Maya Gwynn
With KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn with Black Perspectives IE, a show where we learn about the amazing things members of the Black community are doing in the Inland Empire. My guest today is Lanae Norwood, Founder and Principal Consultant of L. Norwood & Associates. Thank you so much for being here.
Lanae Norwood
Thank you, Maya, for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.
Maya Gwynn
All right, so originally, I found out about your work because I just Googled, what are the school to prison pipeline statistics in San Bernardino? And then I came across your amazing article you wrote in 2016 titled, I Escaped San Bernardino’s School to Prison Pipeline. Now I'm Working to Dismantle It. You shared that you were a teenager that was a smart girl in trouble, and I just wanted to know, how did you end up on that pathway, and what specific factors do you feel like growing up in San Bernardino contributed to that experience?
Lanae Norwood
I am the child of a family that has deep roots from the South, so my family has this legacy of migration, right? And I think a lot of black families have a similar experience of like family moving from the Midwest or the Deep South, to California to pursue more opportunity and to escape Jim Crow, and then Los Angeles to the Inland Empire to escape, you know, the war on drugs, aka the war on black people. I just think about my mother being a single mom with three kids. She acquired a nursing license and was looking for a good job and the Inland Empire was a community where it was affordable. She could get a good paying job, a good paying government job, as a lot of you know, black men and women were pursuing and really build a life for me and my brothers out here in the Inland Empire. So in the early 90s, we migrated to Rialto from Los Angeles. I was really trying to find my voice and place in my family, which is very big and loud and boisterous and complicated and beautiful, and also in my community, as being a dark skinned girl who, you know, was a little nerdy, I was, you know, I played the clarinet, you know, I played softball, and being a GATE kid, you know. So I wasn't in classes with a lot of the other black kids growing up, so they didn't really know me and my family that well, there was definitely some separation, and then, just like some self-esteem building that I needed at that time, and I'm thankful that I was able to get that later, but that kind of set me on a trajectory of bad decisions, and it all came to a head in 1998 at a Target in Fontana, I made a mistake. I stole some makeup, I stole some hygiene products because I was just trying to beautify myself. That was what I was thinking. And I got caught that night. I was taken to juvenile hall, and I was not returned home to my community. I remember spending what should have been my Sweet 16. I was counting the lines on a 10 by 10 jail cell with cinder blocks, and I remember thinking to myself one day, I'm going to do something about this. So that was really how I was introduced to the school to prison pipeline, my whole future, all the possibility of what I could have been as an honor roll student, as a classically trained clarinetist, as an all-star athlete, all of that would then matter to the system. They saw a girl who made a mistake, and my probation officer and the system, the best means of correction that they could think of is to lock me up and remove me from my community. And those were really tough times.
Maya Gwynn
Also in this article, you wrote about Trayvon Martin being a pivotal moment in your activism, which I completely agree with, while simultaneously feeling like you were on an island in your corporate career, dealing with office politics. And I think that's also a very common thing. You overcome the school to prison pipeline, you get the corporate job that everybody says that you need to get, and you're still feeling othered. The example you gave was dealing with perceptions about your hair and other things, I was wondering, how did those experience help shape your philosophy and your leadership style now, of understanding systemic injustices?
Lanae Norwood
I escaped the school to prison pipeline. I served my time. I actually by default, right before my 18th birthday, I was maxed out. They couldn't keep me anymore. And so right away, the first thing I did when I came back, I enrolled right here at San Bernardino Valley College, and I was like, Okay, I'm going to pick myself up. I'm going to put this behind me, and I'm going to get back on this trajectory, because I always wanted to go to Harvard and I'm going to become a lawyer. I did go to corporate America. I was recruited by a media company, and I got a sales and campaign marketing position, I outperformed all my peers, made the company the most millions of dollars and never was promoted. You see who the higher ups, the C suite is inviting to get to know people or giving them opportunities to launch new products or have the higher value campaigns, and I'm never selected for those even though I'm outperforming everybody. And so I realized then that, you know what, it's not me that's the problem. It's this institution and racism. And around that same time, Trayvon Martin happened, and that, to me was the confirmation of what I had always felt but never was afraid. Confirmed there was always, oh, you're playing the race card. Yeah, you're playing the victim. We don't see color, but we live in an America that absolutely sees color, and the disparities are proven in data. So literally, it wasn't much long after that I quit. I just left my corporate job. I had started doing some consulting, which now has, you know, evolved into L. Norwood & Associates, but I couldn't exist in that way anymore. I was like, No, I got to be a part of figuring out this solution. And I come from a strong lineage of proud black people who have always stood up to injustice. So it was on me to continue that legacy.
Maya Gwynn
Definitely. Speaking of your consulting firm, what does it mean to run a company that's rooted in movement, creativity in a community, instead of like the normal corporate structure?
Lanae Norwood
It was important to me to ensure that I created a company and an organization that was welcoming, where you could come in and you could be your authentic self as long as you did good work. So it was really grounded and steeped in that belief that I think Dr. King framed of like not being judged by the color of your skin or the texture of your hair, but by the merit of your character. And so I've built a very high performing team that is majority black women, and I'm super proud of that, and really, really, I'm excited about the future of what that means and how we've like modeled for our peers in the sector, like what it means to actually be an inclusive company where people feel like they belong. And I pride myself in that, because my staff affirm me and like I love working here. I never feel judged for being my authentic self. I feel like I am evaluated based on how I perform and show up as a professional.
Maya Gwynn
It sounds like an amazing place to work. We're gonna move to a rapid-fire portion. If your work had a theme song, what would it be?
Lanae Norwood
I'm torn between Shining, Beyonce and Jay Rock, Win.
Maya Gwynn
If you had to teach a master class or give a TED talk on a random skill you have besides the work that you do, what would it be?
Lanae Norwood
I would really talk about AI and how that's gonna impact us.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah. And what is your favorite IE restaurant or landmark that reminds you of the Inland Empire?
Lanae Norwood
You know what? Island Breeze in Colton. I love some good Caribbean food. And they've just been consistent. So shout out to Island Breeze.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah. And how can people keep up with you and support the work you're doing? L. Norwood & Associates is a social enterprise. Portion of our proceeds go to our c3 partner organization, Game Changers Leadership Institute. So shout out to Game Changers. We are building the bench of young leaders committed to systemic change by using storytelling, digital advocacy and grassroots organizing. So you can visit our website, at GCyouthlead.org, or at Game Changers Lead on all platforms. If you want to connect with L. Norwood and Associates, we're on all social media platforms as well, at LNA Consults or LNA consults.com
Maya Gwynn
Thank you. This was such a good conversation. Really appreciate you being here.
Maya Gwynn
Likewise. Thank you for having me. Lanae Norwood is Founder and Principal Consultant of L. Norwood & Associates. Find this segment and others at kvcrnews.org/bpie. Support for this segment comes from the Black Equity Fund at IECF, advancing racial equity and supporting long term investments in black led organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Join us again next week for Black Perspectives IE. For KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn. Thank you.
