About
Our Story
The 2020 uprisings after the murders of George Floyd and other Black people by police demonstrated clearly that many people in the US felt they were not heard. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has said that “a riot is the language of the unheard.” Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) activists initiated the Deep Listening for Social Change/DLSC project as a social change movement to bring communities together to deeply listen to one another. The first cohort began in November, 2020.
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What is Deep Listening?
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Deep Listening is having the presence to engage in a conversation while suspending your own personal goals, objectives, or desired outcomes in order to better understand what is being communicated, verbally and non-verbally. DLSC follows an iterative and phased process grounded in trust, connection, practice and relationship building.
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Thank you to our sponsors, Kataly Foundation and Clouds in Water Zen Center.
Grounded in practices of mindfulness and principles of democratic community organizing we invite BIPOC community members on a journey of creating the conditions for transformative change for social justice within our communities
Our Theory of Change
Deep Listening For Social Change believes WE, as BIPOC people, have the power, internally and collectively, to effectuate changes that will create well resourced, healthy, beloved communities.
DLSC creates opportunities for participants to develop skills, practice, and experience support in honing our abilities to listen deeply to each other and ourselves.
DLSC allows space for reconnecting to our power sources thus creating opportunities for movements that are greater than what is possible with individual actions.
What We Do
Grounded in practices of mindfulness and principles of community organizing*, Deep Listening for Social Change invites BIPOC community members on a journey of creating the conditions for transformative change, for social justice within our communities and therefore in the wider world.
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* We aspire to follow the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing
Meet the Group
Camille Bryant has over fifteen years of experience as an Assistant Public Defender. She has worked in juvenile court, on adult felonies, misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. She currently works in Minneapolis, MN. In addition to working for the public defender’s office, Ms. Bryant has served on several boards and committees. She currently serves on the council of the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) and serves as the chair of the Legislative Committee.
Carol has worked on social justice programs and community-building for more than 50 years. She is Japanese-American, with maternal and paternal grandparents who were all immigrants. As a volunteer, she manages and plans programs, working with and for BIPOC communities, in applying spiritual practice toward the work of social and racial justice.
Janice Downing, owner and head consultant of CommonSense Consulting@Work, has 30 years of experience as a broad human resources professional. As a certified Professional in Human Systems Dynamics (PHSD), she can assess an organization’s issues and facilitate change in a systematic, cost-effective manner. Janice’s down-to-earth style and straightforward manner make it easy for her to adapt to multiple situations and styles.
Camille Bryant has over fifteen years of experience as an Assistant Public Defender. She has worked in juvenile court, on adult felonies, misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. She currently works in Minneapolis, MN. In addition to working for the public defender’s office, Ms. Bryant has served on several boards and committees. She currently serves on the council of the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) and serves as the chair of the Legislative Committee.
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