Jodi sits down with Sasha to tell the story of how she came to be at the epicenter of a discussion about racial bias training and the nature of oppression and conformity. Jodi is a Student Support Coordinator in the Department of Residence Life at Smith College in Massachusetts, a women’s university which is also her alma mater. She is currently on paid leave.
On Oct 27 2020, Jodi posted a video on YouTube titled “Dear Smith College: I Have a Few Requests”, in which she addresses the “policies and initiatives” that she sees as creating “a divisive, racially hostile work environment”. Jodi specifies that she is a life-long liberal, but that she considers this a human issue of reducing people to racial categories.
Jodi joins me on Crossroads for an in-depth conversation about the courage it takes to speak out, how she sees this as a workplace conditions issue, and about the reaction she has received since making that first video.
You can watch Jodi’s videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDEsEBhp72E
Join Jodi’s Locals.com community: https://jodishaw.locals.com/
The source of Jodi’s performance at the end of the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDEsEBhp72E
