Race, Identity and Democracy with Hassan Hodges

“Get curious, get involved, and I think everybody would like to be doing more. I know that I am not doing enough, but awareness is the place where it starts. You’re not going to go out and take a big action unless you’re aware that this is something that needs to be addressed.” - Hassan HodgesWith the US election right around the corner and tensions at an all-time high, I wanted to bring someone on the podcast to help tackle the issues about race, and to share the importance of getting out to vote and having your voice heard. Hassan Hodges spent 20 years telling himself that photography should just be an expensive hobby. The flood gates opened for him in 2019 though when he saw the joy he could spread by showing people the world as he sees it.Hassan was born in a small village in Sierra Leone, and his American parents were former Peace Corps Volunteers who had stayed overseas building schools and doing other community development work. He lived in Sierra Leone and Liberia before moving to New Jersey while in elementary school, and he says this is where his compassion and dedication to doing work that matters was hatched. In this episode Hassan reveals his own perspectives that were formed during his childhood to current day, and we covered so many critical topics in this wide-ranging conversion. I’m so happy that he was able to join me here on Brave By Design so that I could share these insights with you.Connect with Hassan: https://www.hassanhodgesphotography.com/Connect with Laura Khalil online:instagram.com/iambravebydesignlinkedIn.com/in/LauraKhalilLearn the five habits that help women rise:http://bravebydesign.net/fivehabits Invite Laura to speak at your live or virtual event http://bravebydesign.netWhat You’ll Hear In This Episode: Hassan’s own experiences being biracial and how it’s differed depending on who he was with at the time [5:58]The ways he’s realized that he’s been “colorblind” in certain situations, and what he’s now doing about this  [13:46]Why it is so important to see differences and to not only have a singular perspective [22:14]How we can each start to get curious, and then get involved [26:50]A fascinating look at what happened in a past Liberian government coup, plus why this is so relevant in the United States at this current time  [28:15]Additional Links & Resources:Hassan’s Instagram, Facebook & LinkedInSupport the show