Rev. Dr. Alex Gee's personal website: articles, audio, Black Like Me Podcast and videos, Madison Wisconsin
Are you ready for Season 9? Dr. Alex Gee is starting the season off with another mic check to set the tone for what is to come. Get a glimpse into what is on Dr. Gee’s mind and heart for the new season.
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Dr. Gee welcomes his friends and fellow podcast host, Henry Sanders, back to the show for a honest conversation about real leadership. Dr. Gee explores how leadership vision is not a sprint, but a marathon from his own experience. They cover the value of visionary integrity over time, the mentorship of community elders, and investing in new partners. Henry Sanders asks tough questions such as: Is the Black church still the conscious of the Black community? What would be the name of the book written about Dr. Gee’s life?
For nearly twenty years, Henry Sanders Jr. (CEO and Publisher) has been a force for community development, economic development and entrepreneurship in the Madison area, in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest.He worked for the City of Madison and then-Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin before joining the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce as Vice President. In that capacity he started the Small Business Advisory Council, Latino Chamber of Commerce and the African wAmerican Black Business Association. Sanders is also the founder of the young professionals organization Madison Area Growth Network (MAGNET), Madison Network of Black Professionals, and Capacity 360, a government relations firm that brought more than $15 million to Wisconsin businesses.
Henry ran a statewide campaign for Lieutenant Governor in 2010 and in 2011 joined the Obama Administration as the Small Business Administration’s Region V Advocate, speaking up for small businesses across six states. In 2018, Henry was named InBusiness Magazine’s 2018 Startup Company Executive of the Year, was given the Amigo Award by LaMovida Radio and was named Outstanding Experiential Learning Host by the Madison Metropolitan School District for allowing students to attend the Wisconsin Leadership Summit. Henry is currently is Publisher and CEO of Madison365.
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Dr. Gee welcomes Annette Miller to the show to discuss Black leadership and equitable community development in their local community. They have an in-depth discussion around the development and impact of Justified Anger’s Our Madison Plan among the Black community.
The early years of Justified Anger opened the door to the wider community to receive a convergence of attention on the state of the Madison Black community. The Black leaders had been seeing the state of things for awhile, but it wasn’t until that moment that the non-Black community was ready to lean in. Our Madison Plan highlights so many of the Black leaders in Madison who are still doing the work and making it happen. Dr. Gee and Annette reveal how navigating the community as a Black leader is a balancing act, because really they are leaders who are Black.
Annette Miller is the CEO and founder of EQT By Design, LLC. Miller’s passion is ensuring inclusion and engagement are front and center in her work. She brings 25 years of strong professional policy and analytic skills, and a wide network of community, government, and business relationships, especially with Dane County’s diverse populations. Miller previously worked for Madison Gas & Electric as the Emerging Markets and Community Development Director, where she built partnerships in energy, sustainability, and inclusion of their emerging customer markets. Formerly, she was an aide to the City of Madison Mayor.
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Dr. Gee brings Dr. Karen Reece back to the show to discuss the complexity of leading a Black focused organization in a majority white community. Dr. Reece brings first hand knowledge of working with white women in the non-profit sector with race relations involved. They talk about if you want different results in their kind of work, you need to try something different. Don’t miss this insightful and honest conversation.
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Tyler Nylen and Joel Ballivian return to the show to ask Dr. Gee how white men can face the accountability of their history and move forward. Dr. Gee works to help people understand that we are all broken, not saviors, and then we can start to get work done. The three of them dig deep into understanding the place of white men in the current racial reckoning in American society. They try to model the space white men need to process the new reality of a multicultural society, race relations, and white supremacy. Dr. Gee sheds light on how racism has done damage to everyone in America.
Hear more: 7 Observations For White People During This Historic Moment
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Dr. Gee continues his Season 8 focus on leadership with one of the greatest highlights of his career, interviewing his first grade teacher, Alice E. Turner. Mrs. Turner is a vibrant 103 and has so much wisdom to pass along. In their conversation they cover Mrs. Turner’s influence on Dr. Gee, the experience of being a Black teacher through so much history, and inspiring Black youth to greatness. This conversation is so vital to capturing the excellence and experience of our elders.
Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme