Portraits by Fabrice Monteiro Did you play with dolls (or action figures) when you were a child? If so, did you get to choose them, or were they given to you? What skin tone did they have? Did they look like you? Perhaps you’re a parent of a young child now – what skin toneContinue reading “The Doll Test, and Fault vs. Responsibility”
Category Archives: Blind Spots
Sitting in the Tension of “Both / And”
On the eve of #Barbenheimer, now might be a good time to revisit the idea of moving away from “either / or” and towards “both / and” in this article originally posted in 2021: “Do you think [politician or leader X] is a racist?” How often have you heard versions of this question in interviews, politicalContinue reading “Sitting in the Tension of “Both / And””
How Are You Benefiting from Masks and Passing Privilege?
“Spider-Verse‘s Gwen Stacy might not be trans, but her story sure is,” one article began. “[T]here is plenty of evidence in Across The Spider-Verse to suggest that the version of Gwen seen in these films is a canonically trans woman,” stated another. Over the course of Pride Month this year, dozens of pieces across media made theContinue reading “How Are You Benefiting from Masks and Passing Privilege?”
How is Your Team Like a Fireworks Display?
In honor of this week’s Independence Day celebrations in the United States and in Canada, we are revisiting this article, originally posted in 2021: If you live in the United States or Canada, you’ll have had the chance to see fireworks at some point recently – in person or on a broadcast. If you’re anythingContinue reading “How is Your Team Like a Fireworks Display?”
Has Your Brain Tricked You into Believing Everything is Worse?
The age-old saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” is a proverb about envy and perspective, but there’s also a logical reason behind the phrase. Stand on a lawn and look down, and you see all the spaces between blades of grass; the brown soil and dirt underneath, which balance out theContinue reading “Has Your Brain Tricked You into Believing Everything is Worse?”
Forest Bathing And Unconscious Bias
During the height of the pandemic, Building Bridges Leadership offered webinars on “Zoom Fatigue,” since so many of us were spending more time in front of screens and on video conference calls than was healthy for us. Three years later, many of us are still spending an inordinate amount of time in front of screensContinue reading “Forest Bathing And Unconscious Bias”
What is “Corporate Theater?” What Role are You Playing?
Corporate Theater is a term for when interactions take place politely in meetings with nodding and agreements, only for power brokers to swoop in afterwards to make changes behind the scenes. Have you ever left a meeting feeling that there was agreement on a path forward, only to learn later that others in the roomContinue reading “What is “Corporate Theater?” What Role are You Playing?”
Finding the Door Through Which an Idea Will Pass
Last month, Harry Belafonte died at the age of 96. An EGOT-winning actor and singer of blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards (and singer on the first ever million-selling album), he was also a humanitarian and political activist throughout his life. He was also a close confidant of Martin Luther King, Jr. duringContinue reading “Finding the Door Through Which an Idea Will Pass”
What is Poison Ivy Privilege?
Poison Ivy Privilege is a framework to consider the aspects of your identity for which you receive privilege rather than marginalization, and how you can use that privilege to enact systemic changes using the analogy of pulling poison ivy. Prologue: I was wrong. Years ago, I wrote an article about poison ivy and privilege, inContinue reading “What is Poison Ivy Privilege?”
“Make One Point, Not Ten”
Did you know there’s a difference between writing a ‘memoir’ and writing your ‘memoirs’? A memoir is a cohesive whole, with a story arc not unlike that of a novel, and often encompasses a smaller portion of the author’s life; memoirs usually refers to a more sprawling tome, covering several distinct sections of life. AsContinue reading ““Make One Point, Not Ten””
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