Seminars & Programs
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L.A.W. 3-Phase Systemic
Organizational Approach for Racial Equity Change
This 3-PHASE APPROACH is designed for those who are committing to sustained work for systems/organizational equity change. The 3 phases include LEARNING: about self & the organization; ARTICULATING: developing a language and tools to talk about race; and WORKING: moving from knowledge to know-how. Organizations engage with a variety of tools and strategies that include individual and team coaching, learning seminars, and inter-sessional collaboration that will help the organization recognize where a lack of focus on racial equity exists. As participants begins to surface the source of their inequities, they will then use the tools learned through RACE-WORK to more intimately examine and ultimately begin to address those issues:
PREREQUISITE: None. Organizations/Systems that are new to racial equity.
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Framing the Foundation (F2F)
In the initial phase of our racial equity work, we start with introductory discussions and a listening session. This 90-minute face-to-face conversation provides a safe and intimate setting for leadership and key stakeholders to deepen their understanding of and commitment to systemic racial equity transformation. The session introduces key components of the Race-Work programming, its framework, and change model. It offers insights into how racial equity tools and strategies can influence the organization's policies, practices, and staff beliefs. Additionally, this phase includes a 90-minute discussion with the DEI cohort, leaders of color, and other key stakeholders, who offer diverse racial perspectives on the organization. Both conversations are essential for developing a plan that aligns with and enhances existing equity initiatives, ensuring they produce positive outcomes.
PREREQUISITE: None. Organizations/Systems that are new to racial equity.
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Elevation 2 Transformation (E2T)
Participants engage in a 1 day in-person (2 half days virtual) seminar that will develop a foundation and provide tools for talking about race both interracially and intra-racially. They will participate in exercises to elevate personal racial consciousness, develop a deeper understanding of the impact of race in their own lives as well as gain clarity around the construct of whiteness and its role in sustaining systemic racism.
PREREQUISITE: None. Participants who are new to racial equity.
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Deeper Dive Series (D2)
Following E2T or other foundational seminars, there is always the question, “Now what?” These three 2-hour seminars help individuals and teams to move from Knowledge to Know-how. Participants are provided an opportunity for smaller group discussion and coaching in order to make real world connections to their professional and ultimately organizational practice.
PREREQUISITE: E2T seminar
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Leaders of Leaders (Level 2) Series
Participants who want to further their personal journey of learning, and move beyond the foundational tools to talk about race, will gain an even deeper understanding of how endemic racism is in our society and how it flourishes in our institutions unrecognized. Participants will begin to recognize destructive patterns that maintain the status quo, and gain the skills to create solutions and disrupt inequities, personally, professionally, and organizationally. Topics covered in the 4 SEMINAR series may include:
Theories of Race
Systems Thinking
Intersectionality
Deconstructing Anti-Blackness
Racial Identity Development
Whiteness Uncovered
*topics subject to change
PREREQUISITE: E2T seminar or other foundational work
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Equity Team Development
It is essential to develop and provide strong support for organizational leaders who serve as the guiding coalition to move toward school racial equity transformation. The Equity team (consisting of up to 10 equity/anti-racist leaders) participates in purposeful professional learning focused on deepening an understanding of race and equity, and how to develop and then guide the implementation of the organization’s equity plan.
PREREQUISITE: E2T or other foundational work
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Executive Leadership/Cabinet (XL)
These collaborative sessions are specifically for executive-level leaders and the guiding coalition responsible for managing the change process. Designed to foster significant professional learning, coaching, and support, the series will focus on developing and implementing the infrastructure necessary for racial equity transformation. Participants will engage deeply with policies, practices, programs, structures, climate, and culture to identify and address barriers to equity and organizational change. Through this process, leaders will gain the insights and tools needed to drive meaningful change and embed anti-racist practices throughout the organization.
PREREQUISITE: E2T or other foundational work
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SLAM!
Student Led Anti-Racism Movement (SLAM!) is designed to do more than simply engage students in conversations about race; it aims to empower and mobilize them as leaders in an anti-racist youth movement. Participants will deepen their personal understanding of race and enhance their racial consciousness while acquiring the skills and tools needed to challenge systemic racism. Racial literacy is a core component of SLAM!, but students will also explore how race intersects with other social identities affecting their experiences. The mission of SLAM! is to amplify student voices and actions. Students eagerly dive into the work with a passion to "change" the world. Therefore, it is crucial for adults to actively collaborate and commit to this effort, supporting and guiding students in their transformative journey.
SLAM! is implemented through the LAW 3-PHASE plan of action with a 2-3 year commitment:
LEARNING
Youth develop personal racial literacy and consciousness through historical and current contexts. Cultivate tools and strategies to engage in discussions about race and identity, as well as develop leadership tools to begin to address and disrupt systemic racism as well as other isms.
ARTICULATING
Youth have developed a foundational understanding of race and other discriminations in their lives and the world around them. As they continue to dig into deepening their understanding and practice with the tools they’ve learned, they articulate and execute their roles as anti-racist leaders in collaboration with their trusted and supportive adult collaborators.
WORKING
Youth feel confident in all the knowledge, tools and skills that they have acquired. They are now prepared and ready to lead the work of anti-racism in ways that are meaningful to them. Collaborative efforts between SLAM! and equity-centered adults is what drives this work, which requires the adult capacity to authentically share power with students.
INCLUDES
1x Advisor overview (should be social justice leaders). 4x Student seminars. 3x Advisor check-ins. 3x Leader check-ins. MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL programs
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Black Girls Matter Too!
While the overwhelming number of groundbreaking initiatives and opportunities being developed address the continuing impact of racial oppression and structural barriers that affect Black boys, Black girls who face similar plights, are far too often excluded from the current increased attention to racial justice issues.
From pre-school onwards, Black girls are suspended at higher rates than their peers and disproportionately receive harsher punishments. Research shows that these discipline disparities are related to racial and gender stereotypes that portray Black females as “loud, confrontational, assertive, and provocative.” The pervasive racial and gender biases in education prevent Black girls from succeeding and shrouds their presence in the school to prison pipeline.
This 1 day session invites participants to develop more consciousness around the plight of Black girls navigating the intersection of both race and gender, and to reflect on their personal role in sustaining the inequities these girls encounter on a daily basis.
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“Wow, they care, right?”
Making Schools Safe(r) for LGBTQ Students
Schools contribute heavily to the feelings of isolation and stigmatization that many gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth experience. Research demonstrates that the climate of US middle and high schools are generally unsupportive and unsafe for many of these youth who are often susceptible to harassment, discrimination, and other negative events, often specifically related to their sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or how they express their gender.
The research reports that in order to create safe schools for students who identify as LGBTQ, school districts must have 4 components in place: nondiscrimination policy specifically addressing sexual orientation and gender identity; inclusive curriculum; support groups for students; and staff development for teachers and support staff.
This 1 day seminar is designed to support schools as they move from policy to implementation.
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P4: Parents for Racial Equity Seminar Series
For some parents, talking about race to a child can be unnerving. Largely because many parents, particularly white parents, were taught to be “colorblind”, rather than “color conscious.” But children begin to notice race as early as 6 months and begin to develop biases as young as 3. Parents must realize that when nothing is said about race, a lot is actually still being communicated.
An important first step in talking to our children about race is to first do our own personal learning about race. This 4 seminar series topics introduce:
1. Language / Tools / Parameters /Myself… My story
2. Beliefs & Consciousness
3. Whiteness
4. Children & Race / Co-conspiratorship
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Race-WorkSpace (RWS)
RWS is a vibrant online community built for you and your racial equity colleagues to practice and connect in between Race-Work seminars and your racial equity work on site. Let’s bring our body, heart, spirit and mind to our race work.
This online professional development community built to extend members’ theory to practice after engaging in Race-Work seminars and learning sessions. This virtual work “space” brings colleagues together across organizations to a space for racial equity networking, tips, tools, resources, live interactive webinars with coaching, and innovative guest speakers (with video replays). Continuous content will be added to this ongoing online resource center with racial equity focused tips, curated blogs, articles, podcasts, audios, videos, social media highlights, current events, guides, film and book reviews, professional development templates to customize and apply at members’ sites, and more.
During live interactive community webinars, members will practice real scenarios to increase their racial equity acumen, access, understanding and implementation of race-work tools. Members will become part of a dynamic network of other racial equity leaders and will be guided in the discussion by experienced racial equity coaches. This ongoing racial equity practice and content, resource center, experts, and library of innovative topics is designed to inspire members to deepen their racial equity practice and reach.
RWS is a unique professional development opportunity for members to practice in a racial equity community that meets them where they are to increase their skills and comfort as they expand upon the use of the Race-Work tools from seminars and learning sessions with Dr. Lori A. Watson, in an online supportive environment. The three sections of the RWS Membership platform and scheduled sessions are aligned with Dr. Watson’s Three Phases of Change Model: Learning, Articulating, and Working. Up to 40 hours of engagement may be scheduled for certificates of participation towards continuing education units.
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Other services
KEYNOTES
DESIGNING RACIAL LESSONS
SMALL GROUP & ONE ON ONE COACHING
ADVISEMENT/CONSULTING
