Author Archives for Melinda Weekes-Laidlow

March 5, 2012

Another Journey

 

Dear Clients and Colleagues,

I trust this finds you well in every way.

This March 16, 2012 will be my last day with IISC.  In April, I begin work as the Managing Director of The Applied Research Center (ARC), headquartered in New York City.  ARC is a racial justice think tank that uses popular culture, media, research and activism to promote solutions, and is the publisher of Colorlines.com.

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August 11, 2011

"The Help" & The Race Chord

So I just came in from seeing the Hollywood movie that’s got my FaceBook page and Twitter account all abuzz: “The Help,” written and directed by Tate Taylor based on a novel by his childhood friend, Kathryn Stockett. It’s the fictional story of a group of black maids in 1960s Mississippi who agree to share their work lives with a young, aspiring, white female journalist.  It’s clear that yet again this kind of story has struck a dissonant, familiar, chord with the American public — I’ll call it “The Race Chord.”  While black thought leaders I respect are publicly denouncing the flick,  others I also respect are making a point to enthusiastically support it via press releaseRead More

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February 12, 2010

A Week in the Life

Its been a week of provocative, profound and promising experiences on behalf of IISC. I’ve been on the road — learning, training, networking and promoting our work.  Here’s a rundown of some of the great ideas, people and organizations I’ve had the honor of connecting with these last few days:

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August 28, 2009

The Lion of the Senate’s Legacy: How to Step into A Leadership Void

By Melinda Weekes

On Wednesday, August 26, 2009, a great public servant and leader died.  Massachusetts Senator Edward “Teddy” Kennedy’s legacy of service, championing the under-served and working class of our country, had come to an end in one form, now to transition to a legacy of another sort. It was the second day of the Facilitative Leadership course I was co-training, and of course, that morning, we paused to mourn, reflect, reminisce and examine our study of leadership in the brilliant, shining light of his life long leadership practice.

Later in the day, I came across this blog piece published by the Harvard Business Review, entitled, “How Ted Kennedy Got Things Done,” and couldn’t help but notice how much the observations of his distinguished service track so well with several of the attributes and principles of Facilitative Leadership: Read More

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