35: Bridging Racial Divides Through Radical Empathy

In this episode, Melinda Briana Epler, Founder & CEO of Change Catalyst and Terri Givens, CEO & Founder of Brighter Higher Ed, discuss how radical empathy can help bridge racial divides. Terri shares her journey researching her family’s history, the need for restorative justice, and what led her to write her latest book, “Radical Empathy: Finding a Path to Bridging Racial Divides.”

You’ll learn how to create change by practicing Terri’s six steps of radical empathy: 

A willingness to be vulnerableBecoming grounded in who you areOpening yourself to the experiences of othersPracticing empathyTaking actionCreating change and building trust

About Terri 

Terri Givens is the CEO and Founder of Brighter Higher Ed. She has more than 30 years of success in higher education, politics, international affairs, and nonprofits. She is an accomplished speaker and uses her platform to develop leaders with an understanding of the importance of diversity and encourages personal growth through empathy.

Highlights From Our Conversation

“You have to understand yourself before you can have empathy for others…. I am trying to model vulnerability because when we’re vulnerable, it is so much more impactful and it also helps build trust.”

“One of the things I emphasize is you have to get outside your comfort zone. If you don't, it is easy to have compassion. It is not so easy to have that discomfort. This whole racial reckoning we are having and transatlantically really is about getting out of our comfort zone. We have to sit in that discomfort.”

Additional Resources

Terri Givens Book: “Radical Empathy: Finding a Path to Bridging Racial Divides” by Terri GivensBook: “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America” “La Haine” Book: “The History of White People” by Nell Irvin Painter “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male” Leading With Empathy & Allyship Episode 8: “Understanding Intergenerational Trauma & Its Impact In The Workplace” Leading With Empathy & Allyship Episode 14: “Moving From Structural Inequality To Human Flourishing” Leading With Empathy & Allyship Episode 21: “How To Use Empathy To Create Change In The Workplace” 

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