etta mae collective, LLC

Seeing the communities freedmen and freedwomen established is a humbling reminder of all they held on to, nurtured, and were co-creating in their mind’s eye in the midst of enslavement. They were communal, skilled laborers, and descendants of innovative community builders. They built this country … of course they built a thriving Tenth Street we should remember, honor, and preserve. Thanks Katie Cross and kinkofa for your work.

I try hard not to work on weekends, but after hearing Rasheedah Phillips speak during a webinar and on a podcast about reparative spatial justice in land and housing, I wanted uninterrupted time with the Grounding Justice report from PolicyLink. Y’all know I love a good resource, so check it out. You’ll thank me.

Let’s usher in this world …

How would our communities and organizations look, feel, and function if we infused belonging into the built environment, our policies, practices, and processes? What if we thought of belonging as more than a relational dynamic? Recently, I got to explore these ideas and their application with more than 40 Leadership Women participants. Together we considered how radical belonging could frame how they saw, understood, and responded to the opportunities and challenges they would explore in D.C., Detroit, and San Diego. What a day it was!

When I (Erin O. Crosby, Ed.D.) worked in West Dallas, residential gentrification was a daily reality with real consequences for residents. But what happens when school choice policies lead to campus gentrification in neighborhood public schools? Too often economically-constrained Black and Brown families lose an already fragile level of agency, voice, and belonging. They can lose their schools. That’s a problem we can and should change. This research brief (written by yours truly, Erin O. Crosby, Ed.D., at SMU Simmons School of Education & Human Development) tells the story of one gentrifying school navigating the consequences of choice policies. I hope contextualizing school gentrification alongside the stories of Black and Brown mothers and school leaders challenges each of us to learn more, and that the policy recommendations lead to equitable change. #schoolgentrification #radicalbelonging #schoolchoice

Grateful to have co-facilitated the first Alliance for Housing Action (AHA) gathering. We began with a deep belief that it’s time to do things differently—from where and how we gather, to what we say, and who shapes decision making. These Connecticut residents and community practitioners are committed to co-creating equitable housing policies and practices throughout the state. Thank you NaturalAnnie Essentials for hosting us! #radicalbelonging #housingisahumanright #cocreatechange