Vanderbloemen’s Post

It's National Leave a Review Day. For everyone who has left a review, we appreciate it. Your feedback is valued. If you haven't left a review for Spherion Gainesville and would like to, here's our link to leave a review: https://lnkd.in/d2BGKJw4

Growth and Expansion for Caucasians yes Growth for Blacks NO !!! Cerner project under Sly James how many black contractors and labor force?? Mayor Lucas how many Black contractors on Meta/Turner project 5% How many Caucasians 95% Kcmo urban core 40% Black? Also no minorities allowed on Meta/Turner, Ordinance created by Mayor Lucas and City Council? Ask about that? Nope because it involves Blacks? ORDINANCE NO. 230401 Amending Chapter 3, Code of Ordinances, by repealing Section 3-431, “Setting Goals for Individual Contracts” and enacting in lieu thereof a new section of like number and subject matter regulating the application of numeric MBE/WBE goals on certain projects leased for development.

Had some more thoughts to share about my trip back to Lehigh. Check out my blog post https://wix.to/wTnfcOV #newblogpost

✊🏾 JUNETEENTH ✊🏾 Employers, are you giving your employees the day off and not educating them on the importance of Juneteenth? Bad move. Needs ideas of what actions you can take in your org to honor today (and everyday BTW): ✏️ Employee training: Anti-Racism, Micro Aggressions in the workplace ✏️ Talk about the outcomes and impact of DEIB efforts in your business ✏️ Host a Juneteenth celebration in the office and use local Black vendors. A little late for this option but a great idea for next year. Actually, you can hire more local vendors of color for any event you have. ✏️ Internal and external comms. Late to this party too? Use this amazing resource from Stefanie Fackrell (she/her) as a baseline: https://lnkd.in/gnsNqmkr If you missed any of these opportunities in your org, do better. Someone should own a calendar of cultural / ERG events and have comms planned for the rest of the year that have been reviewed and approved by Leadership. Don't have a plan, running lean in HR, or need extra hands to help out? Let's talk: www.herhrhelpdesk.co

I figure that I'm overdue for an update. After celebrating 6 transformative years with the org on August 1, I am moving on from my role at Grassroots Leadership. It has been an amazing journey doing dope work with people that I love, AND it is time for me to have a different role in this movement. August 14 will be my last day as a staff member with the org that became my political home when I didn't know that I needed one. That brings me to my next update... The jouney of reentry is a lifelong process, and its landscape is treacherous for justice-involved people. Access to quality housing, employment, health care, education, and child care - to name only a few - are challenges that often decide between life, death, and institutions. Between the wave of drug-war PoWs being released after decades of warehousing and the people currently trapped in a "revolving door" relationship with incarceration, the reentry piece of carceral transformation is more important than ever. I know that the life I enjoy today is the exception to the rule. The thing is... I think the rule is firkn ridiculous, and I want to delete it. We want the exception to become the expected. We want to clear the obstacles keeping justice-involved people from having a real chance at prosperity. Now I have a chance to do something about it. As of August 1, I am the Executive Director of Building Promise USA. Time to barbecue or mildew. Who wants to change the landscape with us?

What is happening in Burlington is a bit heartbreaking. There are so many wonderful staff who deserve much much better political leadership. I've lost track of how many fine staff have been summarily fired, have taken earlier-than-planned retirement, or have moved on to other municipalities (I've been a reference for at least a dozen). As I say in my book, "Councils get the staff they deserve". And this is largely a result of the Premier's foolish decision to hand out 'strong mayor' powers. Strong mayors make local governments unarguably less democratic, turn CAOs into political actors (and hatchetpersons), put key municipal decisions into the hands of a single person (who may place their political self-interest above the community's). And, of course, strong mayor powers effectively reduce the rest of council to onlooker status. What is happening in Burlington is also a function of this new reality: If you are slick on social media, and follow the populist playbook, you can often get yourself elected to a municipal leadership role without having a molecule of leadership ability. On the upside, Burlington has hired a superb new City Manager who deserves everyone's support.

Thank you to Christopher Brown for such a thoughtful piece. We are losing good people and will continue to. My question for everyone is do we care? Do we need to define what we consider "good people?" It feels like we are sounding the alarms bells but are people listening? These points stuck out; "Alberta, too, suffers when capable, community-focused politicians step away from the table. We often lament the lack of “good people” in politics, yet we create an environment that drives them away. The constant demand for perfection, combined with the vitriol of public criticism, makes politics an increasingly unattractive career choice. Why would anyone want to endure the stress, scrutiny, and personal sacrifice when the rewards are so minimal? It’s time to acknowledge the toxic culture we’ve fostered around public service. If we want competent, compassionate leaders, we need to start treating them with the respect and empathy they deserve. That begins with recognizing their humanity and supporting them when they face personal challenges." #politics #municipalelections #municipalpoliticians #CityCouncillor #GoodPeople #StrongCandidates #WomenInPolitics #MunicipalGovernment

🚨 Big Announcement! 🚨 After months of hard work, I’m proud to announce the completion of our 200+ page platform, titled The NOLA Prosperity and Cultural Preservation Plan—a comprehensive vision for the future of New Orleans. This plan isn’t just about making promises, it’s about real solutions that focus on prosperity and preserving our unique culture for generations to come. Our plan is built around 4 key pillars: 1️⃣ Education and Teacher Reform: We will revitalize our public neighborhood schools, support our teachers, and invest in trade programs that will equip our students with the skills they need to succeed. 2️⃣ Crime and Anti-Corruption Reform: It’s time to clean up City Hall and restore trust in our local government by targeting corruption and ensuring public safety for all. 3️⃣ Mental and Medical Healthcare Reform: We’re committed to expanding access to mental health services, ensuring every New Orleanian has the care they deserve. We’re also pushing for a state-of-the-art behavioral health hospital to support those in crisis. 4️⃣ Job Creation and Infrastructure Development: From fixing our broken streets to creating 41,000 sustainable jobs, we are laying the foundation for a stronger, more resilient economy. This platform represents a historic movement for New Orleans—a city that deserves real leadership and a plan that doesn’t just talk about change but makes it happen. Let’s make history together. Join me as we work toward a New Orleans that is prosperous, just, and culturally vibrant! #nola #neworleans #twiggsformayor #nolalife #hope

Here is this week's edition of your MUST KNOW connections to grow your network personally and professionally. First up is Emily Webb. It's always great when you get to see Emily for the first time since she started her new job to celebrate her. Even better when you get to do it at a Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) event for ambassadors of the organization trying to fight against food insecurity. If you know Emily you know she's a rock star in everything she does, but one of those key areas is this cause. One of these days we will probably do a joint event for it, so we will expect to see you there. Next is Obed Perez & RL Almeida, C.M. with One Staffing. Quickly these guys have become my friends. They spend time staffing for the trades with people in their network. Their team gets stuff done. In construction and needing reliable and solid work done for a project? These guys can know it out. DSM is lucky to have these guys from Houston to now call it home. Last, but definitely not least, is Garth Einsel with E4 Construction. Garth is a part of a little bit of everything from water treatment, to roofing and construction. I hadn't seen this guy for years then all of a sudden I see him what seems like all the time now. He's a bright guy always thinking about how to expand and grow. I'll say it again: MAKE SURE TO MAKE EFFORTS TO MEET YOUR #LINKEDIN CONNECTIONS. They are so beneficial to life and business. Connect with these people. Get to know these people. Promote these people. Together we can change the world. #promotepeoplenotproducts #dsmusa #reppdesmoines #networking #jacobfromlinkedin #businessdevelopment #youngprofessionals

Two day until #Juneteenth: how are you celebrating? The date printed on the Juneteenth flag shown here is June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. That's a full 2 1/2 lf years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became official on January 1, 1863. Due to the scarcity of Union troops in Texas, the Emancipation Proclamation was not enforced there. After General Lee surrendered in April 1865, the Union forces were finally able to overcome the resistance. That's what enabled Granger's announcement to have real impact. The celebration of the day, though, waxed and waned, drooped in the 1900s and then revitalized in the middle with the rise of the Civil Rights movement As Texas is where it happened, it's fitting that it was the first state to recognize the day and make it a state holiday. The legislation was introduced by Al Edward and was passed through the Texas Legislature in 1979. Juneteenth and was officially made a Texas state holiday on January 1, 1980. Interestingly , it took New York State over 40 years to follow Texas' example. On June 17, 2020, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo issued an Executive Order recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday for state employees. He also declared an attention to advance legislation for it to become an official state holiday by 2021. But that made little practical difference because on June 17, 2021 the president signed the bill that made Juneteenth into a federal holiday.