#46 Accelerating What's Right

08/20/21 • 35 min

Licy Do Canto, Managing Director for the Washington, DC headquarters of APCO Worldwide. Licy discussed his personal and professional journey to drive change and lift up disadvantaged communities in the U.S. and abroad. A son of Cape Verdean immigrants, raised in Greater Boston, has made diversity, equity, and inclusion his life journey companions. From APCO’s racial equity initiative, “Accelerate What’s Right,” to his perspective on the important difference between equality and equity, Licy shared his deeply personal experiences and beliefs that support his mission to being a catalyst for change both within and outside of APCO.
"It has really shaped who I am today. And growing up, I walked in this two worlds - one that is the culture and history of my parents and my ancestors, and the other of course is here in the U.S. And both have provided both a rewarding and ...." - Licy Do Canto

Previous Episode

#45 Focus of Black Consumers

MJ Fievre, an Haitian writer, author, and publisher who currently resides in the United States, shared the Black experience in Haiti and her objections to anti-whiteness. She emphasized the need for community introspection, communal dialogue without passion, and the social and personal responsibilities of Black people.
"The Black experience in Haiti has a lot to do with colorism. So it's the idea that if you're lighter skinned, you are more beautiful, you are probably more educated, or you have more money. Which used to be true in not so very distant past because when you think about the ramifications of slavery and occupation, even in the United States, people who were considered mixed - maybe the colonizer was one of the parent..." - MJ Fievre

Next Episode

#47 "The Skin Fell Off"

Russell Davis, Chief of Human Resources, Equity, and Engagement at the Hammer Museum of UCLA discussed his approach to combat emotional shutdown, and how he developed the appropriate emotional responses when his physical, emotional, and spiritual skin fell off. He proposed strategies for individuals, human resources and employees, and leaders of organizations.
"When we moved out of Philadelphia to the suburbs, we were the only people of color, we were the only African American family, the only Black family in this community - Bryn Mawr in Radnor Pennsylvania. And it was a very interesting discovery because they had never , literally they would say they had never seen Black people in real life before. And they were 20 minutes outside the city of Philadelphia." - Russell Davis