Are you ready to grow?
Articles, videos, and podcasts to prepare you for our time together.
Go ahead, dig in!
An opportunity to grow your knowledge
It is often better to get our minds prepared to engage in critical thinking. Therefore, I have placed materials at different levels of critical engagement. To get you best prepared for the work we will do together, I have assembled learning resources for you to review.
You will see a combination of reading, listening, and watching materials. You decide what your level is based on your experience with works about difficult history, critical self-reflection, and complex concepts.
Whatever you choose, we all learn together - so scroll down and dive in!
Level 1: Limited Awareness
The information in this level is for people who have had little exposure to materials that discuss race and other complex topics. Someone in the category rarely seeks out this information. Their limited exposure likely occurred in a required class or workshop - or they may have stumbled upon the topics by accident. Therefore, they have some awareness, but are not continuously intentional about expanding their understanding of various diversity topics.
They may not be ready for or have the tools to learn about difficult history, have their perspectives challenged, or manage their discomfort.
Level 1 is a great entry point for people starting their learning journey.
Level 2: Curious
The information in this level is for people who may have taken a few identity-centered courses or read some materials focused on harm groups of people experienced based on their identity (i.e. gender, race, sexuality, religion, etc). People at this level have some language for systems of harm and can point to current or historic examples. However, they may not fully see the ways they may be part of the systems, and institutions they critique. Much of their commentary is external facing. Therefore, there is more opportunity to engage in deeper self-reflection.
Level 2 is a great place for people starting or continuing a self-reflection journey.
Level 3: Purposeful Growth
The information in this level is for people who have had significant exposure to information about people from different identities. Additionally, they have a heightened awareness of how their privileged and marginalized identities operate in different ways within systems and institutions. Understanding the nuance and complexity of systems and people is easy to comprehend. The combination of this mindset and experiences has created an ability for them to engage in difficult conversations and material.
Level 3 is a great place for people actively seeking opportunities to learn about themselves and others who are not like them.
Day 1: Pre-Retreat Work
Choose two materials to review. You may need to push yourself and review material outside of your level.
It's ok. You got this!
Level 1
List of Services
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A Tale of Two Teachers | Melissa Crum (Video, 13 minutes)List Item 1
Dr. Melissa Crum is an artist, education consultant and diversity practitioner who works with many educators in urban schools. She noticed that many teachers had challenges teaching and relating to students who did not share their same cultural background. So, she worked with a museum educator to create an arts-based professional development series that helps educators think about how they are thinking about their diverse students. Her personal story and professional practice work together to tell a creative, inspiring, and eye-opening message that everyone must hear.
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The Danger of a Single Story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Video, 20 minutes)List Item 2
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
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People Like Us: How Our Identities Shape Health and Educational Success | NPR’s Hidden Brain with Owen Garrick (Podcast, 35 minutes)List Item 3
A recent study found that black doctors were more effective than non-black doctors at convincing black men to use preventative health services.
Level 2
List of Services
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Why Does Privilege Make People So Angry? | Decoded | MTV News (Video, 5 minutes)List Item 1
We all have privilege in some way, and it’s not always an easy thing for people come to terms with. However, pointing out someone’s privilege shouldn’t be a personal attack. Discussing privilege isn’t about blame; it’s about raising awareness of the inequalities that exist in today’s society. Realizing how we might be treating certain groups of people unfairly is the first step to changing the situation, and becoming true equals!
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The Problem With Safe Spaces | Negotiate Anything with Dr. Melissa Crum (podcast. 34 minutes)List Item 2
In this episode, Dr. Melissa Crum, Equity and Diversity Practitioner, SHRM Provider, MBE/EDGE certified, discusses the problem with safe spaces with negotiation expert Kwame Christian.
Level 3
List of Services
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Season 2, Seeing White, Part 1: Turning the Lens | Scene on Radio (podcast, 17 minutes) (content warning for BIPOC)List Item 1
Events of the past few years have turned a challenging spotlight on White people, and Whiteness, in the United States. An introduction to this series exploring what it means to be White. By John Biewen, with special guest Chenjerai Kumanyika.
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Seeing White, Part 2: How Race Was Made | Scene on Radio (podcast, 28 minutes)List Item 2
For much of human history, people viewed themselves as members of tribes or nations but had no notion of “race.” Today, science deems race biologically meaningless. Who invented race as we know it, and why? By John Biewen, with guest Chenjerai Kumanyika.
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Dr. Robin DiAngelo discusses 'White Fragility' (Video, 1 hour 25 minutes)
University of Washington professor Dr. Robin DiAngelo reads from her book "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism," explains the phenomenon, and discusses how white people can develop their capacity to engage more constructively across race.
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Season 3, MEN: Feminism in Black and White, Part 1 | Scene on Radio (podcast, 47 minutes)
The struggles against sexism and racism come together in the bodies, and the lives, of black women. Co-hosts Celeste Headlee and John Biewen look at the intersections between male dominance and white supremacy in the United States, and the movements to overcome them, from the 1800s through the 2016 presidential election. Guests include scholars Glenda Gilmore, Ashley Farmer, and Danielle McGuire.
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Season 4, The Land That Never Has Been Yet: Feminism in Black and White, Part 2 | Scene on Radio (podcast, 46 minutes)
People fighting for more democracy in the United States often have to struggle against sexism and racism. In fact, those two struggles are often inseparable—certainly from the perspective of black women and some other women of color.
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Dismantling White Supremacy and The 5 Stages of Grief | Kim Crayton (article, 7 minute read)
Giving names to stages of understanding white supremacy.
Bonus: Resources focused on Black participants
List of Services
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The Importance of Black Joy with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford (podcast, 43 minutes)List Item 1
Where in your body do you carry joy? Isn’t that a profoundly beautiful but maybe also difficult to answer question? But it’s an important one and one I want you to spend some time thinking about. To help us dig a little deeper into what Black joy is and why it’s important, this week I’m joined by Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggets, the author of Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration. Tracey and I chatted about how to get in touch with joy, why joy can sometimes be hard to access, the importance of Black joy, particularly when things are difficult, and she shares a beautiful excerpt from her book.
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Netflix’s Verna Myers on creating meaningful inclusion (podcast, 28 minutes)List Item 2
Vernā Myers, Netflix’s VP of Inclusion Strategy, has dedicated her life to tackling bias in society and in the workplace. She sits down with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth for a candid conversation about her career journey, Netflix’s approach to inclusion, and the reason she believes a solid inclusion strategy sets the stage for excellence, period.