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Landmark in the News

Thrive Global: Q&A with Assistant United States Attorney, Jason St Julien

Thrive Global, by Michelle Tennant Nicholson, March 10, 2021

 

Photo of Jason St Julien
Photo by PhotographyG.com

We, as human beings, created the concept of race and therefore we can deconstruct it and create something new.

In my series on people who are making a difference, I interview Jason St. Julien, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Denver, Colorado.  If you want to listen to a wonderful interview with St. Julien, I highly recommend The Colorado Bar Association’s Podcast where hosts Mallory Revel and Linda Moss talk about the important people and events that shaped St. Julien’s path including memorable moments as a schoolteacher, minor league baseball player, pianist and federal court clerk.  St. Julien’s recent race relations op-ed in the Denver Post put him in the Black Lives Matter national conversation.

 

What follows are excerpts from the article. To read the full article, go to: https://thriveglobal.com/stories/jason-st-julien-weve-reached-the-tipping-point-on-race-relations/

 

What are some of the most interesting and exciting community projects are you working on now?

My good friend, Earl Johnson, and myself are working on a three-hour programme called the “At Last!” project.  I created it as part of my coursework in the “Self Expression and Leadership Programme” I took from LandmarkWorldwide.com, a corporation offering professional development courses in 21 countries. (Interesting fact: more than 100,000 community projects, like mine, have been created in Landmark’s courses around the world!) In my project, “At Last,” we go to a local prison and facilitate two conversations and one exercise with incarcerated persons. 

In the first conversation, we demonstrate that we usually don’t listen to anyone without attempting to respond, agree, or disagree.  That’s not listening.  That segment ends with participants looking at what is possible if people they speak with have the experience of being heard and understood.  In the second conversation, we ask participants to consider that we all have the same basic concerns, they just show up differently based on our life experiences.  That conversation ends with the idea that we, as human beings, don’t ever have to do, get, or have anything else to be connected with each other:  we are forever connected by the mere fact that we are human beings.  The programme ends with an exercise where people simply practicing being with each other.  I first heard about this exercise at Landmark. Here’s how it goes.  Participants partner up and stand across from each other with hands at their sides.  They then silently look into their partner’s eyes for several minutes.  At the end, participants report back that being “seen” and “seeing” another person is a life altering experience.

COVID-19 has halted the programme and we are figuring out what it looks like in the midst of a pandemic.            

What are 5 things you would tell your younger self?

  • Love yourself.  All.  The.  Time.
  • Do the thing you fear.
  • You are the only one in your way.
  • Stop looking over your shoulder for approval, you don’t need it.
  • Exercise love and compassion with everyone, because behind the shell is a human being just like you.

You are a successful person. Can you share some tips on how young people today can get ahead?

Pursue what you want, not what anyone else thinks you should want.  Too often we give in to others’ notions of who we should be and what we should be doing.  There is no freedom in that.  The choice is yours.  Always.  You can never go wrong by being you.

Create a team of trusted advisors.  Consult with them when making decisions.  My team includes family, friends, mentors, a law school professor, judges, and current/former colleagues.  They are straight with me and call me out when I am not being my highest self.  They bring a wealth of knowledge and life experience that I cannot account for by myself.  Their insight and perspectives allow me to make the most informed decision possible.  

Because of the role you play in the community, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire “good news” what would be your headline and 3 talking points?

The good news is about race relations and the headline is:  “We’ve Reached The Tipping Point!”  The three talking points are: 

  • We have a critical mass of people, world-wide, who are no longer willing to accept status quo as it relates to race relations;
  • We, as human beings, created the concept of race and therefore we can deconstruct it and create something new; and,
  • This is entirely up to us, including you the reader, because no one is coming to save us.

How can people connect with you?

 

You can find me on Facebook:  Jason St. Julien. https://www.facebook.com/jason.stjulien.7