Episode 7: DEI or Just PR? The Future of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Episode 7: DEI or Just PR? The Future of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Is diversity, equity, and inclusion work being dismantled — or simply revealing what was never deeply rooted? In this episode, Kim Casey sits with Candace Moore to explore the current backlash against DEI and what it means for the future of justice work. From corporate about-faces to the silencing of Black women leaders, this conversation goes beyond headlines and into the heart of systems change. Candace reflects on her experience leading equity work in government, the difference between charity and transformation, and why real equity must shift both outcomes and power. Together, they examine what courage, community, and collective leadership will require in this moment. Because equity was never meant to be a press release. It’s a long game. A collective effort. A legacy. Press play — and consider what role you’re willing to play in the future of justice.

Episode 6: Radical Rest: How Black Women Reclaim Time and Energy

What happens when Black women choose to pause in a world that expects us to grind?In this powerful episode of Reclaiming Sisterhood, Kim Casey sits down with author, former civil rights attorney, and former CEO Darlene Hightower to explore rest as resistance. Together, they unpack the weight Black women carry—leading, sustaining, excelling—and the radical act of reclaiming time, energy, and alignment. Darlene shares her journey of walking away from a high-powered leadership role to protect her health, rediscover her creativity, and redefine success on her own terms. This conversation dives into grind culture, guilt, legacy-building, stillness, and the courage it takes to choose yourself. Because rest isn’t laziness. It’s liberation. And when Black women are rested, we don’t just survive—we transform everything.

Episode 5: Crowned in Silence: The Black Women Executing, Unrecognized

In this episode of Reclaiming Sisterhood, co-host sits down with Cecile De Mello, Executive Director of Teamwork Englewood, for a powerful conversation about the unseen labor and overlooked leadership of Black women who sustain institutions without receiving the recognition, resources, or authority their work creates.Together, they explore what it means to be trusted to execute but not empowered to decide, the tension between centering community and claiming credit, and how Black women continue to lead from the margins while systems thrive. Cecile shares how she builds legacy-driven leadership, teaches teams to fund and sustain their work, and pushes back on philanthropy and political structures that resist real transformation.This episode reclaims the narrative of expertise, visibility, and rightful belonging—reminding us that recognition is not ego, it’s equity. The seat was always ours.

Episode 4: When Being Enough is Revolutionary: Unpacking Black Excellence

In this episode of Reclaiming Sisterhood, Kim and Adrienne sit down with educator and advocate Gizelle Clemens to challenge what we’ve been taught about Black excellence—and who gets to define it. Together, they explore how excellence has become both a source of pride and a heavy burden, shaped by capitalism, ableism, and respectability politics.This conversation centers the often-unseen labor of Black women who lead, carry, and create without recognition—and asks what it would mean to redefine excellence as wholeness, rest, community, and self-trust. From mental health and disability to hustle culture and generational expectations, this episode is an invitation to release performance and reclaim worth. Because sometimes, simply being enough is the most radical act of all.

Episode 3: Collaboration and Collective Power: Allies vs. Actionable Support

In this episode, Kim and Adrienne sit down with Karen Freeman Wilson, President & CEO of the Chicago Urban League, to unpack the real dynamics of collaboration among Black women in leadership. Together, they explore the difference between true allyship and “coopetition,” the myths of scarcity culture, and what it takes to build collective power rooted in grace, honesty, and action. Karen shares wisdom from decades of public service—including her time as Mayor of Gary, Indiana—and offers a blueprint for moving from performative support to courageous, transformative sisterhood. This conversation is a masterclass in leading with clarity, confronting competition with compassion, and creating space for Black women to rise together.