Dr. Felicia Mayfield will inspire you with her wisdom, educate you with her story, and compel you to make a difference with your talents and your time. This educator’s approach to life is deeply embedded in her view of the world, her interactions with others, and her hope for the change that relationships and learning can generate. Join Felicia as she provides insights from the perspective of a self-described “child of civil rights,” reflecting on the day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated, her childhood growing up in a mission, nearly half of a century as an educator, and as a key figure in actions taken as a result of litigation addressing desegregation. Her faith, convictions, and professionalism have permeated all of her experiences, and her optimism about the noble field of education grows stronger each year. Join our guest as she touches on concepts such as social media, social justice, and social responsibility, mentions the role that historically black colleges have played–and can play–in advocacy for everyone, and discusses the balance between research and practice in the teaching and learning process. Felicia is a master gardener, a keeper of the dream, a mother and grandmother, and a true professional, in every sense of the word. This is an episode you will definitely want to share with others.
Clark Atlanta University, one of 101 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the nation (3:05)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. attended college on this campus (3:25)
Social mobility through education (5:05)
Three times a Panther (6:05)
Identified as a future leader in DeKalb County Schools (7:00)
Year 45 and counting – a lifetime dedicated to serving others (9:00)
A court order and Felicia’s first teaching position (9:20)
Nearly a dozen languages spoken in the school (10:05)
Seven years, seven years, seven years… (10:25)
Too many principals of color in some schools (11:05)
Education as the most noble field (12:45)
Teachers perpetuate democracy (13:15)
A child of civil rights (13:50)
A fabulous childhood, in a mission (15:05)
A southern midwestern accent (16:35)
There is something bigger than you (17:15)
The Wallace Foundation, Gwinnett Public Schools, and the Principal Pipeline (18:00)
A teacher’s impact is significant (18:45)
The leader must have the big picture (20:00)
Even when you think big, there’s something bigger (21:20)
Leveraging power to impact a community (22:15)
1953, heart of the civil rights struggle, and a segregated community (23:30)
The “mission of the mission” was pushed by the black aristocracy (24:20)
New Orleans, Dubuque, and Memphis (25:20)
The common enemy was never based on someone’s race (25:50)
The good, and the evil, that is colorless (27:30)
Skin tone, or something else, as a core issue? (28:30)
Are you here to contribute, or are you here to take away? (29:40)
It was right in the middle of a housing project (31:10)
This was definitely a bifurcated community (32:20)
Fathers and mothers were paying attention to a lot of things (33:00)
Happy to be able to be an ambassador for my race (35:00)
Had to prove myself, and I had to make all A’s (35:30)
Segregation was about capacity (35:45)
These women were very progressive (36:20)
We need to make sure that everyone has a voice (37:30)
My mother wanted me to go into education (37:50)
Overwhelming sadness (38:35)
The haze as the sun was setting was orange (39:35)
Our home received a phone call (39:55)
Lessons learned from the civil rights struggle and Dr. King’s assassination (41:20)
There is a significant price paid when one person advances at the expense of another (42:25)
What gives birth to civil wars (43:40)
Educator-leaders are in the middle to mitigate our struggles (44:00)
The risk of forgetting (44:45)
Faith and hope that we will continue to do well, learn, listen, and improve (46:20)
Understanding the human condition, everyone has a voice, and emerging from oppression (47:00)
We are learning on a broader screen (48:30)
Working to harvest the best gifts (48:55)
Empowerment, respect, and using the best of what people have to offer (49:45)
History of women’s needs not being met (50:55)
Outcasts, outsiders, and social responsibility (51:15)
I have a responsibility to share what works (52:30)
This is a wonderful time, with so many rich examples of leadership (53:45)
We know what goes into being successful (54:30)
You can “get the call back” after a mistake is made (55:00)
A leader will not make a perfect call every time (55:35)
Systems theory and vision – long-term and right now (57:25)
You must have an undergirding of service to others (58:10)
Personal care shows–in your face, your countenance, and your productivity (59:40)
Don’t work out your inadequacies on social media (1:00:00)
To lead means that you are giving your best self (1:02:10)
Social justice defined as advocacy (1:03:10)
Dr. Moses Norman - insert yourself into a dark place and turn on the light (1:05:00)
I want my experience to be of benefit to someone else (1:07:30)
Leadership and popularity (1:08:20)
The benefits of the earlier harvest (1:08:50)
Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly (1:10:00)
Retirement just keeps moving away from me (1:10:40)
Dr. Fidel Turner and Barbara Hill providing leadership at CAU (1:11:30)
Podcast cover art for Lead. Learn. Change. is a view from Brunnkogel (mountaintop) over the mountains of the Salzkammergut in Austria, courtesy of photographer Simon Berger, published on www.unsplash.com.
The History of Black Catholics in the United States https://www.amazon.com/dp/0824514955/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ysvrEbK92EG5V