I repurpose my research into speaking and training offerings, transforming dense data, tricky topics and boring reports into compelling narratives that empower people to engage some society’s greatest challenges.

Informational speaking

Is your organization grappling with our society’s pressing and often gnarly racial challenges? I apply my gifts for communicating clearly, using language precisely and sensitively, deconstructing difficult issues, transforming research into narrative, placing data in context, and finding the commonality between people to create both informational speaking experiences — in which I educate leaders about challenging topics — and transformational speaking experiences — in which I support people in transcending their limiting beliefs so they can follow their dreams and step further into their destiny.

As a result of participating in my speaking and training experiences, educators and leaders across sectors of society build their capacity to succeed with all human beings, and particularly those who are racially, culturally, and/or socio-economically different from themselves. Educators and leaders in education will learn to push through concerns that they will be ineffective or make a stigmatizing mistake, so they can enjoy human diversity, feel confident during difficulty, and engage children educationally in ways that free them to soar.

Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921: How Hard History Can Help Us Face Today's Challenges. Carried out on May 31/June 1, 1921, the Tulsa Race Massacre remains the deadliest outbreak of civil violence in U.S. history. It is one of countless episodes of domestic terrorism perpetrated against African Americans by White supremacists, yet it is rarely taught in schools. Spanning U.S. history from the Emancipation, to Reconstruction, to the low point in American race relations — from about 1890-1950 -- to the present, this courageous conversation explores how formerly enslaved Black people built Black Wall Street and rebuilt it following the Massacre so that it became more prosperous than ever. It also addresses how facing America’s hard — and often hidden — history better prepares us to confront the problems that threaten our democracy, as we attempt to create a more perfect union in an increasingly multi-racial society, as we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, in 2026.

5 Ways to Prevent Racial Bullying and Race-Based Hate in Schools. In 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)—an organization dedicated to fighting hatred and bigotry and to seeking justice—published the results of its survey of 2776 primary and secondary-school educators in all 50 states plus Washington, DC. These teachers reported witnessing 3265 incidents of intolerance in classroom, hallways, and on school property during the fall of 2018, alone. Racial or ethnic bias fueled one-third of this bullying, most of which targeted Black children. The teachers reported that no one was disciplined in 57 percent of cases. Ninety percent of the time, school leaders failed to denounce the bias or reaffirm the school’s values. And this was long before the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, the effort to disenfranchise Black voters, and the attack upon the Capitol by White supremacists and domestic terrorists. As the proverbial village of children with such vulnerable identities, it’s important that we move assertively to address this shocking new reality.

Are You Unwittingly Depressing Your Students' Test Scores or Contributing to Your School’s Achievement Gap? Research suggests that the authoritarian school culture, parenting/co-parenting/teaching and classroom-management style frequently used with children of color can undermine academics, behavior and socio-emotional development. Importantly, though we often focus on children's behavior and perceived shortcomings, the research show that the use of less-than-optimal approaches to parenting, co-parenting, and teaching accounts for two-thirds of achievement gaps. Most educators were trained to use authoritarian approaches to "command and control" their classroom or school, many teachers instinctively default to it when under duress, particularly when interacting with Black males—and many Black male educators and assistant principals are asked in their school to play the role of authoritarian disciplinarian. This presentation teaches achievement-promoting parenting, co-parenting and classroom managements strategies, style-switching tactics, and how schools and other caring adults can co-parent children in crisis.  

Trauma, Learning, Behavior and Relationships. A growing body of research shows that trauma can undermine children’s academic achievement, ability to form relationships and conduct. Studies also show that trauma is incredibly common across all sectors of society, including among White, college-educated adults who have insurance. However, rarely to our conversations about trauma consider the likelihood that the adults interacting with traumatized children may also experience their own trauma-related stress responses. Here, we learn about adverse childhood experiences (ACES), trauma, and toxic stress. We evaluate their impact upon children and educators, alike, including how trauma may inform both adults’ interactions with students and children’s behavior and academic performance. Also, stress reduction strategies that can be used in the moment and as part of self-care.

Unconscious Racial Bias: Why Do We Make Talking About This So Scary? The human brain is wired to be biased. In fact, humans tend to demonstrate roughly 120 types of bias — from attribution bias to the Ikea effect, or the belief that putting something together will be easier than it actually is. Implicit bias is just one of those types. So though the popular conversation about anti-Black racism tends to center upon White supremacists and overt bias, the data suggest that unconscious, or implicit, pro-White/anti-Black racial bias is extremely common. In fact, it is prevalent across races, age groups, professional attainment and educational status. It is also extremely common among African Americans, who tend to internalize society’s negative beliefs and apply them to themselves. We will examine how factors such as negative media portrayals and society's structure cause most Americans to internalize inaccurate beliefs about African Americans and then play those perceptions out in ways that undermine student achievement. And we will explore what it means to step into our discomfort zone to face our biases and overcome them—without beating ourselves up and getting stuck. This is a no judgement zone.

It's Time to Give "The Talk" a Makeover: Racial/Ethnic Socialization Strategies to Protect Children from Racial/Ethnic Bullying. Until recently, many Americans believed they were raising young people who would inherit a world of greater fairness, diversity, and empathy. But large numbers of parents, teachers and other caring adults now find themselves not only concerned about their own safety and wellbeing, but also struggling to figure out what to tell youth—both those who have marginalized identities that are being targeted and White children whose parents haven’t talked to them about race before but that both research and anecdotal evidence suggest may now be targeted by White nationalists. Whether at home, at school or in our communities, as adults scramble to figure out how to protect vulnerable young people of color, many of us rely upon “watch-out” teachings such as The Talk, often used with Black males, not realizing that an over emphasis upon fear-based messages inadequately accounts for complexity and can unintentionally leave children paralyzed and feeling defeated. This presentation distinguishes between the racial-socialization and parenting/co-parenting strategies shown to optimize protection, achievement and socioemotional development and those that often produce unwanted outcomes, and practice a toolkit of self-care strategies that help adults match their messaging with their desired outcomes.

The New “At Risk”: Black Children in Predominately White Schools and Communities. Historically, we’ve considered children of color who attend poorly performing and underfunded schools, and live in neighborhoods characterized by high residential segregation, concentrated poverty, and community violence, to be "at risk” of a long list of negative outcomes. However, from the rise in racial harassment taking place in youth sports, to a 2019 report in which 2700 teachers reported witnessing more than 3200 incidents of hate and bias—one-third of which was directed toward Black students—during the fall of 2018 alone, African-American children living in integrated and predominately White and racially segregated communities are at increasing “at risk” of a different type. In this case, the dangers they face include exposure to implicit and overt racial bias, racial harassment, and hate, which the American Academy of Pediatrics describes as having scientifically documented negative effects upon the physical and mental health as well as academic achievement of children of color. These risks may be particularly great for Black males living in predominately White settings, whom, research shows, experience high rates of depression and a rapidly rising suicide rate. This presentation lays out the data on the rise of racial harassment and hate in schools, the research on racism’s impact upon the developing brain, its risk to child and adolescent health and achievement, and what schools must do to create a safe and welcoming climate for all children. 

Are Black Children Really as "Bad" as The Negative Stereotypes Suggest? The Truth About Racial Discipline Gaps and the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Many people assume that young people get kicked out of school and eventually drop out and end up in prison because of their own poor decision-making and bad behavior or because they’re from a “bad” family or environment. In truth, among Black children, who are most affected by it, this devastating phenomenon begins when children are kicked out of preschool—a time when the brain is in a period of rapid growth and children are learning foundational literacy and numeracy skills that predict reading, math and science skills later on. Indeed, gold-standard studies show that many children whose educational careers become derailed were either engaging in developmentally appropriate ways, and or demonstrating behavior no worse than their peers’, and or were snagged by a Zero Tolerance policy that was intended to create safety but also has the unintended effect of pushing children out of classrooms. Well-intended policies that push children out of school also increase the dropout rate, drive up the likelihood that a child will get snared in the criminal-justice system, and ultimately undermining society’s wellbeing. It is particularly important that we examine these policies in light of the current drive to increase school safety and protect children from school shooters. In addition to African American children, Native American, Latino, LGBTQ students, and students with disabilities (particularly learning and emotional disabilities) are most likely to be pushed out of the classroom and into the school-to-prison pipeline. A growing body of data suggests that the disproportionate disciplining of children of color—the disproportionality ranges from 3 to 11 times that of their White peers—is likely due to some combination of teachers’ racial stereotypes and or their lack of preparation in classroom management and or culturally competent practices. For example, one study showed that Black males are 23% less likely than White males to be disciplined for violating state policies that mandate expulsion and 31% more likely to be disciplined for discretionary reasons. How adults use their discretion is at the center of this narrative. In this presentation, I use data to tell the story of what’s happening and the impact upon children and society.  

Transformational speaking

As a transformational speaker, I help people break free from limiting beliefs so that they can fulfill their potential and step further into their destiny.

How Confronting Unconscious Bias Freed Me to Fulfill My Destiny -- And Can Liberate You!  In 1997, when I first became involved with HIV/AIDS, I thought that I was doing something for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA). It turned out that PLWHA transformed my life, challenging me to overcome my implicit biases and freeing me to step more deeply into my destiny. How facing my blind spots and not-so-developed parts freed me to experience a more joyful and fulfilling life — and why doing so might actually be liberating for you.

Fearless and Free: The Path to Your Destiny. More than 20 years ago, I left a career path that I never should have been on in order to follow my dreams of becoming a writer. I’ve never looked back. My 5-step strategy to following your spiritual calling and dreams.

Health First!: Self-Care for Educators. Many teachers are asked to do so much with too little, setting up high rates of attrition, burnout, and showing up as less than their best self. It may also cause teachers to practice less-than-optimal classroom management skills, lower their expectations of children or even check out, or are more easily triggered and kick children out of class (see my blurb below about Racial Discipline Gaps and the School-to-Prison Pipeline). By way of an example, I was once conducting PD in a wonderful charter school where the principal met me at the door excited because he’d gotten rid of all his “dead wood,” as he described disengaged and underperforming teachers. During my training, as we talked about what self-care means and why it’s important, one-third of the teachers admitted that they check out for at least one period a day, every day—usually the same period and with the same children whose parents had fought for them to attend this school. This presentation proposes that self-care is essential for educators. What does it mean to be healthy? What is self-care and how does it differ from beauty regimens, zoning out in front of the TV, and other activities we use to numb out? How can we better understand, navigate, and reduce our own stress response? I also share stress-reduction strategies for teachers that they can also share at home and with their students. 

Health First!: Self-Care for Black and Brown Women. Black women and other women of color are often socialized to take care of other people first, placing their own needs at the back of the line. Here, I talk about how putting your own mask on first prepares you to be the parent you aspire to be, thrive personally and professionally, and show up as a leader in your community. What does it mean to be healthy? What is self-care and how does it differ from beauty regimens, zoning out in front of the TV, and other activities we use to numb out? How can we better understand, navigate, and reduce our own stress response? I also share stress-reduction strategies that parents can teach their children. 

Partial List of Clients

I've spoken to the following audiences, among others:

• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s Amplify Conference for Educators of Color (keynote)

• Healthy Start Association of America national conference (keynote)

• Coalition of 100 Black Women and The Links, Los Angeles (keynote)

• U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (keynote)

• Reginald F. Lewis of Maryland African American History and Culture, Baltimore (keynote)

• Education Foundation of California

• Princeton University alumni (panelist)

• International AIDS Conference (panelist)

• National Association of Black Journalists Annual Conference in Washington, DC (panelist)

• Friends Council on Education and Annual Friends Council Heads of School Meeting (presenter)

• Philadelphia public schools (in-service presentations)

• Shaker Heights (Ohio) City School District (in-service presentations)

• Cleveland (Ohio) City School District (in-service presentations)

• Cleveland Heights (Ohio) City School District (in-service presentations)

• Mastery Charter School network in Philadelphia (in-service presentations)

• Friends' Central School in Philadelphia (in-service presentations)

• Roosevelt Children's Academy Charter Schools in Long Island, N.Y. (in-service presentations)

• Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia (in-service presentations)

• West Town Friends School in West Chester, PA (in-service presentations)