AN INVITATION TO BECOME with Ben McBride

”Ben’s Journey to Becoming”

Ben McBride is here because an enslaved African woman saw a future beyond the life she was forced into. That’s cathedral thinking — envisioning something beautiful you’ll never see yourself.
A fourth-generation Pentecostal preacher and direct descendent of the Jim Crow era, Ben tells us how love drove him out of his comfort zone and into a life of activism and why we all have to give up power and privilege to create a world where everyone belongs. BIO: Ben McBride, Empower Initiative founder, and CEO, is a spiritual leader and longtime activist for social change. He was instrumental in Operation Ceasefire’s violence reduction programs in Oakland, and he was co-director of Faith in Action California, where he represented more than 450,000 people in efforts to dismantle structural inequities and face white supremacy head-on.
Today, he leads Empower Initiative full-time, personally delivering keynote addresses and spearheading private consulting engagements in service of EI’s mission to create a world where everyone belongs.

”Pookie and the Pastor”

At age 5, Jabari Holder stood between his mother and a bullet. Not long after, he lost his mother and became an orphan.
Years of bouncing around the foster system hardened him, forcing him to do what it takes to survive in an environment where many Black men like him don’t make it past age 25.
So how did a man who’s been both a victim and perpetrator of gun violence — who’s already endured a lifetime of trauma dodging death in the streets — embrace belonging and become a peacemaker and anti-violence activist? Listen to find out.
BIO: A product of the unforgiving streets of East Oakland, Jabari Holder became a peacemaker against all odds. Through Oakland Ceasefire, he changed his life and has empowered others through his work. His journey demonstrates what’s possible when belonging is put at the center of the story.

”What did your WIFE say?”, Part 2

How can you protect the community and protect your own family? Can we fight harm and injustice beyond our walls without sacrificing the safety of our loved ones? That’s the balance Gynelle McBride fought to maintain as host Ben McBride became more exposed and at risk as an activist.
Gynelle talks about her role as a wife and mother as the Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson ramped up, and tells us about the role restorative justice — not just DEI tools and training — has to play today in fostering belonging in organizations and the world around us.
[This is the second part of our two-part interview.]
Gynelle McBride is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Empower Initiative. She has been a pillar in the lives of Oakland’s underserved youth through her public-education leadership. She is married to Empower co-founder, CEO, and podcast host Ben McBride, and they have three young-adult daughters together.

“What did your WIFE say?”, Part 1

Gynelle McBride never imagined herself as a married woman — let alone married and raising three young daughters in Oakland’s “Kill Zone.” But as her relationship with our host, Ben McBride, evolved, that’s exactly what happened. 
Gynelle tells us about discovering her soft side and her strong side — and feeling a selfless side emerge to care for her family. She also shares one simple piece of advice for anyone looking to become part of making our world better.
[This is the first part of our two-part interview.]
Gynelle McBride is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Empower Initiative. She has been a pillar in the lives of Oakland’s underserved youth through her public-education leadership. She is married to Empower co-founder, CEO, and podcast host Ben McBride, and they have three young-adult daughters together.

”The Chief and The Activist” - Part 1

An avowed abolitionist and a police chief come face to face: as longtime friends, at a protest on a blocked Oakland freeway, and in our studio. 
Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong tells us about the deeply personal loss at age 13 that paved the way to his career in public safety, how Black Lives Matter and heightened awareness of police violence has affected his work, and his now-complicated relationship with residents of the poor Black community where he grew up.
[This is part one of a two-part interview.]
About Chief LeRonne Armstrong: Born and raised in West Oakland, Chief LeRonne Armstrong has worked in public safety for more than 25 years. He was instrumental in creating and implementing the Ceasefire model that reduced homicides nationwide by 50 percent over five years. Committed to building trust between police and community, Armstrong models what bridging looks like when the stakes are high.

”The Chief and The Activist” - Part 2

There are two things you should know about Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong: He cares, and he’s not scared.
Armstrong’s role has nothing to do with political beliefs and everything to do with preserving Black life. Find out how he keeps showing up for work when so many people see him as a threat, the role of listening in his work, and how he’s leading as a bridge between a community impacted by violence and a police force plagued by a history of violence.
[This is part two of our two-part interview.]