What happens when an organization incorporates compassion throughout its policies, procedures, and culture? What is the impact on all stakeholders in an organization when human needs for care, consideration, and connection and are considered alongside business and impact outcomes? Research, and practice, show that the needs of people and the needs of organizations are not mutually […]
Emotionally Intelligent Engagement: Using EI to Advance Racial Justice
You voted for thisWhite supremacy, anti-Blackness, systemic racism: these topics evoke strong emotional reactions. For non-Black and specifically white people, emotional reactions to these topics can include, shame, guilt, fear, and becoming defensive. When Black people engage on these topics, we may have to navigate internalized voicelessness, rage, feelings on inadequacy, and trauma. In a time when trainings on unconscious bias and bystander intervention have become commonplace, the emotional element of co-liberation oftentimes goes unaddressed.
Learning how to identify and understand how we feel, and to understand how others may feel is essential for effective dialogue and action on racial justice. These skills are particularly necessary among startups committed to diversity, where our desire for comfort and shared perspective among founders often manifests as racially homogenous teams.
In our interactive and participatory session, we will lean into our emotional selves as we explore the emotions related to racial inequality. We will raise our consciousness of our own emotional responses related to race, be equipped to better understand how racial justice work shapes the emotional responses of others, and establish helpful expectations on how we can collectively better engage on an emotional level to advance racial justice.
Confirmed Panelists
Justin Woods, Founder, EQuity Social Venture