Overview: Ber-Henda Williams is an empathic coach and facilitator, a bilingual poet and storyteller, and founder of The Power of Girlhood, a leadership institute for teen girls in Detroit.
In this conversation, we talk about Detroit, and about going against the tide and leading from where we are. We talk about the need for curiosity, love poetry as a tool against the political power structure, and going toe-to-toe with the boys in class, laying down beats and rhymes. We’ve got special shoutouts to DJ Kool Herc and Sheila E. (“she’s not just some Prince protegé”), among many other influences, including Eve Ensler and her play, “The Vagina Monologues.” These things and much more in this episode of the Humanitou Podcast.
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EP 106 SHOW NOTES, LINKS & INTRO TRANSCRIPT*
Connect with Ber-Henda Williams:
Website: ber-hendawilliams.com
Instagram: @berhenda
The Power of Girlhood: thepowerofgirlhood.org
Connect with Adam Williams / Humanitou:
Humanitou on Instagram: @humanitou
Subscribe: Humanitou Newsletter
Photography
Bryana Williams, bmoreyouphotography.com
Intro/Outro Music
“Tupac Lives” by John Bartmann | freemusicarchive.org
*Full transcript coming.
INTRO TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to Humanitou. I’m Adam Williams, creator and host of this podcast series about humanness and creativity.
Today, I’m talking with Ber-Henda Williams once again. You might remember Ber-Henda from episode 20 of the podcast. In that conversation, we set aside what we thought we were going to talk about, in order to address more pressing matters, like, what at the time, was the most recent police shooting of an unarmed black man, Jacob Blake.
Now we’ve come back together to talk about Ber-Henda’s story, how she shines light in the world, and what she’s learning as she goes. Ber-Henda is an empathic coach and facilitator, a bilingual poet and storyteller, and founder of The Power of Girlhood, a leadership institute for teen girls in metro Detroit.
But first, a quick reminder: I often post on the Humanitou Instagram page — @humanitou — using the hashtag #WeAreAllHumanitou. Because we are. We’re all human and we’re all connected in this human experience. And exploring that connection and humanity — for me personally, and for us together — is what Humanitou is about.
So, as we get into Ber-Henda’s stories and insights of her humanness and creativity — and as you listen to any episode of the Humanitou Podcast — I encourage you to consider how you live humanness and creativity in your life. Or, put another way, since we are all Humanitou, really consider for yourself: How are you Humanitou?
Now, Ber-Henda.
In this conversation, we talk about the power in one’s name, like in the name Ber-Henda. We talk about leadership and empathy, spirituality and the necessity of curiosity.
Ber-Henda shares how she confronts FOMO — the fear of missing out — and the “killer of joy” that is comparison of self to others. She tells about the meaning of poetry in her life, and of love as a path to shaking up the current system of political power.
We get into the history of hip-hop music and its roots in Latin American and African rhythms. Along the way, I learn what the “E” stands for in the famous musician Sheila E.’s name, and that, as Ber-Henda somewhat emphatically clarifies, Sheila E. is not just some Prince protege.
We also talk about the power of Eve Ensler’s play, “The Vagina Monologues,” and why Ber-Henda founded The Power of Girlhood.
Among other things.
Here is my conversation with the self-described “femolutionary,” Ber-Henda Williams.
