Meet Katrina Harris | Teacher, Designer, Photographer & Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katrina Harris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katrina, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As I sat and watched the George Floyd protests in tears, I thought to myself how can we better prepare ourselves. What can we do to start having conversations with our families on the best possible ways to address racism when it lands in our laps? By the time we want to protest for policy change, racism has already reached its final stage, VIOLENCE. At that point we grieve, we regroup, and we forget until something else happens. So what can we do to pull out the growing weed of racism at the root before it sprouts into violence? After asking myself those questions I realized that racism escalates. It starts with the micro aggressions that you brush off or with the person who followed you around in the store and scares you away with threats of calling the police. This game puts you in role playing scenarios that basically prompt you to practice what you would do In Case of Racism.Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As the owner of In Case of Racism card game, I wanted the scenarios in this game to be based on experiences that people of color often faced on a daily basis. I watched interviews of black men and women who experienced the effects of racism and microaggressions at work, school, and in public spaces. After I listened to the firsthand experiences of others I thought of my own experiences with racism. Beyond this, I read several academic journals and articles that defined racism and dissected microaggressions and their effects on people of color. Finally I reached out to members of my community who gave me input and advice on scenarios and responses. From then I wrote the first 36 scenarios that make up In Case of Racism. I’ve received lots of positive feedback from families who play over zoom during the pandemic to businesses that play with staff on professional development days. They are excited to have conversations about their experiences and are surprised to learn new things about the way they respond to racism. Some find they are too passive others find they may be too petty. Others feel that racism is too serious of an issue to be addressed in a card game. Although there are times when you will have enjoyable moments playing with friends and family, this isn’t a game you play just to pass the time. The ultimate purpose of this scenario game is to prepare the players to know what to do In Case of Racism.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would have to restaurant hop! Drinks and dinner on a friday after visiting the museum, street tacos on saturday, and Sunday brunch!Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my HBCU experience. Grambling State University is the place where everybody is somebody and that’s exactly how I felt! During my undergraduate years, I worked for The Gramblinite, an award winning HBCU newspaper, pledged Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. and later joined Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity. Most importantly I received 2 masters degrees. One being in Public relations the other in teaching with concentrations in elementary and special education. I always tell people that God and Grambling made me who I am today. Grambling and other HBCUs give you a taste of what it feels like to be in a majority. You are treated as a priority and are molded by black professionals who have your best interest at heart. You are able to fail and excel around people who will pick you up when you fall and celebrate you when you achieve success. There is truly nothing like it.

Website: www.incaseofracism.com

Instagram: @incaseofracism @pepperann22

Twitter: @incaseofracism

Facebook: In Case of Racism

Youtube: In Case of Racism

Image Credits
Katrina Harris