The following is a conversation between two interns from Courageous Conversation Global Foundation (CCGF) who had the opportunity to work with us over the past six months.
Pirecua: It’s been six months? Wow.
Richa: I remember when we first participated in a training with CCGF. I was surprised by how much of a difference authentic conversations can make when discussing racial issues.
Pirecua: Right! I was immediately intrigued by CCGF’s protocol that guided that discussion. It felt necessary for exploring a topic so personal and controversial.
Richa: Exactly! I think learning the protocol and participating in the training was also amazing preparation for running CCGF’s social media accounts. We were able to address a wide range of issues related to race that are incredibly personal for so many individuals. CCGF’s social media became a safe space for these conversations to take place.
Pirecua: It also allowed me to have those conversations with myself… Creating each post required me to research and explore histories of exploitation that I had not considered before. Through curating CCGF’s social media, I learned that only three American Black women have been to space! Isn’t that crazy? I don’t think I would have come across that terrifying fact on my own.
Richa: I completely agree with you on that. I learned that a Black woman has never been elected governor in the United States and it made me think deeper about the role of women in high-ranking positions. I always knew there were disparities, but I never knew how deep they ran. Creating these posts definitely opened my eyes to injustices in the world- especially when exploring niche areas such as space and the culinary world.
Pirecua: And instances of environmental racism! One of my main goals in creating CCGF’s social media posts was to share useful tips for coping with racism along with the stats and histories. I loved sharing information on the underrepresentation of women of color in STEM and pairing that with the term “stereotype threat.” It’s a connection I wish I would’ve engaged with at a younger age, and I hope it was able to impact the women who encountered it.
Richa: I second you on that! There are a lot of things I wish I knew growing up as a person of color, but I am glad that we get to now share those things with our followers.
Pirecua: I just wish the instagram algorithm would allow us to share them with a bigger audience.
Richa: I think our next goal should be going viral on Tik Tok. All jokes aside, I think another goal of ours was thinking about topics that are obvious in day-to-day life, but don’t receive much media attention. For example, the influence of Black culture and history on popular culture. Black Americans are a vital part of America’s popular culture and have influenced society in many ways that are simply not discussed. What do you think is your biggest takeaway from working with CCGF?
Pirecua: I really enjoyed meeting the people working at CCGF behind the scenes. Our mentor, Madame Athena, was always so fun to meet with and supportive of our work. Just being in the presence of someone with that strong of an aura was amazing and inspiring for me. What about you?
Richa: Madame Athena and Andrea Johnson were definitely inspirations throughout this journey with CCGF. Madame always radiated such positive energy and, together, Madame and Andrea pushed our thinking and creativity beyond what we thought was possible. I look forward to continuing to work closely with you and Madame as we begin our college fellowship with CCGF this summer.
Pirecua: Me too! I had a lot of fun working with you these past months.