Upcoming Workshops

White women in management and supervisory roles are uniquely positioned to make a meaningful difference in advancing racial equity. Many of us are motivated by a genuine commitment to racial justice and a desire to grow our cross-cultural skills to better provide all employees, and especially employees of color, the guidance and opportunities they deserve. By building self-awareness around our privileges and biases and how they impact our daily behavior, we can more deliberately build authentic relationships with our peers, supervisees, and colleagues.

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This three-part Lunch and Learn series will support participants to deepen awareness of the presence and impact of institutional power, privilege, and stereotypes that white women leaders both navigate and perpetuate. Using case studies, personas, and real workplace examples, we’ll provide space for interactive small and large group discussions. Participants will leave better prepared to name and take responsibility for embedding racial equity values into our leadership practices to become more effective and compassionate leaders.

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May 29th: Session One: A Power Analysis: Understanding White Women and Institutional Access

Optional Accompanying Reading in What’s Up with White Women: Chapter 1, Introduction & Chapter 2, A Power Analysis: White Women and Institutional Access

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This session invites us to examine how white women’s position in the hierarchy of institutional access lies between white men and People of Color. We tend to have leadership roles in service and support industries such as nursing, teaching, managing offices, supervising nonprofit staff, and directing social service non-profits. This creates a dynamic that encourages and rewards white women to function as enforcers of policies and practices that continue to benefit white men and institutions, often at the expense of People of Color. In other words, white men make the rules and white women enforce them.

Session Objectives

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• Better understand how white women access privilege through relationships with, and proximity to white men.

• Explore patterns of behavior typical of white women in the buffer zone.

• Develop strategies for better navigating racial and gender power dynamics.

 

June 5th: Session Two: Naming our Patterns: Exploring White Women Leadership Personas

Optional Accompanying Reading in What’s Up with White Women: Chapters 3 – 9, A Developmental Model.

 

This session invites participants in supervisory and management roles to engage in honest, constructive self-reflection about how their leadership patterns affect colleagues and staff of color. Using a set of six relatable personas drawn from real observed behaviors, participants will explore common pitfalls as well as a vision of what equitable, effective supervision can look like. Through guided reflection, small group dialogue, and collective sharing, participants will leave with greater self-awareness and concrete strategies for culturally responsive leadership.

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Session Objectives

• Recognize which persona(s) most closely reflect their own tendencies and leadership approaches and understand how those patterns can create barriers for staff and colleagues of color.

• Distinguish between behaviors that feel supportive or neutral (such as deferring to avoid conflict, over-monitoring, or avoiding direct feedback) and those that genuinely support the growth, psychological safety, and success of staff of color.

• Identify at least two concrete actions you can take to more effectively balance high expectations, clear communication, and culturally responsive leadership in the workplace.

 

June 12th: Session Three: Compassion at Work: Cultivating Belonging Beyond Listening

Optional Accompanying Reading in What’s Up with White Women: Chapter 11, If What, Now What?

 

Compassion is more than a personal virtue; for white women leading teams of color, it is a foundational leadership practice. This session explores what compassionate leadership looks like when navigating the realities of racial difference, power, and trust in the workplace. Drawing on research linking compassionate leadership to stronger employee engagement, greater resilience, reduced turnover, and improved organizational performance, participants will examine what it truly means to move beyond good intentions and active listening toward concrete, culturally aware action. Through honest reflection, peer discussion, and practical tools, participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to build the kind of psychological safety and genuine belonging that allows everyone to thrive.

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Session Objectives

• Articulate the difference between empathy and gestures of support versus the sustained, action-oriented compassion that builds genuine trust and belonging for employees of color.

• Recognize how your own privilege, biases, and positional power influence the way compassion is experienced by employees of color and reflect honestly on the internal barriers that can get in the way.

• Learn strategies to create a work environment where employees of color feel genuinely seen and supported to contribute fully and authentically.

 

Who should attend:

This session is designed primarily for an audience of white women and non-binary people interested in growing their anti-racist leadership practices. We define leadership broadly to include supervisors, managers, community organizers, and others.

Facilitators: Ilsa Govan and Tilman Smith, co-authors of What's Up with White Women: Unpacking Sexism and White Privilege in Pursuit of Racial Justice

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Pricing: $25 per session. Participants may sign up for one, two, or all three.

Optional: $100 follow up 50-minute coaching session (a $250 savings!)

You can also select an optional discounted coaching session to follow up. These can be used to address questions that arise during the workshops, get support implementing new approaches, and/or gain insights into your current practices. Select this option at checkout.

Clock Hours: This workshop has been approved for 3 Clock Hours available for Washington State Certificated Teachers. If you would like to receive clock hours, you must attend ALL three.