Brett Edgar’s Post

What an amazing Leadership Summit to help organize and bridge connection between students and professionals. Let's keep the discussion going, ask yourself: am I truly embracing my unique strengths and leveraging them to create a meaningful impact in my life? #leadershipsummit #empowerment #education

White Women: If you support Black women in leadership, allies are also welcome to register. If we (white women) want to be part of meaningful change, white women must choose womanhood over whiteness. This requires us (white women) to unlearn what we have been taught about about racial injustice, discrimination, and white supremacy in this country. We must be willing to relearn what it will take to dismantle white supremacy. White women have been part of white supremacy in America since the very beginning, experts point out, dating back to their role in slavery. “They were at the table when the system was designed,” Stephanie Jones-Rogers, a history professor at UC Berkeley and author of the book They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South, told Vox. “They were co-architects of the system.” It’s hard for a lot of white women to read that last paragraph and embrace this reality. White women historically have leveraged their white power and privilege to gain advantage over women of color; leveraging their whiteness was an intentional strategy when one is operating within a predominantly white male patriarchy. Whiteness over womanhood is easy math. Having privilege doesn’t make white women bad people, and acknowledging privilege shouldn’t be a burden. Acknowledging privilege is an opportunity to learn, grow, and be better, so we can create a just, equitable, and inclusive world. Benefiting from privilege doesn’t make you a bad person, but it does require you to use your privilege to interrupt, challenge, and ultimately end white supremacy. We can’t dismantle what we cannot see. We have to be intentional by practicing seeing how racism is baked into systems and how those systems shape and influence the lives of people and communities. We need to put Black women’s voices at the center of our ongoing journey to reeducation in this country. Need some inspiration? Start by exploring these voices: Anna Julia Cooper, Ntozake Shante, Maria W. Stewart, Joan Morgan, Angela Y. Davis, Tressie McMillan Cotton, Mia Birdsong, Claudia Jones, Mikki Kendall, Paula Giddings, Marita Bonner, Nora Neale Hurston, Lorraine Hansberry, and Rev. Pauli Murray. This is not an exhaustive list, but a great start. This list was provided by W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz, authors of DO THE WORK, An Antiracist Activity Book. https://a.co/d/aq6A6BZ Here is Amazon link for the book, $13.99, small investment with a big payoff.

Our first LEAD for Woman OC’s in person event 2024 in the books! What an inspiring and uplifting panel Alex, Hassan and Nila. Thank you to this amazing group for putting it together and allowing me to support. A few highlights I took away: -Be authentic to who you are today- that can be different through your carrear. -Always set a personal and professional goal- check progress, use balance model- are you in line. -It’s ok to say No if you know you can give your all- but have an alternative solution or person. -Lead by example- and foster a good work life balance for your employee’s- sometimes work wins and sometimes life wins. BOFA is a great company that offers different ways to support, roles that fit each individual and the ability to excell.

Spotlighting our AVP and DEI leader, Sucheta Misra, who recently shared her insights in Black Enterprise Magazine 📰 Sucheta talks through the challenges that women of color face in the workplace, as well as why a lack of leadership role models results in a struggle to be authentic in their own leadership style. I learned a lot from the article—I recommend you go have a read.

The 2024 ODK applications have been sent out! Take a look at the poster below to learn more about ODK- the National Leadership Honor Society.

Today, we honor the legacy of leadership and service exemplified by our nation's presidents. Their dedication inspires us to serve our community with integrity! Trust us to protect what matters most to you! 🇺🇸 #shimkuscompanies #presidentsday2024 #happypresidentsday #presidentsday

Do you know these future history-makers? You should! This is Brother D and Roscoe Carroll, leaders of the Erie Blue Coats, and some of Erie’s most forward-thinking trailblazers. Over the past 18 years, the Blue Coats have guided our community toward the tenets of nonviolence, unity, and personal accountability. Through their work, they foster connection and trust among community members, often calling upon their life experiences, genuine empathy, and communication skills as the foundation of these interactions. The Blue Coats are experts at driving family-centered solutions and developing novel strategies for local issues. If you aren’t familiar with their work or outcomes, we highly recommend you check them out: https://lnkd.in/esyjrE4B. Also, be sure to drop a comment below to help us thank Brother D, Roscoe, and the whole Blue Coat team for their vision, teamwork, and dedication. Their efforts are creating a better Erie for us all. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to feature these incredible community partners during Black History Month. However, we’re learning that words aren’t always enough. So, we’re sending the Blue Coats a $1,000 gift this week to show our continued support for their team and the important work they do in our community. #community #nonviolence #eriepa #leadership #leaders #teamwork #partnership #thankyou

The best kept secret fow Women Owned Businesses in Government Contracting that women entrerenuers don't know about or how to navigate! Join me as I share the little secrets that will help you win in Government Contracting. #nawbodfw #wlf #alliedscss #wosb #veterans

Meet Yohana Coñuecar Llancapani! She is the co-coordinator of the Network of Native Women for the Defense of the Sea. Learn about what inspired the creation of Network of Native Women for the Defense of the Sea, how they practice collective leadership, and more. ⬇️ What inspired the creation of the Network? There is a deep need in Indigenous communities, which are mostly led by women, to create training skills in various subjects. From leadership, public speaking, political advocacy, technical concepts, empowerment, and a fundamental concept — strengthening self-esteem. The Network was born out of that need to articulate ourselves as Indigenous communities and as Native peoples to strengthen our capacities, which directly benefit the coastal marine spaces of Indigenous peoples and the territories. How is collective leadership practiced? Each of has a different leadership style. This has its challenges, but we all come together with a shared purpose and with our own unique and important skills. We are linear and work horizontally, which allows each opinion to generate an echo throughout the Network. Working collectively allows us to strengthen our knowledge. What is one word you would use to describe your hope for the future? Reciprocity.

Excellent leadership opportunity!!