001 - History of a biased system with Kimberly Houston & Kevin Kendrick

The Visibility Project Podcast

Our first conversation explores the history of racism and slavery in our country and how it has institutionalized a biased system and leads us to today’s Black Lives Matter movement. Our guests Kimberly Houston and Kevin Kendrick share a lifetime of experiences and observations including how we can challenge ourselves to have hard conversations and challenge our biases.EARLY YEARSKimberly talks about going to a mostly Jewish school exposed her to others that have been oppressed at an early age. Kevin opens up about a trip to Georgia as a child in the 1960’s that had was a “physically painful” introduction into race relations.EDUCATIONKimberly gives examples of common biases and reflects on the hard work of self-assessment. Kevin gives an explanation of what anti-racism is with relevant examples. WHAT CAN YOU DO Kevin comments about the need for activism over time especially related to voting rights and the history of slavery, while Kimberly emphasizes the need to understand and define a community and culture. She also points out that having the hard conversation can be uncomfortable, encourages listeners to be willing to listen and share their perspectives.Here is the Episode 001 Resource Document https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CpyumnwZ5G0Sz7o9HulWPqOlU-1g84sr/view?usp=sharing To learn more about The Visibility Project, follow us!Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/thevisibilityprj/Contact us at [e-mail] This podcast was produced by Push Productions | https://pushpromi.com/Transcription | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HV6dMF928uzD2BOvw7KxgejMH-6JHd_G/view?usp=sharingBIOSKimberly Houston has over 40 years of leadership experience in business, philanthropy, and fund development. She retired from Dow Corning in 2012 and led numerous strategic initiatives as the Chief Diversity Officer, Global Community Relations Leader, and President, Dow Corning Foundation. She served as the Interim Executive Director of the YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region. Kimberly is a CCF Certified Coach Practitioner, trained in Unconscious Bias and is a Certified CQ Advanced Professional by the Cultural Intelligence Center. She will be completing her applied positive psychology certification in Creating Wellbeing this year. Kevin Kendrick worked from 1976 to 1981 at two police departments at Wayne State University and the Detroit, Michigan Police Department. In 1981 he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation and spent the next 25 years in the FBI working in virtually every area of investigative responsibility including two tours of duty at FBI Headquarters. He retired from the Bureau in May of 2006 to accept the newly created position of Vice President of Global Security for the Dow Corning Corporation in Midland, Michigan. While in Midland, Kevin served on several boards, including the Midland Area Community Foundation, the Legacy Center for Community Success, the Midland Noon Rotary Club where he served as a past President, the Center Stage Theatre Advisory Board, and the Midland County Historical Society. He is a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion and was a strong force in the Cultural Awareness Coalition which hosting The Visibility Project. ---Spearheaded by members of the Cultural Awareness Coalition the Project is the brainchild of several organizations and individuals with shared values who sit on the Project Steering Team. The current Team includes staff from Northwood University, Midland Kid’s First, the Midland County Inclusion Alliance, The Legacy Center for Community Success, Our Community Listens, the Midland Wellbeing Task Force, and several Employee Resource Group member from Dow; the intention is to expand this Team to include other like-minded groups in the region.The Project’s vision is to create a more connected, empathetic, and inclusive community by listening to and learning from individuals whose stories are too often unheard.