The year of the pandemic surfaced a world of fear and despair as it exposed deep racial inequities and injustices, along with highly charged political and social divides inherent in our institutions, communities, and mindsets.
Racism and/or Sexism were front and center in many of the past year’s defining events: George Floyd’s murder, the insurrection at the Capitol, the Atlanta mass shootings.
And, while there is a collective cry for justice and accountability, for an end to systemic racism -- in the criminal justice system, the healthcare system, the financial system -- many of us are left feeling helpless, wondering how we can help create meaningful change?
For those of us who benefit from white privilege, taking action cannot be framed as “saving” or “helping” people of color. Whites must peel back the veils of privilege that so often result in non-action or perpetuate ignorance. We need to stare into the shadow of our conditioning in the ideology of white supremacy, which for centuries has been baked into the systems that underpin our society, whether we are aware of them, whether we agree with them.
We also need our friends and colleagues who are people of color. We need their genius, their spirit, and their love. Together, we need to take action that will result in equal protection, justice, and true equality. We need each other. We are in this together.
Together, our voices and actions can make a difference.
This introduction to Matrix Leadership Diversity Training, Creating a Culture of Allies, seeks to generate the awareness and the relationships to empower us to take action together. During the training, we will create a context for diverse individuals to come together in order to get to know each other as fellow human beings. Create a space of trust and inclusivity through skilled dialogue practices.
Small group sessions founded in the principles and practices of Matrix Leadership, including:
We've gathered some awesome people to lead this training.
Learn more about a couple of them below.
Gerald is the Founder/Director of Eastern Shore Training and Consulting (ESTAC Inc.) and the Co-Director of Peacewerks Center for Well-Being, both in Exmore, VA.
He completed the Matrix Leadership Facilitator Training and is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor II, an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, a Certified Life Coach and a Certified Mediator.
With more than 40 experience years in the fields of applied sociology, human development and addiction recovery, Gerald holds a Master of Divinity in Transpersonal Psychology. He has worked in civil and human rights, anti-oppression, anti-racism, grassroots organizing, and liberation struggles.
Gerald is an independent consultant specializing in diversity and conflict resolution, and personal and social transformation. He is currently enrolled in a PsyD program at the Graduate Theological Foundation.
Amina cofounded Matrix Leadership in 1990. She considers herself a social artist and has been facilitating groups and trainings for almost 40 years.
She currently works as a consultant, facilitator and coach to healthcare organizations, businesses, non-profits, schools and communities. She also offers leadership and life coaching to teams, partners and individuals. She also works internationally teaching public workshops and working with companies in Australia, Singapore, Russia and the UK. She is the author of a forthcoming book on Matrix Leadership.
Since 2000, Amina has been committed to learning about systems of oppression and privilege and to utilizing Matrix Leadership to create a culture of allies.
Previously, she was a trainer for the Hakomi Institute of Body-Centered Psychotherapy for 15 years and an owner/practitioner in Wellspring, Partners in Health (a holistic medical clinic) for 15 years. In her work with communities, she incorporates somatic, energetic and intuitive approaches as well as dance, movement, voice, art and practices of mindfulness.
She also leads retreats for women called Fully Embodied Woman: Remembering the Sacred Feminine. Amina has two adult children and lives in the beautiful mountain foothills of Boulder, Colorado
Allison’s career started in New York working in HR for Merrill Lynch, Deloitte Consulting, Accenture, and American Express. Her global curiosity led her to move to Sydney, Australia in 2014, helping organisations transform their workplace cultures. Allison has worked alongside some of the greatest companies in the world (20+ organisations and counting) across various industries, geographies, and sizes, addressing some of their most pressing business challenges, which has inevitably led her recently into the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) space.
In 2019, Allison started her journey into DEI after studying with Amina and Gerald in the US. Connecting with her own internalised oppression and understanding the roots of racism in US and AU history helped her to start to make sense of how to change systems of oppression and unpack privilege. Within her own journey, she has been inspired to help others connect more deeply with what it means to be part of a dominant or marginalised group and find empowerment through what can be a very vulnerable topic.
Allison holds a Bachelor of Science in Management, Marketing, and International Business from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a Masters of Science in Organisation Development from Pepperdine University. Allison is a committed lifelong learner and draws inspiration from spirituality, her loving family, hiking in nature, yoga, adventure travel, cooking, and reading.
Ling Thio is an organizational development consultant and systems leadership coach with 12 years experience as a coach, facilitator and educator, focusing on diversity, inclusion, and interpersonal skills. He is passionate about reducing unnecessary suffering through personal growth, interpersonal skills, and cultural transformation. He is known for his strategic thinking, empathic listening, wisdom, and his candid and caring style of communication.
Ling is a Trainer, Consultant and Facilitator at Matrix Leadership Institute. He facilitates interpersonal dynamics classes at Stanford Graduate School of Business and systems leadership classes at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.
Ling is trained in Hakomi (experiential form of psychotherapy), Somatic Experiencing (experiential form of trauma healing) and Stanford (interpersonal dynamics) and UC Berkeley (systems leadership) and holds an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Previously, he played key leadership roles in three successful Silicon Valley software start-ups as Lead Engineer, Software Architect and Co-founder. Ling was born in Indonesia, grew up in The Netherlands, lives with his wife in Oakland, California, and has an unofficially adopted son from Côte d’Ivoire.