Sidney Frye II

Have you ever kept silent because you're afraid to say the wrong thing? Talking about racial equity can be uncomfortable. Learn how to have healthy "Courageous Conversations" about critical topics related to racism and inequality. Learn how to stop avoiding the elephant in the room, and start engaging in meaningful dialogue that goes beyond rhetoric, promoting a culture where all voices are heard.

Many times if we are unaware of implicit bias, it can result in perpetuating micro-aggressions and causing unintended offenses. Learn from my own story of having to unlearn what I thought I knew about soul food, and how that might be analogous for having to unlearn what we think about people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds as ourselves. This conversation is a perfect recipe for addressing racial stereotypes and biases.

How can you engage across differences in a meaningful way? When we work with people that have a different lived experience than we do, many times we employ the Golden Rule - we treat them, like we want to be treated. What if, instead we treated them the way, to the best of our ability, we believe they want to be treated? Culturally-responsive engagement is all about learning to approach differences in a way that honors them and helps us make meaningful connections.