Philip Jack: A Dialogue Around Race and Class, Life in a 1950s NYC Housing Project

About Philip Jack: He's a retired educator who humorously describes himself as a jack of all trades, master of some. He was once described as a good educator as he didn't teach subjects; instead, he taught students. In his early life, his family lived in the projects in the northern Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood. He attended public school through high school. Early on, he was employed at retail department stores and sleepaway camps. HIs professional positions included adjunct lecturer of Math and Writing at the City University of New York, district coordinator at the New York City School Volunteer program, teacher and curriculum coordinator at the Young Adult Learning Academy, and instructor in anatomy and physiology and billing technology at the East Harlem Training Initiative of Mount Sinai Hospital. He had also been principal at the Wildcat III Academy and director of internship at John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School. In this episode, Jordan and Philip discuss: What is it like to grow up in a multicultural environment? Why people are uncomfortable with topics around race Inviting people to have open conversations Key Takeaways A multicultural environment contributes a lot to your world view and perspective in life in regards to relating to other people. Being able to be open with someone when it comes to topics regarding race and class is related to trust and how safe someone feels with somebody else. People these days are wary of each other because people grew up separately from each other. Invite people and ask them if they would like to participate in discussion. Offer a safe space for them. These days, it's important that we welcome people to have these kinds of conversations and extend it to the future. "This is a country that is full of people from different places, with different ideas, different religions, different mores, but we have to get along. The fact that we're all underneath a rule of law and a Constitution changes how we have to feel about each other." — Philip Jack Connect with Philip Jack: Email: [email protected] Connect with Jordan: For executives wanting a complimentary executive coaching conversation: [email protected] Website: www.workplacewarriorinc.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordangoldrich1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordan.goldrich Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordangoldrich/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgoldrich/