Excerpted from a recent interview with Smith College, author and critical race theory scholar Dr. Crystal Fleming believes that fighting racism is about raising awareness and acting in community. As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day this year, we remember Dr King’s call to forming a “Beloved Community” as an outcome of social justice.

For over two decades, Michael Ventura has worked as a leader, facilitator, and educator with a mission to demystify empathy. Concepts and tools from his first book, Applied Empathy: The New Language of Leadership, have been embraced by influential, respected organizations from the ACLU, Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and Nike to The United Nations and the Obama Administration. His work focuses on helping leaders and their teams to practice empathy as a means to deepen connections and catalyze change.