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We decided for this special Juneteenth podcast that we’d start the podcast with some music from a formerly enslaved person who was freed in Texas.  I’m thrilled today to have Tarienne Mitchell who is on our board of directors here at Latter-day Saints in Action.  She found some recordings from interviews of formerly enslaved people. While Tarienne works for the Library of Congress, she is not representing the Library of Congress in any way. This podcast has the N-word that was spoken during an interview.  We decided not to bleep it out so that the historical record is accurate, so keep that in mind while listening.Here are some resources we referenced in our interview: Intro Music from Laura Smalley: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1941016_afs05497a/ Pictures of Billy McCrea: https://www.loc.gov/item/2007660042/#, https://www.loc.gov/item/2015647534/ Library of Congress Slave Narratives project: https://www.loc.gov/collections/slave-narratives-from-the-federal-writers-project-1936-to-1938/about-this-collection/ Interview with Laura Smalley: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1941016_afs05497b/ Interview with Billy McCrea: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1940003_afs03975a/ Original Order read in Galveston: https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/juneteenth-original-document Utah Black History Museum for information on the Bus: https://www.ubhm.org/home/

My guest today is a member of the house of representatives in Utah and former board member of this organization’s predecessor, Latter-day Left.  We’re talking about gun violence again and focusing on those that survive mass shootings as well as offer 3 solutions from an op-ed Gay Lynn published in the Salt Lake Tribune.Links from places referenced in the conversation:http://wslcofutah.org/https://momsdemandaction.org/https://braverangels.org/

Over the past few weeks, my wife Brittany and I have had many discussions about the senseless gun violence we hear about every day in the United States.  The mass shootings in Uvalde Texas and Buffalo New York have sparked especially poignant conversations and I wanted to share with you some of her wisdom in how to cope with grief. I hope you gain as much insight and value from this conversation as I did. Resources: Try Softer by Aundi Kobler On Grief and Grieving by David Kessler and Elizabeth Kubeler Ross David Kessler podcast with Brene Brown Unlocking Us Grief.com @jaimegrantcoaching on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaimegrantcoaching/ Professional counseling Meditation: headspace app, Calm Headspace specifically has a course on grief Georgia Anderson coaching

I’m delighted to have on as my guest someone from the Mormon Literature scene, James Goldberg.  We took a few minutes and talked about an annual short-story competition that he helped create. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to chat with James and learn more about the Mormon arts world.  I hope you take some time to browse the wonderful literature from previous competitions and learn more about it and maybe enter something in yourself in the future.https://lit.mormonartist.net/

For this podcast we have gathered the board of directors to talk about the last General Conference.  We also introduce the newest member of the board of directors, Tarienne Mitchell.  Elisabeth was not feeling well when we recorded, so listen for her during our next book club episode. Let’s take a listen. I’m so glad I got to chat with Tarienne and Kristin.  I’m so happy to have such a wonderful board of directors and hope this episode helps you hear their perspective and love.

I recently got the chance to interview Tarienne Mitchell, who is an archivist for the Library of Congress.  She and Lex Scott, who was a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement in Utah, created a Utah Black History Bus.  I hope you enjoy our conversation. I’m so glad I got the chance to interview Tarienne today.  I learned quite a few stories from history from her. I hope you learned something too. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bankhead-mary-lucille-perkins-1902-1994/ https://www.ubhm.org/introducing-the-muse/

Did you know that Black folks have been in Utah since at least 1822?  I was surprised too.  I learned this from an organization dedicated to sharing the truth about African American genealogy and history: The Sema Hadithi Foundation (semahadithi.org).   I had an incredible conversation with the founder of the organization, Robert Burch.  One of the things I loved that he said was this, “As long as we continue to manifest untruthfulness, then it makes it difficult for us to have a community.” I hope that as we learn more about the truth of our past and our ancestors, we can heal from the animosity of the past and move into the future with stronger communities.

I’m excited to have on our book club chair Elisabeth Westwood to talk about an exciting new book: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus.

 As part 2 of our focus at Latter-day Saints in Action on Ukraine, I got the chance to speak with Owen Grimshaw about his experience as a missionary in Ukraine.  I am so glad I got the chance to speak with both Owen and Betsy while focusing on Ukraine and the conflict there.  It has been a privilege to get to know the Ukrainian people and culture better.

Like many of you I’ve been watching in horror as Russians have invaded Ukraine and seen refugees fleeing in terror from their homes to safety.  My staff and I reached out to returned missionaries who served in Ukraine to help us understand their culture and what is going on a little better.  I got the chance this past week to speak with Betsy Croft. I’m so glad I got to speak with Betsy.  I love her encouragement for us to look for or create something beautiful to help us cope with this crisis.Betsy is hosting a fundraiser at the end of this month.  You can find out more about that here: https://betsycroft.bigcartel.com/products?fbclid=IwAR1Yu4B9TrjJ-ULSm-4RGl3Gw2E3dR-jNiWFJL9kJ7CM8omVUP5crkMZBtcYou can also find more of her creations here: https://shop.thehousethatlarsbuilt.com/products/pysanky-easter-egg-e-book?fbclid=IwAR2dsBl4j8-eujvd7ZoeyuBRqsmbQjZJP84l2JDeOp_B0Cn37TLQSk0763A

In the past week my heart has been broken hearing about the war in Ukraine. Such pointless death and destruction. About a million have been displaced and more are fleeing daily.  Before Putin decided to invade Ukraine, I sat down with a woman named Samira Harnish.  She started a non-profit in Utah called Women of the World. This non-profit helps forcibly displaced women become gainfully employed and financially independent.  This upcoming Wednesday March 9 they will be having a fashion show to raise funds for the ladies seeking aid.  It was awe-inspiring to learn about this incredible organization.   I’m so glad I got a chance to chat with Samira and learn more about this organization.  Go to womenofworld.org for more information and stories.  I hope you enjoy our conversation. 

I can’t think of a book that is more needed right now than the one Elisabeth chose for our book club: The Nature Fix by Florence Williams.  With so much stress and sadness all around us, needless war in Ukraine, and having lived through what seems like an interminable pandemic, a little more nature is probably just what we need.  Elisabeth and I preview this book for you.   I am really excited about this book! I can’t wait to get started.

I have loved getting to know this organization: the Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance over the past 2 episodes.  I hope you have too. Rounding out the last episode, highlighting this fantastic organization is a conversation I had with Rachael Lauritzen who is the Chair of MESA.  I’m so excited to start implementing some of the environmental ideas that Racheal shared in my daily life.  I loved chatting with her and I hope you’ve enjoyed these episodes with MESA as much as I enjoyed making them.

Today is part 2 of our series on the Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance or MESA.  I got the chance to speak with Marc Coles-Ritchie about his role at MESA.  He was the chair of the non-profit until this past January.  I’m so glad I got the chance to talk with Marc. I love his optimism and enthusiasm for ideas that help make our water more pure and our air more breathable. I’m looking forward to the future of non-polluting energy.

In our Latter-day Saints in Action Facebook community page, one of our members  posted a message about an organization called Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance.  I decided to reach out and see if they would be willing to come onto the podcast and talk about the organization.  The next 3 episodes will be featuring members of the Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance (or MESA) board of directors.  I got the chance to speak with Soren Simonson who is a member of the board of directors.  After talking with Soren, I feel like my mind has been expanded as to our mission here on Earth and what we will be doing during the millennium. I’m hopeful for the future. We can do a better job in caring for our planet.  I’m looking forward to the next episode when I talk with Marc Coles-Ritchie, the chair of MESA.

 I love chatting with our book club chair Elisabeth Westwood about what she’s reading and ideas she has for the book club.  We chatted earlier in the week about a new book she’s highlighting called The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by Heather B. Moore. About half way through the interview, my daughter started practicing violin, so you might hear some violin in the background. I’m so glad I had the chance to chat with Elisabeth and I’m looking forward to reading The Paper Daughters of Chinatown.

Last episode there was a lot that we couldn’t get to because of time, so I invited Heather Gardner on again to talk about boundaries and further expound on how to keep ourselves mentally healthy during the pandemic. I’m so grateful for the things that I learned from Heather and I’m excited to implement them as I work on creating clear and kind boundaries for myself and my family. 

This pandemic just keeps dragging on.  We are closing in on 2 years since everything shut down. I am finding myself exhausted thinking about life, work, and maintaining my relationships. I invited my Sister-in-Law Heather Gardner onto the podcast today to talk about mental health now that the pandemic is entering more of an endemic phase.  She is a licensed marriage and family therapy associate.  I’m so grateful for the ideas and tools that Heather gave us and I’m excited to try some of them in my own life.  

This episode our host Matt Gardner borrows a remembrance from a member of congress who was there during the attack on our Capitol.  A reminder that the missing word in "E Pluribus Unum" is Love.

For the book club this month, our book club chair Elisabeth has decided on the book How to Change by Katy Milkman.  I’m super excited about this book.  Since recording the podcast I’ve started and it is so good! I can’t wait to chat with you about it on January 18 at 6:00 pm Mountain Time.For a preview of the book, listen to this episode of the podcast.