Diversity Awareness Partnership

Breakout Sessions

Track One: 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Full admission includes one session from track one and one session from track two.

UNCONSCIOUS BIAS IN THE WORKPLACE 
Kenneth Pruitt, Director of Diversity Training
Diversity Awareness Partnership

Session Description:
An overview of our current social and biological understandings of unconscious bias, as well as intervention strategies for mitigating its harmful effects. Embedded in this session are facts and figures that help participants to explore unconscious bias and related concepts.


UNDERSTANDING THE TRANS COMMUNITY
Jaimie Hileman
Metro-Trans Umbrella Group

Session Description:
An Overview of the Barriers, Challenges and Opportunities for the “Trans Community”.

• Increase awareness of the huge anti-Trans legislative backlash from the political and            cultural right
• Discuss historical barriers to equality
• State the future opportunities for the Trans community


THE POWER OF EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS 
Susan Stith
Express Scripts

Session Description:
Organizations support Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for many reasons including a commitment to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace, fostering a culture in which different perspectives, ideas and styles are encouraged and creating an environment in which all employees feel valued and respected.  The purpose of this breakout will be to discuss best-practices in ERG development including tools and resources to ensure long-term success.


NOT OUR PARENTS’ RELIGIONS: NARRATIVES OF YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS IN MINORITY RELIGIONS
Leslie Heberlie
Interfaith Partnership

Session Description:
A small panel (three) of youth to young adults in minority religions (Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism being the primary targets) speaking about their lived experiences


MEET A HERO, BE A HERO: BULLYING & CYBERBULLYING IN TODAY’S WORLD
Diversity Awareness Partnership
HateBrakers
Megan Meier Foundation

Session Description:
When working closely with youth, schools, parents, and communities need not only to be aware of bullying and cyberbullying issues, their many forms, where they occur, and why they happen, but more importantly the lasting, incredibly damaging impact it can have on the lives of youth. We are beginning to realize that bullying is no longer considered “a normal part of growing up,” but rather an issue truly wreaking havoc on youth’s self-esteem, self-worth, academic performance, motivation, emotional well-being, and overall happiness. Tina Meier, a nationally recognized speaker on bullying and cyberbullying, shares her daughter’s story along with other valuable information to adults in our community on ways to increase inclusion and acceptance in our world.


A DEEPER LOOK INTO COLORISM: WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT IT?
Kimberly Norwood
Washington University School of Law

Session Description:
The preference for lighter skin over darker skin is a worldwide phenomenon. The lecture will explore global colorism. it will also look at colorism as practiced within the United States and within various racial and ethnic communities in the United States. As will be demonstrated,colorism privileges some and discriminates against others. Despite the fact that blackand brown people will make up a majority of the population in the United States in the very near future, colorism will become the next iteration of racism in that new world of shades of brown unless we become conscious and interrupt the cycle.


Track Two: 11:20 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.

Full admission includes one session from track one and one session from track two.

HIGHER EDUCATION: FRIEND OR FOE IN NURTURING THE FUTURE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Anise Wiley-Little
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University

Session Description:
The increased number of events on college campuses across the nation has thrusted the role of Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) into the forefront. As academic environments become more and more diverse, the role of CDO has changed significantly – from being primarily a compliance driven and tactical position to a much more business driven, strategic function. In this session, participants will learn key leadership lessons for having sustainable and influential impact for diversity; discuss why diversity is about effective leadership, and note some of the opportunities and challenges encountered in creating strategic diversity.

• Learn valuable leadership skills for increasing the impact of diversity and inclusion
• Understand the necessary steps for creating a comprehensive diversity strategy
• Network with participants to learn best practices


OPPRESSION AND TRAUMA’S RELATIONSHIP TO INCLUSION
Danny Gladden
Behavioral Health Response

Session Description:
Are you familiar with the concept of toxic stress? Exclusive work culture? Trauma? Diverse organizations are not always inclusive. Oppressive encounters experienced by marginalized individuals can have an overwhelming impact on their emotional,  psychological  & social well-being. Toxic stress is a result of both direct and indirect aggressions that are traumatic which can lead to perceived or real feelings of powerlessness.  Organizations who seek to be inclusive should understand the toxic stress that comes from oppressive trauma and work to create an environment that is empowering and does not re-traumatize.


A CORPORATE RESPONSE TO RACE AND RACE RELATIONS
Sharon Harvey Davis
Ameren

Session Description:
More information to come.


BEST PRACTICES FOR CREATING AN LGBT EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP
Laura Morrison
Out and Equal St. Louis

Session Description:
This workshop will target companies that would like to understand how to create a Diversity & Inclusion focused Employee Resource Group (ERG) for their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender employees and allies. During the session, we will outline some best practices for creating a successful LGBT ERG, including:

• Policies you need to have in place before beginning a group
• The importance of getting leadership support
• Establishing internal employee leaders
• Engaging allies
• Creating ERG diversity goals (policy support, transgender guidelines, self-ID and more)


FERGUSON COMMISSION REPORT: ADOPTING A RACIAL EQUITY LENS
Nicole Hudson
Ferguson Commission

Session Description:
The subtitle of the Ferguson Commission Report, Forward Through Ferguson, is “A Path Toward Racial Equity.” Racial Equity is a state in which race no longer predicts social and economic outcomes.

St. Louis has not yet achieved Racial Equity, which is why the common thread running through the Commission’s 189 Calls to Action — which address issues as far-reaching as education, housing, criminal justice, and jobs — is race.

This session will review what the Ferguson Commission learned about race in St. Louis, explain why this issue matters to all St. Louisans, and map out the Path Toward Racial Equity to help organizations advance toward Racial Equity.


BUSTING STIGMA – PROMOTING EMPLOYMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
Independence Center

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Session Description:
Busting Stigma – Promoting Employment for People with Mental Illness workshop will challenge the stigma around employing someone who is diagnosed with a mental illness. Our objective is to address the current disparity around those living with mental illness in the workplace, provide a framework to address perceived challenges or misconceptions around hiring someone and share examples of how St. Louis employers are successfully offering a diversified and inclusive workplace for adults with mental illness.