Twentieth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

This engaging workshop explores the struggles, successes, and lessons learned as Women of Color leaders and faculty members committed to social justice across various disciplines (social sciences, business, behavioral sciences, and education). In the workshop we share best practices, methods, strategies, and engage with the audience to hear their approaches to integrating diversity into the learning environment, in non-profit, professional and academic arenas. The world is becoming increasingly diverse and the concept of ‘diversity’ is on everyone’s radar, but People of Color are often tokenized and/or excluded from taking on leadership positions. Our goal is to discuss these challenges and incorporate this discussion into a larger group dialogue on the best practices to address these challenges. To disrupt an exclusionary narrative, we present several interdisciplinary approaches for how to implement diversity in situations where folks do not necessarily seek nor want this topic addressed. We do this by focusing on counter-stories, case-studies, and analyses of and by Women of Color working to carve out leadership and agency on their terms. Subsequently, we provide examples of diverse women refusing to be “othered,” and engage our workshop participants in the strategies we use while learning from them as well. These strategies include: methods for initiating and engaging in difficult discussions and dialogues, navigating power and privilege both within and outside of our co-ethnic communities, and mentoring our colleagues. This workshop offers a range of best practices for People of Color and institutions and/or organizations moving towards providing a more inclusive leadership model.