Ep. 12: Community involvement with Shamiah Kerney.
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Welcome back to the Love Haze, Season 2! In this season, we'll be exploring the journey towards purpose and how our experiences shape our paths.
Today, we're joined by Shamiah Kearney, the Deputy Director of Performance Management in the Executive Office of the Mayor for the District of Columbia. She's also an active volunteer and leader in various organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
Shamaiah shares her insights on evaluating service delivery, assessing equity, and making budget decisions for the community. Join us as we delve into the world of purpose.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
Getting to know Shamiah and what she does [2:45]
She grew up in Compton, California and moved to Atlanta to attend Clark Atlanta University.
She was curious about the policies that led to communities of color having limited resources and wanted to understand the decision-making process.
She pursued a degree in Community Economic Development and initially wanted to become a city planner to steer investment in communities of color.
She later transitioned into public policy, working at the Government Accountability Office to shape public policy and make government more efficient and effective for everyone.
She then moved to the District of Columbia to work in local government, where she is able to see the direct impacts of her public policy decisions.
How can we make the change that we want to see in our communities? [12:18]
Educating ourselves
Informative conversations with our friends
Access information through the internet and other sources to learn about government dynamics
Attend city council and school board meetings to stay informed about decisions affecting your community
Challenge friends to be politically engaged and accountable for their own environments
Discuss political questions with friends, including voting habits and policy impacts
Recognize that policy decisions affect every individual and challenge friends to take action on complaints by engaging with government agencies and policies.
Following our curiosities [15:23]
Actively seek out information
Let your curiosities lead you into something greater
The haze of being a public servant [17:25]
Always trying to figure out their purpose and if they are on the right track to fulfilling it.
Not fulfilling parts of their purpose due to waiting for others' approval.
Shamiah is passionate about public policy and has considered running for public office, but is aware of the potential negative impact on their family.
How to know you’re on the right path? [41:22]
Everyone has a purpose, but not everyone follows it
Following your purpose means making life happen, rather than life happening to you
Fulfillment is an innate feeling that comes with following your purpose
Signs can come in dreams, particularly during moments of vulnerability
Even discomfort can be a sign that you're where you're supposed to be.
EPISODE QUOTES:
Everything that I've learned, I've learned because I was either mad about something or curious enough to figure it out.
-Shamiah Kerney
Some of us can get stuck and get stagnant and feel like we're not worthy, because of what we've been through and some of the mistakes that we've made. And I think it's really just a continuum, like it's a natural flow into your next level. It's like this understanding that you still have purpose, you still have work that you're supposed to be doing, there is more that is required of you, after you you're healing.
- Scott Hayes
Sometimes I'm the only person of color, the only black woman. And so those conversations can be challenging, but my superpower is speaking truth to power.. It's been a blessing to be at the table. It's been a burden to have to always represent us. I'm happy to do it, but it does. It does feel challenging. Sometimes it is painful, especially if I feel like I haven't represented us in the walk in the right way. Or that someone has walked away from an interaction with me making generalizations about us as a community that I think are unfair.
-Shamiah Kerney
Everybody has a purpose. It is just a decision point about whether you're going to follow it or not. And I don't know that everybody taps into their decision point, life doesn't happen to you, you make life happen. For the people who kind of are of the mindset that life happens to them, then more than likely, they're not following their purpose.- Shamiah Kerney
CHECK IN WITH SCOTT AND SHATÉ:
Spotify Playlist - Music for this moment.
Follow @iamshate on Instagram
Follow @scotthayes_lcsw on Instagram
ABOUT SHAMIAH KERNEY
Shamiah T. Kerney is motivational, ambitious, energetic, and personable, but most of all a servant leader and change agent. A native of Long Beach, California, Shamiah attended Clark-Atlanta University, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. She also earned a Paralegal Certification from the University of San Diego in San Diego, California. After working as a paralegal for several large law firms in Metro Atlanta, Shamiah returned to Clark-Atlanta University where she then earned a Master’s in Public Administration, concentrating in Community and Economic Development.
Shamiah has a passion for public policy, thus propelling her to a 15-year career in public service. She is currently employed as the Deputy Director of Performance Management, working in the Executive Office of the Mayor for the District of Columbia. In this role, Shamiah is responsible for evaluating service delivery to the residents and businesses in the District of Columbia and also assessing equity in budget making decisions. Prior to taking this role, Shamiah was employed as a Senior Analyst at the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) with the Financial Markets and Community Investment team in the Atlanta Field Office. As a part of this team, Shamiah conducted program audits and evaluations at the request of Congress for federal programs related to housing, disaster assistance, insurance, small business assistance, and the U.S. financial systems.
Shamiah is also active in the community, volunteering with and serving in leadership roles for various non-profit organizations such as the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), 100 Black Women and Making a Future Defined by Excellence and Thought (MAFDET) Incorporated. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Shamiah is married to her wonderful husband of 12 years and resides in Washington, D.C.
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