2020 GlobalMindED
The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable
GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
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Portia grew up with many challenges, but she had the advantage of deep love from a remarkable mom. Healing her own setbacks and challenges, she then dedicated her life to improving care for millions of children and those who care for them through her Educare programs around the country closing the equity gap here and establishing international benchmarks. It is often said that one’s greatest calling in life comes from one’s biggest wound. Portia answered that call by healing her own childhood setbacks so that she could heal the world. We are proud that she is the 2020 GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award Winner in the category of Early Childhood. She is a role model for any parent, child or young adult struggling to make meaning at the end of this very tough year. Please join us in congratulation Portia by reading her inspirational story below. |
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What influenced your life’s purpose and work? And What other parts of your personal story led you to be an early childhood Equity leader?
I was born in East St Louis and am the oldest of six children. My mother worked hard to support her family, but in the end her wages were not enough, so she had to apply for public assistance. Families receiving public assistance were assigned a “social worker” who would visit the family monthly and was authorized to conduct random unannounced visits at any time. Even as a child I noticed how nervous, angry, and upset the visits made my mother. It was during one of these visits when I was 7 years old that I decided to become a social worker. On that day I made a vow to myself to become a social worker who would work with families like mine that were struggling to lift themselves out of poverty. However, as a social worker, I would treat families and children with respect, dignity, care, and concern. And although I was raised in poverty, my mother cherished education and had high expectations for our achievement in school. She made it clear to us that education, hard work, tenacity, and perseverance were what it would take to pull ourselves out of poverty and have a better life than what she could provide for her children. We strived to live up to my mother’s expectations. We were raised in an atmosphere of love, high expectations, and hope for a better tomorrow.
The creation of Educare represents my legacy contribution to the early childhood field. As the former Vice president of Programs for the Ounce of Prevention Fund, now known as Start Early, I had the privilege of leading the creation and implementation of the first Educare school; a high-quality Birth to 5 year-old early childhood education program in a community of color (Black) on the Southside of Chicago in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood. It was created in extraordinary circumstances during the late 1990’s in the midst of the social and political unrest of that time. The Grand Boulevard was a stressed, under-resourced community experiencing high levels of drug violence and crime, with large numbers of children and families living in poverty. Despite the harsh realities of their daily lives, the children’s and the families’ resilience, their capacity to rise up in the face of adversity and systemic inequities was remarkable.
Educare was developed and co-created in collaboration with program staff and with ongoing input from families in the community. It was a bottom-up collaboration with the families who were most impacted by the educational inequalities that existed at that time and still exist today. Partnership and collaboration made Educare possible in a community where everyone said that it could not be done.
The Start Early (Ounce of Prevention Fund) and the Buffett Early childhood Fund have worked with public and private partners and funders, together with communities to build a nationwide network of Educare schools. There are now 25 Educare schools in 15 states and in Washington DC serving thousands of children and families in diverse communities across America. Educare provides access to high-quality education for children and families that would not otherwise have it. Educare strives to provide the best educational opportunities for children in poverty and continues to serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for underserved, under-resourced children, their families, and communities.
What is your call to action?
Early childhood education is often viewed as a social justice strategy, especially when focused on under-resourced and underrepresented minority children and families. However, the field needs to move beyond social justice, because that alone does not address issues of racism and the importance of achieving racial equity within the education system.
All children are born learning and yet there are inequities deeply rooted within all parts of America’s early education system. We must work together to rebuild and create a transformative early care and education system that builds on the best parts of the current system and also addresses the harms created by the inequities.
Early education faces a variety of challenges when it comes to quality, access, affordability, workforce compensation, and financing. Some experts project that the early care and education system needs a 50-billion-dollar investment to rebuild for today and beyond. But to achieve any real progress on any of these fronts, our country must address the fundamental challenge of racial equity head-on, clear-eyed and without fear or blame. I believe the way we “build back better” in early childhood is to include parent, family, and community voices at the table when decisions are made about how early education is “supposed” to work for children and families. No movement for social justice and racial equity will ever succeed without the full and robust participation and leadership of those most affected by the inequities and injustices.
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GlobalMindED and the SDG Impact Fund are delighted to announce GlobalMindED's Donor Advised Fund. 2020 is the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Women's Declaration and Action Platform. Many from around the world are thinking of 2020 as the gateway to our most vital decade for delivering equity, the Sustainable Development Goals, and a world where all can thrive. Our key time for these outcomes is 2020-2030.
GlobalMindED DAF and the SDG Impact Fund are a powerful combined force for good as the 2019 year comes to a close and we reflect on the gratitude and the commitments we make to the causes we care most about. The DAF offers immense power and flexibility for giving prior to the year's end as you plant seeds of generous intention for 2020 and the decade ahead.
When you contribute to GlobalMindED, you support First Gen students. We have served more than 400 students by connecting them to role models, mentors, internships and jobs. Your generous support will allow us to take our work 10x and reach these talented students at scale who lack the resources and support we provide. Your support also helps teachers who can't afford the conference fees, faculty at colleges which are under resourced and students who persist at those universities despite food insecurity and/or housing insecurity.
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Click to view the most recent webinars: |
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Courageous Conversations Catalyzing Change in Foundations & Funding: Janet Salazar; President, Foundation for the Support of the UN, Dr. Lisa Roy; Director of Program Development, Buffett Early Childhood Institute, University of Nebraska, Toya Wall; Senior Program Officer, Ascendium Education Group, Matt Horton; Director, Milken Institute Center for Regional Economics, and Luis Duarte; Partner, Imaginable Futures
Tech Leaders Driving Inclusive Work During and After COVID What is Needed and How to Measure Impact: Suraya Yahaya, Esq., Founder & CEO, Khazana, Inc, Dr. Jessica Rowland Williams; Director, Every Learner Everywhere, Helen Young Hayes; Founder & CEO, ActivateIT, Karen Worstell; Founder and CEO, WRiskGroup, Terrill Glass; Director of Engineering, Charter Communications, and Sarah Mark; Workforce Development Program Manager for People with Disabilities, Salesforce
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: The Higher Ed Experience for Veterans and Native Americans: Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, and Inclusion, Colorado Community College System, Leanne Wheeler; Principal Wheeler Advisory Group, Dr. Joseph Gladstone; Business Management Professor, University of New Haven, Dr. Aaron Cortes Minor; Director of STEM initiatives Northeastern Illinois University, and Dr. Michael Clement; Department Chair, Accounting University of Texas, Austin
Failure is Not an Option: Inclusive Leaders Tackle STEM Barriers Exacerbated by the 2020 Crises. Toi Massey President and CEO ANM Innovative Solutions, Tim Podkul Director, Principal Research Scientist SRI International, Lt. Col. Paul Deaderick (ret) Senior Project Leader The Aerospace Corporation, Christina Korp CEO & Executive Producer Purpose Entertainment, Dr. Calvin Mackey Founder & CEO STEM NOLA, and Clay Gloster Dean of the Graduate College North Carolina A&T State University
Inclusive Entrepreneurship: Funding First Gen and BIPOC Start Ups Launching with Investor, In-Kind, and Contest Dollars David Lopez; Co-founder/CEO, Internalyze, Juan Zavala; Senior Associate, New Markets Venture Partners, Monica Groves; Manager, XPRIZE, Dr. Murdoc Khaleghi; Medical Director, WellnessFX, and Praful Shah; Advisory Board Chairman, Principium Investments
Catalyzing Change in Health: Equity for Native, Rural, and Veterans During and Beyond COVID-19: Dr. Pierre Theodore; VP Global External Innovation, Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis; President & CEO, Craig Hospital, Jessica Rothenberg-Aalami, PhD; CEO, Founder, CELL-MED, Dr. Sriram Shamasunder; Assoc. Professor, UCSF Medical Center, Dr. Mary Owen (Tlingi); Dir., Center of American Indian & Minority Health, UMN President, Assoc. of American Indian Physicians
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: African American College Presidents Share Realities Part II: Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. V. Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System moderates. Panelists include Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston President, Norfolk State University, Dr. E. LaBrent Chrite President, Bethune-Cookman University, Dr. Annette Parker President, South Central College, Minnesota State, and Dr. Michael Torrence President, Motlow State College
Courageous Conversations: Catalyzing Change in Health: Dr. Monique Butler; Chief Medical Officer, Swedish Medical Center, Samuel Yamoah, Jr.; Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company, Dr. Georges Benjamin; Executive Director, American Public Health Association, Dr. J. Nadine Gracia; Exec. Vice President & COO, Trust for America’s Health, Dr. Karen McNeil-Miller; CEO, Colorado Health Foundation, Dr. Pierre Theodore; VP Global External Innovation, Johnson & Johnson, and Dr. Elena Rios; President & CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: Diverse College Presidents Talk About First 6 Weeks of School: Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. V. Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System moderates. Panelists include Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston President, Norfolk State University, Dr. E. LaBrent Chrite President, Bethune-Cookman University, Dr. Annette Parker President, South Central College, Minnesota State, Dr. Miles Davis President, Linfield University, and Dr. Michael Torrence President, Motlow State College
Hispanic Language Heritage Language Assets for Career Preparedness: Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) and GlobalMindED, moderated by Lorena Orozco McElwain; OELA, Panelists include: Carol Carter; GlobalMindED, Felícita Solá-Carter; Excellence in Government Program, Oscar Fraire; University of Colorado Denver student, Patty Lopez; Intel Corporation, and Adrian Rosado; Cultural Clarity Experience.
Hispanic Language Heritage: Retention of Heritage Culture and Language(s) US Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) and GlobalMindED, and panelists celegrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. Lorena Orozco and Supreet Anand of OELA, Cristina Alfaro; San Diego State University, Luis Benitez; VF Corporation, Clotilde Dedecker; Circle of Women, Joe Garcia; Ohkay OwinghTribe, and Dr.Joel Comez; Center for Applied Logistics
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: A Conversation on Race, Isms, Justice, Moving Forward and the Role White People Need to Play: Ryan Ross; Associate Vice Chancellor: Student Affairs, Equity, and Inclusion, Colorado Community College System leads the conversation with Clifton Taulbert; President and CEO, Freemount Corporation and Roots Java Coffee, Javon Brame; Dean of Students, Arapahoe Community College, Chelsea Williams; Founder & CEO, College Code LLC, and Representative Leslie Herod; Legislator, Colorado General Assembly
Equity in Engineering Programs: Priming the STEM Pipeline During and After COVID-19: Dr. Dora Renaud, Sr. Director of Academic Programs & Professional Development, SHPE: Leading Hispanics in STEM, Melanie Suarez, Student, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Mechanical Engineering, Nicolas Valencia Diaz, Student, Florida International University, Biomedical Engineering, Sophia Plata, PhD Student, University of Southern California, Environmental Engineering
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THE FLYOVER NATION
Energy's Role in a Troubled Heartland
By J.C. Whorton
A unique and timely discussion of the challenging issues facing the country’s troubled Heartland.
Since the beginning of westward expansion into the Heartland’s vast regions, natural resource development has played a historic role in shaping its communities. Today, domestic oil and gas development offers one of the strongest prospects for the Heartland’s present and future prosperity as well as the nation’s re-emergence as a dominant player in the global energy economy.
The U.S. is now the world’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas, two circumstances that are universally disrupting international geopolitical order. The earth has a finite supply of natural resources and a rapidly growing and over consuming population.
As America positions itself for a very uncertain and constantly evolving global marketplace, will the Heartland become America’s “great connector” or “great divide”?
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J.C. Whorton is a senior level energy and financial professional with over forty years of essential experience. Having a ranching and Native American heritage, Mr. Whorton is a strong advocate for rural education and economic development initiatives.
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Links to read about Inclusive Leaders, many of whom are African American and people of color:
Curated sessions from GlobalMindED 2020 YouTube channel:
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From the Center for Positive Organizations:
From the Economist:
From Forbes:
From Harvard Business Review:
From the World Academy of Art & Science and UN; Geneva Global Leadership in the 21st Century econference:
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Listen here for an interview with Pam Newkirk, GlobalMindED speaker and author of Diversity Inc.: The Failed Promise of a Billion- Dollar Business.
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Meet GlobalMindED Founder, Carol Carter as interviewed by Tim Moore on his podcast Success Made to Last: From Success to Significance
Listen to Part 1 of Carol's interview
Listen to Part 2 of Carol's interview
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Recent GlobalMindED Newsletter Profiles:
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Since 2006 when the flagship TGR Learning Lab opened its doors in Anaheim, CA, TGR Foundation has had a lot to celebrate, including its most recent milestone of one million students impacted by TGR EDU: Explore, alone.
Developed in partnership with Discovery Education, TGR EDU: Explore is a free digital resource library that offers interactive web experiences, lesson plans, training videos and tools for educators, students and families to explore new disciplines and gain skills for a modern and expanding workforce.
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As you start the New Year, are you looking for ways to re-engineer your classroom culture? Check out Designing the Future: How Engineering Builds Creative Critical Thinking in the Classroom. The associated website has lots of activities, projects, and resources you can implement immediately. Our fall workshops using the book as a roadmap for change have been highly successful. Start designing the future today - try using the customized Study Guide for a book study in your PLC. Or contact ProjectEngin or Solution Tree to learn how you can bring professional development based on Ann's book to your school, district, or conference.
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