Brandy Grant was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She holds a Masters from the University of Oklahoma in Human Relations and Organizational Development with an emphasis in Counseling and Pre-Law certification from the University of Tulsa. Brandy and her family moved to Seattle to bring 20 years of mental health and community programming to Washington. She was sworn in, in April 2019 for the Seattle Community Police Commission (CPC) and recently became the Interim Executive Director of the Commission. Brandy has spent the last 6 years in Washington applying her mental health analysis to her work in policy and programming while strengthening community engagement and partnerships. In her work, Brandy continues to amplify voices, create policy and programming for further impact and awareness around civic engagement, police reform, and gun violence prevention.
In this episode, we pay homage to our excellence and adorn our crowns; even in the face of atrocities. Brandy's journey from Tulsa to Seattle is a great story that speaks to an inedible faith and resilience. She uncovers the "progressive veil" and shares how summers with her grandmother as a child, prepared and shielded her from what she has encountered in her move to Seattle. Additionally, as this year marks the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre, Brandy reflects on the richness of her hometown and the generational trauma economic terrorism breeds as as a result of racism.
As the newly appointed Interim Executive Director for the Seattle Community Police Commission, Brandy also shares more about her work with police reform efforts and her unfiltered reflections on what's needed for true equity in leadership. While the nation continues grapple with the newly released verdict in the state sanctioned murder of Breonna Taylor, Brandy speaks truth to power, "Our pain is not taken as seriously" as Black women. "Yet we are the shoulders and milk and honey to keep things together". Her duality as a mental health professional and working in a space of advocacy that is tied to lived experience, reminds us of how important it is to take care of ourselves and ensure our colleagues are holistically safe.
We champion community oversight in police reform and remove the veil of faux allyship and safety in our workplaces and beyond as we share Forward 4O’s platform with this phenomenal WOC in the nonprofit and social enterprise sector.
Stay connected to Brandy on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also follow the work of the Seattle Community Police Commission on their website and Twitter.
Follow Forward 40(4tea) on IG and Twitter @forward4tea. Continue to support and nominate a guest to be on the show. You can also learn more about the host Coach Faith here.
Episode 21: Advocating for Intersectional Activism and Youth Voice featuring Irene Franco Rubio
Episode 20: Engineering Transformation in Black Mother and Daughter Relationships featuring Ateira Griffin
Episode 19 - Charting the Path for Equitable Leadership in Sports Development featuring Cyndi Mendoza
Episode 18 - Expanding Horizons Through Purpose-Driven Travel featuring Chloe Lander
Episode 17 - Breathing the Gift of Gratitude Into Our Present featuring Amy Elizabeth Paulson
Episode 16: Generating a Circle of Giving in Community Leadership featuring Amber Gonzales-Vargas
Episode 15: Tapping Into Your Core to Grow Community featuring Liz Rebecca Alarcón
Episode 14: Transforming Trauma Into Justice Reform featuring Isabel Coronado
Episode 13: The Blossoming of Wisdom & Social Justice featuring Suki Terada Ports
Episode 12 - Representing and Modeling Liberation featuring Syrita Steib
Episode 11 - Normalizing Intentional Engagement in Our Learning Environments featuring Samantha Pratt
Episode 10 - Balancing Cultural Responsibility, Honor & Respect in Indigenous Communities featuring Lisa Paz
Episode 9 - Walking Through & Opening Doors of Opportunity for Yourself & Others featuring Starla Hart
Episode 8 - Getting Real About Developing Your Best Self featuring Sable B.
Episode 7 - Cultivating Solidarity and Collective Power for Women Through Coffee featuring Margaret Nyamumbo
Episode 6 - Bending the Narrative Towards Possible with One Leap featuring Amber Scott
Episode 5 - Moving With Purpose, On Purpose and Claiming Your Space in the Work featuring Sheena Collier
Episode 4 - Started from "the Bottom" Now We're..Still Rising featuring Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz
Episode 3 - The Power of the Village, Faith and Freedom in Entrepreneurship featuring Esi K. A. Gillo
Episode 2 - Co-creating Space for Intersectional Women Activism featuring Catherine Almonte
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