3 October 2022

Our Courageous Conversation series opens the door for us to talk about many different topics that impact our lives. American Son provided the space for us to talk about Belonging.

A Q& A with Dr. Tiffany Russell

Our Partner Resource & Admin Manager, Madeline Livingston sits down via zoom to have a small chat with SFI’s DEI consultant Dr. Tiffany Russell. Tiffany Russell currently serves as the Director of Diversity & Inclusion at St Martin’s Episcopal School. Enjoy our short but candid Q&A here. 

Q: During the talkbacks that you facilitated after the American Son Play Reading series, was there a comment or conversation that you remember that stood out to you? If so, explain what the comment was and why it stood out.

A: I think it's the familiarity that the audience members seemed to have with Jamal and with the strategic part of his character not being in the room or on the stage but relating to him, feeling for him, being sad with his parents and being sad just as community members that know a Jamal [ a young black man] who made one mistake that in the grand scheme of things shouldn't have been the mistake that cost him his life. At the end of the day you would know or assume that it was going to end well; which is terrible. To even just expect that type of thing could happen to one of our own; and yet it happens far too frequently. That is what got me choked up about it a couple of times while leading the talkbacks.  I was trying to monitor my own reactions and feelings so that the feelings of the group would come up. My son is 4 years younger than Jamal and me and his dad have afforded him every convenience because he's a beautiful smart black boy and yet when he goes out with his friends and he’s walking around these predominantly white neighborhoods because he’s got friends in those neighborhoods; I get worried. The line [ in the play] about waking up at 4 am and all the fears that come to mind that resonated with me. By the looks of the audience there was some familiarity with that

Q: When you think of the term Courageous Conversations what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

A: Having conversations that are very difficult to have or that we’re afraid to have or that we've been taught that we shouldn't be talking about. I think courageous conversations should bring us all out of our comfort zones. They should require us to table our preconceived notions about said topic or people so that we can really be open to hearing the stories of others. Courageous conversations are hard; they are designed to be hard. They are supposed to be uncomfortable so that we can shift, stretch and grow. There are conversations that different parts of the US particularly here in the south that we just have had a hard time having. Mainly because they elicit feelings of guilt and victimhood, but they can also elicit feelings of joy, triumph and building relationships. I think that that's the end result ; is what we hope that happens. If we can be open and vulnerable enough not to just seek common ground but making room for areas of difference. 

Q: What role do courageous conversations play in a community as far as helping the community feel valued or respected? (Why are Courageous Conversations so important?)

A: We're just not listening to each other. Parents aren't listening to their kids; Kids aren’t listening to the adults. Community members are not communicating effectively. I think that is really the root of these issues we are having. It’s one thing to be able to look at the systems and look at criminal justice as being flawed. I think that we can look at other social issues and notice where they are inequitable. I think a part of why these conversations are so hard is because we don't want to offend others. I feel like in my work here at St Martin, there is a risk that we (particular people of color) take when saying things out loud. And likewise, there's a risk that non people of color have because they don't want to say something that could forever change the relationship that they’re trying to build. That relationship is inauthentic if we aren’t able to be honest with each other. We aren't used to having these kinds of conversations and that's the value of this project. These conversations are real and ongoing.

Q:  What does belonging mean to you and why do you feel like it’s important in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion?

A: When I think of belonging; I think of belonging kind of as the aspiration. I wouldn't say the end result because we're never done. When a community, organization or school is truly diverse and inclusive and has equitable practices it's likely that people in that community feel like they belong. But not just feel it but can actually experience processes and laws and events that listen to them that welcome them. You're not only invited to the dance but invited to do the playlist. Belong is an aspirational moment like “wow I really belong here”

Q: As a DEI consultant how do you tackle belonging with the communities you serve?

A: It's creating opportunities for listening to happen. Whether a school is faith based or secular, that alone adds another layer on things that you can do within your school community, but public, private, higher ed; it starts with the story. It starts with the person's story. Which is nice for me because I love hearing people's stories. I'm a qualitative researcher so I've been listening and writing, reading stories forever. That's where it starts because we are conditioned to link with people who are like us or who have instances in our life that we can connect with. humans to connect with another human, that's where we can start. I have to share some of myself to find that. Systems are run by people and so [as an example] we can’t address institutional racism without looking at individual racism, It's a “both and”. I think that the one-on-one work that I can do with people and organizations helps build the personal investment in dismantling these systems that are not working for everybody. The personal is required. 

Q: What was the biggest takeaway for you in regard to the play reading series? 

A: What I loved finding out is that many people hadn't been to a play reading. I hadn't been to a play reading either. When I went to the first rehearsal I was like “how is this going to work? and [thinking] how are people going to stay engaged with watching actors theatrically read the lines of their characters, as opposed to acting it with a full set. What I heard from people [the audience] was that they were as, if not more, engrossed in the story because of the way that your eye goes to an individual person as they were speaking. It was something awesome that was happening in the room. So, my biggest takeaway is wow that's another way of bringing arts to communities that hadn't had them, that takes less effort than staging a full production, but you still get the impact. You still hear the story and you're still creating the spaces for conversation to happen. I thought that was powerful. 
Q: What do you feel makes the biggest impact when discussing diversity to communities?

A: I think telling the truth is important. DEI practitioners have different styles and there are so many peers of mine that are so different in the way that they address audiences. There's something really beautiful about each method because it really aligns with who they are. So, when I see them present, I see their personhood come out. I think that's the part for me that attracts me to this work and keeps me invested in this work. Also, what I think has people continuing to ask for my help, is that I tell my story too.  I'm not a person who has it all figured out. I'm a mom of two kids, I have a disabled husband who wasn’t disabled five years ago. I also am, according to some literature, considered disabled because I have rheumatoid arthritis which is sometimes very debilitating. I gage the room, and I don't reveal all of that all at one time, but I think it humanizes me so that people see me as a co-laborer. I am there with them. I think that that's important. That's something that's a theme that I have seen kind of consistent. There are practitioners who are part of the community in a variety of ways and even if they are consulting and going into communities that are different or new, or they will only be in once and then coming out and doing something else for someone else, they still are vulnerable enough in that space to elicit the authenticity from the audiences. 

If you share our passion for connecting South Fulton County communities with free, high-quality programs centered around the humanity inherent in arts, culture, and environmental programming, we could use your help. SFI is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.