How public policy sparks generational advancements | Shakita Brooks Jones | TEDxMorehouseCollege

Family History and Policy Impact

• The speaker introduces the concept of the "polygram," a tool that helps students visualize how their family's lives have progressed through education and economic empowerment, and how policies have influenced their family's well-being.
• She shares her own family story, highlighting the struggles and sacrifices of her ancestors, particularly her great-great-grandmother Violet who was enslaved, and her grandmother who faced housing instability and economic hardship.
• The speaker acknowledges the privileges they have due to the struggles and sacrifices of the women before them, including their mothers and grandmothers.
• She encourages the audience to reflect on their own family history and the role that policy has played in shaping their opportunities and those of their ancestors.

Policies of Opportunity and Reproductive Control

• The speaker emphasizes the significance of policies of opportunity, such as the Voting Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act, in advancing the oppressed and enabling her family to overcome poverty and illiteracy.
• She also discusses the history of reproductive control over Black women's bodies, including forced sterilization, and the importance of acknowledging the harm caused by discriminatory policies.

Call for Understanding and Action

• The speaker concludes by calling for understanding, asking why society still devalues the lives of people of color, and advocating for truth and reconciliation to address the harm caused by policies that have had lasting implications.
• She emphasizes the importance of continuing to fight for policies that promote equal opportunities as a way of honoring their ancestors and securing a better future for their descendants.
• She warns of potential consequences if these efforts are not made.