This is The Black Urbanist Weekly. I’m Kristen Jeffers and I’m making this weekly digital newsletter to share my Black, Spiritual, Diasporic North Carolinian, Working/Lower Middle-Class, Educated, Queer, CisFemme thoughts on how places and communities work. Think of this as my weekly column, sitting on your proverbial print paper’s editorial page or as so many other of your favorite newsletters do, in your inbox.
This is edition #30 and my Essential + Quarantine Revolution continues. I first thought that I would have more to say about the things I want you as fellow urbanists to do. And that’s coming.
However, I’ve found myself shoring up my own proverbial house and foundation. I’ve been studying online business sites I enjoy, namely this one created by a former architectural designer who had to pivot after the 2008/2009 recession and this one created by someone who worked a ton of jobs before emerging as a life coach and regularly talks about how it took nearly two decades to get to her ideal mission.
Those of you who work in long-range planning, who are nowhere near construction administration on your next building project or who are serving communities who are in a long journey of healing through trauma from addiction, violence, root shock, displacement, or something similar — know what this is like.
However, I’m a millennial and those of you who know that and have known me from the time I started this platform 10 years ago know that I’m no stranger to change or evolution. I’m also no stranger to being impatient to change or inpatient period in the things I do.
However, this time, especially for those of us who have satisfied the bottom rungs of Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs and are looking to what’s next, has been very healing and centering in its own way.
It has to be because where there hasn’t been healing and centering, there’s been death, exploitation, grief, and famine.
And so when I came across a private clarity challenge from another coach and colleague of mine, I jumped on it, as I too was moving back up the triangle as it comes to this Covid-19 pandemic.
My MPA folks and anyone else who has studied organizational behavior will know this chart well. But recently, in an iFundWomen webinar, I learned that this could apply to how products and services are marketed to people as well.
All this being said, I’ve really started to center myself in a black queer feminist urbanist ethic and practice, that also allows me to start the journey to truly allow myself to earn, counsel and just be at my full potential, so I can give back and create the communal and healing spaces my heart yearns for and I believe our world needs.
If you watch the video of my joint panel presentation with Montgomery County Planning, APA’s Transportation Planning, APA’s LGBTQ and Planning Division, and my colleagues, I give you a taste of what that ethic and practice are. (All of the webinar is great, but my part starts at 44 minutes in.)
And as I continue to present on webinars, including a private one today to select design leaders and one on social media next Thursday…
AND get ready to return to regular publishing of my own talk and news show (Think of this as The Black Urbanist Radio Show 2.0)…
AND stop hiding and make my work clearer…
that ethic courses through my veins and enhances my life. I can’t claim it’s what’s kept me immune from the big disease. However, I can tell you it’s healed my heart and mind.
Finally, for this week, I leave you with the incomplete, but growing syllabus of books and podcasts and resources I’ve used to not just build my ethic, but build the site over the years. And of course…
Before You Go, A Few Other Things On My Mind
- I’m still running my Black Women in Metro America survey. You can answer about your life before or during Covid-19, as it will give me guidance going forward in how fellow sisters are interacting with the things I want to do and know. Here’s where to fill it out.
- Meanwhile, I’m still working with esteemed Black architect Mel Mitchell, FAIA, NOMA, over the next few months to get the word out about his newest book of Black architectural history and commentary African-American Architects: Embracing Culture and Building Urban Communities. Follow the Instagram page we set up, order the book from Amazon and until we can get the book in more bookstores, we do have an ISBN number (978-1734496000) and you can ask bookstores to order the print version. Also, we are hoping to have the e-book version up by the end of April.
- You can Book me— on your media platform, as a keynote/lecturer, for one of my workshops or as a panel participant. I can do virtual delivery of all of my programs and we can go ahead and start booking programming for late 2020 and 2021. Also, If you are a member of the press and you would love to get my expert commentary on deadline, you can reach me at (301) 578-6278.
- Les, that wonderful life partner and sales advisor of mine, is great at hyping you up, making you laugh and helping you or your organization make radical changes in your life and health. Join the email list for her company Les’s Lighthouse for periodic motivational updates. Also, if you need some laughter and motivation right now, check out some of her prior performances and motivational talks on YouTube. (Heads up, there’s saucy language, but hearty messages).
- Don’t forget to check out my mentee’s Rashida Green’s podcast which also discusses environmental issues from a black woman’s perspective. You can listen to me talk about some of North Carolina’s more notorious environmental issues and the political culture on this episode.
Once again, I hope to hear that you’re still here the next time we talk via email or social media. And that you’re at peace and at rest. Thanks to all of you for continuing to open this email and likewise, hope to still be here doing the same.
Love,
Kristen
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