* I don’t know how to talk about race * It’s a touchy, scary subject * I don’t want to feel blamed * I don’t want to feel guilt * I think I should be able to talk about the subject, and, in fact, I can’t * I’m willing to start. I’m willing to put a toe in the water
The result
* I don’t know how to talk about race * It’s a touchy, scary subject * I don’t want to feel blamed * I don’t want to feel guilt * I think I should be able to talk about the subject, and, in fact, I can’t * I’m willing to start. I’m willing to put a toe in the water * You will find a way to start talking with people about race * You will increase capacity for compassion for yourself and others * You’ll have more ease in talking about the subject * You will be held in a safe and supportive space with others on the same journey
What do you get?
* A one-hour session where you will . . . * Have a conversation about race to practice making mistakes and gaining skills to take into the real world. * Have access to my decades of expertise as an educator and facilitator as well as my lived experience as a Black Woman * Experience a playful environment to get started in these conversations so that it’s not such a triggering, guilt-inducing, and overwhelming endeavor
* I don’t know how to talk about racism * It’s a touchy, scary subject * I don’t want to feel blamed * I don’t want to feel guilt * I think I should be able to talk about the subject, and, in fact, I can’t * I’m willing to start. I’m willing to put a toe in the water
The Results
* You will increase your racial literacy * You will learn how to talk about the subject in a calm and collected way. * You will find a variety of ways to start talking with people about racism * You will increase your capacity for compassion for yourself and others * You will be held in a safe and supportive space with others on the same journey * You’ll learn to monitor your somatic ease, calm your body down, and invite others to calm their bodies down so that you can have civilized conversations
The Story
I have worked with white people in leadership positions at multinational organizations on how to be more cross-culturally inclusive for over 20 years.
And yet the personal pain and sense that I was not working to heal a fundamental illness that was destroying the lives of many left me feeling unsatisfied in my work.
Many white people feel uncomfortable and defensive when talking about race because it brings up so much shame and defensiveness.
But when we’re in a state of shame and defensiveness, reactivity ensues.
And when we’re reactive or “fragile”, there is no way to learn from each other.
We need to be able to hold these conversations so that growth, understanding, and racial healing are possible.
I facilitate workshops where we deal head-on with how to clearly see and address internalized racism and racism in the outside world.
I help people let go of shame so that they can experiment with tools and methodologies in a safe and nurturing environment, which leads to actual growth and change.
This offering is about finding a way to do this work with wellbeing.
It’s not just about addressing racial trauma, it’s about facilitating healing and growth.
What do you get ?
A 90-min session where we will . . . * Do a series of somatic exercises that teach you how to monitor and manage your internal state and be aware of others’ so that you can stay open in empathy to have these conversations * Practice facilitating these conversations with each other and refining our skills so that we can approach the subject of racism with more ease and less fear
Who is this for?
This offering is for you if . . .
* You want to experience my work * You want to try out talking about racism in a safe, supportive environment * You’re curious about race and racism * You want to stop avoiding the subject of racism and learn to feel comfortable talking about it
Who is this NOT for?
This offering is not for you if . . .
* You want to please all of the people all of the time * You want to prove that there is not racism and that everything is okay * You don’t understand why people say “Black Lives Matter” * You’re in a hurry to do something fast and visible.
Keeping Calm In The Storm: Foundations for Racial Literacy
Release The Tension Hold Discomfort Release Tension Around Talking About Race
The Problem * If feels like the world is falling apart and there’s nothing you can do about it * You want to help contribute to a better world, but you don’t know where to begin * It feels hard if not impossible to get through to the people you know and love who dismiss racism and oppression * When you do try to talk about race, you feel uncomfortable * You feel awkward and don’t know how to intervene in situations where you witness racism and microaggressions
The Result
* Gain greater ease in talking to people about racism * Develop self-compassion for the difficulty of addressing microaggressions * Learn methodology and practice skills for anti-racist intervention * Learn to acknowledge and face internalized and systemic racism without shame * Develop practices to o release the emotional tension that comes from engaging in racial healing * Identify your barriers to racial intervention and practice workarounds and relaxing the body under stress * Know when to step forward and when to step back to avoid escalation
The story
I have worked with white people in leadership positions at multinational organizations on how to be more cross-culturally inclusive for over 20 years.
And yet the personal pain and sense that I was not working to heal a fundamental illness that was destroying the lives of many left me feeling unsatisfied in my work.
Many white people feel uncomfortable and defensive when talking about race because it brings up so much shame and defensiveness.
But when we’re in a state of shame and defensiveness, reactivity ensues.
And when we’re reactive or “fragile”, there is no way to learn from each other.
We need to be able to hold these conversations so that growth, understanding, and racial healing are possible.
I facilitate workshops where we deal head-on with how to clearly see and address internalized racism and racism in the outside world.
I help people let go of shame so that they can experiment with tools and methodologies in a safe and nurturing environment, which leads to actual growth and change.
This offering is about finding a way to do this work with joy.
It’s not just about addressing racial trauma, it’s about facilitating healing and growth.
What do you get?
Module 1: A 6-week Immersion in the fundamentals of racial literacy to get you set up with embodied tools to hold difficult conversations * Week 1: Where Am I on the Racial Continuum? * Week 2: Cognitive Dissonance: Inconsistencies in White-Dominated History * Week 3: Releasing Trauma * Week 4: Telling Stories: How To Talk About Racism in a Way That Lands * Week 5: Systemic Racism: Institutions, Laws, and Practices * Week 6: Closing The Gap: Communities and Organizations on the Racial Continuum Throughout: * A 28-Day guided daily reading and journaling practice around an assigned book depending on your demographic * Me & White Supremacy for white Europeans * The Inner Work of Racial Justice for white Americans * My Grandmother’s Hands for people of the global majority * A 28-Day guided daily practice for forgiveness and acknowledgement of different levels of racism—internalized, interpersonal institutional, and systemic
Who is this for?
This program is for you if . . . * You consider yourself a forward-thinker * You’re curious about race * You have at least a little racial literacy * You want to grow and participate across racial and cultural boundaries * You are ready to dig down deep into your internalized racism * You want to learn to deal with whatever emotional charge comes up so that you can intervene effectively * You’re on the path of personal growth and you know that it involves dealing with your collective shadows, one of which is racism * You want to see if you can grow * You wonder “if not now, when?” * You apprehensive but interested in embarking on the anti-racist path
Who is this NOT for?
This program is not for you if . .
* “Black Lives Matter” is a controversial statement to you. *You’re in a hurry to do something fast and visible. * You are overstressed, overworked, and oversensitive in your life right now * You believe that if people are poor it’s because they’re lazy or defective * You want to prove that there is not racism and that everything is okay * You are unwilling to let go of the idea that you come from a “good country” made up of “good people” * You are not prepared to be challenged and educated by a Black Woman * You’re not curious about the social, economic, and professional lives of non-dominant people
