1A) Responding to Racist Remarks
Presenter: Nanette D. Massey
Often, in mixed company, one of our white friends will say something we recognize as being racist. As people of color have learned that allowing these statements to go unchallenged makes us complicit with racism's endurance in our culture, what is the appropriate way to react in these cases? Most white people, in turn, report having no regular contact with non-white people and can only discuss race in an “echo chamber” of other white frames of reference. With Black workshop facilitator Nanette D. Massey of Buffalo, NY, this is your chance to contextualize race from an unfiltered, real world experience rather than theory. With frankness and practicality, Massey’s goal is to leave audiences with self-clarity and the ability to participate in conversations within their own personal spheres of influence with genuine confidence, humor, and humility. Participants will be left with a framework for responding to off-the-cuff racism from a place other than simply scoring "gotcha'" social justice brownie points.
1B) Bridging the Cultural Divide While Addressing Barriers to Language Access
Presenters: Cheryl Hayward & Jesus Paesch
A thriving workplace is so much more than design, architecture, and pretty furniture. It is a team that performs at peak levels every day. Effective communication skills are essential for an individual to be successful in every stage of life and in the workplace. The reality is, communication barriers exist, and organizations must be ready to meet those needs for their workforce and consumers if they want to be inclusive and innovative. However, what if that employee is Limited English Proficient (LEP) or requires communication and language assistance? In a multicultural world, organizations are experiencing a more diverse workforce with a wide range of people from different backgrounds and abilities, including those with decreased hearing abilities and Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Healthy and inclusive environments value and respect the culture, background, and communicative needs of their workforce to ensure an inclusive and fair space exist, bridging the cultural divide and creating true equality for all. This workshop presents a framework for understanding the relationship between inclusiveness and a work environment that promotes cultural awareness by addressing communication barriers.
1C) Intersectional Accomplice Allyship
Presenters: Angela Douglas & Dr. Karen King
This roundtable/workshop will center on a dynamic conversation about the ways white male patriarchy and privilege impact the working experiences of women of color and of white women. We will ask our invited panelists probing questions in order to unpack the ways oppressive systems of structural white male supremacy operate, including the ways women internalize these oppressive systems and the ways women can challenges, deconstruct, and dismantle these systems through the lens of intersectional accomplice allyship.
Session 2: 11-11:45 AM
2A) Leading for Racial Justice in Predominantly White Organizations: A Guide for Change
Presenter: Dr. Donna Harris
Given national and local calls for racial justice, this session will discuss the actions leaders of predominantly white organizations can take to change staff and leadership composition, practices, and policies. This session will cover why organizations need to change, the characteristics of a racially just leader, and strategies for social change within and outside of organizations. Barriers to change, including resistance to change and lack of leadership buy-in, will be discussed, and ideas to address internal challenges will be provided. The session will also address the assets that leaders of color (e.g., Chief Diversity Officers) contribute and the various roles they play (e.g., cultural interpreter) in promoting racial justice in predominantly white organizations.
2B) White Supremacy Culture: Characteristics and Antidotes
Presenters: Dr. Sim J. Covington, Jr. & Sandra Katz
Based on Tema Okun’s principles of White Supremacy Culture, this session gives participants tools, vocabulary, and experience to address ways that racism permeates the culture in the United States – business, education, healthcare, justice, politics, and so much more. Participants will identify characteristics of White Supremacy Culture and Okun’s antidotes, processing their learning in small groups before sharing with the larger group. The Summit will give participants a chance to learn and to apply their knowledge in their own lives.
2C) Surviving A Toxic Workplace Culture While Still Being Yourself
Presenter: Cyndi Weekes Bradley
This workshop will identify the phases of toxicity of the work environment that women of color often go through. It will offer the understanding of how to respond through crucial boundary setting, maintaining written records, and conserving and growing your inner joy. It will remind participants that the problem is with the system and not with them and that they have value, gifts, and talents for their respective teams.
Session 3: 1-1:45 PM
3A) The Impact of Micro-Aggressions
Presenter: Julio Jordan
This workshop introduces attendees to the different types of micro-aggressions and their background; the impact of micro-aggressions in the BIPOC community; and how to respond to micro-aggressions, aiming at eliminating micro-aggression entirely in their communities. After presenting the introductory micro-aggression material, workshop attendees will have the ability to identify micro-aggressions, better understand the message inferred behind the micro-aggression, and how to position themselves to be better able to respond, support, and/or be more aware with regards to micro-aggressions.
3B) Healing Racism's Invisible Wounds
Presenter: Dr. Elaine Ferguson
Imagine a jumbo jet filled to capacity with 220 passengers on board, taking off and crashing. Another one takes off and crashes the next day and every day, every week, every month throughout the year. This is racism’s devastating toll: More than 1400 African Americans die prematurely each week, 6000 each month, and almost 73,000 each year!
Clearly, racism exacts a heavy toll on our health and well-being, including the increased risk of developing a variety of chronic diseases: hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, anxiety, and depression, to name a few.
While the CDC and other public health organizations currently proclaim racism as a public health crisis, the most significant issue regarding this chronic and well-established pandemic–specifically how to stop its internal health-endangering harm–remains ignored and unaddressed.
This presentation will explore how our participants can begin to overcome the profoundly difficult and painful challenges they are living with each and every day; how the ongoing psychological and physical damage can be interrupted and healed by awakening the remarkable inborn healing capacity that is the source of our true health potential—one that resides within our cells, possessing the capacity to transform the mind, heal the body, and strengthen the spirit.
Participants will learn the principles of our ground-breaking five-step healing system, that will help them to begin to effectively engage their mind, body, and spirit.
Session 4: 2-2:45 PM
4A) I’m Woke and I'm Proud: A New Perspective on Critical Race Theory
Presenters: Kelvin L. Weathers
After this past year of a global pandemic and other ills related to social justice, this is a much needed talk around Critical Race Theory (CRT) and anti-racism in general and their benefits. Congress is debating CRT, school board meetings are being disrupted because of it, it is on talk radio and local news. The trouble is, not many people actually know what CRT is. The concepts of CRT can easily be manipulated and misconstrued if not looked at objectively and honestly. CRT is really another way of talking about being “woke.” In this session, Weathers will describe what “wokeness” is and what can we learn and glean by being more woke and implementing CRT in today’s society.
4B) Equitable Climate Action through Community Involvement
Presenters: Brady Fergusson & Dr. Kristen Van Hooreweghe
The impacts of climate change are exacerbating inequities in Rochester and around the world. If equity is not centered in the development of climate solutions, it is likely that inequities will persist as we make the transition to a clean energy economy and adapt to the effects of climate change. If, however, we prioritize equitable climate solutions, we can achieve a better future for all.
This workshop is about the development of a regional climate action plan for the Genesee-Finger Lakes region of western New York. Members of the steering committee of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Climate Collective are developing a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region. Their goal is to create a plan that meets the emissions reduction goals of New York State’s landmark 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in a way that is equitable for all members of the regional community — including people in urban, rural, and suburban areas.
Various greenhouse gas emissions mitigation measures will be discussed in this workshop. Participants will provide their input on which measures will most successfully take advantage of community strengths and meet community needs. For example, a discussion of ways to reduce automobile emissions may include a potential solution’s co-benefits, challenges to implementation, and unintended consequences. The participation of those who attend this workshop will help ensure that the climate action plan that is created prioritizes the health, wealth, and safety of BIPOC individuals and communities.
4C) My Mother's Journey: Interview and Q&A with Documentary Filmmaker Sam Hampton
Presenter: Dr. Sam Hampton
Moderator: Dan T. Butler
My Mother's Journey, a 54-minute documentary, tells the story of the late Elizabeth Hampton, who traveled from the racially divided South at 19 in the 1950s to become a significant civic leader in Rochester, New York. Liz's story is a symbol of the historic social justice tradition of the Rochester community. The chronic challenges of poverty continue to exist for many BIPOC individuals in the United States, spanning low academic test scores to a recent spike in crime within the urban core of major metropolitan areas. This documentary serves as a tool to demonstrate how change can occur through the dedicated efforts of individual community members, inspired and invigorated by progressive dialogue and action. This film serves as a tool to demonstrate how change can take place through the dedicated efforts of individual community members, inspired and invigorated by Rochester's tradition of progressive dialogue and action.
This session will include excerpts from the documentary and an interview and Q&A with Elizabeth Hampton's son, documentary filmmaker Sam Hampton.
Session 5: 4-4:45 PM
5A) Dismantling Structural Racism: The Role of Organization Design in Decolonizing Organizations
Presenters: Sally Breyley Parker, Rich Thayer & William Zybach
Rooted in colonization, structural racism was “deliberately created during the periods of the transatlantic slave trade and European colonialism to impose and sustain the dehumanizing notion that skin color and other features are indicators of relative superiority and inferiority” (Philip Mix). The oppression of the colonial mindset still pervades all aspects of our society, including our organizations. To dismantle racism, we must decolonize our organizations.
For too long, organizations have been shaped by an oppressive colonial mindset that favors those with power and disenfranchises and often dehumanizes their subjects. Decolonizing our organizations means reversing this legacy of inequality and racism and redressing the unequal power relations it produced and perpetuated. It also means reclaiming the sovereignty of our organizational culture and distinct identity.
There is an old adage that every organization is perfectly designed to get what it is getting and that if we want different outcomes, we must change the design. Consequently, if we intend to decolonize our organizations, we must redesign them. In this workshop, we will explore the creation and design of new ways of organizing that foster and accelerate decolonization by naming the problem to make the invisible visible; establishing healthier, more holistic criteria and norms; addressing power and decision rights; and designing structures that enable rather than constrict and control the flow of resources. We will illustrate what is being done in this emerging practice and solicit insights and perspectives from attendees that will help us all ground and further the work of institutionalizing sovereignty.
5B) Not all Asians are “Crazy Rich:” Dismantling Stereotypes and the Myth of the Model Minority
Presenters: Khanh Nguyễn
When you think of Asians in America, what do you think of? Successful, quiet doctors and engineers who are good at math? What about invisible, xenophobia, forever foreigner, or honorary white? This presentation will help expand your view of Asian Americans, as we are not a monolith. Learn an overview of the history of Asian American immigration, along with the policies and laws that impacted the lives of this community in the US. Examine how the stereotypes of the “Yellow Peril” turned into the "Model Minority” and what detrimental implications that has on race relations between Black, brown and white communities. We will also touch on the disturbing rise in Anti-Asian racism since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and how that is not new in the history of the United States. Be prepared to examine your own perceptions of this community, imagine a more inclusive and just society that cares for the common good, and take steps to being an ally to the Asian American community.
5C) Racism and Mental Health: How Do We Heal from What Continues to Be Ongoing?
Presenter: Lisa M. Slade
This session will discuss the historical pervasiveness of racism and oppression and how they are deeply ingrained in everyday systems that continue to directly and negatively impact the mental health of Black and Indigenous People of Color today.
We will define and discuss racism and how race-related stressors affect the mental health of BIPOC individuals and how we can find healing despite the ongoing nature of acts of racism and oppression that we face on a daily basis.
Summit Day 2 Session Details
All times listed are in EST.
Session 6: 10:30-11:15 AM
6A) Inclusion is Everyone’s Work: On Trauma and Organizational Diversity Planning
Presenters: Kesha Carter, Betty García Mathewson, Terrell Smith
Creating and sustaining an inclusive culture requires intention and consistency. Betty, Kesha, and Terrell, will share historical perspectives that are relevant to current practices. They will demonstrate how many of the common practices in leadership and business functions are rooted in white supremacy which forces many people to assimilate in order to be accepted. They will further detail how people of color and other marginalized groups are often perpetually harmed and traumatized when sought out only for the diversity planning needs of an organization. Participants will be engaged in a thought provoking and interactive session. Executives, employees, and community members will find useful information that can be applied in any business sector or community program.
6B) Interrupting Racism Through Youth Voice
Presenter: Andrea Bertucci & Sierra Fisher
In today’s ever-changing and increasingly complex world, youth need opportunities to engage with adults and each other in meaningful ways. They deserve spaces, experiences, and adults that support them to develop and be their full selves. This workshop will support participants to intentionally and effectively create those spaces and experiences in partnership with the youth themselves. Participants will increase their understanding of practical ways to amplify youth voice, encourage youth leadership, and partner with youth to interrupt racism, gain a greater awareness of redefining youth engagement from power over to power with young people, and take what they learn and put it into action.
6C) Race Amity: The Other Tradition
Presenters: Omobowale Ayorinde & Joseph D. Fargnoli
Racism in the US could be considered a moving target, owing to so many connotations and contextualizations of the word depending on who you are, where you grew up, parents, schooling, church, basic grasp of American history, world history and one’s ability to locate themselves in the ever-evolving landscape of the “race on race.” Racism remains the proverbial “elephant in the room.” As this social implosion takes place, we know, historically, racism has been used as a distraction, while even more vile acts against humanity and democracy go forward. This session will view the flip side of racial conflict—race amity—and reconstruct a tradition that led to the ideals of working together, building friendships, the formation of the NAACP and the Urban League, among others. The presentation will include little-known religious seedlings that contributed to the work of W.E.B DuBois and Alaine Locke, tracing back past the Harlem Renaissance to the first Race Amity Conference in 1921.
This presentation examines the role each can play to promote an enduring solution to enabling race amity, looking at concrete examples of participating in a global process of learning that helps to build capacity and apply a set of universal principles to the transformation of society. We can pass many more laws to go unheeded, we must "evoke a transformative learning experience through a learner-centered, experiential, and collaborative approach facilitated by tutors rather than instructors, teachers, or experts” (Mortensen).
Session 7: 1-1:45 PM
7A) Healing and Reconciliation through Forgiveness—Not Only for Our Personal Lives, but for the Workplace and Our Communities, Too
Presenter: Ronalyn Pollack
In a world where division and offense have us feeling incredibly emotionally charged, this workshop will focus on forgiveness as a healing tool, which is too often underused. The presenter will explore areas in our personal and professional lives and communities where a situation or offense has occurred that created pain, hurt, or perhaps trauma. This workshop will discuss the byproducts that harboring unforgiveness creates and how harboring unforgiveness and its toxic emotions can begin to affect our physical bodies. This presentation will ask the audience to be introspective and invite them to contemplate areas in their lives where forgiveness could be used to free themselves. The workshop will also discuss the healing benefits that forgiveness brings not just for the self, but for the community and every life that a person touches. Because forgiveness is not just meant to be utilized in our personal lives, it can be exercised in the workplace and in our communities to transform lives.
7B) Racial Awareness and Identifying Internalized Racism and Bias
Presenter: Mynesha Spencer
This racial awareness seminar will offer student and adult participants alike the opportunity to look deep within in order to detect and eradicate biases, prejudices, and/or stereotypes they may have with regards to certain groups of people. The facilitator will prescribe ways in which professionals can help combat prejudice by identifying internalized racism and fostering a sense of belonging for all people in all spaces of the city of Rochester.
7C) Fireproof Yourself: Preventing Diversity Burnout for Sustainable Progress
Presenters: Kari Zee
Why does progress towards creating diverse and equitable spaces lose traction after the initial surge? For starters, everyone’s exhausted. This presents the challenge that even though what’s familiar may not be acceptable or even comfortable, it’s still easier...or is it? Without a plan for identifying and preventing burnout and, specifically burnout related to diversity, there’s no hope for sustaining the march towards progress. This workshop will assist attendees in “fireproofing” themselves against this predictable phenomenon so that they may continue fighting systemic racism and bias.
Session 8: 2-2:45 PM
8A) The Significance of Racial Literacy for School Leaders
Presenters: Dr. Jeff Linn & Diantha B. Watts
School leaders, at both the school and district levels are in a unique and privileged position to advance racial equity and serve as transformative models for other institutions. They have the power to influence race relations positively, to establish and influence cultures, to help reframe problems, to ameliorate conflicts and inform strategies, secure buy-in, create an institutional multiplier effect, and more easily influence practice outside their institutions (Miller, 2020). Unfortunately, school leaders often lack the knowledge base and skills to effectively address these issues in their schools and districts. The consequences for not addressing racial equity is the perpetuation of racist practices and racial inequity in our schools affecting our students, families, communities and our society.
This presentation will provide examples of educational leaders who have been able to use racial literacy—a collection of skills and knowledge used to “probe the existence of racism and examine the effects of race and institutionalized systems on their experiences and representation in US society” (Sealey- Ruiz, 2013)—to address systematic racial inequities within their schools and districts to mitigate and even eradicate them to ensure racially equitable outcomes. Additionally, the presentation will explore ways in which racial literacy can be integrated into educational leadership curricula. Attendees will be able to learn specific practices they can use in their leadership and leadership preparation to increase their own racial literacy as well as support the development and improvement of racial literacy of their faculty, staff, students, families and communities.
8B) Walking through the Door and Shutting It Behind You: When Marginalized People Are the Gatekeepers
Presenters: Dr. Larry Collier & Tamisha Sales
Gatekeeping is a popular term used to describe when someone takes it upon themselves to decide who does or does not have access or rights to a community or identity. Gatekeeping is about the subtle things, particularly as they benefit those in power. Blacks or other marginalized people who find themselves in a position of power are often “the only ones.” Furthermore, because they have worked so hard to get there, they feel pressure to remain there (i.e., to provide financially for their family, create opportunity for others) despite the cost, which may manifest as anti-Blackness. This session will examine the pivotal roles Blacks and marginalized individuals play in creating diverse and inclusive cultures.
8C) MindFULLY You: Exploring Your Whole Story to Combat Racism and Achieve Mental Wellness
Presenter: Alexis Russell
Through storytelling, we can find our identity in the present to better navigate our future through connection to the past. This workshop will offer an introspective and interactive storytelling approach to combat racism. Race-related matters have remained prevalent for centuries, and much of what we have learned must be unlearned to move forward. So, where do we start?—Can you hear “Man in the Mirror” playing in your head?—It starts with YOU!
To begin healing and changing communities for the better, it’s important to look at ourselves and our stories first. Self-exploration and discovery are about recognizing and acknowledging who we are at our core, asking ourselves tough questions that we often avoid—Who am I? Who do I want to become? How can I show up authentically?—and doing the work to unlearn so many of the beliefs, stereotypes, and biases we’ve lived by for so long. In this workshop, we’ll begin asking and answering those tough questions. Attendees will choose a pivotal moment in their lives and dig deep to uncover key aspects that will help them progress throughout the workshop. They will reflect on their deepest values to connect them to their believed purpose. Then they will craft their first story of self to build on who they are and uncover/identify areas in their lives where they’d like to improve, heal, or unlearn.