What Happens when we Tell our Truths
“While all this is very interesting, there’s not a story here,” said the New York Times Editorial Board representative.
That’s when she looked at Danielle.
Danielle Kristine Toussiant is a storyteller and communicator at the Aspen Institute, and in this video, she shares her advice about what we can all do to achieve an equitable, inclusive society. She challenges us to take bigger bets – and names exactly how White leaders, men, women, and people who do not identify with lower-income families because of our experiences – must act if we are to create systemic change.
“What’s the bigger bet we can take?” challenges Danielle. In a world endemic with divisiveness and division, with statistics and stereotypes, she challenges us to center solutions on people – naming three, specific groups of leaders to bet on. “I’m not talking about somebody else. I’m talking about you… There have been so many conversations, particularly in the past several months, that can feel so fraught. It seems sometimes like there’s something up for grabs, and we don’t quite know what it is. It can feel like there’s a qualification to be able to speak on building a more inclusive, diverse, and empowered environment... We don’t need you to get up from the table to make room for others; we simply need you to use your power to extend that table, to add more chairs.”
This video is a part of “The State of Financial Security 2020” campaign. For five years, the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program has tracked the challenges that face American households. In 2020, they have taken stock of what leaders have learned, and the result is their new framework and an updated vision for the financial security field. For More Information, including policy priorities in financial security, download “The State of Financial Security 2020: A Framework for Recovery and Resilience.”
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