I'm Karen Rodriguez-Lappas, head of Diversity and Inclusion at Purple Innovation, a company which produces products backed by science.

You might know us for our mattresses, pillows, and seat cushions.

Purple takes great pride in innovation,

which is why it supports entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds who are

improving lives and breakthrough ways across the technology, health, and wellness industries.

Later in the episode, you'll hear from an entrepreneur who is reimagining their

field to make it accessible and comfortable to all. To learn more about how purple is reinventing comfort

visit purple.com forward slash undistracted. acted. Hey y'all, it's Brittany or rather Miss Packnet if you used to be one of my students.

So y'all know I used to teach third grade,

and before I was protesting in the streets of Ferguson,

I was teaching 60 of the most brilliant, most captivating,

absolutely hilarious eight, nine-year-olds Southeast DC had to offer.

These days, my heart is with teachers. Not only have teachers had to deal with this pandemic, now they're under attack from right-wing

lawmakers and provocateurs just for trying to do their job. That's right, teachers have been receiving death threats.

For simply teaching kids about racism and for trying to make their schools more inclusive,

the powers that be are absolutely afraid of self-aware,

awakened students, and the teachers who teach them.

So here is my lesson for the day. Teaching young people actual

history isn't an extreme move. It's just good teaching. When we teach the true history of enslavement or of the Tulsa Race Massacre of the genocide of indigenous people,

it's not an anti-American agenda. It's just good teaching.

In fact, but that's just good teaching is the name of one of my very favorite academic articles about culturally responsive education written by Dr.

Gloria Ladson Billings back in 1995 which is yes exactly how long we've

...