This month, Add Passion and Stir launched Rebuilding — an ongoing series profiling leaders working to create more access, equity and belonging in education, media, government, philanthropy, hospitality and beyond.
In the first four episodes of the series, Add Passion & Stir's host Billy Shore connects with Black leaders examining how our society was designed and who it was designed for. These innovators are reimagining their industries to make sure everyone feels a sense of belonging.
Our first conversation was with educator and activist, Sharif El-Mekki. El-Mekki is the founder of the Center for Black Educator Development, an effort to revolutionize education by dramatically increasing the number of Black educators. He describes his work as the highest form of activism and emphasizes that when "a Black child has a Black teacher, they have a higher sense of belonging, they’re less likely to be suspended or expelled. They have more access to rigorous courses, higher attendance, better grades.”
We also spoke to Kaya Henderson former D.C. Chancellor, who founded Reconstruction, an online platform that teaches “Black Glory, Black Love, Black Genius, Black Kindness and Black Excellence”. For Henderson, the idea for Reconstruction came out of a realization that formal education systems did not offer enough opportunities to develop children’s cultural identity, specifically Black children.
The series is less than half way through and we still have amazing conversations coming up.
- On March 2nd, sommelier, journalist, and media entrepreneur Stephen Satterfield shares how he is working to diversify the stories told in media and who gets to tell them.
- On March 16, Chip Wade, President of Union Square Hospitality Group, shares how he is intentionally building a culture and community at USHG that reflects the diversity of America.
- On March 30, Subrina and Greg Collier, founders of Bayhaven Food & Wine Festival and owners of several restaurants in Charlotte, NC, share how they are raising awareness of Black culinary experts and creating opportunities for newcomers in the hospitality industry.
We've built a series hub to make it easy to find all of the episodes from the series. We've also collected similar conversations from our archive that you can dive into if you want more. Be sure to subscribe or follow Add Passion & Stir wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!
