Transformation and Change Radio with Dr. Kathy Obear: Choose Courage ~ Speak Your Truth ~ Live on Purpose

In these times of constant upheaval and unpredictable change, how can we keep a focus on equity and inclusion goals during this pandemic as we also plan for organizational success in the new normal?

Join me for an engaging, insightful, and practical conversations with Dr. Kevin McDonald, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at University of Virginia!

Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

 

In far too many organizations, executive teams and Diversity Councils feel stuck and unsure of how to manifest meaningful, sustainable culture change. All too often, they invest significant time and energy into professional development trainings designed to shift the awareness and skills of individuals with little to no measurable progress or impact on retention, engagement or culture change. While highly motivated individuals may create innovative programs and services to achieve Inclusion Strategic Goals, these efforts stagnate or are dismantled once these high performers leave the organization. It is critical that leaders commit to going to take it to the next level and create the critical infrastructure changes necessary to ensure meaningful, sustainable change over the long haul. On this Show I will talk about ways to create an Inclusion Partners Program, an innovative process to create the critical organizational infrastructure to increase the capacity of leaders and all employees to accelerate institutional change as they infuse equity and inclusion into daily practices and use an Inclusion Lens to develop and revise policies, programs, practices, and services.

We will explore:

• Organizational benefits of skilled SMEs, subject matter experts, as thought-partners to department and divisional leaders

• Key steps for implementing a successful Inclusion Partner Program

• Core training & development elements for Inclusion Partners and their respective leaders

• Common traps and pitfalls to anticipate and mitigate during this organization change process

• Strategies to advance organizational change

 

 

 

In these unprecedented times of unpredictable turmoil and upheaval, how can we support our communities, our families as well as ourselves? How can we keep issues of equity, inclusion and social justice on the table as so many work remotely with a sense of urgency and speed? The personal and organizational decisions we make during these times can have long lastly impact. Come join me and the Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington for an engaging, inspiring conversation for change agents.

Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

Are you seeing too many employees, particularly employees of color, leaving the organization through a revolving door? Overall, you may still have around the same numbers of colleagues of color, yet few stay very long. On most racially diverse teams, the daily race-related microaggressions and overall chilly climate undermines morale, productivity and innovation. Many whites are not very aware of the toll of the depths of emotional labor and extra steps their colleagues of color have to go through just to get their work done. Join Dr. Pat and Dr. Kathy Obear, President of The Center for Transformation and Change for an engaging discussion on the critical role of white leaders, managers and team members to step up and take responsibility for intentionally creating racially inclusive, high-performing teams.

Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

Join me as I share more strategies for developing and facilitating White Caucuses/Whiteness Accountability Spaces in your organization designed to deepen the capacity of white allies and change agents to partner with people of color and other whites to interrupt racist dynamics and practices and create more racially just organizations, products and services.

 

Join me as I share my latest strategies for developing and facilitating Whiteness Accountability Space in your organization designed to deepen the capacity of white allies and change agents to partner with people of color and other whites to interrupt racist dynamics and practices and create more racially just organizations, products and services.

We’ll explore strategies and approaches to:

• Work with leaders to position Accountability Spaces within the organizational goals and Strategic Plan.

• Design effective marketing approaches to invite whites and multiracial employees with white ancestry to come explore whiteness and racism and identity ways they can be active change agents for creating more racially just organizations and work environments as well racially inclusive services and products for clients.

In our privileged identity as whites and people with white ancestry and light skin privilege, we were socialized with the racist negative stereotypes about people of color, Indigenous peoples, and people who identity as multiracial. Unfortunately, many of us absorbed and internalized these racist, white supremist messages. To effectively partner with people of color to create racially just organizations, it is imperative that we 1st do our own healing work to recognize, disrupt, and unlearn all the Internalized Dominance we absorbed as whites, people with white ancestry. The next step is to identify and practice new ways of being that co-create a new, truly inclusive organizational culture.

• Why should organizations sponsor Whiteness Accountability Spaces for leaders and employees? • How do you work with leaders to get their support and buy-in as well as position Whiteness Accountability Spaces within the strategic plan and goals of an organization? • What are critical intentions and goals for Whiteness Accountability Spaces? • How do you start a Whiteness Accountability Space: goals, purpose, marketing, etc. • What are some conversations, prompts and activities to build an authentic learning community in the 1st few sessions? • What are some critical competencies (Knowledge, Self-Awareness, Skills, and Capacity to Create Change) that people can develop and deepen in White Accountability Spaces? • What are ways to scaffold learning and skill development over 8-20+ weeks? • What are the critical design & facilitation skills that the facilitators of White Accountability Spaces need to be effective? • What are predictable types of resistance from employees and leaders as well as those participating in the Whiteness Accountability Space? • Tips to avoid common traps and pitfalls.

Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

Facilitating Affinity Space for Subordinated Group Members! Join me for an engaging, challenging conversation with my fabulous guest:Dr. Tanya Williams! We’ll explore strategies and approaches to design & facilitate healing & empowering affinity spaces for members of marginalized groups. In our marginalized identities, we were socialized with the same negative stereotypes that members of privileged groups learned, and most often believed. Unfortunately, we also may have absorbed this same oppressive propaganda about ourselves and members of our marginalized groups. Until we heal and release the depths of this internalized subordination, we may inadvertently say and do things that contribute to perpetuating the oppressive status quo that marginalizes us. What can individuals and organizations do to create the space and structures to heal from internalized oppression and move towards true liberation?

 

Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

 

In Part 2, we’ll explore and answer these questions:

• How do you position an affinity space for members of marginalized groups within the strategic plan and goals of an organization? • How do you start an affinity space for members of marginalized groups? • What are some conversations, prompts to start? • Would there be different content and activities based on the current capacity of the participants? For instance, if many are still in denial or colluding with the current organizational climate and culture? • How can we support the conveners and facilitators of these affinity spaces? • What types of resistance or difficult conversations might we anticipate from participants? • What resistance might we anticipate from the organization overall? • What types of changes and outcomes have you experienced from participants in affinity spaces? • When, if at all, might we bring members from privileged and subordinated affinity spaces together? • What are some activities, conversation prompts that have been useful in these combined spaces?

Join me for an engaging, challenging conversation with my fabulous guest: Dr. Tanya Williams We’ll explore ways to support our collective healing from the pernicious internalized subordination we members of marginalized groups continue to suffer from, so often unknowingly.

In our marginalized identities, we were socialized with the same negative stereotypes that members of privileged groups learned, and most often believed. Unfortunately, we also may have absorbed this same oppressive propaganda an]bout ourselves and members of our marginalized groups.

Until we heal and release the depths of this internalized subordination, we may inadvertently say and do things that contribute to perpetuating the oppressive status quo that marginalizes us.

What can individuals and organizations do to create the space and structures to heal from internalized oppression and move towards true liberation?

Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

Recent, powerful research highlights the significant increase of employees with mental health issues and deep burnout, especially among Millennials and GenZers. Is it taboo in your organization to talk about stress, burnout and mental health issues? Do organizational Equity & Inclusion efforts address how pervasive microaggressions and oppressive culture and climate dynamics significantly contribute to levels of distress and burnout for members of marginalized groups?

Watch live on Facebook. www.facebook.com/transformationtalkradio/

Join me for an engaging, challenging conversation with my two fabulous guests: Marta Elena Esquilin, Assistant Professor and Associate Dean of the Honors Living Learning Community at Rutgers Newark and Diana Noriega, founding Assistant Executive Director of Anti-Racism and Equity at Good Shepherd Services NYC, has over 15 years of professional social justice and youth development programming experience as we explore ways people are successfully dismantling traditional, biased structures in Honors and Gifted Programs to foster greater racial equity in P-20 schools.We’ll explore questions to make us rethink the way we’ve always done things:

Why do we still use narrow metrics such as SAT’s and other standardized testing to measure student potential? What are the origins of these tests and why are they used to measure intelligence? How does continuing to use these reinforce racial and class based segregation and effectively shut the door to quality educational opportunities for large numbers of Black, Latinx and students from under-resourced communities? Who gets a seat at the university Honors table, and what is at stake for our nation when we are leaving large swaths of talented students on the sidelines?