The Inclusion Solution LIVE

Chevara Orrin is an award-winning diversity and inclusion practitioner, social entrepreneur, published author, social justice activist and Principle Strategist with The Winters Group, Inc. Chevara shares how her intersectional identities influence the way she shows up as a bi-racial woman in her family, relationships, and career. Her emphasis on self-healing helps her to address historical trauma and mitigate Black fatigue. She asks others to prioritize their own well-being first to enable them to care for others. Chevara also asks that we are mindful of  both the risks and rewards that come with diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice work. She leaves us with a hopeful message that there is always common ground to be found.

Djuana Beamon is a thought leader and diversity practitioner who has worked at a number of different organizations. She agreed to share her Black Fatigue story with a mission to wake people up. This week’s episode is a challenge presented to both black and non-Black folks to reimagine how to mitigate Black Fatigue in the context of being a friend, colleague, leader, community member and more. Djuana and Mary-Frances both call out the insufficient attention to sustainable strategies for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice as a key contributor to Black Fatigue. The work starts with education but goes far beyond that according to the solutions presented by Djuana and Mary-Frances.

Tremayne Bess experiences the intersectional fatigue that comes with being Black, Gay, and often older in the HR spaces where he works. Tremayne is now the Director of HR at Splunk, but has previously had to remove himself from many workplace environments that did not foster a sense of safety. Setting boundaries is only one of the ways that he manages fatigue and this applies with family, friends, and co-workers. This conversation helps us understand the compounding effects of Black Fatigue.

Tami Jackson is known as the purple tressed, J.E.D.I. Knight with 15 years of professional experience in a variety of industries including sports/entertainment, advertising, higher ed, tech and learning and development with a penchant for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion work. Tami’s personal account of Black Fatigue in a corporate setting is one that is all too familiar in the Black Community, and Mary-Frances Winters herself shares a moment of vulnerability based on her experiences.

Language truly matters in this episode with special guest Dr. Shannon Sullivan, Chair of the Philosophy Department at UNC Charlotte and author of Good White People: The Problem with Middle-Class White Anti-Racism. This discussion covers a range of terms you may find familiar such as white fragility, and also concepts like inter-generational fatigue and Epigenetics. Join Mary-Frances Winters and Dr. Sullivan in taking the conversation deeper in understanding Black Fatigue.

Dr. Tara Doaty, CEO of Sage Wellness Group, is a Howard University trained clinical psychologist who works with survivors of trauma, especially with parents, children and families. She has personally experienced Black Fatigue and has witnessed it in her work to create safe and trauma-free environments for her clients. Dr. Tara shares her expertise with Mary-Frances Winters, providing actionable solutions to turn Black fatigue into Black Joy.  

Best-selling author and CEO of The Winters Group Inc., Mary-Frances Winters, will be your host in this third season of The Inclusion Solution Live to discuss the many layers of Black Fatigue with her special guests.

The racist system is not just literally killing Black people, it is tearing the whole nation apart. In every aspect of life from socio-economics, to education, the workforce, criminal justice and very importantly health outcomes, the trajectory for Blacks is getting worse rather than improving.

In this My Black Fatigue season, look forward to hearing personal and vulnerable accounts of Black Fatigue from guests that represent a variety of identities, age groups, and professional industries.

Share your thoughts or personal story on all social media platforms using #MyBlackFatigue

The current racial justice movement has magnified calls to defund the police, abolish the prison system, and invest in more restorative forms of justice centered on healing, community, humanity--proactively removing barriers. Inasmuch as these conversations may be more top of mind today, the dialogue around criminal justice, school to prison pipeline, prison industrial complex more often than not is centered around the experiences of Black men. Yet, Black women, Black girls, Black mothers are also disproportionately impacted by these same systems.

We can’t begin to fully understand, much less solve for these complex issues if we’re not amplifying the voices and perspectives of those most impacted by them. That is what this conversation is about—amplifying. Amplifying the experience, the humanity, the journey of Claudia Shivers. Claudia shares more on her experience at a federal facility during COVID-19 and heightened racial tensions, the impact of incarceration on family and generational trauma, and how she is currently using her freedom to serve her community and those previously incarcerated through The Freedman’s Bureau.

In this episode, Brittany J. Harris connects with Stephanie Harris (no, we're not related, but we're family :-)). Stephanie is a mindset coach, wellness activist, wife of a COVID-19 survivor, mother, and of course, an everyday person living during a global pandemic. Stephanie shares a personal account of how her husband contracted and ultimately survived COVID-19. We talked about her experience advocating for her husband while also prioritizing her own self-care. We also talked about race and racism, and the toll that our current climate is having on us (as individuals) and the Black community. Stephanie shares strategies for affirming oneself amidst challenging circumstances, and encourages us all to release ourselves from the burden of other people's perspectives, biases, and misinformation. All in all, we underscored the power in using one's story and creating our own narratives for good, and to ultimately impact the lives of others.

At this year's Forum on Workplace Inclusion, The Winters Group, Inc hosted a live podcast recording event to explore the question:
What would it mean to decolonize diversity, equity, and inclusion work? Put differently, what would it mean to reimagine a DEI industry that centers humanity, justice, and dismantling systems of inequity and oppression in all forms?

Meaghan Shiffler is a teacher living in Detroit and a newlywed navigating the US immigration system with her wife during this global pandemic. She shares more about the pivots she's had to make in her life -- from rescheduling her wedding to a small kitchen ceremony; navigating the emotional toll of supporting her wife through unfair immigration policies and systems; and adapting her middle school students to the distance learning environment. Meaghan talks about the digital divide, access to technology, and the state of education from her perspective in Detroit, and shares her thoughts on what she'd like to come from this pandemic: Radical Change in Education and Unity among Parents and Teachers.

Julie Cassidy has been teaching for nearly three decades, and she's a single mom living during this global pandemic. In our conversation, Julie shares what it's been like transitioning from the classroom environment to a distance learning environment. As a teacher of over XX students, she even shares a little bit about how this environment has impacted her senior year students and their parents. Julie talks about the challenges of working from home, being available to her students AND supporting her own daughters during this time. She recommends teachers "grade with grace," and invites parents to simply "chill." She even offers some perspective to leaders, encouraging them to think about the students who are most in need during this time as they re-imagine education after COVID-19.

Dr. Calvin Smith, III is an Atlanta-native hailing from Westlake HIgh School, Morehouse College, and Meharry Medical College's School of Medicine. He is a Black man and advocate working in Nashville, TN at COVID-19 testing centers--and of course, he's an "everyday person" experiencing this Global Pandemic. During our talk, Dr. Calvin shared more about his experience serving and engaging with patients and communities impacted by COVID-19. We talked about how racism and politics have huge implications for our health and well-being, specifically Black and African-American communities. At the time of recording, we'd learned about Amy Cooper, the white woman who lied to police about a Black man who asked her to leash her dog in a park, Joe Biden's offensive comments about Black people voting for Trump, and the untimely deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd at the hands of police and white vigilantes, so we discussed it all! Dr. Calvin positions racism and police brutality as a public health crisis and we talk candidly about the role of white people and allies in dismantling these systems. We also talk about what to expect from a COVID-19 test and what it means to be 'compassionate' during this time, specifically how something as simple (yet impactful) as wearing a mask is a practical way to show care for your fellow humans.

Email Dr. Calvin Smith, III - cmsmith@mmc.edu

Ryan is a father, educator, advocate, and son living during a global pandemic. In our talk, he shares what it has been like grieving the loss of his dad and being a co-parenting father during this time. We talk about a recent post he wrote for the Inclusion Solution, The Public Education Pandemic, and he expands on how Black and Brown children have and will continue to be impacted by the current education system. During our conversation, we are also reminded of the importance of connection and honoring one's feelings while grieving and adapting to this new environment. Ryan shares some advice for those grieving and offers dads some considerations for staying connected with their kids amidst social distancing.

Aisha Ghori Ozaki is a Muslim-American, mom, partner, equity & inclusion leader living during a global pandemic. In our conversation, she shares what life has been like for her multi-racial family and how their holy observance of Ramadan has been impacted by COVID-19. She underscores the power of service, and importance of fostering community and gratitude particularly during times when we're inclined to care for ourselves and our own. We talk about self AND communal care, and discuss some of the silver linings we've experienced while practicing physical distancing, as well as ways we can continue to use our power and privilege. Aisha shares more about her hopes for a re-imagined world post-COVID--a world where we embody new ways of being.

Sajdah is a mom, wife, educator, consultant living abroad in the British Virgin Islands during a global pandemic. She offers a glimpse into how the British Virgins Islands' response to COVID has differed from her home country, the United States. We talk about cultural differences and make some bold connections to white supremacy cultural norms like individualism, and how they have influenced the United States' approach to addressing COVID. We are reminded of how much there is to be learned from cultural communities within the Black Diaspora. Sajdah offers some wonderful takeaways for teachers, parents, and everyday people dealing with the challenges that have come during this moment in time.

Valda Valbrun and Brittany J. Harris explore the common stereotype of the Angry Black Woman and how it perpetuates marginalization and oppression. All too often Black women who dare to express legitimate anger about microaggressions or worse treatment are subjected to the “tone police” who dismiss their concerns because of the delivery. Valda and Brittany share their lived experiences as professional Black women who have encountered criticism for their expressiveness, even when it is not anger. They raise awareness of this often subtle phenomena that impedes Black women’s progress in the world and how to address it.

Leigh Morrison shares how attending a women's college helped her in understanding the ways in which she internalized sexism and gender oppression in very subtle ways. She challenges us to consider the ways in which we might harbor negative messages about our own identities--even those identities we are proud to be part of. Leigh reminds us that none of us are immune to internalized oppression and offers strategies for overcoming and challenging those messages in our day to day lives.

As a south Asian American, Thamara Subramanian dives into a personal and historical recollection of the model minority myth and reveals that is not a new or millennial phenomenon, but instead a historically misconstrued tool of oppression. She affirms that there is a way to balance pride in identity without perpetuating oppression towards other people or even oneself. Thamara inspires us to gain knowledge of the things we may internalize as a positive notion and be cognizant of myth versus reality.

In this episode, The Winters Group's very own Principal Strategist, Travis Jones, reveals how his identities as a white, cisgender male (and new father) influences his worldview and the cultural scripts he received growing up. He unpacks whiteness and masculinity and offers his perspective on the ways in which racism and sexism can be the detriment of the white working class. Travis encourages white people to take a more critical look into the ways in which their complicity in racism not only harms people of color, but also themselves. 

Thank you for joining us for the first season of the Inclusion Solution Live! 

Much of the current work in D&I spaces brings interpersonal or structural forms of oppression to light, but it’s less common for D&I professionals to address internalized oppression and biases. These biases can be painful to unpack, particularly if we are personally and professionally committed to equity and inclusion. However, the insights we may reveal in the process can change our lives and actions for the better.