Our guest is Josette Ferguson, narrative coordinator at a progressive organization in North Carolina. Our conversation today focuses on bridging EDI work between higher ed and community.
Hosted by: Nodia Mena
Music, The Garifuna Collective, Weyu Larigi Weyu
Link to full Transcript.
Quote from the Episode
“If you’re a community member and also in higher ed and want to do the work of diversity, equity and inclusion, don’t come in as a savior. We don’t need saviors.”
About our Guest
Josette Ferguson
Josette Ferguson (who uses they/them pronouns) is a PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where they are earning their degree in Educational Studies with a concentration in Cultural Foundation. While earning their doctorate, Josette works full-time as narrative coordinator for a progressive organization in North Carolina. They partner with community organizations to identify storytellers to share their stories with news outlets. In addition, they collaborate with politically progressive organizations to create a cohesive and authentic statewide narrative, in which all North Carolinians can believe in. Powered by their love of education and community, Josette believes that the most powerful tool in making change is being a bridge builder and a convener of stories. They believe that through storytelling, trust is cultivated, and communal power is built.
As a Queer, non-binary, gender nonconforming, Guyanese African American womxn, Josette uses their identities to connect with Black community members in North Carolina to expand the potential of Black political capital in the state. As they work with Black community members, Josette grounds themselves in the mantra “we have to be the change we want to see in this world”. They use this mantra to push Black community members to actively participate in the United States democratic system to create change. Moreover, Josette uses the words of Bettina Love (2019) who states, “we cannot pursue educational freedom or any type of justice without a model of democracy that empowers all” (p. 68). Josette believes in the power of representation and is motivated to increase the representation of Black and Brown people in positions of power that will create justice. Through this expansion of representation, they believe that the United States democratic system can empower all.
Resources from the Episode
All links go to the UNCG library. You must use your UNCG credentials to access.
- Love trilogy: All About Love: New Visions, Communion: the Female Search for Love,
- Salvation: Black People and Love by bell hooks
- Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom by bell hooks
- Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger by Lama Rod Owens
- We Want to Do More than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational
- Freedom by Bettina Love
- Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown
- Community Building in Social Justice Work: A Critical Approach by Silvia Bettez & Kathy Hytten
Bills to Pay Attention to in the North Carolina General Assembly
- House Bill 187: if passed, this will prevent educators from promoting Critical Race Theory.
- Senate Bill 49: if passed, this will require teachers to tell a student’s parents if they begin to question their gender. This would make it ok for a student to be outed by their teacher.
- House Bill 43: if passed, it would make it illegal for anyone under 18 to receive gender-affirming care and treatment.