What if
you knew you could transform society?
What if
you knew you could transform society?
Sample Workshops
I take pride in my ability to break down complex and controversial topics to create interactive and engaging educational opportunities that tackle the hard topics of racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism and religious oppression. My goal is to help educators understand the systemic nature of inequality so they can work to create more equitable institutions. All of my work is grounded in the Principles of Non-violence, centers compassion, and is done with the goal of creating Dr. King's vision of the Beloved Community.
Workshops can be 2-6 hours in length or multiple days. Below are examples of topics that can be presented alone or linked together depending on the time available. Let’s talk about your needs!
Critically Conscious Education
Renown educator Paulo Freire believed that education could either replicate systems of oppression or work to dismantle them. With this concept as a foundation, this workshop encourages educators to approach issues of equity with courage and curiosity and outlines key elements of critically conscious education. The focus is on the need to reflect on one’s own identity and recognize that social positionality informs all aspects of our educational practice including our methods, materials, perspectives, reactions and interactions.
Systemic Oppression
If we want to create equity, we must first understand the complex ways that systems of oppression operate everywhere, every day. This workshop presents a clear, engaging, and applicable overview of the common conceptual frameworks inherent in all forms of oppression including racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism and religious oppression.
Foundations of Racism
One of the biggest obstacles to our ability to effectively dismantle racism is the lack of a clear understanding of exactly what racism is and how it operates today. The commonly used definition of racism as individual prejudice and discrimination, describes only a small piece of what is actually a much larger, complex, self-perpetuating system. This workshop breaks through the complexity to provide a clear and applicable understanding of the ways racism operates at the individual, institutional and ideological levels to empower educators to work against it.
The Creation of Race
We can't fully understand racism in US society without understanding why and how the notion of 'race' was created. As a precursor to a workshop explaining systemic racism, this workshop provides participants with a clearer picture of the ways that white supremacy has shaped US history and how it is embedded in our lives today.
Implicit Bias
More than a buzzword, the concept of implicit bias is supported by over 20 years of extensive research. That research shows that while some people are consciously or actively prejudiced, most of us, without even realizing it, have internalized positive associations with the groups that are already advantaged in society. This workshop breaks down this important concept so educators can gain a deeper understanding of the implicit biases we all carry and begin to develop strategies to counteract them.
If your School were a book, who's story would be told?
Based on a question posed by Dr. Beverly Tatum, this workshop clarifies the need for schools to be intentional about affirming the identity of students by outlining critical steps that institutions and individuals can take to create more equitable and supportive environments.
White Racial Socialization
While most people agree that explicit racism has no place in a just society, we must also recognize that the implicit forms of white supremacy are more pervasive, go largely unchallenged, and arguably, do much more to perpetuate a system of racism. This presentation explores the process of white racial socialization, the myriad ways that a racial ideology of white supremacy is present in everyday life, and steps to recognize and actively counteract it. This workshop can be facilitated for an interracial group or designed and expanded into an affinity group specifically for white educators who want to examine their own white socialization.
Social Identity Development
Identity Development theory is a terrific tool to help us understand the ways that our social statuses influence our actions, interactions, and worldview. This workshop will introduce the theory in a clear and concrete way, allowing educators to reflect on how it might help them best serve their students, colleagues, and institution.