Jeanetta Williams, President of NAACP Utah Chapter and Shawn Newell, Vice President of NAACP Utah Chapter
TUESDAY | JUNE 30 2020 | 7:00-8:30 pm
In times of stress and upheaval it can be very helpful to get curious and listen. Jeanette and Shawn will share their thoughts and experiences living as Black people in a very White world.
GATHERING AT:
Your home or hang out of choice via Zoom.
Jana Spangler will host us again. Thank you Jana. Below is some helpful info for being part of a Zoom convo. Close to the event date I will send the Zoom link via email. If you are not on my email list then either join at the bottom of this site’s home page or text me at 801-695-5036.
Find a comfortable chair and join us!
THE CONVERSATION:
I asked Jeanetta and Shawn to share with us their experiences with racism because I want to better understand how Blacks see the world I live in. I have had some association with Shawn in past community conversations and was impressed with him and saddened to hear about the racism he has experienced in Utah. Jeanetta, I don’t know personally but felt that it would be valuable to hear a Black woman’s experience who has worked many years for civil rights in Utah.
For the first 30-40 minutes we will have Shawn and Jeanetta share their experiences and then take some questions. If there is time we will then break into small groups to discuss what we’ve learned for about 15 minutes and then share what came up in the larger group. Please be conscious of sharing airtime with others and listening with resilience and compassion. You can find some helpful conversation guidelines here.
The NAACP was formed in 1909 as a bi-racial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans. It has a long and storied history of advancing civil rights for all. The last several years there has been some positive exchanges and cooperation between the NAACP and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
ABOUT SHAWN
Shawn is the Vice President of Business Development at Industrial Supply Company where he has worked for the past 35 years. He serves as a community integrator working as the vice president of the Salt Lake Branch of the NAACP, as a former Commissioner on the Governor’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Commission, he heads the Utah Multicultural Civic Council, serves on the Board of the Utah Non-Profit Association and is a member of the ME4U coalition. Shawn is a member of the Utah Manufacturer’s Association Board, and former Chair of the Workforce and Economic Development Advisory Board at Salt Lake Community College where he has served as the Alumni Council President for Salt Lake Community College and a Trustee for SLCC. Mr. Newell is a Civility Ambassador for World Civility through iChange Nations. Additionally, he serves on the Utah Courts Committee for Self-Represented Parties, a member of the Utah State Board of Education and as a President’s Ambassador for the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Newell also serves on the Utah State Department of Workforce services as an appointed Board member and was recently appointed to the Board of the Utah System of Higher Education.
Shawn is a graduate of the University of Utah, Salt lake Community College and has a Masters of Management degree from the University of Phoenix. He holds an Executive leadership certification from the University of Utah School of Business and a Diversity and Inclusion certificate from Cornell.
In Mr. Newell’s spare time he officiates youth sports. Mr. Newell is married, the father of three and has four grandchildren.
ABOUT JEANETTA
Jeanetta Williams is President of the NAACP Salt Lake Branch and NAACP Tri-State Conference of Idaho, Nevada and Utah. She was elected to the NAACP National Board of Directors and served six years from 1996-2002.
Jeanetta retired from U S West Communications (Now CenturyLink) after twenty years working with small businesses. After leaving U S West Communications, Jeanetta worked for Utah Transit Authority (UTA) in the Public Relations and Marketing Department as the Community Relations Specialist. While at UTA, Jeanetta founded the Utah Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Chapter, which was created to provide a forum for senior minority professionals in the transportation industry. After 12 years, Jeanetta retired from UTA.
Jeanetta served on the West Valley City Police Professional Standards Review Board for twenty years, Salt Lake City Police Citizens Review Board, YWCA Board, Salt Lake Community College Bruins Athletic Committee, University of Utah Health Sciences Minority Committee and numerous other community Organizations and Boards. Jeanetta is the co-founder of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Multi-Ethnic Business Committee. She served as a member of the Utah State Bar Ethics and Discipline Committee, investigating grievances against Lawyers. She served as Co-Chair of the Pre-Adjudication Committee of the Utah Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Legal System. Jeanetta was one of six individuals to sign a petition to force Vouchers on the ballot in Utah. The initiative was won by 62% of the voters.
Jeanetta authored a chapter in a book, “Utah 2050” that was published, and foreword by Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., former Governor of Utah. Jeanetta has a Bachelor of Arts in Management and a Masters Degree in Business.
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TIPS FOR BETTER ZOOMING
Before you begin the Zoom Conversation:
- Prior to when we meet, get your camera and mic ready and troubleshoot any problems. It would be wise to do a dry run with the camera and microphone on your device before we converse. Best to have the camera at eye level so that it is as if we would talk to each other in person. You can use a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.
- If you are having difficulty with the technology, don’t hold up the meeting by distracting other participants for solutions. Try Googling your problem. I do that with most of my life’s problems.
- Find a quiet place to get comfortable and that you can hang out in for a couple of hours.
- Be aware that the rest of the group can see you and what is behind you. Avoid having bright lights, distracting images, or people or pets wandering around behind you. No Bigfoot bombing in the background please.
- Please don’t wander around doing other things. This is not General Conference, it’s a CONVERSATION.
- And don’t pick your nose. Besides, we aren’t supposed to be touching our faces anyway right now.
- Mute your microphone when you are not speaking so noises are not heard by everyone else
- Resist the urge to multitask—be with us people. Knitting is still allowed though.
- Please share air time and follow the guidelines under “Intentions” on this website.
To enter the Zoom conversation:
- Click on the Zoom link above, and if a password is requested, enter the one given above.
- Once you click the link Zoom should open, and you should be able to see and hear other participants.
- If you can’t hear the host, me, or others, find your settings and make sure you have a working microphone and speaker selected. Also, make sure you have your volume up.
