For 70 years, TCC and its predecessors have striven to enhance our meeting-goers’ marketing, branding and communication skills. But our May 4 event reaches beyond self-improvement: Learn how to practice allyship to build others’ confidence and prospects as you widen your worldview.
In a follow-up to her November presentation on the necessity of adopting inclusive language in the workplace, Worcester Academy Director of Equity and Inclusion Bonnie Walker will address more profound strategies to aid individuals and groups often marginalized by society.
“We must consider allyship as we lean into inclusive practices,” Bonnie explains. “An ally actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole. To be allies, words and action must be in sync in order to change oppressive culture. We must establish and cultivate a set of habits, as writers, editors, journalists, communicators, that we practice daily.”
That kind of commitment isn’t easy: It requires unlearning some lifelong presumptions and behaviors, and becoming acutely aware of the power imbalances lurking in our everyday interactions. Bonnie’s presentation promises to provide the tools to become better allies through all forms of communication.
The Zoom-based event will take place from noon to 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4. The registration fee is $10, which includes the opportunity to promote your enterprise before the presentation.
“Everyone has the ability to be an ally as privilege is intersectional,” Bonnie says. “We view allyship as a strategic mechanism used by individuals to become collaborators, accomplices, and co-conspirators who fight injustice and promote equity through supportive personal relationships and public acts of sponsorship and advocacy. If engaged correctly, allies hold significant power to stimulate … positive change.
“Allyship is a continual investment of time in supporting others, holding ourselves accountable when mistakes are made, and apologizing and being prepared to rework and adapt our approaches as needs change.”
Bonnie’s previous TCC visit motivated many of her attendees to re-examine the terms and assumptions we employ when communicating with colleagues and clients. Her follow-up focus on allyship will help all of us become better advocates for equity, and champions of those facing cultural headwinds..
About our speaker
Bonnie’s expertise as practitioner of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a balance of high touch and visionary work. It includes community outreach, relationship-building and organizational development efforts, as well as identity development, cultural competency education, and strategic restructuring and planning.
Bonnie was previously a WPI admissions counselor who co-chaired its University Diversity Advocacy Board. She progressed to the college’s Director of Multicultural Affairs.
In her current role at Worcester Academy, Bonnie coordinates and executes hands-on operational and programmatic work with strategic planning and vision. She creates tailored training/workshops, and advises DEI-focused committees to educate the community. She also oversees a number of campus-wide initiatives designed to support its community.
Bonnie, who earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Clark University, is also a member of several higher-ed organizations. She’s a board member of both the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, and African Education Center.