The Bayard Desk: Recent Episodes
Nick Bayard
The Bayard Desk aims to bridge divides in a divided age through conversations about governance, community, and culture.
On tonight’s episode of The Bayard Desk, Pierce County Council Chair Derek Young spoke with me about his life and personal experience in elected office and how he and others on the Pierce County Council are working to advance equity and opportunity for all community members. At the end of our conversation, he urged all Pierce County residents to engage with their elected representatives in County Government:
“The American Rescue Plan and the Proposed American Jobs Plan… This is our generation’s New Deal… We have to get this right.”
On March 4th, 2021, I had the great pleasure of speaking with J Manny Santiago, Executive Director of Washington State's LGBTQ Commission, which works to identify the needs of the LGBTQ community and advocate for LGBTQ equity and inclusion in all aspects of state government.
We talked about LGBTQ rights in Washington State, issues like healthcare and housing where disparities for LGBTQ individuals are especially bad, and the importance of building joyful, connected, and inclusive communities.
Information about the Washington State LGBTQ Commission can be found at https://lgbtq.wa.gov/
On February 26th, 2021, I spoke with Michael Liang, Director of Tacoma-based organization Spaceworks, which works to make Tacoma more culturally vibrant and economically strong through training and support for artists and creative entrepreneurs.
We spoke about the creative community in Tacoma, the role of the arts in a strange and divisive time, and the therapeutic and community building power of art.
Michael referenced the Tacoma's Creative's Directory as a great way to support local artists: http://tacomascreatives.com/
Here are links to the specific artists we talked about: Nori Kimura https://www.instagram.com/monkey3productions/ Angela Larsen https://www.instagram.com/lovesomedove/?hl=en Michelle Matlock https://www.michellenicolematlock.com/
This episode features Susan Barbeau, Executive Director of First 5 Fundamentals, and focuses on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children and their families, what supports are available to families of young children in our local community of Pierce County, Washington, the reforms needed in government service delivery, and what parents can do to manage through the multiple crises brought on by this pandemic.
The Family Resources Navigators that Susan mentions during our conversation are available in Pierce County, Washington by calling 2-1-1. More information about those navigators, as well as information on regional diaper banks can be found on the Help Me Grow website: https://www.helpmegrowpierce.org/
The Fair Start for Kids Act, State House Bill 1213, is aimed at making child care more affordable and accessible in Washington State and is currently working its way through the legislature. If people want to get involved, they can visit https://projectchildsuccess.org/ to sign up for the Project Child Success Newsletter, which comes out weekly and includes calls to action and advocacy updates.
Today’s episode is all about community engagement. You'll hear from the always inspiring Tamar Jackson, who, in addition to being a personal friend, is the Director of Community Engagement for WorkForce Central, the agency in charge of workforce development for Pierce County, Washington. Tamar is also the leader of the Pierce County Community Engagement Task Force, which has reinvented how community can come together and build and create a shared vision for the future. We’ll talk about what it takes to bring community together these days and why it’s so important.
Our January 14th, 2021 episode features Professor Timothy Murithi, the head of the Peacebuilding Program at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town, South Africa, which was borne out of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the year 2000. That Commission aimed to ensure that the lessons learned from South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy were taken into account as the nation moved ahead. In this interview, Professor Murithi shares his insight from his 25 year career in peace-building to analyze the attack on the US Capitol and a way forward, including something he has long advocated for: A truth and reconciliation commission for the United States.
Our first episode focuses on the January 6th, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol.
Guests Tarun Cherukuri (Founder and CEO of India-based Indus Action and an Obama Fellow) and Kartik Akileswaran (a strategic international governance advisor) share their reactions to the events of January 6th, 2021 and their perspectives on how we move forward at this pivotal transition point for the United States.