#224 iChange Justice Podcast: "Where do we go from here? A 3rd Conversation with Mel Hoover, James Addington, William Gardiner & Host Karen Ball: Chaos or Community?"

Unpacking Inclusion, Control, and Affection: A Clinical Look at the Structures of Power and Systemic Trauma.

How can communities collectively imagine self-determination and liberation from systemic domination? This episode tackles that question by examining the "moral imaginary" required to move past our current social chaos. Mel Hoover sets the stage by citing James Baldwin’s 1963 reality check: “We made the world we’re living in and we have to make it over.” The panel explores how the truth of our lived experience has been covered up by dehumanizing ideologies, undermining our capacity to pursue an equitable future.

To understand this landscape, the guests introduce a clinical framework for evaluating community health through three core principles: Inclusion, Control, and Affection. Dr. Bill Gardiner traces the history of "who is in and who is out" back to the Naturalization Act of 1790, which legally defined citizenship based on whiteness. The panel connects this history to modern-day voter "integrity" efforts and the habitual use of power—and often violence—to suppress successful, interracial movements like the "Black Wall Street" in Tulsa or the Battle of Blair Mountain.

Finally, the group defines Affection as heartfelt, emotional connections that can only blossom once Inclusion is addressed and Control (power) is shared. The conversation concludes with a call for authentic solidarity, encouraging listeners to heal collective trauma by having "skin in the game."