Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian
Episodes
Beyond The Dream: 10 Quotes from Dr. King That Deserve More Attention
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Before he was assassinated on April 4th, 1968, Dr. King was hated by many of the people and institutions who now claim to honor him today. In refle...
An Open Letter To The Parents and Families of College Students: Embracing Change and Unconditional Love
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode Relando Thompkins-Jones shares insights from his extensive experience in higher education to address the parents and families o...
Check on Your "Strong" Friends
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Relando discusses the importance of checking in on the "strong" friends in our lives who always support everyone else. He shares prac...
Critical Race Theory
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, Relando shares an introductory talk he provided on Critical Race Theory as part of a Social Justice Speaker's Series in April ...
Black Anger and Rage Have a Place in Racial Justice Work
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Contrary to what many of us have been told, there is a place for Black anger and rage in racial justice work. In this week's episode, Relando affirms ...
Establishing Community Agreements Should Be A Liberatory Process in Social Justice Work
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Establishing community agreements goes a long way toward building psychological safety between people and groups in social justice work. In this week'...
It's Okay to Shift
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic has had a disproportionately negative impact on the lives of people with marginalized identities, and the workplace is no exception. In t...
Four Social Justice Considerations for Group Work Practice
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Acknowledging power dynamics is important in social justice work. When working in closed groups, none of us passes through some invisible barrier that...
We Make Black History Everyday. We Rise, We Survive, We Fly
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We make Black History Everyday. We rise, we survive, we fly. Dedicated to Black people everywhere; in this week's episode Relando shares some importan...
Crowdsourced Interview Questions for DEI Positions
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you are passionate about social justice work in education and are currently in the interview phase for a position that works toward inclusion and e...
Sometimes We Let People Down in Social Justice Work
29 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Think of a time where you have let others down in your social justice journey. What happened? How did you feel? What did you do? This week, Relando di...
Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Some people want everyone to strictly address one another with a "Merry Christmas", while others instead prefer to use "Happy Holidays" as a greeting ...
6 Reasons Colleges and Universities Need to Face Race and Not Ignore It
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The time for false advertisement is over. Anti-racism is about actions not just words. In this week's episode, Relando shares six reasons colleges and...
How Reflecting on Aging as shared Experience Can Create Opportunities for Empathy and Connection
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a person who is older? Can you remember times in your youth when you were dismissed due to your age? Are you a person who is younger? Have you...
Representation Matters in Social Work: We Need More Black Therapists
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, Relando shares an experience helping his white therapist understand power and privilege instead of processing his feelings as ...
Ripples
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Who has created a positive rippling effect in your life? In this week's episode, Relando shares one example of a person who influenced his social just...
Public Speaking as an Introvert
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There's room for you to lead for equity even if you struggle with public speaking. In this week's episode, Relando shares what keeps him energized abo...
You Deserve Better: Solidarity Should Not Be Conditional in the Fight for Racial Justice
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Black people. If your friendships with the white people in your life require your silence, if the glue that holds those relationships together is pred...
Supporting Black Male Students on College Campuses
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Supporting Black male students on campus means supporting students that institutions are the worst at retaining. For historically white institutions e...
Parenting While Black: A Letter to Daycare About "Crazy Hair Day"
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
To be Black and raise Black children comes with a lifetime commitment to safeguarding their physical and emotional safety as much as possible as they ...
Preparing Students for "The Real World".
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Far too often, the burden of responsibility to change and adapt to inequitable systems is unjustly placed on the shoulders of students with marginaliz...
"Positive Vibes Only"
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of Relando's challenges with faux positivity thinking is that there’s a really thin line between it and gaslighting. There’s a point when the ...
Relando's Three Rules for Posting About "Controversial" Topics on Social Media
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever been warned against using social media to speak out for topics related to diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice out of fear o...
Four Strategies That Are Used to Manipulate People into Rationalizing Oppression
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the ways that oppression is maintained is through the expectation that large numbers of people will accept explanations of inequity as "natural...
Getting in Our Own Way: Two Barriers of Our Own Making That Limit Social Change
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Relando describes two major assumptions that if left unchecked, limit our ability to lead for equity. Blog Post referenced in this episode...
Trailer: What is an Aspiring Humanitarian?
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Relando shares exactly what he means when he identifies as an aspiring humanitarian and invites you to join in on the work to build a more ...