EQUITY IN BLACK & WHITE:
UNPACKING OUR CALL OF DUTY
RECEPTION: March 10th | 6pm to 8pm
SUMMIT: March 11th | 9am to 3pm
YOU ASKED, WHAT CAN WE DO?
Equity in Black & White: Unpacking our Call of Duty Summit, is a uniquely curated occasion for those positioned to be change agents in the public and private sector. Crucial conversations with subject matter experts were purposefully designed to address the role of race and equity in America, while emphasizing the need for change across economics, employment, health, housing, education, criminal justice and civic participation. More, such changes must be implemented expeditiously to directly address the needs of historically excluded and endangered populations.
Fireside Chat with Gina Adams and Robert Smith: Restorative Investing in Black Economic Wellness
Capital deprivation has long since been a formidable barrier to generational wealth building in the Black community. Systemic exclusion from the American economy continue to make small business development, homeownership, post-secondary education, career progression and the like elusive for far too many Black families. Robert Smith, a specialist at unpacking problems and designing scalable solutions points to a need for reparative, restorative and regenerative investments that liberate the spirit of historically abandoned and oppressed communities. We can only surmise that advancing economic justice is one of the factors at the root of his 2% Solution Plan. Join the Fireside Chat with Mr. Robert F Smith as he expounds on this and other life-transformational investment strategies aimed at making Black Economic Wellness a reality.
Robert Smith
Founder, Chairman & CEO, Vista Equity Partners
“We will only grasp the staggering potential of our time if we create on-ramps that empower all people to participate, regardless of background, country of origin, religious practice, gender, or color of skin.”
Gina Adams
Senior Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs FedEx Corporation
The Value of a Leadership’s Authentic
Embrace of Racial Equity
The current explosive focus on racial equity is a welcome response to the centuries-old socio-economic issue of racial injustice in America. Recent trends show that Black Fortune 1000 CXOs and DEI budgets have been vanishing though racial equity gaps continue to widen across all areas of wellness. This illuminates that money and competent DEI leaders alone won’t bring about espoused values and goals. Authentically embracing racial equity starts with a personal journey that not only leads to empathy but also action. The combination then leads to measurable and sustainable outcomes. Michael Hyter will take participants on a journey to personal change touching on the value of inclusion, new leadership paradigms and effectively leveraging inherited social capital to bring about racial and gender equity and opportunity.
Michael Hyter
President & CEO, Executive Leadership Council; Former Chief Diversity Officer, Korn Ferry
"A critical factor to any company’s success is having a diverse mix of talent who can take on the challenges and opportunities they face now and in the future."
We the People: Forming a Winning Equity Movement
This is not just a moment in time, but rather time for real movement. Equity and inclusion are not the goals, but rather a means to a just society and sustainable Democracy. A movement that untethers and delivers America from embedded inequities is afoot. Unprecedented and vivid threats against our Democracy have seemingly expanded the reach of the movement. So how do we succeed in making lasting change together? Professor Crutchfield will share success factors illuminated by her analysis of social change movements in America. She will offer her informed thoughts on current community organizing.
Leslie Crutchfield
Executive Director, Business for Impact Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
“Change happens not by chance. It is determined by individuals and organizations and networks that bind them together in common cause.”
The Call: Accepting the Roots of Structural Racism
America has arrived at simultaneous Black Lives Matter and White Nationalist protests in the year 2021. Both the cries of anguish around racial injustice and the unprecedented militarism on display at the Capitol are products of original, centuries old socio-political systems. For the good of the whole we are being called to look more deeply into America’s racially constructed society. Reverend Billings argues that white supremacy profoundly shapes our laws as well as our collective psyche and that even the most committed anti-racist activists are not immune to its influence on ourselves, our nation, our times. He will explain how the pursuit of a sustained multiracial democracy requires that we all understand structural inequities and their origins.
Reverend David Billings
People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB), Core Organizer
“Despite the Civil Rights Movement and an African-American president, we remain a nation hard-wired by race.”
Our Duty: Visualizing and Co-Creating a Just America
What can America look like if equity and justice are inherently available to all communities and cultures? While we have made strides toward upholding the Declaration of Independence --“that all men are created equal”, the work of guaranteeing that all men are truly treated equally has been anemic. We have a duty to conceptualize a vision leading to a feasible, co-created agenda the affords an equitable quality of life for all. Ms. Glover Blackwell will help us elucidate real possibilities for such a new destination while also identifying the barriers that need to be deconstructed to ensure our shared vision can become a reality. A graphic illustrator will capture our collective vision in real time.
Angela Glover Blackwell
Founder in Residence, PolicyLink
“One of the positives that is going to come out of this negative moment that we’re in is the revitalization of Democracy”
Undertaking the Work to Remove Racism
from the Heart of an Organization
(Experiential Breakout Sessions)
Each of our featured consultants has been deeply entrenched in driving anti-racism within our institutions for decades. They have developed and refined tools that provide effective organizational pathways to building a race equity culture. Each will demonstrate their expertise and tools on applying change acceleration processes beyond DEI to get to Anti-Racism. This will include recommended frameworks and tools on how to shift practices and structure while also ensuring participants are moved to believe and behave differently.
Option #1 - Power of Higher Thinking
Justin Pollock
Principal and Founder, Orgforward
"People who intentionally and deliberately work to name and frame the community benefit they advance through their work make strong decisions that lead to successful, values-based, sustainable organizations."
How does an organization go about the process of collecting and nurturing the unique perspectives of its employees and consumers? Justin Pollock will dive deeply into the process of unearthing unique perspectives within an organization and utilizing those findings to create actionable initiatives that lead to greater strategy and impact.
Option #2 - The Power of a Purpose-Driven Workforce
Natalie Burke
President & CEO, CommonHealth Action
“Imagine the power of a purpose-driven workforce that sees business models as mechanisms for social change; values failure and recalibration as opportunities to succeed; and equity in all things as a tool to make us bigger, faster, smarter, stronger, and better at what we do – together.”
What would it look like if an organization valued social change, valued the power of learning from failures and ensured that there were tools to bring equity to the forefront to improve organizational performance? The current socio-political climate has heightened our awareness of the roles of racism, sexism, xenophobia and other inequities within organizations. The effects of such can prevent an organization from reaching its full potential. While many organizational leaders are well-intended, they are often unable to move from good intentions to meaningful impact. Natalie Burke will walk us through creating a purpose-driven workforce that sees business models as mechanisms for social change.
Option #3 - The Power of Undoing Racism
Undoing Racism is the signature workshop of the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB). Through dialogue, reflection, role-playing, strategic planning and presentations PISAB-affiliated community organizers instructing participants on structures of power and privilege that hinder social equity. The aim of the Undoing Racism workshop is to provide individuals a common baseline of analytical tools with which to identify systems of oppression as well as a roadmap to move beyond conversation and into action. Leaders of PISAB will expose attendees to their 30 + years wisdom in conducting workshops and lectures for corporate, non-profit, and university clients.
Dr. Kimberley Richards
Organizer, People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
Dr. Ronald Chisom
Co-Founder, People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
Reverend David Billings
People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB), Core Organizer
“Despite the Civil Rights Movement and an African-American president, we remain a nation hard-wired by race.”
Awakening from Unconscious Bias
(Experiential Breakout Sessions)
Implicit or unconscious bias often goes unchecked and can result in missed opportunities for any organization. A commitment to the recognition of biases and being deliberate about challenging assumptions is a necessary step in order to for an organization to reach its highest potential. Our experts discuss the stubborn challenges of implicit biases and ways your organization can benefit from tools that sharpen awareness, spark inflection and change behavior.
Option #1 - Reveal and Challenge Implicit Bias Through
Employee Volunteerism
Chris Jarvis
Co-founder, Executive Director RW Institute Partner, Chief Strategy Officer Realized Worth
"Engaging employees in Corporate Citizenship is a great way for them to learn empathy. Something powerful happens when you learn to give and it can have a lasting effect on your business. Chris Jarvis explores how empathy learned from being a corporate citizen can unearth opportunities for your organization to grow in unimaginable ways."
Option #2 - Real Consequences of Unaddressed Unconscious Bias in the Workplace
Saba Bireda
Partner, Washington, DC Office | Co-Chair, Discrimination & Harassment Practice Group Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP
"Injustices resulting from biases have a lasting impact on employees and organizational productivity. More the financial consequences of unaddressed discrimination can be enormous. Organizations who put measures in place to consistently assess the efficacy of their DEI practices and policies can avoid issues of employee betrayal and litigation. Saba Bireda will discuss illustrative case studies that reveal the seemingly ‘invisible’ equity trip wires."
Option #3 - The New Voice, Vote and Value of the
Black Consumer
Pepper Miller
President, The Hunter-Miller Group, Inc.
"Perception is everything. Perceiving Black America as "less than" rather than accepting Black Americans as "different equals" results in missed opportunity."
Pepper Miller is one of the foremost authorities on Black consumerism and is often called upon by Fortune 1000 companies to help them communicate to the Black audiences they serve by correcting the misinformation about Black consumers. Be enlightened and empowered with advertising examples and best practice stories that provide a better understanding of Black America's value and their influence as a market segment.
Howard Gospel Choir
Rev. Dr. Ianther M. Mills
Senior Pastor, Asbury United Methodist Church
Special Thanks To Our Sponsors
Hospitality Sponsors
Speaker Segment Sponsors
