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Host Allison Hare talks to Yendelela Neely Holston, a Cum Laude graduate of Duke University School of Law and the Partner and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. Yendelela Neely Holston talks about her open letter responding to OK Cafe owner Susan DeRose\u2019s stance on Black Lives Matter. OK Cafe is a 50-year-old Atlanta institution, along with Blue Ridge Grill and Bone\u2019s Steakhouse. During a peaceful Black Lives Matter march that was going past OK Cafe, a few weeks ago in response, there was a huge banner that stated, \u2018Lives That Matter Are Made With Positive Purpose. The backlash to the owners putting up this cryptic banner was immediate.\xa0\nEpisode Highlights:\n\nAllison Hare introduces Yendelela Neely Holston.\xa0\n\nAllison started a course called Press Play Podcast.\xa0\xa0\n\nWhat prompted Yendelela Neely Holston to write her letter?\xa0\n\nWhat has the response been like to her letter?\xa0\n\nWhat is her call to action for people that are going to continue to stand up for black lives?\xa0\n\nHas there been a shift towards radical empathy?\n\nWhy are people fighting so hard for the status quo?\n\nWhy did Yendelela Neely Holston get involved in a career in law?\xa0\n\nWhat is her ultimate goal as a diversity officer?\xa0\xa0\n\nWhat does she know that she wishes other people knew?\xa0\xa0\xa0\n\nWhat is next for Yendelela Neely Holston?\n\nHow does she feel after having written her letter?\xa0\n\n3 Key Points\n\nAnti-racism is the key to confront racism.\xa0\n\nPeople don\u2019t have to be white to be racist. Perpetuating racism makes someone racist.\xa0\n\nYendelela Neely Holston started a pipeline program for law school readiness for historically underrepresented individuals on two coasts with two of her firm's largest clients.\xa0\n\nTweetable Quotes:\n\n\u201cNot doing something that is overtly racist is not enough, because we all function and live within a racist society. So, doing nothing, you are perpetuating racism. Period. Unless you are actively working against it, you are perpetuating it.\u201d \u2013Yendelela Neely Holston\n\n\u201cI think that\u2019s how we continue to not address things over history is that we reframe them in ways that are convenient and minimize what the real issue is.\u201d \u2013Yendelela Neely Holston\n\n(Systemic racism) \u201cIt is not a lack of intellectual horsepower. It is not a lack of ability. It is because you're just spending so much time how this works. You don\u2019t have a cousin or an uncle or family friend to call and help navigate through.\u201d \u2013Yendelela Neely Holston\n\n\xa0\nResources Mentioned:\nFind me everywhere at Allison\u2019s Linktree.\nFollow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/allison__hare\nPress Play Podcasts - Launch Your Podcast in 6 weeks! https://pressplaypodcasts.co\nSticky Notes Blog: https://allisonhare.com/blog\n\nYendelela Neely Holston social media: Linkedin\xa0\xa0\n\nYendelela Neely Holston\u2019s open letter: Open Letter to Susan DeRose\n\n\n\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices