Season 2 | Episode 1: Black History Month & Cynthia@TheTable 1st Year Anniversary

Welcome back to #CynthiaAtTheTable. I am your host, Cynthia. Even in the face of a relentless pandemic, economic setbacks, civil tensions, and administrative challenges, we had an amazing and fabulous 1st Year with Cynthia@TheTable. I am excited to be returning for Season 2 and am so delighted to have all of our listeners rock with us in 2021!

We have much in store for this season and can’t wait to share it with you all!

With that, we are kicking off Season 2 with a special episode on “Black History Month” with our special guest Dr. M. Keith Claybrook Jr., who we will be talking with shortly. I am always so extremely excited to celebrate Black History Month because it allows us as a people to reflect on and highlight important events and the contributions and perseverance of significant figures who have been impactful and meaningful in shaping our present and future.

Black History Month is not a celebration merely because I am Black.

It is important to be reminded that Black History Month is about my history, your history, our history, and recognizing the stories and struggles of our ancestors and the generational impacts that have led us to be resilient people who are empowered to forge ahead despite the odds.

This year, as we celebrate Black History month, I want to start off first with acknowledging this as being a monumental and historic year with a new administration, the appointment of our first ever Black/Asian woman Vice President, Kamala Harris, whose agenda will be promoting diversity and inclusion. 

You will recall during this time last year, leaders in our communities were encouraging their constituents to get out and vote and reaffirmed to them that their voices mattered. The results were beyond AMAZING! 

Secondly, I want to honor a historic man of conscience – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. While there have been many, one of Dr. King’s most profound and courageous messages for me as a leader is that ON CONSCIENCE. 

“Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ There are times when one must take a stand that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but you must do it because it is right.” 

Dr. King also spoke about not being a consensus leader; and that ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus on some positions. Oftentimes in a leadership role, particularly working in a government agency, there is a lot of politics at play.

As such, in my over 20 years in leadership and management positions, I have had to learn to balance my role as a servant leader within my organization with that of leadership teachings within my community, as I fulfill my obligation as a steward and advocate for both. To this day, I continue to be guided by that truth, both personally and professionally, and never compromising my ethics and integrity, and always doing what is right even when it is not popular.

Okay, listeners, we are just warming up at the table! I’d like to now introduce our special guest, Dr. Keith Claybrook.

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