Innovation is challenging and dismantling the "default" way :: Whitney Parnell

What is Innovation?

Whitney Parnell is a Black millennial activist, singer, and the Founder and CEO of Service Never Sleeps, a nonprofit that empowers individuals and communities to catalyze social justice through service and Allyship. She is also a musician and has released a social justice album called "What Will You Do," with the goal of using empathy through song to ignite action.

More about our guest:

Whitney's movement work involves racial justice efforts, and equipping effective allies through truth-telling, bridgebuilding, empathy, and action. She grew up between Latin America and West Africa as a Foreign Service child. At Washington University in St. Louis, Whitney doubled majored in English and Spanish, and minored in Communications and Journalism, during which she also embraced her calling as an activist. Whitney’s passion for service and social justice brought her to Washington, DC after college to serve with City Year, and then work in homeless services, before founding Service Never Sleeps in 2015.

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Episode Guide:

2:05 - What is Innovation?

3:52 - Societal Innovation: defining "White Supremacy"

8:06 - Dismantling and Destroying: A contrast

8:54 - Getting Innovation 'Wrong'

12:14 - Taking the first step to big decisions

16:33 - The field of social justice and nonprofit

19:52 - Service Never Sleeps: Centering race equity

23:14 - Keeping it in-check

24:02 - Facing the uncomfortable

26:45 - Activism, kindness, polarizations

31:36 - Processing thoughts: What is next?

34:44 - Operating at the intersections

36:25 - The either-or binary

38:40 - Advice for Innovators

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Resources Mentioned:

Companies:

• Service Never Sleeps

Music Album:

• What Will You Do

References:

• Quote: “In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.” — Toni Morrison
• Article: (divorcing) WHITE SUPREMACY CULTURE by Tema Okun
  • White Supremacy Culture – Still Here (updated May 2021)

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OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.