Episode 8: Unexpected Places (feat. Drew Zamar, Brianna Henries)

Speaker 1  00:00

Bell, welcome to from ideas to impact the show where students, professors and professionals seek to understand the overlap of creativity, innovation and a love ethic in various industries. I'm Jocelyn Bell, the professor of the human spark class at Bryant University, a class formerly known as the sociology of innovation and creativity, and we're in the segment of the podcast when we hear student reflections on and analyzes of the themes and ideas that emerged over the course of the class. Sometimes they used this final assignment as a chance to imagine what an episode of their own podcast would sound like. Other times, they put the episode together as part of the larger story of the class. One thing that's consistent throughout this segment of the show is that each student invites you into their thoughts on the overlap of creativity, innovation and a love ethic. In this episode, Drew is tying Brianna Henry's experiences to some concepts and theories of prominent names in the discipline of sociology, like Pierre Bourdieu, Antonio Gramsci and Patricia Hill Collins. Now one note as an editor drew says that Brianna identifies as an afro Latina woman. That is an error. She identifies as being of Cape Verdean, black American and indigenous, indigenous American descent. So

Speaker 2  02:04

Hey everyone, and welcome to my podcast, where we will explore how love, creativity and innovation can spark real social change in unexpected places. I'm your host. Drew Zamar in today's episode, we will dive deep into the political world, but not how you think. Today, we'll be focusing on the work of Brianna Henry, a community organizer, theater artist and former Rhode Island State representative who has been rewriting what politics what political leaders look like. Born and raised in Warwick, Rhode Island, Brianna comes from my working class family, and I didn't identifies as an afro Latina woman before politics, she spent years as a teaching artist and makeup educator, working with youth and local organizations to promote artistic expression and self empowerment. She graduated from URI with a degree in theater and worked for nonprofits like the center of dynamic learning in 2020 at just 28 years old, she ran for office as part of the Rhode Island political cooperative, a grass movement of progressive candidates aiming to challenge the status quo, and she won, defeating a man who held her position for 30 years. Her campaign focused on issues like environmental justice, health care for all, racial equity and workers rights, all infused with a deep commitment to love and community. So the question I chose to guide our episode today is, how do love, creativity and innovation fuel Brianna Brianna Henry's political career, and what does that teach us about power, social change and leadership in today's political landscape? But this episode will also explore three central core questions, how does love and action overlap with creativity and innovation? What is the matrix of relationships structure systems and or contents that support and or hinder the creativity or innovation highlighted here? And what does this episode teach us about the impact of such a matrix on social change, whether it's helping or hurting?

Speaker 2  04:15

Donna Harry didn't come from a traditional political background. She was a makeup artist and theater professional before entering politics, and that creative foundation then disappeared once she stepped into the Rhode Island State House. Instead, it became a superpower. Her approach is rooted in what scholar Bell Hooks described as a love in action, not the mushy stuff, but a committed, justice, driven form of care that transformed systems. This is especially powerful in politics, a space often defined by hierarchy and disconnection from community. Brianna flips that script

Speaker 3  04:49

and lastly, care you have to give a damn. I don't care what it is you're doing. You have to care about what it is you're doing, the commitment to show up with M. With the responsibility and community in mind. I held all of those pieces, all of those positions, in closeness with community. I did not succeed in my campaigns without community support. I did not have a successful sales career without first caring for the person that was in front of me. I showed care to my students as they were continuing to learn their own set of values, as they were continuing to grow.

Speaker 2  05:27

That quote from Brianna Henry captures the overlap of love, creativity and community perfectly. She uses storytelling, connection and radical empathy, not just as tools, but as a strategy that's love and action fused with innovation. She leads with caring, with imagination. This also brings us to our next core question, what supports and what blocks this kind of leadership in sociology, Patricia Hill, Collins, matrix of domination helps explain this. Henry operates within a system shaped by race, gender, class and political power. These structures can either reinforce inequality, or, when disrupted, become sites of transformation. As an afro, Latina woman with no traditional political lineage, Brianna is very beyond His very presence challenges these systems, yet those same systems often push back against your efforts.

Speaker 2  06:33

Let's go further with some theory. Concept One, social capital, peer board, a reminds us that power isn't just about wealth, it's about relationships, culture and knowledge. Henry, Henry's didn't rely on corporate money. Her campaign drew strength from her community ties, local trust and cultural fluency. That's creativity used to build political momentum. Concept two, cultural hegemony. Antonio Gramsci explains how dominant ideologies keep our keep power by representing themselves as common sense, Brianna disrupts that. She shows herself expressive, artistic and emotionally honest, and a system that favors conformity, her creative resistance becomes revolutionary. You

Speaker 2  07:25

so how does this innovation show up day to day? Well, Brianna reimagined what a state rep could be. Her town halls felt like community theater, collaborative, lively, filled with stories. They weren't stiff political briefings. They were acts of belonging. As she once said, Mar was always about people, about connection, politics just became an extension of that. She's not leaving creativity behind. She's embedding it into governance, as we said before, innovation doesn't exist in a vacuum. Henry's often, often face resistance from established Democrats uncomfortable with her progressive ideals and from conservative critics wary of her authentic and unapologetic identity, the very system she tried to humanize often rejected that humanity. This leads us into our final core question, what kind of social change does this matrix of mix enable or block beyond this case, we see both her creativity and love support positive social change. They bring new people into politics and humanize policy. But she also faces efforts to staunch that launch, to silence the storytelling, to suppress radical empathy, to keep power predictable and distance creativity and love, when embedded into political, innovation becomes acts of resistance. Briana Henry shows us that when leadership centers community storytelling and radical care, it doesn't just change who holds power. It changes what power looks like and how it functions. If we want to imagine a more just political system we need to follow the artists like Brianna into the state house. Her work teaches us that creativity isn't fluff, it's structure breaking, that love isn't weak. It's what gives leaders the courage to speak truth and that innovation doesn't just mean new tech, it means new ways of being together. Thanks for tuning into my podcast. I'm Drew Zamar. Until next time, be with love. Think creatively and keep pushing boundaries. Peace. You.

09:25

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