Cadence Convos

tamekia payne

Connection through Conversation. Here is where we talk about minority military experiences with the goal of using our differences to get in step with one another! Come, join the conversation!

Episodes

  1. Get in Step! Maj Lenora Alva

    03/15/2021

    Get in Step! Maj Lenora Alva

    "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here..." are not words you think you would hear when walking into a recruiting station. But that's exactly what happened to our guest today before she was pushed into learning about officer careers in the military as she sat in the recruiter's chair. Just in time for Women's History Month we chat with an African American Female, Third-Generation American with a Bahamian background about her experiences in the US Air Force.  This South Carolina native, daughter of an Senior Non-Commissioned Officer talks about her first assignment all the way across the US to a culture that neither she nor it were prepared to experience.  We chat a little about our favorite four-letter word in the military right now...H_A_I_R and how her natural tresses cost her a briefing with a General Officer with no one willing to have that conversation about any of it.  We also talk about the reality of what happens when happenstance is left to determine common occurrences like who works in a section versus doing it with some intentionally and encouraging demographic variety.  She challenges listeners to tell their stories on whatever platform is available in an effort for diversity in all the ways it is available...thought, experience. background, etc...                                                                                                                                         Major Lenora Alva is a boss, making strides in every circle she touches and brings a real-ness you're sure to enjoy. Come, Join the Conversation!

    48 min
  2. Get in Step! MSgt LaShandra Denson (Ret)

    02/16/2021

    Get in Step! MSgt LaShandra Denson (Ret)

    Angry. Black. Female. Stereotype or personal microaggressions?  She came in 1998 and saw her first black Chief Master Sergeant in 2012 on a deployment... It's time to hear from a 21-year vet in the Active Duty game who reminds us that "it's OK to be a froot loop in a world full of cheerios."       She identifies herself by her faith first, then her race, and lastly her gender and service in the US Air Force.   Her background from the projects did not prepare her for the racial and cultural diversity in the Air Force (and yes, we break down project culture vs military culture for those who are unfamiliar), but her strength in mathematics did land her in a mathematics-centric, but white male dominated Civil Engineer career field.  Early lessons at Minot and Little Rock Air Force bases added to the culture shock of this black female who had grown up in the very locations deemed unsafe and unofficially off limits to Airmen who look like her.  She speaks about her first time making a friend who looks racially different than she does and how the combination of her friend's inner-city upbringing meshed well with her own background as they both battled preferential treatment of a white male counterpart in their workplace.  Not to be forgotten though, we talk about the beneficial lessons taught by white males to black females that allow some to keep their personality while serving professionally.  We also chat about her trifecta of minority status with a category not often discussed in the Air Force, the RELIGIOUS minority...how are you accepted in a Friday night, drinking culture while staying true to your religious convictions? There is a way to do it. When there's a seat at the table, she encourages people like her to show up, be heard and be a boss!   Talk with my friend, MSgt LaShandra Denson (Retired). Come, join this conversation!

    26 min
  3. Get in Step! Maj Henry Sims

    02/01/2021

    Get in Step! Maj Henry Sims

    What do you get when you mix a 4 year Marine Corps enlistment and an 11 year Air Force enlistment with a total of 22 years of active duty service? You get a powerhouse leader who has done a lot, seen a lot and here to tell us about it! We are entreated to speak with 1/2 of a power couple...seriously, we have the utmost respect for this guest and his wife because they walk the talk, have accomplished much and remain humble despite their obvious amazing contributions to the culture.  This legend in the making and father of two is the husband of Dr. Latisha Sims who is founder of The Orion Foundation https://www.theorionfoundation.org/, an organization who's mission is to preserve artistic identity and prevent suicide. ---Go check it out--- This legend in the making and father of two is the husband of Dr. Latisha Sims who is founder of The Orion Foundation https://www.theorionfoundation.org/, an organization whose mission is to preserve artistic identity and prevent suicide. ---Go check it out--- We talk about the conversation that begins in a lot of black homes that the military is not for people of color and how that mantra was supported early in his time as a Marine...he was called "the N* word" not once, not twice...but three times in his career! His leadership's response to these incidents left much to be desired. We also talk about the responsibility of (and also the gap of) minority senior leaders for the downward level mentorship of junior minorities. Our guest's favorite quote "He who thinks he leads, but has no followers is only taking a walk" is totally embodied in his "why" for remaining in the service and having fun while serving his peers and those who may someday lead the people who lead the people who look like him. Come, Join the Conversation with Major Henry Sims

    27 min
  4. 01/02/2021

    Get in Step! Lt Col Jennifer-Ruth Green

    405. That's the approximate number of females of African American heritage who can say they're part of the Air Force Academy Alumni and we had the opportunity to chat with one of them!  #girlpower #magic  The Air Force Academy allowed women to attend beginning in 1980 and the number of graduates to date, including the class of 2020 is about 405...that's about 10 graduates per year for the past 40 years! This conversation is saturated with positive experiences of a BL-ASIAN female pilot graduate from the Air Force Academy who successfully completed the Academy in 2005 due to her supportive friends and classmates of all backgrounds!  She is an Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veteran, where she served as a mission commander in Baghdad, Iraq as a counterintelligence agent. She earned an accelerated promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and serves in the Indiana Air National Guard as the Commander of the 122d Communications Flight and Chief Information Officer (CIO). She loves flying and desires to develop and serve missionaries through aviation.  We talk with Lt Col Jennifer-Ruth Green about her bi-racial background which allows her to roam between different racial groups...a bonus for someone as dynamic as she is, we talk about the first black bomber ACE, being qualified to stand on the shoulder of giants and her three-point mentor criteria that is race, gender, and orientation exclusive.  Come, join this conversation!

    36 min
4
out of 5
5 Ratings

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Connection through Conversation. Here is where we talk about minority military experiences with the goal of using our differences to get in step with one another! Come, join the conversation!