CONNECTING COMMUNITIES THROUGH CONVERSATION
On Oct. 19, 2022, the City of Tallahassee hosted “The Power of Voice,” a daylong race relations summit to connect communities through conversation. The summit featured local community leaders and renowned experts on topics including developing an inclusive work environment, examining unconscious bias, building fair housing, understanding the social determinants of health and more.
"The Power of Voice” summit offered an important opportunity for the community to engage in dialogue designed to elevate the racial literacy and consciousness of individuals and organizations. Through these meaningful discussions, progress continues toward transforming systems and eliminating predictable racial disparities that hinder growth and success for all.
“The Power of Voice” keynote presentation and several workshops are available to view below.
The Power of Voice: Moving Beyond Diversity and Into Belonging
Rick Caldwell
Successfully building an inclusive workplace goes beyond setting diversity, equity and inclusion goals and making public Diversity Statements. To truly operationalize inclusion, leaders need to incorporate actionable methods that encourage inclusion at every stage of the employee experience.
The research is clear – inclusive environments are performance enhancers. They are characterized by higher productivity, less turnover and more resilient cultures. While basic research has shown that diverse and inclusive teams are better at problem-solving and fostering a global outlook, many professionals still struggle with building strategies for the modern workplace that maximize inclusion and belonging at all levels.
Why We Need to Be Conscious of Unconscious Bias
Dr. Gabrielle K. Gabrielli
A crucial step toward an inclusive work environment is developing an awareness and understanding of biases that can unconsciously influence how we work and interact with people. We all have unconscious biases based on our experiences, influences, background, education and even brain chemistry.
Through awareness-building discussions and activities, role-plays and unconscious bias case studies, this course will help you better understand bias and discover practical strategies that can help you and your colleagues avoid bias and leverage the power of a more positive, inclusive work environment.
Art As a Medium to Promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Classroom
Hannah Schwadron, Ivanna Pengelley, Danie Etienne and Dan Kahn
This participatory workshop introduces the notion of “freedom dreams” as discussed in Robin D.G Kelley’s book by the same name and through group discussion and creative movement exploration. Sharing sample pedagogy developed with and for incarcerated youth at the Leon County Youth Detention Center, co-facilitators guide attendees through a series of physical games, conversation prompts, and collaborative dance/music making that builds toward the concept of “dreaming with eyes wide open” as active visions of the worlds we need and examples of how we can create them in real time.
Equal Opportunity for ALL! Building a Culture of Respect
Dante' Bonner
Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings - they are not granted by any state. These universal rights are inherent to us all, regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. They range from the most fundamental - the right to life - to those that make life worth living, such as the rights to food, education, health, liberty, and work. The key to creating an accepting work environment is to treat everyone with respect and equality! This workshop is designed to provide an understanding of EEOC laws, policies, and directives. Participants will learn ways to avoid decision-making which may lead to discrimination complaints and enhance their ability to lead an inclusive workforce.
Health Equity: Understanding the Social Determinants
Lauren Faison-Clark, Andrea Friall, M.D., Marcus West, Temple Robinson, M.D.
Across the country, in urban and rural communities, far too many individuals and families are grappling with poverty, a lack of jobs and affordable housing, discrimination, and other factors that lead to poor health. The key to achieving health equity lies in practices, policy, systems, and environmental changes that address the social determinants of health. Public health practitioners, researchers, and advocates will discuss solutions to improve these determinants and steps our community can take to drive health equity.
Show Me the Money: Creating and Supporting Minority Businesses
Keith Bowers and Katrina Tuggerson
While Black Americans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, they own less than 2 percent of small businesses with employees. By contrast, White Americans make up 60 percent of the U.S. population but own 82 percent of small employer firms. If financial capital were more evenly distributed and Black Americans enjoyed the same business ownership and success rates as their White counterparts, there would be approximately 860,000 additional Black-owned firms employing more than 10 million people. For those who are fortunate enough to own a small business, they can also offer a pathway to wealth building and prosperity.
Looking Beyond the Badge – Working Together to Address Community Violence
John Baker, Deputy Chief Maurice Holmes, Lt. Maria Mercurio, Dr. Sabrita D. Thurman-Newby
Law enforcement agencies have worked hard to increase transparency, revise policies to enhance procedural justice, recruit and hire officers who reflect the communities they serve, implement de-escalation techniques, and focus on eliminating cultures that prevent officers from holding each other accountable. However, there is more work to be done as we move forward. Join us for a discussion on how law enforcement agencies and residents can work together to create a safer community.