Elizabeth Liang

Human beings are the reason any organization thrives or falters. Sharing staff stories can facilitate the creation of a more harmonious workplace and campus. Using examples of leaders' stories, as well as Elizabeth's personal experiences as an intercultural person who grew up internationally, this keynote demonstrates how sharing our intersectional stories can foster empathy, connect us to one another, support well-being, strengthen DEI&B initiatives, and facilitate the creation of more compassionate workplaces and campuses, and a more just society. This can only help us at a terribly disconnected, contentious time. Elizabeth also clarifies the difference between intersectionality and the intersections of identity (using Kimberlé Crenshaw's definition of the former). An excellent talk for DEI&B and women's events.

This talk highlights how intercultural stories validate the experiences of countless people. The film Alien Citizen: An Earth Odyssey is used as an example of the transformative power of intersectional and inclusive storytelling. The talk also shows how Alien Citizen resonates for people who are NOT intercultural because the story reveals human truths. Thus, intercultural storytelling connects different people in ways they don’t often expect. Alien Citizen is the funny and poignant award-winning film about growing up as a dual citizen of mixed heritage in six countries. The broader themes of the talk include: ★ How the growing focus on intersectionality is redefining identity in inclusive, more accurate ways ★ Why truthful and thoughtful self expression is critical for a young person’s healthy development ★ How schools, businesses, and nonprofits can harness the power of creative self expression to inspire people in their communities and make them feel more connected

A talk that shows how working with a sensitivity reader can connect an author more closely to human experiences they haven’t had and thus enhance and improve their writing and the story they’re telling. More understanding and compassion does that for creative work, and this can help create a more just society. I give my perspective as a mixed race Third Culture Kid who is not from one place, speaking one language, descended from the people of one region or one continent, I’m both/and, so I’ve always lived in the intersections of identity. Also, as a woman of color, I’ve experienced intersectionality. In this talk, I distinguish between the intersections of identity and intersectionality, because this awareness can help writers. Sensitivity readers help writers to understand their fellow humans better, and that can be enormously helpful in creative work and in life. By the end of this talk, you’ll have more reason to be inspired to hire a sensitivity reader.