The Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion is hosting a two-day hybrid event focused on “Beyond DEI: Social Justice in Our Lifetime,” June 20-21, 2022. The program aims to build bridges between community and businesses, government, schools, police departments, and non-profit organizations for purposeful allyship using a framework that centers on social justice and meaningful community engagement.
The conference features both an in-person Juneteenth community event from 1 to 6 p.m. on June 20 at the Mama Akua House located at 2431 Ferry Park in Detroit, as well as a virtual conference from noon to 4 p.m. on June 21 that brings together speakers for interactive interviews, panel discussions, and immersive workshops focused on responsibility to the community and radical imagination to answer the question: How do we work towards experiencing social justice in our lifetime?
“Through this conference, we are challenging people in the DE&I space who are committed to being anti-racist to go deeper,” said Yusef Bunchy Shakur, deputy director of strategy and innovation for the Michigan Roundtable. “Simply participating in diversity and inclusion trainings isn’t enough – these programs don’t deal with the deep social, political, and economic dynamics of power and privilege that has and continues to perpetuate a high level of oppression through racist behavior imposed on Black people.”
The Juneteenth celebration will include a tour of the Mama Akua House, a community engagement center in Detroit’s Zone 8 neighborhood – one that experiences many of the inequalities that ravaged all of Detroit in the past decades, including unemployment, addiction, persistent poverty, lack of affordable housing. The focus will be on the impact on communities, people, places, and institutions when purposeful allyships and social justice are not at the forefront. Attendees will put boots on the ground to support the vibrancy of this community, and learn how to connect with and amplify the voices of communities where they do business.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion is at the heart of modern organizations but for many, it is difficult to maintain without a true understanding of how racial and social justice issues may be impacting organizational policies, which in turn affects the greater community,” said Steve Spreitzer, president & CEO of the Michigan Roundtable. “This conference aims to challenge attendees to maintain a laser focus on elevating diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizational culture.”
The list of esteemed speakers during the June 21 virtual event includes Victoria Burton-Harris, chief assistant prosecutor for Washtenaw County; Daicia Price, clinical assistant professor of social work for the University of Michigan; Freda G Sampson, MFA, CDP, president and principal DEI strategist for Freda G Sampson, LLC; Nikki Pardo, DEI consultant and founder of Global Alliance Solutions; Janelle Scales, anti-bias consultant; Dr. Carl S. Taylor, professor emeritus for the department of sociology at Michigan State University; Akua Budu-Watkins, community activist; Ber-Henda Williams, a “visionary and empath coach” and founder of “The Power of Girlhood” and Poetry, Pages, and Scribes poetry series at the Southfield Public Library; Yusef Bunchy Shakur, deputy director of strategy and innovation for the Michigan Roundtable; Dez Squire, senior racial equity community organizer for the Michigan Roundtable; Izzi Figueiredo, youth organizer for the Michigan Roundtable; and Steve Spreitzer, president & CEO of the Michigan Roundtable.
The conference is an ideal forum for anyone interested in a greater understanding of the historical context for the need of a greater focus on inclusion and equity, and for those looking for practical tools to be a change agent in their workplace or community. People from a variety of disciplines will benefit from two multi-faceted days of learning, including:
- Human Resources
- Diversity Leaders (for-profit & non-profit)
- CEO and Executive Leadership
- Community Leaders, including law enforcement and governance
- Educators
- Employee resource groups (ERG)
Using an equitable pricing structure, registration is $99 for members of a corporation, $49 for members of non-profit organizations and $29 for individual community members to attend. One ticket provides access to the in-person Juneteenth event and the virtual conference!
We empower individuals to transform communities and the workplace to overcome racism, discrimination, systemic inequities and institutional and inherent bias. The organization was originally founded in 1941 to mediate religious differences, evolving over time to also mediate cultural and racial differences. Before long, the Roundtable became known as a leader in promoting harmony among racial, religious, cultural, and economic groups.
For those with financial constraints, reach out to Shakur at yshakur@miroundtable.org.
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