Four years ago I moved home to be a part of a growing movement for civil rights and social justice in the South. I have learned many, many lessons and found great clarity along the way.
In these four years, I have confirmed that the Southern Powers That Be are—surprise—still quite conservative. Not only in political persuasion, but perhaps more consequentially in tolerance of risk, of trying new things, of investing in people and ideas that have moved the needle towards justice and equality.
In these four years, I have also confirmed my long-held belief that—surprise again—the South is not universally conservative. Courageous Southerners (native and adopted!) are working on reversing all manner of injustices incurred in this generation and those long past—from public education to women’s rights to justice reform and beyond. Many are my friends. All of them are my heroes.
And after four years of Life-As-A-Progressive-Southerner-Living-In-The-South, I have learned that those heroes could use some more support. While they may not soon receive the backing of the Southern Powers That Be, I know there are plenty of folks elsewhere that want to help them.
That’s where my clarity of purpose comes in. Starting in October, I will be splitting my time between New York City and Charleston, with the explicit goal of building more bridges between resource-rich, progressive networks and organizations advancing social justice in otherwise resource-constrained, conservative environments. My hope is to leverage my networks in the South and around the country to create more connections in a region—and a country—that sorely needs it.
I am also excited to be formally launching my consulting firm, Happy & Bennett, with the goal of supporting purpose-driven companies and causes through effective strategy, resonant communications, and authentic partnership building. Happy & Bennett has a sparkly new website and is officially open for business, so please send any leads my way!
Whether you’re in the South or one of those lovely blue bubbles, connection is the name of my new game, so please be in touch.
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