Social Justice Origin Stories
Shaped By Community: Navigating Identity and Breaking The Mold with Demetrius T. Gary
Demetrius T. Gary describes the impact moving from a multilingual, multiracial middle school experience to a rural, mostly white high school where he was the only Black person had on his racial identity development. He shares his experiences with assimilation, what led him to view code-switching as an asset, and how that unforgettable transition helped him realize there isn’t any one way to be Black. Demetrius also tells the story of how disorienting it was to be the only Black student in his grad school cohort, and how having affirming supervision helped convert experiences of alienation into agency, including a supervisor whose attentive inquiry validated his experiences with racist dynamics at work; experiences that continue to inform his “why” for working in university housing, his approach to coaching, the ethics of supervision, and the value of deliberate, affirming leadership that deliberately chooses to face race instead of ignoring it. If you haven't already... SUBSCRIBE to Social Justice Origin Stories on YouTube ! ❤️ SUPPORT THE PROJECT Support this work by becoming a patron . SHARE YOUR STORY OR FEEDBACK Your voice helps shape this community and may be featured in a future episode. Email: stories@socialjusticeoriginstories.com Leave a Voice Note on our contact page or speakpipe page . Or leave a comment below LISTEN & FOLLOW Website: socialjusticeoriginstories.com Follow The Podcast on Apple Podcasts . Listen wherever You Get Your Podcasts . Instagram @socialjusticeoriginstories Facebook @socialjusticeoriginstories Follow on Bluesky Follow Social Justice Origin Stories on LinkedIn Connect with Relando on LinkedIn . Visit these additional links for more information. ----- Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones. 00:00 Why Stay In Housing 02:19 Coaching Future Leaders 04:19 Seeing Students Up Close 05:16 Series Introduction 06:32 Meet Demetrius Gary 09:30 Education And Blackness 12:00 Assimilation And Identity 15:30 Code Switching Debate 19:35 Black People Are Not A Monolith 23:06 Representation In Media 28:33 Grad School Culture Shock 31:16 Finding Community And Being Seen 36:31 Learning by Observation 37:37 Socialization and Suspicion 39:04 Supervisors Who Grow 42:12 Equity in Supervision 45:25 Moments That Motivate 48:07 Why Housing Matters 51:11 Coaching Future Leaders 55:51 Checking Privilege at Work 01:02:03 What Keeps Me Up 01:06:56 Gratitude and Takeaways 01:09:07 Rapid Fire Reflections 01:12:18 Closing and Call to Action
