Supervisors Invited to Participate in ‘In the Moment—Bridging the Gaps of Race Dialogue’ Discussion Series This Fall

A series of dialogue sessions for supervisors that began earlier this summer in the wake of the death of George Floyd will continue this fall with “In the Moment—Bridging the Gaps of Race Dialogue,” sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources.

As racial tensions, polarized perspectives and heinous acts of violence continue to plague our country, this series of dialogue sessions is offered for supervisors who want to support their staff and engage in conversations that encourage inclusion and build understanding around these critical issues.

Supervisors will have two opportunities to participate in this half-day, intensive workshop:

• Thursday, Sept. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to noon: Register now.
• Thursday, Oct. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to noon: Register now.

Due to the desire to engage all participants in active dialogue, the capacity for this series is limited to 25 attendees. Once the maximum registration has been reached, others who are interested will be added to a wait list.

“Participating in the dialogue series was a good entry point to an important conversation,” says one participant from the summer sessions. “It helped to frame big picture ideas and point out different perspectives, while providing a safe space to be uncomfortable. Participating in the program provided me with direct support to take action and helped me make the right connections on campus to keep the conversation going with my team.”

The dialogue series will be led by Senior HR Business Partner Delphia Howze, who has extensive experience in diversity and inclusion management.

“It has been an honor to lead each session on this important topic,” says Howze. “Together, we’ve had the opportunity to learn, inquire and engage in discussion about a topic that often times makes us uncomfortable. In an effort to be a greater support and trusted resource, supervisors have leaned into the discomfort of this subject to acknowledge the impact of some of the challenges that our employees face regarding race and racism in our society. It has been a productive program and I look forward to future sessions.”

“We must create space and time to not only acknowledge the long-standing moment our country is experiencing relative to racial injustices, but discuss and implement thoughts, reactions and responses,” says Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keith A. Alford. “Supervisors who participated in the series have shared that this was indeed a worthwhile experience, and they are implementing with coworkers the content learned. This is a critical time in our society and everyone on campus can be a part of making it transformative.”

Additional details regarding the supervisor series can be found on the In the Moment—Bridging the Gaps of Race Dialogue webpage.