Become More Racially Conscious
Strengthen your ability to develop personal and collective accountability for interrupting and dismantling racism in its many forms
Be the Change
MacLeod & Schmitz Racial Equity Training
Racial Healing Circles
Be the Change
Increase racial awareness, knowledge, analysis and action of what it means to be white identified and anti-racist within systemic racism.
Personal & Professional Coaching
Whether navigating how race shows up in your personal relationships or how you can be more racially conscious and effective in your professional life, coaching sessions move you foward.
You can bring your whole self and know it will be respected in a coaching session. A coach invites you to be curious as you self reflect about your concerns, your struggles, your impact, and your hopes. You will be given resources for learning and reflective questions that help you to gain clarity about how to live in a way that aligns with your values.
White Affinity/Caucus Groups
Racial affinity groups provide an ongoing brave space for white identified people to unlearn behaviors that cause harm and replace them with anti-racist ways of being that bring clarity, commitment and care for themselves, others and their communities.
Areas addressed in coaching and affinity/caucus groups include these and more:
Complicate Your Perspective: Examine how socialization to behave in a "one right way" dominant cultural value has caused harm to self, others and communities. Recognize the value in embracing complexities, cultural differences, and a spirit of curiosity.
Connect Historical Roots to Today's Realities: Know the untold and dismissed racial histories of how the United States and its institutions developed. Understand how what happened then is impacting what is happening now.
Be Part of the Collective: Understand the power of cross-racial relationships and coalitions to create and sustain change. Learn how to be part of them.
Take Action: Strengthen your ability to do racial analysis and be accountable. Expand your commitment and courage to show up as a trustworthy partner with people of color to interrupt and dismantle racism.
Details
Caucuses/affinity groups arranged by organizational need, situation, experience
Coaching happens virtually over Zoom in hourly sessions. Packages offered.
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“Diane brings a unique and powerful blend of expertise in organizational development, equity, spirituality, and strategic innovation.
Diane’s coaching has been essential in navigating the gifts and challenges of building cross-racial human solidarity both internally and externally. Her toolkit combines both theory and practice, ensuring that I walk away with tangible, impactful tactics as well as thoughtful frameworks for building a healthy team.”
MacLeod & Schmitz Racial Equity Training & Consulting
Facilitating racial equity work as an African American woman and a white European American woman, MacLeod and Schmitz provide training and consultation with a racial equity focus in public and private educational, religious and non-profit organizations.
Our Approach
The outcomes of our trainings and consultations are twofold; first we aim to create or deepen the racial awareness of individuals and second to increase the capacity of individuals in organizations to identify, interrupt and mitigate the impact of racism. We believe that when individuals engage in personal work an understanding of their racial identity development occurs. We have learned that when people have opportunities to listen and talk to each other, in an environment of mutual respect, perspectives on the impact of race in society can change. When racial equity is a focus, social justice becomes possible.
Our Services
We train and consult virtually and in-person; often using a combination of these settings with an organization. We facilitate experiential learning that is relevant to peoples’ lived experiences while encouraging them to remain curious about what they don’t know or have not experienced.
About Us
Cynthia and Diane have worked together for over eight years and are passionate about creating and normalizing conversations about race that matter. Within a supportive and honest environment, we connect the dots for people from awareness to analysis to action and accountability.
“Working with MacLeod & Schmitz was an incredible honor and a real joy! Their DEI & Trauma Informed Care training was delivered to our staff in a powerful and comprehensive way with such care. ”
Details:
There are multiple related sessions lasting a half-day, a group of days or regularly over the course of several months to a year or more.
All of our trainings are created anew to align with the needs of the organization.
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“At PixelSpoke, we’ve long been committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle, but we weren’t walking the talk. Cynthia and Diane were instrumental in helping us build out a more intentional DEI program and facilitate team-wide conversations around difficult topics.
I’m proud of the progress we’ve made but don’t know where we’d be today without their insight, guidance, and expertise! ”
Racial Healing Circles
Healing from the cumulative effects of racism; both individual and societal using the Peacemaking Circle Process. Circle Keepers Pamela Taylor, Ph.D. and Diane Schmitz, Ed.D.
“Racial healing recognizes the need to acknowledge and tell the truth about past wrongs created by individual and systemic racism and address the present consequences.
It is a process and tool that can facilitate trust and build authentic relationships that bridge divides created by real and perceived differences.”
The Process
Racial healing circles are a relational and proactive process where connections deepen and individuals feel enough trust and freedom to share openly about their experiences with race. The Circle Keepers share concepts and pose reflective questions that lead to personal insights and paths for healing. Attentive listening makes the wisdom of the group accessible to all.
The Content
Some of the many topics that can be addressed include:
Exploring Racial Identity
Truth-Telling: Conceding what LIES Between Us.
Recognizing Racial Privilege
Managing Unconscious Bias; Dismantling Anti-Black Bias
Decoding Racialized Microaggressions
Framing New Narratives for Racial Reconciliation
Details:
Racial Healing Circles are typically 4-6 sessions long, in person, virtual or a combination.
Sessions are generally scheduled for 2 hours, depending on number of participants which ideally ranges from 8-15.
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