Seminars & Programs
—
L.A.W. 3-Phase Systemic
Organizational Approach for Racial Equity Change
The LAW 3-PHASE APPROACH is designed for organizations committed to sustained racial equity learning and organizational change. The three interconnected phases—LEARNING, ARTICULATING, and WORKING—support the development of the knowledge, skill, will, and capacity necessary to move from awareness toward increasingly intentional anti-racist practice.
LEARNING builds racial consciousness and understanding of self, others, and the organization. ARTICULATING strengthens the ability to name, examine, and make meaning of how race, racism, and power operate within everyday experiences, practices, and systems. WORKING moves learning into action as individuals and organizations apply RACE-WORK frameworks and tools to recognize inequity, examine its underlying conditions, and develop practices and structures that produce more equitable experiences and outcomes.
Through learning seminars, coaching, collaborative planning, and ongoing opportunities for reflection and application, organizations engage in a responsive process that allows learning and practice to inform one another over time.
PREREQUISITE: None. Organizations/Systems that are new to racial equity.
—
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.
—
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.
—
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
—
Leading for Equity through Anti-Racist Principles (LEAP)
Leading for Equity through Anti-Racist Principles: A four-session leadership series designed to strengthen the capacity of organizational leadership to lead anti-racist work with clarity, accountability, and strategic alignment. Sessions will focus on (1) Framing & Direction, (2) Structural Analysis, (3) Leadership Practice & Accountability, and (4) Infrastructure & Sustainability. (Session arc and focus areas remain adaptable based on emerging needs and organizational context.)
PREREQUISITE: E2T seminar or other foundational work
—
Coaching/Advising/Leadership Development
Equity coaching will be provided to key leaders including the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, Directors, and additional division/ department/committee leads & members. Coaching will focus on supporting real-time application, decision-making, and leadership moves that align with the organization’s equity commitments.
PREREQUISITE: E2T or other foundational work
—
Action Centered Transformation (ACT)
ACT is where the work becomes real. This three-session, department & role-specific series moves RACE-WORK out of discussion and into daily practice. Participants will examine how race, racism, and power operate within their departments and take a hard look at where their own practices, decisions, and systems may be reinforcing inequities.
The focus is on doing—not just understanding. Through structured analysis, collaboration, and real-time application, teams will define what equity looks like in their context and begin making shifts in how they lead, decide, and operate. ACT is grounded in practice over perfection, building the capacity to recognize and interrupt inequitable patterns as they happen and to lead with greater clarity, consistency, and accountability.
PREREQUISITE: E2T or other foundational work
—
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
—
Cultivating Anti-Racist Relationships for Equity (CARE)
Campus supervisors and instructional aides play a critical role in shaping students' daily experiences of safety, belonging, connection, and care. CARE recognizes that every interaction has the potential to reinforce inequities or create opportunities for inclusion and belonging. These six sessions are designed to deepen campus supervisors' and instructional aides' understanding of the WHY, WHAT, and HOW of anti-racist practice while strengthening the knowledge, awareness, and skills necessary to engage in this work with greater confidence and intentionality. Through interactive learning experiences, participants will explore how race influences identity, relationships, and students' daily experiences in school; examine how beliefs shape interactions, responses, and decision-making; and develop a shared language for understanding racism as both an individual and systemic phenomenon.
—
Strengthening Our Anti-Racist Capacity (SOAR):
A sustained, role-specific learning series designed to move RACE-WORK from understanding into everyday professional practice. Participants examine how race, racism, power, and dominant cultural norms operate within their specific roles and areas of influence, while using RACE-WORK frameworks and tools to explore real problems of practice. Through continued learning, reflection, dialogue, and application, participants strengthen their capacity to recognize inequitable patterns, examine the beliefs and practices that may contribute to them, and make increasingly intentional, equity-centered choices in their work.
—
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
—
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.
—
Other services
Keynotes & Featured Speaking
Engaging, customized keynotes designed to inspire reflection, deepen understanding, and move audiences from insight toward meaningful action.
Customized RACE-WORK Support
Tailored learning experiences designed in response to an organization’s specific context, needs, challenges, or emerging equity priorities.
Coaching, Advising & Strategic Consultation
Individual support for leaders navigating racial equity challenges, organizational dynamics, decision-making, and implementation.
