Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

[LaWanda Swan <>]

Greetings!

I’m reaching out to share a professional development opportunity through my anti-oppression education company, Start By Talking, LLC,  . We have recently opened registration for the second cohort of the #PracticeLiberation Academy, a 12-month virtual membership program for White-identified and White-assimilated people seeking deeper access to interrogating their personal and  professional relationship with anti-Blackness, White Supremacy, and the history of race in the United States. We opened this academy last year under the umbrella of the Anti-Oppressive Bystander Leadership Education (A.B.L.E.) Institute and welcomed members from across the country and walks of life who all shared one goal: to learn how to make the execution of a liberatory practice as ordinary to their home and work life as eating breakfast in the morning. 

 

As a note, my professional background includes two decades of involvement in the anti-violence movement as I previously built and led centers dedicated to violence prevention at both Vanderbilt and Emory universities.  My work as an anti-violence practitioner and researcher led to a greater understanding that one can’t end violence without first ending oppression.  I began a 10-year research project on the Black origins of the anti-violence movement and barriers to liberation that identified White Supremacy as a social conditioning that can be reversed with disrupting one’s Oppressive Muscle Memory™.  From this, I developed a virtual anti-oppressive learning center that promotes this latest opportunity as pertinent to all leaders seeking to grow in their ability to (1) recognize nuances and respond more effectively as an ally in professional spaces; (2) gain tangible tools for centering equity; and (3) learn to how to turn anti-oppressive theory into policy-led practice (a great tool DEI and/or HR professionals). Involvement in the program includes access to the following:

• Weekly virtual meetings that include trainings, small group coaching, shared reading and reflection, and guest speakers
• Access to a library of anti-oppressive resources for self-guided learning
• “Office hours” for 1:1 questions and guidance

 

If interested in learning more, please reach out at before March 29^th.

 

Sincerely,

 

Wanda Swan, Founder & CEO

Start By Talking, LLC