Our team had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the 30th Forum on Workplace Inclusion in Minneapolis, Minnesota this week. It was wonderful to connect with so many friends, colleagues and peers who share in our journey towards inclusion and equity, and to continue to “power the future” together. Below are some of our team’s reflections on this week’s events, our “aha” moments, and our takeaways.
Mary-Frances Winters, President & CEO: There’s hope in the future.
As I reflect on this year’s Forum on Workplace Inclusion, I am reminded that there is hope and power in our future. While there is still much more work to be done to fully actualize equity in our communities, workplaces, and across the globe, I am optimistic that our future is in capable hands…Hands like Shiza Shahid’s, who reminded us all of the power we have to make a difference in the lives of those around us… Hands like Brittany J. Harris and Travis Jones’, members of our team, who create spaces for us to go deeper and be more critical in our understanding and practice around this work… Hands like Caroline Belden’s (also a member of our team), who’s powerful spotlight session challenged us to decenter ourselves and the dominant narrative in service of equity. The experience was awe inspiring, and these young people encourage me to continue this journey.
Brittany J. Harris, VP of Innovation and Learning: It’s time we go deep.
This was my fourth year attending the Forum, and just like the years past, I left feeling full, hopeful, and inspired to do more. Even as our broader social climate might suggest we’ve regressed or are not making the strides necessary to achieve equity, being in the presence of practitioners who remain persistent and passionate around this work (in spite of), is in some ways, therapeutic, a form of self-care. I felt this most during the session that Travis Jones and I facilitated. We created a space where practitioners could be vulnerable in understanding who we are, mindful of the ways in which we have power, and critical of the nature in which we use it (or choose not to). I got the general sense that our current times call for us to go deeper– to go beyond the surface level conversations around diversity and inclusion, challenging the notion that we (our organizations) “just aren’t ready,” and holding ourselves accountable as practitioners and agents of change. We can’t just be ‘the choir.’ We must be bold, ongoing learners. We can’t be complicit and neutral. We must be poised to take a stand. All of this is necessary.
Mareisha Reese, Chief Operating Officer: What more can we do?
I look forward to attending this conference every year, reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, and making new connections. This year’s Forum was one of my favorite Forum’s to date. The energy was inspiring, and I have a renewed sense of motivation and excitement to “be the change” and “power the future.” The part that was most moving for me was the 30th Anniversary Dinner, where Shiza Shahid, the co-founder of The Malala Fund, was the guest speaker. She spoke about her activism around fighting for girls’ education in Pakistan. It was powerful to hear such wisdom and action from someone so young. It compelled me to reflect on what I have done and what more I could do–and what more we could do at The Winters Group as a team. One new effort we made this year was to raise money for our corporate social responsibility initiative through our Live Inclusively Actualized product line. We love that our products promote the vision of the world we seek to create through our work, and we can’t wait to share more with you soon. Below is some of the TWG swag we were able to share this week– look out for more coming soon.
Krystle Nicholas, Project Analyst: Innovation unlocks new questions.
My time at the Forum this year was spent exploring new opportunities and new areas of interest – within myself and the D&I field. It was exciting to see practitioners embracing innovative efforts around gaming and artificial intelligence as a tool for advancing inclusion. In the same sense, I was introduced to a category of bias, algorithmic bias, that I never considered before that offered me new insights into myself and new tools for combatting it in the world. Emily Baxter’s We Are All Criminals project was equally as eye-opening. Her presentation was incredibly moving, and after reading The New Jim Crow, I was encouraged to hear about the ways her project is raising awareness and creating change. I walked away from her presentation and from all of my experiences with some new points of reflection: What have I had the privilege to forget? What new ideas and technologies can I utilize in my conversations and work around equity and equality?
Caroline Belden, Innovation and Learning Manager: Big work, big hearts.
My first year at the Forum was an experience I’ll never forget. I am new to the D&I space, but this experience gave me so much insight into how what we do can create deep and lasting change. As someone said at the 30th Anniversary Celebration, our jobs are big, and the changes we want to see are big. But I met so many committed and creative people this week, and I have the pleasure of working with some of the most driven and innovative people, so I know that we are collectively up to the task. I know this from the stories of Rajesh Anandan, Kathy Martinez, and Ann Wai-Yee Kwong, who spoke about creating accessible work environments and recruiting processes. I know this from the stories of Emily Baxter, who is working to break down barriers between our world and the world of formerly incarcerated folks. I know this from the stories of my colleagues, who are deeply committed to this work because they are deeply committed to a vision of peace, love, and equity in the world. I am grateful for the ways people engaged in our work with curiosity and vulnerability this week, and for the stories they shared—stories of intersectionality, of pain, of privilege, and of hope. Others’ willingness to go there pushed me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to connect the dots of self, other, and systems in new ways and to see my work as big, but my ability to face it as bigger.
Keley Smith, Operations Manager: Teamwork makes the dream work.
This year’s Forum has been enlightening and refreshing. I enjoyed sessions around a diverse set of topics that gave me new insights into the actions we can take as a team. Two of my favorites were on employing individuals with disabilities and moving beyond “banning the box” to create opportunities for formerly incarcerated folks. I also truly enjoyed Shiza’s keynote at the 30th Anniversary celebration. Her activism and passion shone through her speech and her conversation. Her willingness to be bold is inspirational! During all of these sessions and events, I was reminded of the power that we have individually and together to take action. Along those lines, I am forever grateful for the teamwork of my TWG family. We really came together this year to support each other in all of our individual and joint efforts at the Forum. There is definitely strength in numbers, and we make our numbers count!
Travis Jones, Principal Strategist: Put people first.
The Forum this year was a timely reminder for why I love this work and how grateful I am for the way The Winters Group approaches it. Several participants from our sessions thanked us for creating a space for authentic dialogue that was vulnerable, courageous, and hopeful in becoming better people and practitioners. It reminded me of a common theme “behind the scenes” of TWG culture: a centering of people’s lived experiences. As part of our ongoing commitment to provide transformative solutions for our clients, we always ask each other things like, “How was the dialogue”, “Were people engaged and participating” and “How did the room feel” to gauge the quality of our work. I’m proud to be part of a team that cultivates transformative sessions where people are the center of our focus.
Ron VanPelt, Administrative Projects Manager: Capitalize on the Momentum.
This year’s Forum on Workplace Inclusion offered a unique opportunity to connect as well as reconnect with industry leaders. From great sessions, to phenomenal guest speakers, the Forum has captured and enhanced my enthusiasm for diversity, equity, and inclusion. While there, I was able to learn and digest new concepts that will be added to my toolkit as a practitioner. I believe that this Forum is critical in propelling the work that we do forward, and I am looking forward to another 30 years of excellence. For now, I look forward to capitalizing on the momentum we built together as a team through our work at The Forum and through our collaborations with others in the space.
