Be Black. Be Bold. Be Innovative. Show the World Equitable Geo. We're coming together as a collective to celebrate people of African descent, the diaspora, and talking about geospatial equity and justice. You're listening to The North Star Gaze, a podcast with intimate stories from geoluminaries. What an awesome, awesome program we presented and, you know, Issa Rae said that, sometimes were taught as Black people, as Black women to be humble. Not today. Not today. As Issa Rae said, I grew up in the 80s where my icons were icons of hip hop. And they, they knew nothing about humility and humbleness, so I'm not going to do that today. So, what an awesome program we presented over the last two days. Give yourselves a round of applause for showing up and showing out. One of the things that we wanted to do over these past two days is to, to show you what it looks like, to show the world what it looks like when we say having the right people in the room to have these conversations. Look around, think of who's watching virtually. These are the right people in the rooms to have these conversations about things that impact Black, Brown, and other marginalized communities. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for engaging. I'm Aisha Jenkins, and I'm a founder, and Vice President of the North Star GIS. So first, I want to thank all of you for taking out time. From your GIS week, tomorrow's GIS day, to spend just a couple of days, a few hours for some with us. It means the world to us to be able to present ourselves to you in this way, in the way that we choose to be represented.. This is our third annual homecoming event. This is our first live and in person event. This meant a lot to us, bonus thank you for, for those of you who traveled near and far. We've got people who are coming from California. We've got people who are coming from Chicago. I'm a native to this region, but I drove in. And so, so thank you. I want to thank our sponsors, the National Geographic Society, the National Academies of Science and Gulf Research Program, Mapping Black California, Hope and Heal, Spatial GIS, and a number of others who have just had our backs, who have been the winds beneath our wings. We could not have pulled off this amazing, iconic event without you, and we are here. On hallowed grounds, I am presenting where other leaders in the Black community historically have presented, and it's amazing. I'll come, I'll get, I'll get back to what also makes this amazing. To our speakers, can we get a round of applause for our speakers, our presenters, our panelists, our moderators.. I know we all have a newfound fire in our bellies for what comes next. And we have a bunch of different options. So what we presented over these last two days was not just a series of presentations. We offered up some solutions. Some solutions to all the folks who say we can't find qualified dot, dot, dot people. Solutions that says that, , We set the barrier, we set these bars, we put up these fences that says education and a certain type of education from a certain type of institution is what we gravitate toward. Those are gates and gates keep people out. We want to open up the gates and we want to let people in. So it's not dumbing it down, it's not lowering the bar, lowering the standards. We've got people like Simone Biles who ascends and they keep moving the goalpost. We're not doing that this week. We're not doing that into the future, okay? We're going to open up the doors. I want to thank Howard University. Your team, from catering to operations, have been top notch. Dr. Amy, we affectionately call Dr. Amy, Dr. Amy. Because of Dr. Amy, we have this opportunity to stand on hallowed grounds, and we get to talk our talk, we get to walk our walk, our way. It's a privilege to be in a space that means so much to the black community and to stand where so many transformative leaders have stood before. KMG, Kira and Manny. Y'all have the patience of Job. And it's been a joy working with you. We knew from the very beginning that we were in good hands, so thank you. Cherry Blossom Productions, Satya, you had us at. I want to be part of the movement. It was like a virtual hug. So thank you. You have worn five hats to our three. You've been amazing. So thank you. You've made the vision of the podcast come to fruition. So I can't thank you enough. So thank you. Okay, to the North Star organizing team. to Vero and Afritech, to Dawn, to Jonah, to Kendrick, to all of those who have supported, coached, and mentored us over these past six months, shall I say, over the past four to five years. Words cannot express what a pleasure it has been to work with you all. So, I won't use words, I'll tell a story. Homecoming means so much to the Black community. It's a reunion. It's a coming together. We've heard homecoming. Over the hours that we spent together, we heard it from the panel yesterday. It's been our annual conference name since its inception. It was born out of the pandemic. Some of us didn't know we were going to be coming home. Some of us did not come home. Having lived through a global pandemic and a racial reckoning, where Black people in the workplace went from invisible to highly visible, back to being almost invisible again. Corporations announced on websites and social media nationwide that Black Lives Mattered, and almost two months later, they've repealed or rolled back those sentiments. So let's just say we've been through some things, and this is a homecoming for us, for our people. We still feel like we're in a battle for our souls. It's with that context that we sat down and thought about the theme for our first ever in person homecoming. Our first coming together, we were in spaces of needing rest, fully knowing that we had to keep going. So we wanted the theme for our homecoming to be a play on R& R and to be a nod to our ancestors. As members of the African diaspora, we've had to become multifaceted chameleons to survive and communicate across tribal lines and nowadays to communicate in the workplace. Today we call it code switching. So nice. To some, R& R means rest and relaxation. To many in the movement, it's a movement, an advancement towards racial equity, equality, and racial justice. It's a battle cry. Resilience and resistance. Resilience and resistance are part of the North Star DNA, and now it's a part of yours. When I think of the terms resilience and resistance, I think of what it meant to be a part of the North Star team. To me, resilience means recognizing that I have choice and agency and I feel empowered to exercise them. This team right here, this team in this room, we refused to take no for an answer, for a final answer Regis. And when we were denied a seat at a table, when we could clearly look through the doors and see that there were seats available, heck no. We decided to create our own table and we intentionally made it expandable. You got a seat, you got a plastic chair. A folding chair. Bring it to the table. Look around at all of the North Star members who are here. We each have a story of a no. And we are here. We showed up. We showed up despite having to travel near and far. Despite having to drop little ones off way earlier than we had to, behind each one of us is a family that came from an under resourced neighborhood to exist in spaces that didn't expect us to be there. And we show up. Every day we show up in the face of people telling us we are not who we know we are, that our skills are worthless. That our perspective means nothing. But when we talk about cultural competency in the way that our society is going, we have put ourselves at a disadvantage by telling our marginalized individuals that they mean nothing. Understand, that's why we are where we are. The innovation, the advancement, the relevancy, it's here, but we've been pushed to the margins. So no more. We're here. We're not going anywhere, and we're leaning fully into the agency that is our voice, our informed perspective, and we're going to do it our way. Behind every one of us here, who are North Star members, there are about five or six of us back home who could not make the trip. When I think of resistance, I think in terms of abundance, and where I choose to leverage my considerable skills, my talents, and my intellectual property. And I choose you. I choose us. I choose Northstar. We have each chosen to travel far. We've worked with each other virtually on and off for the past five years. After our 9 to 5 ends and after we put the kids to bed, we fit together like puzzle pieces. There are no egos. We lean in when someone else leans out. And if you've been paying attention, you've seen that over these past two days. We had some mishaps. But we leaned in when other people had to lean out. We made water runs and we made coffee runs. To the entire North Star team, I thank you. The Great Bell Hooks said, Honesty and openness are the foundations of insightful dialogue. Our goal this year was to bring together people and resources This week, over these last two days, to engage in an open and honest and insightful dialogue to push beyond the discomfort to get past the blamey and shamey, in the words of Nicole Franklin, and to get work done. Dr. Ucher from NGA, thank you for your insightful words. National Geographic, the iconic panel, powerful black female executives who talked. Their talk, but also talked about imposter syndrome and feeling isolated. We want to remain relevant. To be relevant, we must push away from the status quo. It's necessary. Dr. Eaney, just as this work requires thoughtfulness and insight, it also requires accountability. How do we hold ourselves accountable to the data that we collect in the communities that we serve? We need someone to hold us accountable. Gloria, MAPNERD Consulting, we know that education is a form of resistance and education in all of its forms. Not just the official kind of hoity toity elite institutions that we talk about, we're talking also about that informal education, the education that a nine year old can give you, the education that a 13 year old can give you, the education that a 75 year old can give you. I can tell you my greatest joys are sitting at the foot. of someone who has been through some things in their 80s and their 70s and turning around and telling us the lessons and the stories. Dr. Dawn Wright, Dr. Linda Luber, Carrie Harris, all of the people. It's important that we have these conversations and we start here. We started those conversations here and it's important that we continue. and produce fruit in the form of action and positive impact for black, brown, and other marginalized communities globally. Dr. King once said that the ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of change and controversy. Well, here we are, and I can guarantee you that none of us got here being comfortable. Make no mistake, communities globally are being challenged in unimaginable ways. And what we're doing here today, planting seeds of solution, is controversial. Yet, you each showed up. You each showed up. Lastly, look around you. We each have a story. And these stories inform the lens through which we view the world around us. We each came here intending to be. The change that is needed. So which of y'all are running for public office? I'm not done. So I'll leave you with the words of Steve Jobs. The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world. are the ones who do. Thank you. Keep showing up in partnership with Northstar and organizations like HopeWork, Hope and Heal, businesses like Romo GIS. We thank you for your continued support of Northstar GIS and if you've enjoyed this programming over the last two days and tomorrow virtually, consider becoming a volunteer. Volunteer your time, your resources, and places and spaces Where North Star members and people who look like us have yet to access. We're making strides, but there are still doors that need to be kicked open or open from the inside. Spread the word in boardrooms, on social media, donate to Northstar. Sponsorship and donations. Help us keep the lights on and the internet running. BEcome a sustaining sponsor. As I mentioned, this program was put on by people who work in the wee hours of the night. It was not uncommon to see WhatsApp messages coming in at 1 o'clock in the morning, 3 o'clock in the morning, after we put the kids to sleep. And there you have it. Thank you again for your support, your collaboration, your resources, and your guidance. Enjoy the rest of your Geography Week and tomorrow's GIS Day. And on that note, thank you to our listeners. I want to thank the sponsors of the 2023 Homecoming Conference event, which was held on Howard University's campus. Thank you National Geographic Society, National Academy's Gulf Research Program, Mapping Black California, Hope and Heal, and Spatial GIS. We also want to give a special thanks to our guests. Thank you. for trusting us with your stories. Shannon, Sandra, Kevin, Margo, Frank, Jen, Dr. Louberts, Karee, Dr. Graham, Gloria, Michael, Eric, Sky, Nick, Dr. Yoboa Kwakun, Veronique, and Dawn. We also want to thank Howard University for allowing us to present in the iconic browsing room and to the Northstar team. Thank you. Shakonda, Raisha, Clinton. Erica, Yolanda, and our volunteers and student ambassadors. Thank you also to KMG. Audio is produced by Cherry Blossom Production, and I'm Aisha, your host and the executive producer of the inaugural season of the North Star Gaze podcast, which is based on the 2023 Homecoming conference event. Thanks for listening to the North Star Gaze, intimate stories from geoluminaries. If you're inspired to advance racial justice in geofields, please share this podcast with other listeners in your community. The intro and outro are produced by Organized Sound Productions with original music created by Kid Bodega. The North Star Gaze is produced in large part by donations and sponsorship. To learn more about North Star GIS, Check us out at north star of gis.org and on Facebook or Instagram at GIS North Star. If you'd like to support this podcast and North Star of gis, consider donating at North star of gis.org/donate or to sponsor this podcast, email podcast at north star of gis.org. You've been listening to the North Star Gaze.