Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and working against oppression

This week we are discussing education, what the main concerns for black students and educators are and the need to keep it real when it comes to teaching history and "critical race theory" in the classroom.
Ayesha Wilson is serving in her second term as a Cambridge School Committee Member. She grew up in the Jefferson Park Public Housing Development in a single-parent first-generation Jamaican-American household and attended public school in Cambridge, and she is the first black woman who grew up in the Cambridge Housing Authority to serve on the Cambridge School Committee. Ayesha’s wealth of personal experience with the issues faced in her community informs her approach to leadership every day. Throughout her life and career, she has been advocating for and engaging with the community, and specifically young people. Ayesha earned her Associate’s Degree in Human Services from Urban College of Boston, then her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work from Wheelock College. In addition to serving on the School Committee, she currently works for the Cambridge Housing Authority in youth development and as a live-in support specialist for adults with special needs. Ayesha also serves as Secretary for the NAACP Cambridge Branch, on the Board of Directors of YWCA Cambridge, a Member of the Greater Boston Association of Black Social Workers, a Member of the and is an alum of Emerge Massachusetts. She is passionate about civic engagement, mental health, and making sure that our most marginalized and most underserved have all of their needs met. Ayesha particularly values being a strong role model for young people who want to give back to their community. Many of the projects she has worked on have been aimed at instilling these skills and knowledge in youth, creating the next generation of activists, advocates, and legislators.

Follow Ayesha on IG @voteayesha or go to www.voteayesha.com to get involved with her campaign work.

See what's coming up at VISIONS!
About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success.

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.
VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.
Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc.

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/
Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

We know it's March but we are giving you one more Black History Month episode because the celebration of Black History Month is a forever thing. This final episode in the series covers so much! A relatively uncut conversation with Philadelphia's own Mr. James. Armond James was born and raised in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, and credits his parents for providing him a strong foundation, and teaching him about hard work, respect and the importance of education. Mr. James graduated from Temple University, where he discovered a passion for teaching and politics. Armond revels at the opportunity to build relationships with his student's inside and out of the classroom.
You can follow Armond James on IG: @Fulanijamesfoe
Follow VISIONS Inc. on IG: @visionsinc_org
We hope you had a great Black History Month and that you continue to find ways to stay rooted in history while striving for a better future!

See what's coming up at VISIONS!
About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success.

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.
VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.
Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc.

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/
Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

Join us for a much needed conversation to process the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. In this episode we will review the various behaviors we classify as modern oppression and internalized oppression as well as provide you with alternative behaviors to combat their effects. The power and responsibility to irradiate oppression is within all of us.!
To continue engaging with this model you can join us at our next training! More information can be found here: Upcoming Events
Where to find us:
Facebook: VISIONS-inc
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Twitter: @VISIONSincorg
Website: https://visions-inc.org/

See what's coming up at VISIONS!
About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success.

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.
Whether it’s a book club, around the family dinner table, a school board meeting, or within your company, VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through sometimes complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/
Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall
...

What if you could immerse yourself in a captivating blend of personal stories, history, and introspective exploration, all while gaining powerful insights into racial equity, social justice, and their intricate relationship with land?
That's exactly what we're offering in today's episode as we talk about PACE Connect @ Foxfire Ranch, taking place from March 15-19, 2024 in Mississippi's Hill Country. Foxfire Ranch is black sovereignty and community gathering space in Waterford, Mississippi. PACE Connect will be led by our colleagues and friends, Dr. Jeanne Firth and Jabari Carmichael, who talk us through intersections of racial equity, social justice, and land justice . We further explore the importance of understanding our relationship with land and the histories intertwined with it in the context of outdoor education and leadership development.
Mississippi native Jabari illuminates the significance of hosting this workshop in his home state, delving into themes of community, relationships, and land sovereignty, work that he has done for nearly 13 years with Jeanne, who comes to the questions from a very different intersection of identities and family history. Anette Hollowell, whose family has owned Foxfire Ranch for over 100 years, speaks at the end about the history of the space and how it transformed into what it is today: a place for gathering, connection, and celebrating the tradition of hill country blues music.
The music you'll hear in this episode is a hill country blues track called "Foxfire," composed for the venue by musician Lightnin Malcolm (gratefully included with permission from the artist).
Curious to know more? Attend the PACE Connect @ Foxfire Ranch Info Session on December 13, 2023 (and register to receive a recording if you cannot make it!). If you missed the registration period, please email [email protected] for more information.

See what's coming up at VISIONS!
About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success.

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.
VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.
Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc.

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/
Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

What do feelings and emotions have to do with anti-oppression work?
Join me as I welcome longtime VISIONS consultant and counselor Felipe Garcia, who specializes in Transactional Analysis, the liberatory psychology framework at the core of our model. Felipe is the author of several articles, including one you may have read if you’ve been part of a longer VISIONS training called "The Role of Feelings in the Workplace."

This year, 2024, is the 40th year of VISIONS existence, and this is another in our ongoing series of stories from elders in our community. VISION was founded in 1984 by a group of psychologists and others who brought their clinical skills to bear on the problem of racism and other forms of oppression, including the role that emotion and feeling plays in anti-oppression work. Not only has Felipe has not only done extensive work in this area–he still actively teaches what he calls The Responsive Process.

In addition to Felipe sharing about his background and journey, we talk about what transactional analysis is and why it is so useful in anti-oppression work, and, of course, what the role of feelings in the workplace is!
Read more of Felipe's work at https://www.winningtogether.org/

See what's coming up at VISIONS!
About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success.

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.
VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.
Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc.

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/
Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall