In this episode we’re joined by Shari Davis, Executive Director of the Participatory Budgeting Project, and Derrick Braziel, co-founder and Development Director of MORTAR Cincinnati.

On today’s show, we follow the money. We discuss public budgeting processes, the moral weight of budget decisions, and the opportunities we have to make these documents “living, breathing reflections of community need and community-driven investment.” Participatory budgeting (PB) is a process by which all people in a community can play a role in shaping the kinds of projects their governments spend money on. We discuss what this means in general, and what role PB plays in rethinking public safety and economic development. 

We also discuss the reality for many Americans—especially in communities of color—who have a business idea but lack the connections to necessary tools and resources to get off the ground. Derrick started MORTAR to help people from marginalized groups get the training and resources to start and grow their own businesses. In addition to the programs MORTAR runs, Derrick discusses some of the policies they pushed for locally that have helped ensure the viability of the Cincinnati's Black-owned businesses.

In addition to this background, we discuss:

• Some of the biggest barriers to challenging the status quo in city governments
• Trust and mistrust in local government
• Fighting for systemic change while also experiencing trauma
• How COVID-19 and the growing movement for Black lives have affected the ways Derrick and Shari are thinking about their work—and what’s possible
• The importance of narrative shift when conditions shift—and the importance of sharing stories that seldom get told
• What we mean by “safety”—and who we’ve too often left out of the discussion
• Investing in the broader ecosystem of social justice
• How PB is a tool to build the infrastructure for what reinvestment in community looks like
• Whose talent we’ve historically been leaving off the field in our communities—and what the implications are for today’s recovery efforts
• The challenges associated with discussing changes to policing and first response
• How we might make society more democratic and participatory as a whole
• Key takeaways for local government leaders
• Book recommendations! (See below)

Links to things mentioned in this show:

• ‘Represent’ initiative in Cincinnati
• Engagement Strategy, by adrienne maree brown
• The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
• Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting, by Lynn Grabhorn
• Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler
• Unapologetic, by Charlene Carruthers
• The Source of Self-Regard, by Toni Morrison

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The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate.

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(This episode features music from No Money & Custodian of Records)

verdunity.com/podcast/episode-66