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Hi, I'm Mary-Knox

Founder & CEO

Thought partner

Visual storyteller

Human connector

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Showing up real takes courage.
I'll go first. 

As a child, I wielded more power than a grown Black woman.

 

Margaret was beautiful and beloved, yet tough as nails. Keeper of the switch. Master of the kitchen.

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But despite her necessity to my grandmother's well-being during summer months, her room was downstairs.

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It was never discussed but always understood, Margaret was different. We were 'above' her.

 

What else wasn't said?

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That our status and wealth was built on the foundation of their labor - generations of Black men and women - for I am a child of antebellum ancestors with a name inherited from a United States president.

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Camera in hand, I stepped out of my southern cocoon to stretch, climb, question. To breathe. To go where a name couldn't unlock doors.

The result? Viral content -- not because of how it looks, but how it makes you feel.

What's my secret sauce? An acute awareness that people are shaped by social realities. And a firm belief that.... 

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We are all human and therefore equal. Yet, power structures at play don't allow us to see each other as equals.

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That's why we need knowledge grounded in fact to increase our collective understanding and empathy. 

 

We must realize the stories we've told ourselves aren't necessarily true - the truth is a lot more nuanced because humans are messy.

 

And we need keepers of this knowledge and lived experience to step up and be heard - and to hold up a mirror.

 

We need their complex ideas translated into simple language while acknowledging the dignity and worth of everyone.

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When knowledge is shared, we will no longer be blind to the ripple effect of our decisions.

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We will own our privilege and have words to express it.

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And when we do, we'll influence everyone around us.

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Ultimately, collective conscience and empathy will rise. We will create a world that sings instead of shouts.

It all starts with you. 

You, who sees the world for what it could be.

You, who is determined to make a difference.

You who is ready to dig deeper to reach higher heights.

Ready to get to work? 

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Send me an email: 

maryknox@thoughtleadermedia.co

I wanted to be humbled by my unimportant place in the world.

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And so, I traveled in search of answers to questions I couldn't define. 

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The farther away from home, the more alive I felt.

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Every assignment as a photojournalist challenged me to sink into the environment, quickly figure out dynamics at play, and understand all that was not being said.

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I saw famine and the ripple effect of war.

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I documented breakdowns in basic services after natural disasters. 

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I spoke with people cemented in polar opposite beliefs.

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No matter the location, language or culture, I could connect and earn enough trust to tell a story.

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Then, I came home to raise three children while documenting the inner workings of higher-ed communities. I met faculty, staff and students at their comfort level, then coached them even higher to communicate ideas with head and heart.  

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