In the summer of 2016, it was suddenly clear to me that African Americans didn’t feel safe in America. In an effort to do SOMETHING, I teamed up with fellow coach Tracy Carmen-Jones, based in Houston, to co-lead small groups made up of even numbers of blacks and whites across the country, meeting in living rooms or online for a full year to study American history together. It changed my life.
Since then, Tracy and I, along with coach and provocateur Steve Galloway, have created ChoicePoints Learning, LLC (www.choicepointslearning.com), a consulting and coaching firm that offers workshops, 1-1 and group coaching, and strategic diversity planning to help all Americans notice and act on the daily choice points around race that we all too typically let pass by. Our signature 2-day course, LENS: Creating a New Normal on Race, One Conversation at a Time, is offered through Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership as well as internal to organizations.
Course description:
“Anchored in truths about US history that are hidden in plain sight, as well as in the sharp racial realities of today, this 2-day intensive workshop is an experiential, personal exploration of race and its impact on our perspectives that aspires to change you.
No matter where you are on the spectrum of unconscious bias and race awareness, you are swimming in it 24/7. With a determination to go far beyond “talking about diversity”, this approach, tested over several years, unlocks a depth of connection and learning unprecedented in mixed race company.
Starting with the life-and-death risks still very evident today and intended for all leaders and professionals, this workshop will introduce you to simple yet radical practices that will open doors to cross-racial relationships of greater honesty. You will have ample time to use these tools, moving through tentativeness to learn to stay in the conversation, letting others start to know and appreciate who you really are.
And the payoff? Those willing to be curious instead of careful in mixed race conversations will lead the way to unlocking the untapped potential in diverse workforces. And leaders that figure out how to embody inclusion that haven’t figured out how to embody real inclusion.
Woke Course Objectives
- Challenge your hidden assumptions around race;
- Recognize differences in between the everyday experiences for white and for black Americans;
- Build the courage to stay curious instead of careful, say what you’re really thinking, and ask what you’re really wondering;
- Expand what it means to be yourself in racially mixed groups, both professionally and personally.
Course Modules
- Race Through Age And Stage- a personal journey of your story about race and how it shaped your youth and adult life
- Race in America – a historical look at the role and impact of race across our 400+ years, and how it frames the America we live in
- Race in Mixed Company– hands-on practice and exercises to initiate, facilitate and participate in being more authentic in your interactions about race so that you can feel heard
- Race in a Small Group – how to start and facilitate a New Normal year-long study group
Click here for information on all our programs or register for Woke here.
Testimonials about Woke:
“I learned that I had been unaware or even blind to how much others felt the need to conform with some sort of social construct. I’ll be more in tune and alert for this going forward.”
“There is an imaginary line up to which it’s acceptable to be oneself. but you don’t know when that line is crossed, and white people can be reticent to tell you, or even know themselves. For example, many companies ban natural hair styles.”
“This was powerful and we all wished we had had more time to delve into the questions and answers. This is a powerhouse sement.”
“I was skeptical about how this might be received and the kinds of questions that might (come up) and I was pleasantly surprised that it was the best things we did!”
“I was surprised by just how much more aware I need to be, and more vocal when I observe potential issues or indignities. I hadn’t realized the depth of perceived differences with the participants of color, or how much race is part of their perspective on the world. I’ve been largely oblivious, despite thinking of myself as open-minded or trying to be, at least.”
“I learned that many people are eager to have these conversations. That if I stay open and curious, we can navigate the fear we all seem to feel.”
“The most important thing I learned is that racial change can only happen when the open and honest dialogue about race begins. There are white people who really are personally vested in improving race relations.”
“How much pain and exhaustion is part of the African-American experience.”
“Surprised to learn something new. This program is what is lacking in D&I trainings.”
“It was really important for me to face my own ignorance and fear of bias. I also had never engaged in such honest dialogue with a group so diverse. I am very used to being one of many white people in the room, which doesn’t help for furthering dialogue. This is probably one of the most impactful courses I’ve ever been part of, including college courses.”
“As a black person, I was struck by how much I learned.”
“That black people want white people to acknowledge race and talk about it. I always felt lit it was a taboo topic and as a white person I wasn’t allowed to talk about it.”
“The extraordinary gift you gave us was the simple opportunity to speak openly about racial issues, with people of a different race. How can it be that this is so rare in our country? Yet it is rare. But it is powerful! Two days and I already look at race relations, and at African-Americans, with much more understanding, even as I acknowledge that I have so much more to learn. One of my strong takeaways: it is not enough to be supportive of civil rights from a distance. The entire topic looks different and is much more moving and powerful when I engage…Your workshop revealed how deep my hunger is for racial harmony.”