Episode 30: Unveiling Inequities in Progressivism, Policing & Our Workplaces featuring Brandy Grant

Brandy Grant was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She holds a  Masters from the University of Oklahoma in Human Relations and Organizational Development with an emphasis in Counseling and Pre-Law certification from the University of Tulsa. Brandy and her family moved to Seattle to bring 20 years of mental health and community programming to Washington. She was sworn in, in April 2019 for the Seattle Community Police Commission (CPC) and recently became the Interim Executive Director of the Commission.  Brandy has spent the last 6 years in Washington applying her mental health analysis to her work in policy and programming while strengthening community engagement and partnerships.  In her work, Brandy continues to amplify voices, create policy and programming for further impact and awareness around civic engagement, police reform, and gun violence prevention.

In this episode, we pay homage to our excellence and adorn our crowns; even in the face of atrocities. Brandy's journey from Tulsa to Seattle is a great story that speaks to an inedible faith and resilience. She uncovers the "progressive veil" and shares how summers with her grandmother as a child, prepared and shielded her from what she has encountered in her move to Seattle. Additionally, as this year marks the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre, Brandy reflects on the richness of her hometown and the generational trauma economic terrorism breeds as as a result of racism.

As the newly appointed Interim Executive Director for the Seattle Community Police Commission, Brandy also shares more about her work with police reform efforts and her unfiltered reflections on what's needed for true equity in leadership.  While the nation continues grapple with the newly released verdict in the state sanctioned murder of Breonna Taylor, Brandy speaks truth to power, "Our pain is not taken as seriously" as Black women. "Yet we are the shoulders and milk and honey to keep things together". Her duality as a mental health professional and working in a space of advocacy that is tied to lived experience, reminds us of how important it is to take care of ourselves and ensure our colleagues are holistically safe.

We champion community oversight in police reform and remove the veil of faux allyship and safety in our workplaces and beyond as we share Forward 4O’s platform with this phenomenal WOC in the nonprofit and social enterprise sector.

Stay connected to Brandy on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also follow the work of the Seattle Community Police Commission on their website and Twitter.

Follow Forward 40(4tea) on IG and Twitter @forward4tea. Continue to support and nominate a guest to be on the show. You can also learn more about the host Coach Faith here.