American Reckoning: May 25th ~ George Floyd One Year Later
The State of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in America
An Online Zoom Event
May 25, 2021 (Time: 11 :00AM – 1:00PM GMT)
Facilitator:
Matthew C. Whitaker, Ph.D. - Award-winning historian, justice, diversity, equity, inclusion leader, motivational speaker, CEO of Diamond Strategies, and founder of the Arizona State University Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, winner of the 2014 Arizona Diversity Leadership Alliance (DLA) Inclusive Workplace Award, where he was a professor of history for 15 years. He co-founded the Healing Racism Dialogue Series, winner of the 2008 National League of Cities Inclusive Award, and was given DLA’s 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Leader Award. His books include Hurricane Katrina: America’s Unnatural Disaster, and Race Work: The Rise of Civil Rights in the Urban West. His forthcoming memoir is The Undisputed Truth: A Revolutionary Journey to Black Manhood.
Panelists:
"Nearly two-thirds of Black Americans, 64%, view Floyd's death as murder; fewer than one-third of white people, 28%, feel that way. White Americans are more likely to describe it as officer "negligence," 33% compared with 16% of Black respondents. That said, Americans who have heard at least something about Chauvin's trial say 4 to 1, or 60%-15%, that they hope Chauvin is convicted. That included 54% of white Americans and 76% of Black Americans." - USAToday
"While the pandemic has prompted HR and business leaders to mobilize against a “whirlwind of outside forces” in the last year, says Association President and CEO Timothy J. Bartl, the death of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other Black Americans ushered in “a year of great introspection. Importantly, the DEI approaches pursued by HR Policy Association members are not one-time changes, but rather sustainable processes to elevate people of color into leadership positions, he says. These injustices sparked important and difficult listening sessions, conversations, thought leadership and change." - Human Resource Executive
Description:
"George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man," the New York Times recalled, "died on May 25 after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground under the knee of Mr. Chauvin, who is white, for more than nine minutes. The county medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused" primarily by Chauvin's use of force.
"Bystander video of the encounter quickly went viral," the New York Times continued. "The disturbing video incited large protests against police brutality and systemic racism in Minneapolis and more than 150 American cities in the months that followed, leading to a nationwide racial justice movement not seen since the civil rights protests of the 1960s. The National Guard was activated in at least 21 states, and cities announced curfews as protesters filled the streets. The protests sometimes turned destructive."
"Law enforcement was criticized for responding to the protests — a majority of which were peaceful — with force, by spraying tear gas and shooting rubber bullets at protesters, and conducting mass arrests. After the video of the arrest surfaced, the Minneapolis Police Department fired Mr. Chauvin and the three other officers involved. The explosive video also prompted an F.B.I. civil rights investigation," and the prosecution of Chauvin for second and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Not only did Floyd'd murder spark protests and an F.B.I. investigation, it forced America into a prolonged reckoning with race and institutional racism. In a historical verdict, Chauvin was convicted on all counts, but the road ahead will long. This reckoning forced the public, business, non-profit and faith-based sectors to address the ways in which, and extent to which, they have failed to address unawareness, homogeneity, inequity and injustice internally and in the communities that they serve and lead.
This timely opportunity will feaature a distinguished panel of justice, equity, diversity, inclusion (JEDI) and community relations leaders, who will speak to what has and has not happend since May 25, 2020, and lead participants in conversation about where we go from here.
Sponsored By:
Diamond Strategies and Contra Costa Water District
Organizer
Diamond Strategies is a premier, NMSDC MBE certified diversity, equity, inclusion, community relations, employee learning and executive leadership training provider to Fortune 500 companies in the United States, Europe, Africa and China. Our specialties include: Facilitation and Training, including industry Training-of-Trainers, (TOT), Interest-Based-Resolution (IBR), Transformative Speaking, Community Relations, and Thought Leadership. Our consultants are distinguished and globally experienced diversity and inclusion experts, offering services to schools, non-profits, corporations, faith-based organizations municipalities, and community groups. Our mission is to be your partner in a larger effort to maximize our human and institutional potential.
Questions? Contact us at Diamond Strategies or call us at 480-252-0639.
Feature Images: Kerem Yucel, AFP/GETTY; Diamond Strategies, LLC.