I think and write a lot about equity and interdependence. I love learning about creative ways that people are operating outside of traditional neoliberal models of living, learning, and working. How do we honor those whose intellectual and experiential legacies we have learned from, particularly when we are White and our “teachers” are historically marginalized? How do we use our social capital to expand opportunities and visibility for others? How do we redistribute our actual capital in a way that isn’t charitable, but generative?

IN MY LIFE & WRITING

I feature activists and organizers, the majority women of color, in my newsletter in a recurring feature called 5 Questions. I donate a percentage of my subscription revenue to this individual or an organization of their choice.

In general, I invite my newsletter community to think of their subscription fee as, not just a payment to me, but a way to become part of an investment circle. They are investing in my labor, to be sure, but also the labor and brilliance of my wider network of BIPOC+ friends and influences.

I co-founded and collectively run a local giving circle focused on the unhoused in Oakland, the city where I live. To learn more about giving circles, go here.

I refuse to appear on all-White panels or forums. I don’t just say no, but recommend BIPOC+ folks to invite. And with all writing, speaking, consulting opportunities I’m offered, I not only ask myself whether I have the capacity to take it on, but ask myself: Is this mine to do?

It is my deep joy to brag about my talented friends, connect people, and share the love/invitations intentionally.

WITH THIS NEW BOOK

I will donate a percentage of my books sales and speaking fees associated with Learning in Public to the individuals and organizations whose shoulders I stand on in writing the book, including Emerson Elementary, Equity Allies for OUSD, Integrated Schools, The Learning Forest, and LiberatED.

I will ask speaking hosts to match my fee with a donation to one of these organizations whenever possible and look for opportunities to speak alongside some of the experts featured in the book and/or suggest they speak in lieu of me, depending on the venue and audience.

I will work particularly hard to open up opportunities and offer mentorship for people featured in the book who are not already public figures, but would like to tell their own stories in their own voices.

Got other ideas of creative ways to redistribute opportunities, visibility, and money? Hit me up! I would love to hear them.