Plantation Theory with John Graham

JD sits down with scholar, author, historian, corporate consultant and truth seeker John Graham to talk about the disparities in education and corporate America as it pertains to the black experience. John Graham is the author of a book that speaks for those who've been without a voice throughout their professional career.  Plantation Theory: The Black Professional’s Struggle Between Freedom & Security, showcases the realities that countless black corporate professionals face despite best efforts to prove their worthiness of opportunity. As a content marketer John has found his purpose is unlocking the hidden potential of authenticity and ensuring that the right message finds the right audience at the right time on the right platform. John self identifies as he/him, black man, husband, father, spiritualist, creative, and fraternal brother.

What You Will Hear:

Growing up in white spaces in many different places.HBCUsCulturally defining measures White privilege, power dominance and fragilityEducation vs. learningDiscovering his whyThe design, concept and construct of raceHelping companies achieve substantial and sustainable change

Quotes:

“An HBCU can not only give you that grounding of culture and the relief of not having to don the mask in all aspects and all times of day, but also you're in an environment where your excellence is an expectation and your failures aren't a reflection on your entire race.  So you truly get to be an individual and meritocracy might actually have application in your daily lived experience.”

“Education is simply an indoctrination method done in civil societies to bring the youth into adulthood under certain world views, beliefs,  practices, ideologies and so forth so as to have conformity across the masses.”

“If you attend a predominantly white institution as a black student and you graduate and you feel like I've been programmed to see the world through the eyes of a cis-gendered able-bodied white man, well  that's the intent so that the world beliefs, ideals, views, and status quo can now be replicated or propagated.”

“Your Why should evolve.”

“In the American construct, which is a peculiar institution unto itself, race is at the forefront.  It defines who you are before you even open your mouth.”

“Race as a concept, and a construct was designed specifically to easily identify the subclass of this country. “

“If you shine a light on transgressions and how those transgressions manifest today, somebody might have to be accountable and accountability isn't aligned with the power dominant structure.”

“When you step out of homogeneous environments and you go to places where you're the other, well, now you'll start to understand what whiteness is and is not, but most people don't actively seek out discomfort.”

Mentioned

PlantationTheory.com

Twitter @instagraham1906

LinkedIn @johngrahamcreative