Arab American Heritage, Autism Acceptance, and Celebrate Diversity Month Arab American Heritage Month is celebrated to recognize the diverse culture, history, and contributions of Arab Americans to the United States . While grassroots efforts to mark the occasion began in the 1990s, it gained significant momentum in   2017 through the efforts of  ArabAmerica.com  and the Arab America Foundation. The initiative was driven by a desire to combat stereotypes and provide a dedicat

Leading Equity in Shifting Times Workshop in May Equity leadership is evolving. Across the country, formal DEI roles are being restructured, renamed, or eliminated. In many organizations, the work has not disappeared, it has simply become more complex. Some leaders are carrying equity efforts under a different name. Others are navigating pushback, policy shifts, or heightened scrutiny. Many are doing this work while also holding their primary roles. In this moment, clarity, s

March is Women's History & Developmental Disability Awareness Month Women’s History Month honors the achievements and contributions of women throughout history while recognizing the ongoing work toward gender equity. It began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California in 1978, organized by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women. After continued advocacy from historians and women’s organizations, Congress officially designated Ma

DEI Facilitation and Social Status Workshop in 2 Weeks Our DEI Facilitation and Social Status  workshop, facilitated by Dr. J.P. Anderson, is in 2 weeks! This workshop is designed to help organizations identify and repair one of the most common pitfalls of DEIB work: status inversions. This shows up when an organization genuinely wants to advance equity but ends up flipping who is seen as credible instead of changing the deeper rules of the game. Rather than separating compet

February is Black History Month Black History Month is  celebrated in February to recognize the significant contributions and sacrifices of African Americans that have often been neglected in U.S. history. Officially recognized in 1976, it honors achievements in areas like science, politics, and culture, while encouraging reflection on the ongoing movements for racial equity and social justice. Here are some things you can do to honor this month: Visit & Support the Northwest

Are you feeling stuck in your DEIBelonging work? Have you lost momentum for change in your organization? One of the most common pitfalls of DEIB work in teams and organizations is falling into the trap of  status inversion . Status inversion  shows up when an organization genuinely wants to advance equity but ends up flipping who is seen as credible instead of changing the deeper rules of the game. Rather than separating competence and leadership from things like race, gender

New Lunch & Learn: DEI Facilitation and Social Status Are you feeling stuck in your DEIBelonging work? Have you lost momentum for change in your organization? One of the most common pitfalls of DEIB work in teams and organizations is falling into the trap of  status inversion . Status inversion  shows up when an organization genuinely wants to advance equity but ends up flipping who is seen as credible instead of changing the deeper rules of the game. Rather than separating c

Train the Trainer Virtual Workshop Next Week! Our Train the Trainer workshop will be next week on January 14-16 from 8:30-12:00pm PT / 11:30-3:00pm ET. The skills developed in this three-day intensive are valuable for individuals who want to further equity work in their communities. Organizations committed to instituting systemic change will benefit by sending a small group of employees who become internal trainers that can provide on-going professional development for staff.

Cultures Connecting End of Year Wrap Up for 2025 Can you believe 2025 is already coming to a close? It's been a tumultuous year for many of us as we've experienced attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, harm to our communities, and the dismantling of rights. It's a lot to take in so for our very last newsletter issue for the year (there will only be one in December), we wanted to share how we've been managing through all of this, as well as highlights of 2025

Advanced Microaggressions for Leaders workshop has been rescheduled from November to April 9-10 next year due to unforeseen family circumstances. The workshop will still meet at 8:30-12:00pm PT / 11:30-3:00pm ET on Zoom. We will advertise this course again in this newsletter when we get closer to the rescheduled date. In the meantime, registration will remain open at Eventbrite . As with all of our workshops, refunds are available for up to 7 days before the event. For questi

Train the Trainer: Strategies for Facilitating Courageous Conversations on Race workshop will be held on January 14-16, 2026 at 8:30-12:00pm PT / 11:30-3:00pm ET on Zoom. Through engaging and interactive exercises, participants learn strategies and tips on how to successfully present sensitive information to a wide audience of learners. You will develop skills to take difficult conversations about race, privilege, and power to a deeper level and learn strategies for working w

Train the Trainer Workshop in January Train the Trainer: Strategies for Facilitating Courageous Conversations on Race workshop will be held on January 14-16, 2026 at 8:30-12:00pm PT / 11:30-3:00pm ET on Zoom. Through engaging and interactive exercises, participants learn strategies and tips on how to successfully present sensitive information to a wide audience of learners. You will develop skills to take difficult conversations about race, privilege, and power to a deeper le

Advanced Microaggressions on November 20th & 21st Advanced Microaggressions for Leaders: How to Facilitate Difficult Conversations workshop will be taking place this month on November 20th & 21st at 8:30-12:00pm PT on Zoom. We apologize for the incorrect dates in our last newsletter (it was correct on Eventbrite). This workshop is for people in leadership positions who want to develop skills for approaching challenging situations in a way that invites healing, creates psychol

We are in the last quarter of 2025 so it's time to plan our 2026 workshops. We have four workshops scheduled for next year so far which you can find below, along with brief descriptions. We will announce more details in this newsletter when registration opens! Train the Trainer  with Dr. Caprice Hollins & Ilsa Govan January 14, 15, & 16 at 8:30-12:00pm PT on Zoom Through engaging and interactive exercises, participants learn strategies and tips on how to successfully present

Save the Dates for Upcoming Workshops for 2026 We are in the last quarter of 2025 so it's time to plan our 2026 workshops. We have four workshops scheduled for next year so far which you can find below, along with brief descriptions. We will announce more details in this newsletter when registration opens! Train the Trainer with Dr. Caprice Hollins & Ilsa Govan January 14, 15, & 16 at 8:30-12:00pm PT on Zoom Through engaging and interactive exercises, participants learn stra

Advanced Microaggressions for Leaders Workshop Our workshop, Advanced Microaggressions for Leaders: How to Facilitate Difficult...

Coming Up this Month: Learn to Speak Up with Shutting Down When having difficult conversations, do you... React impulsively instead of responding thoughtfully? Lash out or withdraw when the conversation becomes tense? Speak without listening? We've all been there. Engaging in tough conversations with family, friends, and colleagues requires intentional effort, skill, and practice. At our workshop, Speaking Up without Shutting Down: Tools for Hard Conversations, you'll learn t

If we want to create a world where racism no longer thrives, we must examine how we show up when conversations get hard. Too often, the...