Thank you to Rev. Bethany Johnson-Javois

Thank you to Rev. Bethany Johnson-Javois, President and CEO of the Deaconess Foundation, who shared with us her thoughts and ways in which we can have a positive impact on the health and well-being on the youngest in our community. She talked to us about transformation and how systems can only be transformed by transformed people. Rev. Bethany explained that children are only as well as the ecosystem that surrounds them. She walked us through an exercise on introspection and encouraged each of us to “live in our exclamation point” by understanding our purpose. She asked each of us to write a letter to the future ladies of St. Louis Forum that would be given to them 100 years to the date and share our vision for the future. She provided a few readings to review prior to the discussion as background material as well as a podcast/YouTube video for those who were not able to get to the readings. The links are provided below for your convenience.
 

Readings on Dominant Culture and Solutions 

Read about the characteristics and antidotes
 
Blog by White Women for White Women
 
YouTube Recording (15 minutes of poetry) Beah Richards Speaks of white womanhood, of white supremacy, of peace 
 
Purpose Driven Leadership

From Purpose To Impact

What Does Purpose-Driven Leadership Really Mean?

The Top Five Traits of A Purpose Driven Leader