Racial Justice Roots Convening

Convening dates & time: Wednesday, June 16th and Thursday, June 17th, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM (Pacific time) each day. Held online via Zoom.**

For the past year, the California Conference for Equality and Justice has worked with thousands of people online to delve deep into the roots of racial injustice and identify the actions we can take to transform our communities.

Our Racial Justice Roots Convening will increase your knowledge and skills for anti-racist practices and connect you with others who want to build unity and solidarity for racial justice. Each day will feature a plenary speaker or panel, interactive skills-building workshops, and affinity group dialogues.

Full workshop descriptions are below – with your registration, you will have the option to select 1 workshop per day. When registering, please select a workshop option and an affinity group for each. If you would like assistance registering a large group at your company/school/organization, please contact Paulina at pgarcia@cacej.org.

Day 1 Affinity Groups will help you to discuss action steps for racial justice with others in your role at your organization or in your community.

Day 2 Affinity Groups invite you to join facilitated dialogue with people of a similar racial identity for deeper reflection on the impacts of racism and racial injustice.

Questions? Contact Paulina Pina Garcia at pgarcia@cacej.org

Convening Schedule

Day 1:

• 9:00 AM - Convening Opening and Networking
• 9:30 AM - Welcome and Panel
• 10:30 AM - Workshop Session #1
• 11:40 AM - Affinity Groups Session (by position)
• 12:30 PM - Closing

Day 2:

• 9:00 AM - Networking
• 9:30 AM - Welcome and Performance
• 10:00 AM - Workshop Session #2
• 11:15 AM - Racial Affinity Groups Session
• 12:15 PM - Closing Remarks

Workshop Descriptions:

Youth at the Center: Challenging Adultism through Youth-Adult Partnerships

Join us in this session, where we’ll explore how to practice allyship and show up for youth in your school, organization, or community setting. Led by CCEJ Youth Leaders, this workshop will engage with the framework of Youth-Adult Partnerships, and offer concrete ways to challenge Adultism and the system of Ageism so that we can uplift youth voices, share spaces, and rise together! This workshop is for both youth and adults.

Grace Over Guilt: How Our Quest to Be Perfect Allies is Hurting Racial Justice

Practicing anti-racism in our values and actions is critical to the greater movement to end White Supremacy. Reaching this place of deeper alignment can be blocked by intense feelings of doubt, failure, or shame when we don’t live up to our ideals. In this workshop, we will explore how pressure to be “perfect allies” actually limits our ability to challenge White Supremacy and build real solidarity across racial identities. This workshop is meant for both BIPOC and white identified participants.

Heart, Mind, and Body: Path to Awareness, Journey to Resilience

Our bodies carry the stories of our family histories and the impacts injustices, across generations, have had on us. Our bodies are also sources for resiliency as we navigate these injustices, if we learn to connect to our bodies and learn to understand the information and lessons that it carries. In this workshop, we will engage somatic (body knowledge) practices that serve to heal trauma and embody new skills that we can carry into our leadership and our work for Racial Justice. Join us, as we walk through our hearts and minds to a path of awareness and embodiment of our values.

Where We Work: Transforming Workplaces for Racial Justice

This past year has challenged organizations and corporations to articulate and practice explicit values around Racial Justice to an unprecedented degree. While workplaces are envisioning culture, policies, and practices to change explicit and implicit examples of White Supremacy, the people within these structures are also faced with answering the call for higher level of leadership for Racial Justice. In this workshop, we will explore the challenges and opportunities in the relationship between individual values and action and organizational transformation. Join us to reflect on and share your experiences and connect with others making changes at their workplaces.

Using Restorative Practices for Accountability in the Workplace

Often when racial conflict occurs, it can feel there are few options for holding people accountable for the harm they cause and maintaining relationships. In this workshop, we will explore how Restorative Justice values can help us find another way to hold people accountable in racial conflicts while building deeper understanding in work relationships. Come prepared to reflect on your personal and professional values.

Thank you to our Convening sponsors:

Ann Lentzner & the Lentzner Family