multiLENS Dr. Jennifer Wheat Townsend

Our series over the past couple of months has focused on the importance of diversity and inclusion in our community and how we all play a role in making Noblesville a welcoming place. Our area businesses are essential in making Noblesville a place where others want to relocate, work and raise their families. Listen in to learn from members of the  Noblesville Chamber of Commerce about the work being done in the business community. 
Guests:
Bob Dubois, President & CEO, Noblesville Chamber of Commerce
Amy Waninger, Founder & CEO, Lead at Any Level
Lauren Weaver, HR Director, Axiom Human Resource Solutions
Dr. Joseph Smedley, President & Founder, Smedley & Smedley Consulting & Training
Christine Castille, HR Manager, SMC Corporation of America

Last month we discussed the importance of a collective effort in a community to put humanity at the core of all we do. Faith based organizations are an important part of this work as they often anchor communities in many ways. They are a space where people come together to find a sense of belonging and to grow spiritually. Listen in as several faith based leaders share insight about their diversity and inclusion efforts within their organization and the role they play in making our community a place where everyone wants to come and can thrive.
Guests:
Patrick Propst, Pastor Faith Community Church Mindy Mayes, Pastor, Bethel AME Church Jim Farrer, Pastor, Emmanuel United Methodist Church Corinne Gunter, Associate Pastor, Mercy Road 

Humanity is at the center of all we do. It is about accepting others, loving others, and recognizing that even though we may not agree, we should still treat each person with dignity and respect. Listen in to board members from a local organization, Noblesville Diversity Coaltion, as they share the importance of a collective effort in ways to invest in our community and positively impact where we live.
Guests
Dana Randall, Board President Bryan Glover, Treasurer Bob Dubois, Finance & Resource Development Committee Chair Dwayne Thompson, Advocacy Response Team Chair Beth Niedermeyer, Nominating Committee  

March is Women’s History Month. The late Ruth Bader Ginsberg said, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” This is powerful, as we think about the evolution of our history and how women have played a role in that history, often long before it was recognized that women made those contributions. It was not until March of 1980 that Congress passed Public Law 100-9 which designated the week of March 8th as Women’s History Week. Then, in 1987, March was designated as Women’s History month. Yet, many contributions have been made to our history and to our society by powerful and strong women before 1980. And now, in 2021 I think about the amazing women who are making a difference and making history. And though we have come a long way in regards to recognizing the accomplishments of women and debunking stereotypes, gender bias still exists in many facets of life. Listen in to a conversation with four amazing women about their celebrations and challenges in life and their advice for others. 
Guests
Melanie Kendrick, Magistrate Judge, Marion Co Dr. Beth Niedermeyer, Superintendent, Noblesville Schools Delcia Rawlins Mendez, Teacher, Noblesville Schools Tamara Winfrey Harris, VP Community Leadership & Effective Philanthropy, Central Indiana Community Foundation and Writer Resources Mentioned
Dear Black Girl: Letters from your Sisters on Stepping into your Power by Tamara Winfrey Harris Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski  

During Black History Month it is important that we each learn about racism and the role we each play in changing systems so the system does not perpetuate status quo. Our podcast guests share personal experiences along with what they have learned over the years in advocating for the lives of black Americans and for advocating for their space within a country that was founded on racism. They begin the conversation with the importance of truly listening to one another and end with suggestions on how we can all be part of the solution to having a more just society. 
Guests:
Jill Walls, Professor, Ball State University Mindy Mayes, Reverend, Bethel AME Church Jerry Rairdon, Pastor, Noblesville First United Methodist Church Norm Williams, Business Owner  Resources Mentioned:
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism, Robin DiAngelo White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide, Carol Anderson How to Be an Anti-Racist, Ibram X. Kendi Brene with Emmanuel Acho on Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man

We are living in history now, what has happened today will be studied in years to come yet as a country, how have we learned from our history as we create new history? What is our responsibility to know our history so that we can continue to move forward? We will explore this today with our panelists along with ideas of what it means to live in a democracy. 
 
Panelists:
Stan Abell, History Teacher, Noblesville High School Shelley Bethel, Equity and Inclusion Integration Coach, Noblesville Schools Cornelius Minor, Brooklyn-Based Educator Patrick Propst, Pastor, Faith Community Church Wendy Nelson, Bilingual Family Liaison, Noblesville Schools  
Resources:
Picture Book
She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton Books
The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A Blackmon The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson Documentary
13th Directed by Ava DuVernay