S04 Episode 203 | MANPREET KAUR KALRA, THE WHITE-WASHING OF SOCIAL IMPACT + BUILDING INCLUSIVE BRAND NARRATIVES

<p class=""><img src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/99761/ConsciousChatter-Manpreet-libsyn.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="600" /></p> <p class="">In episode 203, Kestrel welcomes Manpreet Kaur Kalra, the founder of Art of Citizenry, to the show. An activist and educator, <a href="https://www.artofcitizenry.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manpreet</a> is dedicated to exploring the intersection of digital media, social impact and justice.</p> <h2>“One of those very tangible things that I often tell people that they need to work on is the language they use — really being thoughtful about words such as <em>empowerment</em>, which really imply this idea of the person on the receiving end is not empowered to begin with.”</h2> <h2>-Manpreet Kaur Kalra, Founder of Art of Citizenry</h2> <p class="">On this week’s show, Manpreet shares more on what led her from the tech industry to creating her own unique business in the social impact space. After discovering how the minority voice is lost in sustainability, Manpreet set out to address power dynamics in social entrepreneurship.</p> <p class="">Throughout the conversation, Manpreet breaks down more on heropreneurship, white saviorism, and what decolonization means to her. She also dives into more on how fashion has been built on appropriation, and what brands can be doing today to work toward building more cultural humility and empathy into their businesses.</p> <p class="">The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat:</p> <ul> <li> <p class=""><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phulkari" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phulkari</a>, traditional embroidery technique from Punjab</p> </li> <li> <p class="">“For me, I realized that colonization continues to influence society’s pervasive assumption that people of color need saving — and this idea of there being a Global North vs Global South really just reinforces that.” -Manpreet</p> </li> <li> <p class=""><a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North%E2%80%93South_divide#Brandt_Line