DEEPER THAN DIVERSITY
Exploring Transformative Principles in the Quest for Justice, Equity, and Belonging
THE LEARNING JOURNEY
THE BIG IDEA: DIVERSITY IS NOT THE GOAL
Indeed, plantations were diverse….but filled with dysfunction and inequity. From this context, we learn that the appearance of diversity does not necessarily signal the presence of justice. This is what we term the DIVERSITY DECEPTION. The key to dispelling the “deception” lies in building meaningful relationships, and in honoring the human spirit.
The DEEPER THAN DIVERSITY 5-Part Learning Journey is meant to unlock the mindset and cultivate the skills needed to go deeper than diversity by laying the foundation of racial literacy and applying our Oneness Lab model to develop understanding and to engage around the Five Essential Elements of Building Real Relationship: Proximity, Frequency, Knowledge, Reciprocity, and Imagination which lie at the core of our process.
5 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF REAL RELATIONSHIP
PROXIMITY
A space has been manufactured between us. The purpose of PROXIMITY is to collapse that distance and to move us closer to one another - beyond our interactions with theoretical people to real people…putting a human face on the “other.”
FREQUENCY
By practicing FREQUENCY, we can move beyond episodic contact to regularity of interaction and iterate. More frequent interaction gives us multiple opportunities to make an impression beyond an isolated Diversity Day or Global Event.
KNOWLEDGE
KNOWLEDGE is so much more than WHAT we know. It’s also about HOW we have come to know, WHY we value certain ways of knowing above others, and WHO we see as valid sources of essential knowledge. Knowledge is about Re-searching what we think we know about people, histories, and the world.
RECIPROCITY
A space of RECIPROCITY is one to re-examine what we think about our worth in relation to other people. It is here where we engage in meaningful conversations about justice in a spirit of call & response and open ourselves up to be transformed by our community as well as with it.
IMAGINATION
IMAGINATION is required if we desire to lift our vision beyond norms of dominant groups, tradition, and the status quo. It unleashes the moral and critical reasoning needed to create something new that the world has never seen.
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BUILD an active understanding of the Five Elements of Building Real Relationship from the OnenessLab model: Proximity, Frequency, Knowledge, Reciprocity, and Imagination to impact the culture of your school, company, or institution and enhance your teaching practice and leadership abilities.
RE-TOOL your learning journey with key facts, trends, and US history you might have never been taught, along with exposure to key authors and media, rich wisdom traditions, and faith practices which have emerged from diverse cultures over thousands of years.
SHARPEN the language you use to facilitate dialogue around your equity work by increasing your understanding of the ever-evolving social justice and racial equity lexicon. Practice how you might react to various scenarios that are common, yet hurtful or tinged with bias.
LEARN how to nurture empathy and psychological safety to honor diverse temperaments and perspectives, and encourage honest discussion and breakthroughs in understanding.
ACTIVATE IMAGINATION through multiple literacies: silently, through mindful meditation and active reflection; musically, through group singing and movement; and artistically, by creating visual representations of meaningful interactions and communities they have imagined.
BUILD STAMINA and dispositions to engage in this work for the long haul.