the doctor, even at a young age. And we’ve really advocated for that. We have a small fund, which allows people from the restaurant industry to get that preventive medical care on an annual basis. And we’re trying to do more to educate people in the industry to stay well, rather than treat themselves when they’re sick.

We’ve also held a series of happy hours at different bars called Abortion Support. Historically, it’s been speakeasies and taverns where a lot of political activity and change took place. And we’ve been really appreciative how the bar owners in our community have been willing to take on that role here in Houston, and push that conversation forward.

Unfortunately, the Delta variant kind of took out those plans for the summer. So, we regrouped and we engaged in a social media campaign called the 1973 Project.

The restaurant industry loves masking tape — they take masking tape and put it on everything, they label all of their food behind the bar and in the walk-ins. And so we had a wonderful photographer, Emily Jaschke, work with us, and employees would put this blue tape or masking tape somewhere on their bodies with a pro-abortion slogan, post a photo, and donate $19.73 to our fund. So, with a matching donor, we were able to donate $60,000 after about six weeks of social media campaigning to the abortion funds across Texas in response to SB 8.

And with the upcoming expectation that Roe V. Wade is going to be overturned, we’re really trying to push and continue with that conversation. Engage more people on a national level so that they’re able to have their voices heard —because we can’t just wait till the election. I think it’s really important that we find a way for people to easily register their protests to the changes that are taking place.

NationSwell: What are some of the ways we can support your organization, and support uninsured women and people with uteruses in the hospitality industry?

Choi: I’ll Have What She’s Having can always use your help! We’re planning a national fundraiser in September in which we’ll be able to engage with people all over the country — and we’re interested in sponsorship for that. That’s going to be chefs getting together nationally to prepare a meal which can be sent around the country via FedEx or UPS. And we’re going to be able to use that money to distribute the funds nationally, especially to the states who are probably going to be having full abortion bans to help people that are going to need to travel to get that abortion care.

Right now, we are supporting six different abortion funds in Texas, and our September fundraiser will expand nationally. But when we speak to those abortion funds, the cost of their being able to support a single patient has just skyrocketed because they need to provide either bus or airfare, as well as usually overnight hotels stay for either one or two days. People who are leaving, the vast majority of them who need abortions already have children and family responsibilities. So, those organizations are also helping individuals get childcare so that they’re able to leave the state for care.

On top of this, we always encourage everyone to call our senators and congressmen to speak out in favor of abortion access. The Women’s Health Protection Act was passed in the House and then failed in the Senate. But that bill, when it comes up, would be a way for us to get around while we’re expecting SCOTUS to officially overturn Roe v. Wade in June.

It’s very important that we really come to this from a place of our shared humanity. It’s important that we say to state and national governments that we believe that bodily autonomy is a human right. And regardless of whether it touches me, or my siblings, or my parents, our loved ones directly or not, it’s just something that we understand and feel with all of our fellow humans that we have to stand up for this — now.

Learnings from NationSwell’s Council event on bridging political divides

Posted on April 20, 2022January 19, 2024 by NationSwell Team

Recent research shows that over the last 50 years, both major parties in Congress have drifted further from the ideological center. Progress can feel as though it has ground to a halt as neither side wants to compromise for fear of looking weak or appeasing their political opponents.

Meanwhile, private citizens are dividing themselves along partisan lines — which, at its most extreme, results in individuals severing some of their strongest social and even familial ties over these differences.These impulses to ostracize, isolate, and separate isolated from our communities can have negative impacts on mental health and lead to further political radicalization.

As a nonpartisan organization, NationSwell strives to create an environment where all viewpoints are heard and given equal credence in an effort to bridge political divides — both within our Council members’ organizations and throughout the country.

Members comprising a diverse ideological spectrum recently sat down for a conversation on how we can go about creating these inclusive spaces and better capitalize on our positions as leaders to break down these barriers.

Here are some key takeaways from the event.

Inclusivity must be fostered before a conversation even begins

Creating these nonpartisan spaces becomes much more difficult if people are coming into the conversation with their guards up. As such, efforts must be made to make it clear that ideologically diverse viewpoints are not simply tolerated, but welcome. Otherwise, some may feel their perspective is being dismissed before they even have a chance to speak.

It all starts with language

We often assume those on the other end of the political spectrum don’t share our same values, but sometimes it is just a language barrier.

The language we use can inadvertently lean left or right, even when striving for nonpartisanship. When inviting people into a conversation, special attention must be paid to the framing we use to characterize the issues we wish to tackle and the types of solutions we envision.

Using the wrong language could cause certain listeners to tune out or even become actively hostile because they feel that, through no fault of their own, they are not welcome in a conversation.

Strive to find common ground with those we may disagree with politically

Regardless of what ideological and political labels we may apply to ourselves, many of us can agree on a multitude of issues that need to be addressed.

Taking on these issues in collaboration with those on the other side of the aisle can help form lasting partnerships and relationships, which in turn will create an environment where traditionally opposing forces can continue to work together in good faith.

An act as simple as telling someone from a different political party something you admire about their work to their face can have a powerful impact on bridging these divides.

It is okay to disagree, but differences must be dealt with respectfully

The very nature of a nonpartisan, inclusive space means bringing together people who will not see eye to eye on every issue.

Addressing these differences is critical to building trust. Letting someone know the language they are using is hurtful, or possibly sending the wrong message is useful when done in a respectful manner.

Another key is to assume that those around you are working on issues with you in good faith, so even if you disagree on the solutions, a positive discussion can be had, rather than an argument where nothing is solved.

Separate the issues from the people

Very little will be accomplished if a discussion on how to solve a problem turns into a series of complaints about political opponents.

In addition to being unproductive, it can stifle participation from those with minority viewpoints in the group, who may feel as though their input is not welcome simply by virtue of being in the same political party as a politician who is being attacked.

Encouraging civic engagement can help bridge these divides

The more polarized our discourse becomes, the less appealing public service looks. Finding nonpartisan ways to engage in the political process, especially for younger people, can go a long way to breaking through these divisions.

The NationSwell Council community brings together a diverse, curated community of bold individuals and organizations leading the way in social, economic, and environmental problem-solving. Learn more about the Council here.

Learnings from NationSwell’s ‘Unexpected Alliances in the Fight for Abortion’ event

Posted on March 29, 2022January 19, 2024 by NationSwell Team

The national discourse over abortion access is often polarized along partisan or religious lines — but the diversity of people at the heart of the movement to protect reproductive rights tells a different story.

Despite the politicization of abortion access in mainstream discourse, studies have shown that a majority of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. In fact, although we might expect opinions about reproductive rights to fall along partisan lines, the truth is that there are allies working on both sides of the aisle to support a pregnant person’s right to determine their own future without being hindered by the U.S. government.

During a NationSwell Council event, the Reverend Jacqui Lewis, a prominent faith leader and pro-choice advocate, Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, JaTaune Bosby, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama, and Charlie Dent, and Charlie Dent, a Republican former member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania, took a look at how the movement for reproductive rights is a wider tent than many imagine it to be, and how unification across perceived divides is central to the work ahead.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:

We’re at the edge of a precipice that underscores the dire need to protect abortion from state to state

Recent abortion restrictions enacted at the state level in Texas and Mississippi have purposefully escalated the threat to abortion access up to the Supreme Court. As we await the Court’s decision, it’s important to remember the possibility that Roe vs. Wade — the decision that upholds a pregnant person’s right to abortion — could be overturned at any moment.

Love is at the center of most religious doctrines

Most religions advocate for a kind of “fierce community love,” as Rev. Lewis puts it — a mandate to love one’s neighbor as one loves themselves. Although those who traffic in splitting humankind around economic justice, race, gender, education, and so on have thought to use religion as the cudgel to froth up an anti-abortion community, there is no official religious teaching that condemns reproductive freedom.

“To me as a theologian, the very best way to love our neighbor is to acknowledge their autonomy and freedoms,” Rev. Lewis said.

Abortion access is more broadly supported than its detractors would have you believe

Many people, politicians in particular, frequently use abortion as a wedge issue to advocate for organizations like Planned Parenthood to be stripped of resources of federal funding. But while reproductive rights have been heavily politicized, there are voices on both sides of the aisle who support a woman’s right to choose.

“While many Americans are conflicted on abortion… most want abortion to remain legal under most circumstances,” Dent said.

Use your voice to advocate for reproductive rights

One of the most powerful ways to lend your support to the fight for reproductive justice is to make your support visible in your spheres of influence. A whopping 70% of Americans support abortion access, and the more visible that support is, the better. Whether you’re advocating for abortion access amongst your family members, in your workplace, or at your place of worship, you may be able to have a transformative impact just by sharing your abortion story (if you’ve had one) or cementing your support.

Educate, collaborate, and advocate

If we can do those three things effectively as a collective, we’ll really be able to move forward with imagining a country that’s more inclusive and safe for all. You are a citizen and neighbor, and your neighbor’s life affects your own. Try to do the research necessary to have a well-informed position on abortion, and work to identify and elect politicians who might be sympathetic to your cause.

We don’t live in a Christian nation — we live in a nation

The democracy we want to enjoy is made up of a cacophony of diverse voices. Although Christian activists have become one of the loudest factions advocating against abortion access, there are still some who believe that we can rally around what unites us, including a shared desire for a healthy planet, having enough food on the table, racial equity, and more… striving to be a “world that delights in difference,” rather than a world divided.

Insights from NationSwell’s ‘Supporting Rural Communities’ event

Posted on March 29, 2022January 19, 2024 by NationSwell Team

Although the less densely populated areas of the country act as an invaluable engine to the economy writ large, federal funding for those same areas has been sorely lacking — leaving a vacuum for corporations and philanthropies to fill with funding for innovative solutions that will lift up the “forgotten” corners of the country.

During a NationSwell Roundtable on March 29 helmed by Caryl Stern, Executive Director of the Walton Family Foundation, and Mary Snapp, VP of Strategic Initiatives at Microsoft, business leaders convened to discuss and share some of the policies, practices, trends, and initiatives being deployed in rural areas in order to revitalize their economies and bring existing technologies up to date and into more homes.

Here are some of the key learnings from the event:

Expanding broadband access is an urgent need

An estimated 18-20 million people across rural America lack access to broadband, which is a crucial component to economic development. In an effort to close the rural broadband gap, Microsoft in 2017 launched its Airband Initiative, which aims to expand access to affordable internet, affordable devices, and digital skills by bringing together private–sector capital investment in new technologies and rural broadband deployments with public–sector financial and regulatory support.

The program aims to bring 3 million more people online by July of this year by installing WiFi hotspots, launching satellites, getting more deployments on the ground, and advocating at the infrastructural level for increased broadband access from the federal government.

A key component for success in rural America is getting more qualified teachers into classrooms

Not only is rural America facing a shortage of qualified teachers in schools, it’s also facing unprecedented levels of burnout amongst the teachers who are already employed there. In an effort to rectify this, the Walton Family Foundation has long supported national nonprofit organizations like Teach For America and Teach Plus, which disproportionately dispatch qualified educators to the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta regions where they are most sorely needed. Other organizations, such as Go Forward Pine Bluff, work with local partners to ensure that schools maintain a culture that teachers would want to be a part of in an effort to bolster talent retention.

Early exposure to technology is crucial

Closing rural America’s technology gap will also necessarily require early exposure to new tech so that residents can get a head start on staying competitive in an information-rich economy. Some key initiatives to support in that space are community classes and skills programs aimed at introducing more businesses, entrepreneurs and residents to the technologies that will help them to navigate a rapidly evolving world. Mary mentioned that TEALS — Technology Education and Literacy in Schools, a Microsoft Philanthropies program that builds sustainable CS programs in high school — and other formal education programs, like Future Farmers of America and the National 4‑H Council, are instrumental in youth development and providing mentorship opportunities.

Expanded news coverage can help to fill information gaps in rural communities

Small but sustained investments in local news across the country can have an outsized impact when it comes to revitalizing communities. Not only is having a strong media outlet in your community important to the democratic process, it’s also an invaluable way to keep readers informed and reflect community values.

Added support for entrepreneurship can help to empower individuals

Working to strengthen individuals and organizations can hand the power back to communities so that they themselves can take ownership of the grassroots process of rebuilding. Caryl mentioned that one such person doing such work is Tim Lampkin, the co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit Higher Purpose, which is dedicated to building community wealth with Black residents across Mississippi by mentoring local entrepreneurs. Higher Purpose also provides community and leadership training, and offers assistance on branding, legal requirements, financial management and more so that individuals have the tools they need to grow right in their communities.

Detail work at a local level can ensure that dollars are spent on solutions that will make the biggest impact

Funds for inclusive and sustainable economic development are seeing great successes in their ability to steer reinvestments in local communities on the ground. In California, funds like Regions Rise Together — which helps reinvest in local communities and focuses on inclusive, post-Covid climate work that brings regions in California together — and the California Dream Fund — which works to provide microgrants to seed entrepreneurship and small businesses in the state — are helping to close inequality gaps and provide increased economic opportunities for women and people of color.

Tapping into local power can help to solve local problems

Organizations like Girltrek have convened more than 700 million Black women worldwide to walk together as a means of self-care and as a way to heal intergenerational trauma and fight systemic racism. Building these coalitions on the ground can create local power and serve as a powerful reminder that the power and intelligence of local folks is sometimes the best driver of change when it comes to solving local problems.

NationSwell’s Institutional Membership program is built for leading corporations, philanthropies, and investment firms, designed to help leaders take their work in CSR, ESG, DEI, Impact Investing, Sustainability, and Philanthropy to the next level. Learn more about NationSwell’s Institutional Membership community here.

Learnings from our “Count Every Vote” event on free and fair elections

Posted on March 7, 2022January 19, 2024 by NationSwell Team

Recently, this commitment has come under attack. Former President Trump refused to concede the 2020 election, falsely insisting that it had been stolen from him — a claim he continues to make without evidence to this day. His dangerous rhetoric and actions led to the assault on the U.S. Capitol as Congress was counting the electoral votes to formalize President Biden’s victory.

While the certification was eventually completed, the event showcased how fragile our democracy has become. With the 2022 midterms just around the corner and the 2024 presidential election looming, there is no time to waste in shoring up our defenses against further degradation of the electoral process.

In a NationSwell conversation hosted by our Council, Nick Penniman, founder of the bipartisan political reform group Issue One, and former House Majority Leader Richard Gephart, who serves on the board of Issue One, discussed the threats facing the democratic process in the U.S., and what can be done to counteract these threats and ensure continuing free and fair elections.

Here are some of the most compelling insights from the digital event:

What is broken in our democracy?

Penniman highlighted four key issues:

Money in politics and a lack of civic education: Members of Congress can spend up to 50% of their time in office fundraising, rather than working on needed legislation. Oftentimes they will seek funds from lobbyists, who may have different priorities than those of a member of Congress’ constituents.

Gerrymandering: The overwhelming majority of House races are uncompetitive, essentially ensuring the winner of the primary a seat in Congress. This creates a system where candidates need only pander to the base, which in turn causes further polarization.

Media fragmentation and disinformation: More and more people are getting their news from hyper-partisan institutions, creating a disconnect among the population. In addition, the rise of social media allows people to publish, often anonymously, toxic and even false content.

Lack of civic education: Only 30% of Americans can name the three branches of government, Penniman said.

The immediate threat against American democracy

Penniman said that the most pressing issue in the upcoming presidential election is election subversion — the constitutional ability for one party to sign a slate of electors that is inconsistent with the popular vote. Through a combination of advancing restrictive voting measures in Republican-controlled state legislatures and installing partisan election officials, including secretaries of state, Trump allies have laid out an explicit plan to not certify election results in swing states won by a Democratic candidate. This would then throw the decision to the state legislatures, which are almost all controlled by Republicans. Penniman points out that the Supreme Court would likely allow this, based on the Bush v. Gore case where it was decided that the Constitution grants states this authority.

Efforts being made to counter these threats

Issue One has created the National Council for Election Integrity, which serves as a front-facing group that can push back against the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. Issue One is also involved in pushing bipartisan legislation that would help make elections more secure. The most pressing of these efforts is an update to the Electoral Count Act, which would close any loopholes that would allow Congress to reject the results of the presidential election. A more long-term goal is to get social media platforms to rework their algorithms so that people are no longer fed distorted or inaccurate information. Finally, Issue One is pushing the Department of Justice to ramp up protection for election workers, many of whom have faced death threats in recent years.

Obstacles facing Issue One’s efforts

As Penniman noted, it would take billions of dollars to effectively research, formulate, and disseminate an effective counter narrative to the lie of the stolen election. This is simply an unrealistic fundraising goal. However, Issue One will look to recruit corporations to help with their efforts, such as when Major League Baseball pulled the All-Star Game out of Atlanta to protest restrictive voting legislation in Georgia.

What can you do to help?

Donating to key political races can be crucial. For example, keeping Democratic governors in power in swing states with Republican legislatures could serve as a firewall against any attempts to undermine or subvert the popular vote. Volunteering as an election worker or observer would also be helpful, as many former workers have quit since the 2020 election over the abuse they have faced. Volunteering would both help fill those empty roles and prevent partisan actors from swooping in to claim them.

Truth and reconciliation could provide a pathway towards healing American race relations

Posted on March 7, 2022January 19, 2024 by NationSwell Team

In the summer of 2020, America found itself in the throes of a full-blown racial reckoning.

The product of the longstanding history of violence and police killings that the Black community has been disproportionately subjected to, the tensions crescendoed with the murder of the unarmed Minnesota man George Floyd in May. Over the course of the weeks that followed, outraged Americans flocked to the streets around the country to demand accountability and a national acknowledgment of the need for racial justice. The resultant protests were the most widely-attended in U.S. history, with as many as 26 million people estimated to have attended.

But nearly two years later, though the city-wide standoffs with police that once dotted the country have dissipated, many of the questions they raised remain unanswered. How can a country with a history steeped in racism and violence ever hope to redress its sins and create a more safe and equitable social landscape? What will it take for America to heal?

For some, the answer lies in truth and reconciliation — the process by which persistent inequalities are addressed through careful fact-gathering and supervised dialogues that seek to establish an objective version of historical events. Proponents of truth and reconciliation processes believe that confronting and reckoning with the past is necessary in order for successful transitions from conflict and resentment to peace and connectedness to occur. In bringing difficult issues into the light, truth and reconciliation commissions seek to provide a pathway towards healing, usually by rooting out solutions and establishing a set of concrete steps towards rectifying past injustices.

In most cases, these commissions are often established as a way for members of dominant and marginalized communities to come together to publicly acknowledge instances of conflict and pain. They’ve famously been assembled to dissect the legacy of Apartheid in South Africa, and to assess the human rights violations that occurred during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorial rule of Chile.

In the United States, activists and community organizers have led the calls for the establishment of formalized, government-sponsored truth and reconciliation commissions to examine America’s racialized history of violence and oppression — hopefully catalyzing individuals and organizations alike to the realization of the specific ways they may benefit from the legacy of chattel slavery, segregation, and police violence. But even without formal government backing, there are grassroots groups working tirelessly across America to achieve the goals of truth and reconciliation on a smaller scale, taking a similar model and infusing it with compassion and empathy in the hopes of repairing community fractures and fostering peace at the local level.

One such group is Heal America, an organization that began in earnest in Dallas in 2016 after an explosion of anguished protest in response to the police killings of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, threatened to plunge the city into chaos. Much like the 2020 protests that resulted from the murder of George Floyd, Sterling and Castile’s deaths were the impetus for widescale national demonstrations in cities across the U.S. During the protests in Dallas, a lone gunman opened fire on a line of police officers, killing five and injuring 11 others. With conditions in the city threatening to devolve into a full-blown insurrection, local police tapped Bishop Omar Jahwar — a longtime gang interventionist and community leader — to lead the community towards healing.

Jahwar — who died in 2021 after contracting COVID-19 — understood innately that the first step towards brokering peace during a conflict must necessarily include an acknowledgement of the pain being felt on both sides. He invited the grieving loved ones of Alton Sterling to speak onstage at a restaurant on Dallas’s south side, followed by the widows of two of the slain Dallas police officers. The civil rights activists, victims of violence, members of law enforcement and public leaders in attendance all watched as the family members embraced after finding mutual understanding in each other’s pain.

That single event was such a success that Heal America was founded around it in order to further its mission, propped up by the belief that people are not only capable of difficult conversations, but that they can find strength — rather than division — in their differences. In the years that followed, Heal America went national, and has hosted events in cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Jackson, Missississippi, and Los Angeles.

In each city, the movement convenes dedicated local individuals who wield the principles of love and redemption in an effort to address injustice, and then works to support those changemakers by providing funding, networking and storytelling opportunities, and other avenues to bolster healing.

During a recent Heal America tour stop in Pittsburgh, for example, Leon Ford — a 19-year-old who was shot in the back five times by a police officer, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down — convened non-profit leaders, community influencers, the mayor, and local law enforcement for a frank and inspiring conversation about how to shift the city away from focusing on racial divisions and towards collaborations that would tackle some of its most pressing racial injustices head-on.

Rather than turning inwards, focusing on anger and bitterness, Ford focused his energy on fostering constructive engagement — a perfect encapsulation of the Heal America model, and an example of the power modern grassroots truth and reconciliation models hold in shaping communities.

Branden Polk, the director of strategic partnerships at Heal America, told NationSwell that the movement is growing at a pivotal moment for America — one in which many people are feeling fatigued and hopeless by our seemingly deepening political and social divides.

“More than two out of every three Americans recognize racism remains a problem today, but in a climate of increasing polarization and declining social trust, it’s difficult for many people to see a way forward,” he said. “The extremes perpetuate a false choice that we must either deny our country and its values or deny the racial injustices that persist. It’s not the dominant view. But it’s the loudest one.”

The American definition of “justice” is a warped one, focused more on ideas about punitive systems and vengeance than it is on ideas about restoration and healing. But Heal America — and the truth and reconciliation process more broadly — is focused exactly on the place where solutions can help to foment real community change and relief.

“Polarization is rising. Americans’ trust in each other is falling. And it’s making it hard for people to come together on many issues, especially the difficult ones,” Polk said. “Heal America is helping people to come together — offering a way to address racial injustice by focusing on solutions and creating the space for diverse perspectives.”

Alejandro Gibes de Gac, CEO of Springboard Collaborative, on reimagining the education system

Posted on March 2, 2022January 19, 2024 by NationSwell Team

The son of Chilean and Puerto Rican immigrant parents who had escaped political persecution in coming to the U.S., Alejandro quickly realized that the American dream of a quality education was not necessarily as accessible to low-income children of color in the same way it was for their white peers. It was this epiphany that helped to ignite Alejandro’s lifelong mission to rehabilitate the educational system, and a major part of the reason he founded Springboard Collaborative.

A data-driven and community based immersive experience, Springboard works to provide parents, guardians and family members with the training and resources they need in order to support children in learning outside of the classroom. NationSwell spoke to Alejandro about how developing schools’ leadership pipelines and delivering one-on-one literacy support can help support communities and how Springboard is endeavoring to close the literacy gap and make schools a more equitable place for low-income children.

NationSwell: What inspired you to form Springboard, and what is it about reforming the educational system that feels personal to you?

Springboard Collaborative CEO and founder Alejandro Gibes de Gac: The school system was constantly putting barriers in our way and constantly trying to keep our parents shut out of the process, even all the way up through senior year of high school. When I was applying to Harvard, the guidance counselor tried to talk me out of it so that I could avoid the disappointment of rejection, and then seemed pretty disappointed to see my acceptance letter.

I share all of that because growing up in a home with little money but lots of love taught me firsthand that parents’ love for their children is the single greatest, and also the most underutilized natural resource in education. I took that perspective with me into teaching: I was a first grade teacher in North Philadelphia, teaching in a Puerto Rican neighborhood where I saw myself and my kids, I saw my parents, and pretty quickly I became frustrated that the same scenario from my childhood was playing out.

Our school system approached black and brown parents like mine as liabilities, rather than as the assets that they are. Kids spend 75 percent of their waking hours outside of the classroom, and I realized that if we don’t find a way to help parents and teachers work together to give kids access to learning across the continuum of home and school, then we’re never going to close the achievement gap, let alone the opportunity gap.

So, long story short, that’s why I started Springboard a decade ago: To close the literacy gap by closing the gap between home and school. And the way that we do that is by coaching parents and teachers to team up to work together to accelerate student learning.

NS: What are some of the methods you utilize in order to improve literacy in communities, and has that strategy changed at all during the pandemic?

Gibes de Gac: Our work has evolved pretty significantly during the pandemic, but the easiest way to think about it is three concentric spheres, the smallest of which is our direct impact. That’s springboard delivering intensive programs, which we’ve done since Day 1, and what they look like are 5-10 week summer and after school programs that combine personalized reading instruction for K-third graders with weekly workshops that equip parents to support learning at home and professional development so that they can help to sustain that habit over the long run.

The problem that we’re trying to solve affects millions and millions of kids, and about two years ago we challenged ourselves to make the shift from direct to widespread impact, which is the second sphere. It’s really about codifying our playbook and training others to run programs much more independently much more affordably. You can think of it like a train-the-trainer model; it basically took out two thirds of the cost, but we’re still getting seventy five percent of the impact of the original model, and it’s been invaluable for us to scale our impact more quickly and more nimbly.

As I mentioned, the problem affects millions of kids, and you don’t get to that order of magnitude without changing the system more broadly. So that third sphere of systemic impact is really where we’re innovating, and our focus is on widespread impact right now. But what we’re trying to figure out is how you change the education sector broadly so that parent-teacher collaboration is the rule, not the exception.

Thanks to Covid, a few things have seismically shifted the education sector, and one of them is just a greater appreciation for the essential role that parents play in their childrens’ learning. School closures really kind of made it plain to see how important learning at home is. When it comes to educating kids, there’s no going around parents. Schools have to work with them in order to ensure that kids are learning. That was true long before the pandemic happened, but when you combine that with the fact that school closures have disproportionately affected children of color and children from low income families, with this massive influx of federal funding to help kids recover, that’s led to surging demand for our programs. So that for us is the name of the game right now – helping to meet that demand and support districts across the country in their efforts to help marginalized kids recover, especially as it relates to literacy.

The most exciting recent update is that just last week we got a three-year, $17 million contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District to help 23,000 kids accelerate their literacy gains and get back on track. We’re having conversations like that across the country, which is both exciting, because it’s so important for the marginalized kids and families that make up our target population, and a little daunting to keep up with that demand and raise sufficient growth capital so that we can keep our foot on the accelerator rather than tap the breaks.

NS: What advice do you have for others on how they can better act with a clear sense of purpose?

Gibes de Gac: I think at least for me, it’s finding a problem that you care so deeply about that you can’t help but to solve it. Something that, come hell or high water, you will continue to stick with that problem.

Finding that problem, though, is sometimes easier said than done. It’s hard to find the problem that you care most deeply about from the 52nd floor of your office building, so also just immersing yourself in circumstances where you’re likely to encounter problems until you meet the problem that you want to commit to.

Once you find the problem, you roll your sleeves up and the challenge becomes, how do I understand this problem more deeply than anyone before me. Intractable problems require solutions, and you’re unlikely to come up with a better idea than the zillion people who’ve come before you. You can try to reach some new and nuanced understanding of the root cause, and if you do that, then and only then can you get to a solution that’s worth growing.