Untying Knots

About Untying Knots

Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center.

Publisher

Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project

Category

education · government · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Oct 2019

Latest episode

1 Jul 2025

Latest episodes

19 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Jul 2025

   Frontline Defenders: The ACLU and the Fight for Civil Rights in 2025

   ACLU President Deborah Archer discusses the ACLU's ongoing fight to protect civil rights in the face of contemporary challenges and shares insights on systemic racism, in this interview episode.

2. 

   8 Apr 2025

   Sugarcane: Indigenous Truth-Telling Through the Directors’ Lens

   In this episode, Untying Knots speaks with NoiceCat and Kassie about the film’s reception in Indigenous communities across their Rez Tour as well as non-Indigenous audiences in Canada and the United States. A landmark of storytelling in its own right, Sugarcane stands as a timely testament to truth-telling and the resilience of people and culture.

3. 

   15 Oct 2024

   Climate and Economic Justice: Learning from Asian Pacific Islander Community Organizers on the Frontlines

   Since 1973, Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) has brought together Asian immigrants and refugees in Oakland and Richmond, California to advance solutions on the issues that matter most to them. For APEN, community organizing is grounded in the leadership of community members, building power at multiple levels for a healthy local economy and climate justice. Christine Cordero, Co-Executive Director of APEN, joined Untying Knots to talk more about APEN’s meaningful local and state-wide work in California. As Christine shares, a transition away from an extractive economy to one built by local communities is the way forward for creating a life-sustaining economy that benefits everyone. Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

4. 

   18 Jun 2024

   A Conversation with Ava DuVernay: Resistance, Storytelling, and Film

   In advance of her JFK Jr. Forum talk (https://iop.harvard.edu/events/conversation-ava-duvernay-resistance-storytelling-and-film), Untying Knots sat down with Ava DuVernay, Academy Award nominee and Emmy award winner, to talk about her pioneering work as a filmmaker and cultural arts leader. Her films, including the latest Origin, 13th, and When They See Us, disrupt false narratives of American history and cultivate a detailed view of the individual people impacted by large oppressive and racist systems. In the episode we discuss her films as an ongoing conversation with the audience, the power of ARRAY (the non-profit narrative change collective she founded), and the inspiration she takes from the life and work of filmmaker Haile Gerima. Through DuVernay’s gorgeous filmmaking, viewers are confronted with our societal past as well as the fullness of humanity required for reckoning and repair. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

5. 

   9 Jan 2024

   Building an Accountable and Effective Base of White Communities Working for Racial Justice

   White Americans are directly implicated in the perpetuation of structural racism, and also have much to gain in actively working to dismantle it. Untying Knots sat down with Erin Heaney, Executive Director of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), to discuss the core principles of SURJ’s organizing approach and to learn about how the national organization is working in predominantly white communities to advance racial and economic justice. Erin dives into key issue areas which serve as catalysts for building their organizing base, including healthcare and reproductive rights, rental and housing rights, and access to high-quality public education. Across the United States SURJ is working to direct white people away from far-right ideology, and work in service to Black-led movements for justice. At the grassroots level, they are laying the foundation for a larger and more accountable base of white Americans advocating for social change. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

6. 

   19 Jul 2023

   Pulse Check on Antiracist Institutional Change in Healthcare

   COVID-19 and the 2020 wave of racial justice demonstrations moved many healthcare organizations to enact antiracist change programs. Many of these commitments, however, lacked effective strategy and accountability. Untying Knots talks to IARA Research Fellow Ángel Rodriguez and Dr. Meenakshi Verma-Agrawal, Board Member of the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center, about IARA’s one-year study of antiracist interventions in healthcare organizations. In our conversation we hear about what makes this study and the organizations assessed in this research unique. Ultimately, the study’s findings and report (https://iara.hks.harvard.edu/work/antiracist-organizational-change-in-american-healthcare-institutions/) highlight key organizational levers to close racial disparities in healthcare, and produce healthier and more equitable communities. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

7. 

   23 May 2023

   Cultivating racially-just, data-driven organizations

   “Antiracism tells us relationship is always going to come before the methodology. In fact, it's required for it.” On this episode of Untying Knots Theo Miller and Erika Bernabi share the foundations of their organization, Equity and Results, and reflections from their related workshop at IARA’s 2022 Truth and Transformation convening. Equity and Results is grounded in the model of Antiracist Results-Based Accountability, coupled with the antiracist organizing principles of the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. Their work strives to support organizations’ efforts in building a culture of accountability to advance racial justice through the use of praxis and intentional data use. In our discussion, Erika and Theo share key insights from their work with institutions throughout the US—including how they actively center the lived experiences of those most impacted at every stage of facilitation and program design. The results that Black, Indigenous, and communities of color need, must always come first, in healing-centered, antiracist, and liberatory spaces designed to shift power. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

8. 

   27 Mar 2023

   Untying Knots: Crime and Justice - Charting a More Equitable Path

   Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad and Dr. Bruce Western sat down with Untying Knots to discuss the pioneering new report “Reducing Racial Inequality in Crime and Justice (https://click.comms.hks.harvard.edu/?qs=2c50625517c4a65b9324621e5efc9811c3a705d620bf886f61560ed6f1f17f8ef2da9414c8b84ea80bab74f8191194141cf4a59c14da8dd3).” The report, co-chaired by Muhammad and Western for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, tackles the historical roots and present-day realities of racial inequality throughout America’s courts, prisons, jails, and policies, and charts an equitable course forward for solving them. During the interview, we learn more about key methodologies for addressing societal harm, including a community-centered lens of healing and justice. For the US to address racial inequality in its criminal justice system, it must first contend with the structural realities of disinvestment from Black, Indigenous and communities of color, and subsequent investment in their surveillance and policing. Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad is Faculty Director of the IARA Project and Ford Foundation Professor of History, Race and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Dr. Bruce Western is Bryce Professor of Sociology and Social Justice and Director of the Justice Lab at Columbia University. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

9. 

   10 Jan 2023

   Untying Knots: Beyond Land Acknowledgment - Accountable Action in Partnership with Native Nations

   Land Acknowledgements have become increasingly popular in many organizations and non-Indigenous communities over the last few years, but what is their actual impact? We sat down with Michaela Madrid and Jessica Gliden, Program Managers in Tribal Governance and Leadership Development at the Native Governance Center, to explore this question and their work with Tribal leaders and the 23 Native nations that share geography with Mni Sota Makoce, North Dakota, and South Dakota. They joined us for a live recording in Boston after leading a workshop for IARA’s Truth and Transformation 2022 conference entitled Beyond the Land Acknowledgement. As Michaela notes, “A lot of times organizations really spin their wheels, and use a lot of resources to get the exact verbiage right, when they could be spending that time doing things that would actually support Native folks.” In our conversation, they describe the myriad of ways their organization is “helping Native people and nations thrive on their own terms,”1 supporting key initiatives in Tribal governance and leadership development, as well as engaging non-Indigenous allies to act for justice beyond performative statements. 1NativeGov.org Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

10. 

    5 May 2022

    Untying Knots: Building Electoral Justice in the Pacific Northwest and Across the US

    On this episode of Untying Knots, we explore the relationship between communities of color and political power by turning to a case study of electoral organizing in the US Pacific Northwest. George Cheung, Director of More Equitable Democracy (MED), joins us to discuss how the American winner-take-all electoral system is not only failing to generate real democratic governance but also creating disproportionate harm on communities of color. In response, MED is organizing Black, Indigenous and people of color voters as critical stakeholders to advance electoral reform and racial justice. Cheung and team are keen on learning from examples throughout global history and working towards a more equitable future. As he notes, “We’ve constructed these systems, we can deconstruct them too.” Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

11. 

    18 Mar 2022

    Truth and Transformation Spotlight - Preserving Seats at the Table: White-Dominated Boards

    Preserving Seats at the Table: White-Dominated Boards In this special episode of Untying Knots, hosts Erica Licht and Nikhil Raghuveera share a discussion from the 2021 Truth and Transformation Conference, hosted by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project on October 14-15th 2021. The conference brought together a range of scholars, organizers, students, and organizational leaders to address whether organizations have lived up to the statements, commitments, and promises they made to racial equity the year before. This panel, titled “Preserving Seats at the Table,” addressed the power of boards to steer equitable change for their companies, and what is at stake if they don’t. The discussion applied a power analysis to organizational hierarchy and power, by taking a closer look at the positions white leaders occupy, and their collusion with resistance to change. Ultimately, the panel addressed central questions including: how do boards sustain the status quo of racialized power, and how can they use their privilege towards an antiracist future? Featuring experts: Trina Jackson, Senior Solidarity Program Officer, Grassroots International US Internationalist Program Samantha Tweedy, President, Black Economic Alliance Foundation Rebecca Shuster, Assistant Superintendent of Equity, Boston Public Schools Cheryl Mills, Founder & CEO, The BlackIvy Group Jeffrey Ginsburg, Executive Director, East Harlem Tutorial Program You can find Untying Knots episodes, including more discussions from the 2021 Truth and Transformation conference, wherever you get your podcasts, and, on the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project website: https://ash.harvard.edu/iara (https://ash.harvard.edu/iara) Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center in collaboration with the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

12. 

    18 Mar 2022

    Truth and Transformation Spotlight - Equity Takes Time, Commitment, and Disruption

    Equity Takes Time, Commitment, & Disruption In this special episode of Untying Knots, hosts Erica Licht and Nikhil Raghuveera share a discussion from the 2021 Truth and Transformation Conference, hosted by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project on October 14-15th 2021. The conference brought together a range of scholars, organizers, students, and organizational leaders to address whether organizations have lived up to the statements, commitments, and promises they made to racial equity the year before. The second panel of the day, titled “Equity Takes Time, Commitment, & Disruption,” explored what organizational commitments to sustaining racial equity work look like in practice—through both challenges and successes. The panelists discussed what they have experienced in facing reconciliation and loss during systemic change, through examples from their nonprofit, organizing, and philanthropy work. Responding to paramount questions from the field, they weighed in on: What is at stake if we change? And what is at stake if we don't? Featuring experts: Carmen Rojas, President & CEO, Marguerite Casey Foundation John C. Yang, President & Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC Halima Begum, Chief Executive, Runnymede Trust Eric Ward, Executive Director, Western States Center Mary McNeil, Ph.D. Candidate, Harvard University American Studies Program You can find Untying Knots episodes, including more discussions from the 2021 Truth and Transformation conference, wherever you get your podcasts, and, on the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project website: https://ash.harvard.edu/iara (https://ash.harvard.edu/iara) Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center in collaboration with the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

13. 

    2 Feb 2022

    Truth and Transformation Spotlight - Money Left on the Table: Unpacking the Economic Argument for Diversity

    Money Left on the Table: Unpacking The Economic Argument for Diversity In this special episode of Untying Knots, hosts Erica Licht and Nikhil Raghuveera share a discussion from the 2021 Truth and Transformation Conference, hosted by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project on October 14-15th 2021. The conference brought together a range of scholars, organizers, students, and organizational leaders to address whether organizations have lived up to the statements, commitments, and promises they made to racial equity a year before. This panel, titled “Money Left on the Table,” addressed the economic argument for diversity and discussed two central questions: Does this argument even make sense? And why hasn't everyone already won? Key leaders from various organizational vantage points weighed in and provided insight on how they witness and address resistance to antiracist change. Featuring experts: Jarik Conrad, Executive Director, Equity at Work Dana Peterson, Chief Economist, The Conference Board Lisa Cook, Professor of Economics, Michigan State University Michael McAfee, President & CEO, PolicyLink Levi Sumagaysay (Moderator), Reporter, MarketWatch You can find Untying Knots episodes, including more discussions from the 2021 Truth and Transformation conference, wherever you get your podcasts, and, on the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project website: https://ash.harvard.edu/iara (https://ash.harvard.edu/iara) Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center in collaboration with the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

14. 

    16 Dec 2021

    Truth and Transformation Spotlight: Reckoning with the Past, Rebuilding the Future

    In this special episode of Untying Knots, hosts Erica Licht and Nikhil Raghuveera share a discussion from the 2021 Truth and Transformation Conference, hosted by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project on October 14-15th 2021. The conference brought together a range of scholars, organizers, students, and organizational leaders to address whether organizations have lived up to the statements, commitments, and promises they made to racial equity a year before. Heather McGhee, author and former President of Demos, and Ibram X. Kendi, author, and Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, kicked off the conference with a JFK Jr. Forum discussion co-hosted by Harvard’s Institute of Politics. Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, IARA’s Director, moderated the conversation which engaged the critical need for deep historical reckoning, the false zero-sum game that has developed on what is at stake in our communities, as well as the ways that racism as a system hurts all of us. You can find Untying Knots episodes, including more discussions from the 2021 Truth and Transformation conference, wherever you get your podcasts, and, on the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project website: https://ash.harvard.edu/iara (https://ash.harvard.edu/iara) Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center in collaboration with the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

15. 

    16 Nov 2021

    Untying Knots: Uprooting Digital Oppression

    Technology companies today serve as gatekeepers to everyday life, overseeing and influencing everything from communication to payments, in addition to access to information. This outsized role among some of the largest firms in the world, however, poses an exacerbated threat to Black, Indigenous, and people of color already harmed by inequitable systems. The current landscape of racial equity efforts in Silicon Valley also showcases the limitations for marginalized people to access power and lead decisions in tech innovation. Will emerging technology produce harmful surveillance and discrimination, or even reproduce digital forms of the same systemic oppression we’ve seen throughout history? Mutale Nkonde, Founder of AI For the People, speaks with us about her work to expose the realities of racism in artificial intelligence algorithms, as well as her vision to advance equitable change in the tech industry. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project at  Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

16. 

    18 Feb 2021

    Untying Knots: Native Land Rights and the Ongoing Fight for Justice

    In 2020, during the height of COVID-19, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe was at the US Supreme Court fighting not just to survive a pandemic, but to hold onto their tribal land rights. This case, in addition to the landmark ruling of Sharp v. Murphy in July 2020, emphasizes the ongoing fight of Tribal nations for claims to parts — not even all — of their original and granted land. Yet, US political oppression against Native people is baked into the foundations of the United States, including colonization and removal of Native people from their ancestral homes, to make way for white settlerism and slavery. Over the last four hundred years these processes of control, removal, theft, and broken treaties have extended in every direction from Mississippi to Washington. In this episode of Untying Knots, hosts Erica Licht (Senior Fellow at the IARA Project of Ash Center (https://ash.harvard.edu/iara)) and Nikhil Raghuveera (Nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center) (https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/nikhil-raghuveera/) focus on Native land rights and sovereignty. Through interviews with key members of the Chickasaw Nation and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, we explore how two Tribes are fighting in the US legal system for their land and rightful recognition. Mari Halbutta and Talia Landry put into perspective recent litigation amidst a broader history of political oppression and violence. The cases reveal renewed attempts at erasure and termination of Native people, and in turn, unwavering Native organizing and resistance. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project at  Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Thanks to Mari Halbutta, Talia Landry, and Eric Henson. Learn More: Chickasaw Nation: https://chickasaw.net/ Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe: https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/ Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow) License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) She Gives Me by Moby courtesy of mobygratis.com About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

17. 

    25 Sept 2020

    Untying Knots: Voter Oppression and Suppression: A Living Case Study in Georgia

    Following the end of the Civil War, Southern states immediately sought to limit the freedoms of Black Americans through laws known as black codes, and to prevent exercise of their right to vote through felon disenfranchisement laws, poll taxes, and literacy tests. These same racist institutional barriers still exist today—some in exact name—and also suppress Indigenous and other People of Color voters. Community organizers and policy experts are on the frontlines engaging and supporting voters, while challenging systemically racist voting practices to realize a more equitable democratic process. In this episode of Untying Knots, hosts Erica Licht (Senior Fellow at the IARA Project of Ash Center (https://ash.harvard.edu/iara)) and Nikhil Raghuveera (Fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center) (https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/nikhil-raghuveera/) take a closer look at the history of racism in US voting, as well as its specific iterations in the state of Georgia. Their conversations with key staff at the ACLU of Georgia and the New Georgia Project reveal how the two organizations are amplifying the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color voters, and striving to eliminate racist barriers in current and future elections. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project at  Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Thanks to Christopher Bruce, Nse Ufot, LaTosha Brown, Sanhitha Raghuveeera, and Dr. Megan Ming Francis. Learn More: ACLU of Georgia: https://www.acluga.org/ (https://www.acluga.org/) New Georgia Project: https://newgeorgiaproject.org/ (https://newgeorgiaproject.org/) Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow%20License:%20http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

18. 

    10 Jul 2020

    Untying Knots: Transforming Wealth Inequity through Anti-Racist Funding

    Hundreds of years of racist institutional policies have denied wealth to Black, Indigenous, and communities of color. In this current period of uprising, resistance, and crisis on racial injustice, organizational leaders are asking: what does it look like to make structural change for racial justice? Two organizations in Boston, the Haymarket People’s Fund and the Boston Ujima Project, provide a critical model for applying an anti-racist lens to operations, mission, ongoing learning, and accountability. In the first episode of Untying Knots, hosts Nikhil Raghuveera (Fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center) (https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/nikhil-raghuveera/) and Erica Licht of the IARA Project Team at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation take a closer look at the history of institutional racism in lending, and efforts locally to re-think radical redistribution of power and resources. Interviews with key staff at both organizations reveal how they translate their mission to anti-racist funding mechanisms. Haymarket’s story demonstrates a twenty-year organizational journey of working towards anti-racist change, and Ujima provides a model for equitable community lending. Notes: Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project at  Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. Thanks to Dr. Megan Ming Francis, Karla Nicholson, Lucas Turner- Owens, Carolyn Chou and Alex Papali. Learn More: Haymarket People’s Fund: https://www.haymarket.org/ Boston Ujima Project: https://www.ujimaboston.com/ People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond: https://www.pisab.org/ Asian American Resource Workshop: https://www.aarw.org/ Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement. Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

19. 

    21 Oct 2019

    Truth and Transformation Spotlight: Justin Freitas and Addys Castillo from the People’s Institute

    Following the 2019 Truth and Transformation conference, the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability (IARA) Project's Erica Licht sat down with core trainers Addys Castillo and Justin Freitas from the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB) for a closer look at their work. The conversation includes an overview of their approach to antiracist change grounded in community organizing, as well as personal commitments to creating a shared analysis of structural and systemic racism in their communities. About IARA The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project, housed at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, was formed in 2018 with the goal to use research and policy to promote antiracism as a core value and institutional norm. While diversity and inclusion work is an important step in this process, antiracism work encompasses demographic change at every level of the institution in conjunction with the adoption of antiracist institutional norms, values, and practices. For profound transformation of institutions, diversity and inclusion work is not sufficient when addressing structural processes that are rooted in traditions of racial exclusion and privilege and/or which discriminate based on group disparities. Implicit bias training, for example, helps uncover the problem of racial prejudice and racist stereotypes among individuals but it does not answer the question of how to change institutions whose policies and practices are based on racist ideas. Individual awareness of bias is one thing; institutional transformation based on that training is something else. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online (https://ash.harvard.edu/), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/HarvardAsh), and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AshCenter). For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter. (https://ash.harvard.edu/social-media-e-newsletter-rss)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

52

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.