Whitney Parnell is a Black millennial activist, singer, and the Founder and CEO of Service Never Sleeps, a nonprofit that empowers individuals and communities to catalyze social justice through service and Allyship. She is also a musician and has released a social justice album called "What Will You Do," with the goal of using empathy through song to ignite action.
More about our guest:
Whitney's movement work involves racial justice efforts, and equipping effective allies through truth-telling, bridgebuilding, empathy, and action. She grew up between Latin America and West Africa as a Foreign Service child. At Washington University in St. Louis, Whitney doubled majored in English and Spanish, and minored in Communications and Journalism, during which she also embraced her calling as an activist. Whitney’s passion for service and social justice brought her to Washington, DC after college to serve with City Year, and then work in homeless services, before founding Service Never Sleeps in 2015.
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Episode Guide:
2:05 - What is Innovation?
3:52 - Societal Innovation: defining "White Supremacy"
8:06 - Dismantling and Destroying: A contrast
8:54 - Getting Innovation 'Wrong'
12:14 - Taking the first step to big decisions
16:33 - The field of social justice and nonprofit
19:52 - Service Never Sleeps: Centering race equity
23:14 - Keeping it in-check
24:02 - Facing the uncomfortable
26:45 - Activism, kindness, polarizations
31:36 - Processing thoughts: What is next?
34:44 - Operating at the intersections
36:25 - The either-or binary
38:40 - Advice for Innovators
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OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.
