Consulting and Coaching for EDI Consultants and Trainers is Here!

So announcement time! I am now offering anti-racism consulting, equity and inclusion consulting, burnout mitigation guidance, and overall support for anti-racism and equity trainers, facilitators, and consultants.

I know from experience how heavy, draining, and isolating this work can be. I’ve faced periods of burnout, fatigue, and shaken faith in the purpose of this hard but necessary work. I’ve been fortunate enough to come out of the other side of these struggles with new practices to center my mental and emotional health and well-being while de-centering the guilt and failure that can often come with doing this vital work in white supremacist workplaces. I want to take my decade of experience in the trenches, implementing difficult change in workplaces while centering myself to have the energy to support others, dismantle feelings of guilt and failure, and de-center whiteness to work for other EDI consultants, trainers, and facilitators.

The goal of this service? To offer consultants something that isn’t always accessible or available to them: a thought partner with experience implementing and executing short-term and long-term strategies while supporting EDI practitioners and leading groups and networking events tailored to giving EDI practitioners a community in an isolating field of work.

So many EDI practitioners are doing this work in areas and regions of the United States where they do not have a team, thought partners, accomplices, or general support in their endeavors. So many folx across the United States want to begin careers focused on pushing for equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in systems and workplaces but don’t know where to start or what their focus should be. Thanks to technology, though, I can offer support and insight to folx nationwide and help you fulfill your goals in this work while taking care of yourself. This means we can work together to remove those barriers to thought partnership, learning, coaching, and community and help EDI practitioners find their mental, emotional, and physical footing in this work.

Are you thinking of starting a career in equity and inclusion but are unsure of where to start? I can help you navigate what approaches and focus areas will utilize and amplify your lived experience, perspectives, and talents.

Are you an EDI consultant, trainer, or facilitator who is struggling with burnout and feelings of failure? I can help you begin re-centering yourself inside and outside of your work and embrace ways to take care of your mental and emotional health.

Are you an EDI consultant, trainer, or facilitator who is struggling to get over the white fragility/violence discomfort wall with a client? I can help you get your head around building and implementing new approaches to discussion and training that can break down those barriers while de-centering white comfort.

Are you an EDI consultant, trainer, or facilitator who is struggling with feeling isolated in your work and looking for not only solidarity but a thought partner and confidant? I can be your thought partner and a new line of support.

My rate for these specially focused consults is $150 for one (1) 60-90 minute session; a 4-session package is available for $550. The initial meeting to discuss your needs and focus areas and to ascertain if I am the right fit for the support you’re seeking is free. If you decide to move forward with me after the initial consult I will begin my work with you collaborating on building a roadmap regarding what we’ll be working on/focusing on together that is flexible yet centered on your needs and goals. We will use that roadmap to kickstart our work.

If you are an anti-racism and equity trainer, facilitator, or consultant and you think I might be able to help you with any of the above (or possibly even something not listed above) please feel free to drop me a line so we can take action together!

Scared

Two days ago, I was told that the white people with power and positionality at work are scared of me. I was then told that I make them uncomfortable because I talk about racism, oppression, white supremacy, and dismantling hatred and oppression in the workplace and our communities without baby gloves.

...I just wanted to share that. Don't really have too much to add to that. I mean, that speaks for itself, doesn't it? I knew they felt this way. I've known since day one. I know that most white people think this way about me. But having a white person with more power and positionality than you tell you this out loud in a meeting with a nervous chuckle because even they are scared of you and hope you don't call them out really hits you a particular kind of way. I sat with it for a couple of days, talked with my therapist about it, and I'm doing OK. It's out of my control. It is what it is. White people gonna white people. And Pharoah's gonna keep being Pharoah. Que sera.

Happy Thursday.

On Rosa Parks, Blackface, Vaccinations, and Using Hate to Act Like You're Bein' Hated On

So let's take a minute and circle back around to Newberg, Oregon.

For those who haven't been following, I posted something about the Newberg School District deciding to ban Black Lives Matter and Pride flags and posters from school grounds a few weeks ago. This banning, of course, led to a backlash from the community, a backlash that the Newberg School Board could give two craps about as they have recently doubled down on their stance. Oh, this is also paired with racist sentiments that have permeated Newberg for years because it's in Oregon - a state founded as a white utopia - so of course, it's a racist city. Recent developments in Newberg include a student being caught participating in a "slave trade" Snapchat group where white kids "buy and sell" their Black classmates and a county commissioner saying that vaccine mandates were akin to Jim Crow (yes, you read that right).


Fun times.

Well, this past Friday, a Newberg elementary school employee showed up in Blackface, saying they were Rosa Parks and taking a stand against vaccine mandates. Yes, again, you read that right. Blackface. Rosa Parks.

Every now and then some white person comes up with a new one that I haven't heard before. Using Blackface and claiming to be Rosa Parks? That's new. Shout out to Newberg, Oregon, for getting this week's Eternal Side-Eye award! It's only Monday but y'all nailed it!

Courtesy of the Newberg Graphic:

"A staff member at Mabel Rush Elementary School in Newberg showed up to work in Blackface on Friday, calling herself Rosa Parks and doing so in protest of a vaccine mandate for all school district staff.

A fellow staff member at the school who provided initial information on the incident said Lauren Pefferle “a special education assistant who the school district said it would not name due to it being a personnel matter“ darkened her face with iodine.

The concerned staff member, who requested anonymity for this story, said Pefferle explained her reasoning: that she intended to look like Rosa Parks and have her actions serve as a protest of a vaccine mandate. Pefferle was soon removed from school grounds and placed on administrative leave, according to a district statement."

You can read more about this hot mess here.