Allies are Critical

Recently, a dear Friend did something for me that made me feel grateful and humble. She spoke to someone on my behalf. She told them that I was a good person who could be trusted. She used her influence and reputation to testify on my behalf. Her big-hearted and genuine witness to my character blew me away! Without her endorsement I would have failed in my outreach effort to this very important person. 

Allies are those beautiful souls who stand with you as you attempt to do your part to change the world. They use their privileged positions to act on your behalf. They take risks to stand with you. They stir up good trouble with and for you. They empower you by finding ways to be useful, committed, engaged, and in the background. More times than not, they are the ones that keep you going when you feel like giving up. They gift you their empathy, perspective, and action. They believe in you. 

As I begin to engage with Neighbors in my Beloved Community of Puyallup Washington, I am blessed to meet INCREDIBLE HOMETOWN ALLIES. I’d like to introduce you to a few:

---

TAMAR JACKSON. A Black King and positive force of nature who is all about building up other Kings and Queens. His energy is infectious, his generosity is mind-blowing, and his special brand of happy is contagious. He is a Leader of Leaders. I feel blessed to call him my Brother and Co-Conspirator for Good.

---

KARISSA K. THOMPSON. This lady is a Community Engagement Extraordinaire! She is Puyallup’s Super Connector of People. There is no one in this city who does not know her. She is an amazing woman whose boundless energy and professional knowledge make her the perfect person to go to war with against all the despicable ‘isms we are battling to defeat.

---

ESTHER OM. She is the remarkable Ally whom I was referring to in the beginning of this post. A beautiful, gifted, multi-talented Woman of God who leads with her heart, and disciplines her head, hands, and feet to follow. If Esther is with you, everybody else better watch out. ’Cause stuff is getting done!!! I am proud to call her Sister.

---

ANNIE BAILEY ROBERTS. This dedicated and hardworking Church Pastor is the kind of Ally who looks for and sees the good in everyone. But she does not stop at merely looking and seeing. She proceeds to unselfishly invest in the lives of people so they reach their full God-given potential. I have witnessed her amazing leadership in action. I am also a beneficiary and fan. 

---

BILL BOWERS. This strong man of faith has resided in Puyallup for 30 years. He has started businesses and created organizations for one purpose – to advance the Kingdom of God. Consequently, he has built deep, meaningful relationships with nearly every city leader. They know him to be a principled, mission-driven Man whose latest project is focused on collaborating to bring about the wellbeing of every Puyallup Resident.

---

These are some of the wonderful people who help me to do and be my best in my community work. My call to action for you today is this . . . think about the amazing men and women who have been or are currently your greatest Allies . . . now go and thank them!!!

“Seriously?!!?”

Please Engage Me Thoughtfully

---

It has only been a couple of weeks since I revealed to you that George Floyd’s murder made me heartsick and desperate to get to know my neighbors and community better. I have even found a group of leaders from the white majority community who are just as serious about promoting and fostering community. We are officially partnering for the common good. I will introduce them to you soon. Right now, my priority is connecting with the leaders and members of Puyallup’s minority communities. With all humility (and a little embarrassment) I would like to share my first pitiful attempt at an invitation by phone.

 DISCLAIMER: I am a work in progress.

---

ME:

Hi! My name is JMarie Johnson-Kola. I’m one of your neighbors here in Puyallup. I’m reaching out to you because I’ve been told that like me, you are a leader and a critical voice in this community. I am partnering with other leaders who want to engage and empower every resident to work together for the wellbeing of all of us, especially those in our minority communities. 2020 has made us realize we need to do a better job of caring for, supporting, and serving one another. Would you be interested in meeting to talk further about how we can collaborate for the benefit of our whole community?

Cultural Leader:

Who is this?

ME:

[I repeat my introduction]

Cultural Leader:

Is this serious?

ME:

Very serious! [I’m a little surprised by the question]

Cultural Leader:

I have been in this community a long time. Are you really serious about this?

ME:

Yes, I am. [I do my best to sound strong and confident . . . even though I’m beginning to feel a little shaky]

Cultural Leader:

[Silence]

ME:

Hello? [To my own ears my voice sounds a little hesitant]

Cultural Leader:

Let me think about it. I’ll let you know.

ME:

Of course! Thank you for talking to me. And thank you for considering my request. I hope to have the honor of working alongside you for the wellbeing of everyone in our community.

---

I will admit, when I hung up that phone, I was a little disappointed. I had hoped this would be easy. But I definitely understood what had just happened. Here is how one scholar explains it:

Inviting minority community members to the table must be a thoughtful and strategic process. They have [most likely] suffered some type of inequity, trauma, or prejudice. And some may still be in the healing process. Implementing a fair process, inclusive of their voice and agency, without power dynamics, is imperative. Many are overcoming self-limiting beliefs, and if it's not done well, a process that simply extracts their experience without offering support, healing, and change, can create stigma, and faulty relationships. However, when you authentically and meaningfully engage their life, story, trauma, voice, and inequality, you empower and invite value and abundance.

So even though that Community Leader’s response was less enthusiastic than I hoped it would be, it’s ok. I will wait patiently for that call back. It is worth it!

Call to Action

Please follow my journey, and stay connected!
Follow Diverse Community Connectors on LinkedIn

Better Together!

For some, this is the most memorable lesson learned in 2020. I agree. We, as a community of neighbors, are indeed better together.

Unfortunately, we see too few examples of this undeniable truth. As I begin this journey of becoming with you, it is my greatest hope that we will each:

· Witness my community of Puyallup, Washington, become more united – Within, Between, and Across, every racial/cultural group;

· Gain a deep and genuine understanding of how unity happens;

· Be inspired to see more communities come together;

· Powerfully speak truth, share wisdom, and grow in curiosity, respect, and love for neighbors who are near and far away;

Most importantly, I hope we come to know, without a shadow of doubt, that we are the beloved community.

That means:

· Each of us is uniquely and magnificently created to occupy a particular place in our community — only we can fill it;

· We have all been given unique gifts, experiences, and talents that are critically needed to build up our community – only we have them and only we can offer them;

· To fulfill our communal destiny, we must feel welcomed, valued, respected, seen, and heard. That is the collective job of all of us – we need you.

We need each other. We can’t succeed without everyone.

—

The map above represents 42,361 neighbors, divided into five communities. These are the communities we are looking to engage.

Mapping: 
is the first of 6 Steps to community engagement.
Read more about Diverse Community Connectors’ 6 Step Process for Community Engagement in the next blog post.

My Journey to Becoming Community

On June 9, 2020 at 12:56 PM – my life changed.

That was the day I stood riveted to the floor in the middle of my living room. Trembling, tears pouring down my face, eyes staring at the television mounted above the fireplace. At that moment, The Reverend Al Sharpton was giving George Floyd’s eulogy at his funeral service in Houston. The full impact of George’s murder hit me. Hard. Took my breath away. Left me shaking. Screaming. Broken. I cried. I still cry. Often. I cry for George. For his family. For my black sisters and brothers all around this world. For this country. For every country. But most of all, I cry for me. Because in that moment I realized I desperately want, no needed, to be with other people who look like me. In the company of other Black folks who were probably feeling the same excruciating pain, the same bewildering hurt, the same dread-filled ache that never goes away. Then that nightmarish moment got worse. It occurred to me that I did not know many African Americans in the city of Puyallup where I live. I did not know where they gathered or even where to begin to look for them. I just wanted to know that they were OK. My pain intensified and became almost unbearable. Almost.

Why am I telling you this?
I say almost because I am a social entrepreneur, a lover and leader of community, and a PhD student focusing on transformative civic engagement and participation in communities. And I would die happy if I could help communities engage and embrace EVERY resident by letting curiosity, awe, compassion, and respect inspire them to invite co-creation and co-leadership of our beloved community.

I am writing to two audiences:

1.    The Black Community of Puyallup, and

2.    You, the Reader, who are Community Residents and Community Builders

I have a request for each of you:

To the Black Community of Puyallup

Please allow me to show up as my authentic self. Open the doors and invite me in. Let me become a part of the family – get to know, love, and honor you. Permit me to see your face, hear your voice, learn your history, be of service to, just be with you.

To the Community Residents and Community Builders among you

I invite you to follow this journey and share your wisdom and knowledge as we travel this road together.

Call to Action

Please follow my journey, and stay connected!
Follow Diverse Community Connectors on LinkedIn

Creating a vibrant city.

To live in a healthy, connected, vibrant community may not be everyone’s dream, but it is certainly this researcher’s vision. The epitome of excellent living would not just be about existing in this idealistic society, but also being engaged and participating as a collaborative member.  Life would be idyllic because of participation efforts led by residents from two distinct places in the community – the governing body and all remaining inhabitants. The tasks for members of the governing group would be to facilitate Resident Engagement, while the tasks for the remaining residents would be to contribute Resident Participation. Each function would require residents to share foundational attitudes that result in participatory action, both of which contribute to the overall good of the community.

We’d love to get in touch, email us at: jmarie@acommunityconnected.com