Here are a few of our favorite things…
We’ve come a long way since a October 2020 webinar when we planted a seed that would bloom Conversation Forward. Our collaboration has grown to include articles, podcasts, keynotes, and workshops. We’ve branched out to camps, schools and conferences. We’ve hosted chats with parents, talked with individual students about what makes them unique, and discussed organizational equity development with entire nonprofit boards. Our conversations now reach beyond race to recognize how our complex identities intersect.
In the spirit of recognizing all we have learned—and in hopes of continuing to propel the conversation forward—here are some of our favorite resources we rely on to do this work:
The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing. This is a gem of a resource by Anneliese A. Singh with a foreword by Tim Wise and afterword by Derald Wing Sue. We constantly pull from this text as a source of questions, quotes and strategies to include in our workshops and webinars. Accessible and interactive, this is a great “workbook” for folks of all ages!
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race. We are so appreciative of Beverly Daniel Tatum, renowned authority on the psychology of racism, for this book! The 2017 fully revised edition is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand dynamics of race and racial inequality in America.
Educating for Equity is Ali Michael’s comprehensive site with books, articles, speeches, and blogposts that helps research about race and racism come alive in a way that we can all access. Find useful resources for beginners and seasoned leaders to transform their communities into racially equitable spaces. Note: while the materials are for everyone, this site is mostly designed for white folks to do anti-racist work.
Robin DiAngelo’s praise for Resmaa Menakem’s My Grandmother’s Hands perhaps says it all: “[this book] will change the direction of the movement for racial justice.” We have studied Menakem’s groundbreaking book for several of our webinars/workshops to examine the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology. Recommended for all adults!
Over the past two years, we have been challenged by others, challenged others, and challenged each other.
Yet, our goal remains: we still aim to create spaces where we all feel included to show up as our authentic selves. This sense of belonging aids us to converse with folks who are like us—as well as to connect across lines of difference. Let’s continue the conversation…
