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While yesterday’s events at our nation’s capital were upsetting and heartbreaking, I also feel more motivated than ever to advance the vital work we tackle each day. As Dr. Val states “we [at VISIONS] work to develop on-going relationships over time to address the structures that create lack of equitable contact in concert with creating…
Read MoreDear VISIONaries, 2020 was a challenging year, and left me humbled on several occasions. In March, the uncertainty of the global shutdown was stressful, and initially, we were not sure what it would mean and how it would impact this organization. I wondered how creative we had to be to maintain our fiscal health, how…
Read MoreVISIONS wishes to congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the projected winners of the 2020 Presidential Election, with more people in the US than ever voting at this election than ever before. We also recognize the significance of Kamala Harris as VP Elect, who will become the first Black woman and the first Asian…
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Author: Valerie Batts, Ph.D. In this newly revised article, Dr. Valerie Batts offers personal reflections on and responses to the social history of oppression and racially-motivated violence in the United States. “Is Reconciliation Possible” examines, both in the U.S. and South Africa, the concept of covert and systemic “modern racism” and outlines a model for combating…
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Drawing from their own twelve-year partnership and from interviews with 125 women business partners across the world, Betsy Polk and Maggie Chotas have learned something powerful: when women work together they discover a level of support, balance, confidence, accountability, and freedom to be themselves that is rarely found in other work relationships. Who’s Mentioned…
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It is with great sadness that VISIONS share the news of the life transition of Dr. Jo Bowens Lewis, Senior Associate. Inspirational psychotherapist and change agent Josephine Bowens Lewis was born in Philadelphia, PA on August 27, 1943 to the late Bishop Joseph T. and Clara W. Bowens. Dr. Lewis was a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and…
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Case: Preparing the Ground – Institutional Change What has been most effective at Episcopal Divinity School (EDS), Cambridge, MA, in increasing the number of faculty of color and changing the environment of the school to be more welcoming of diversity has been the use of a multipronged approach that addresses all aspects of institutional life.…
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Author: Thomas Shelden Griggs, Ph.D. Assumptions & Critical Success Factors In this article, VISIONS consultant Dr. Thomas Griggs offers an important look at what it takes to create a successful Inclusive Diversity Initiative, emphasizing the process-oriented nature of managing such a project. While presenting the extremely complex contexts that surround these initiatives, Dr. Griggs sets forth…
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Author: Joseph Bragdon According to author Joseph Bragdon, firms that mimic living systems emphasize the importance of putting a higher value on people and nature than capital assets. With this operating principle and model of business, firms create spontaneous demand to live harmoniously and respectfully with the systems on which we all depend. These firms,…
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Author: Derald Wing Sue Through personal narrative and social psychological research, Derald Wing Sue examines the subtle biases that communicate hostile and derogatory insults toward people of color on a daily basis. Sue categorizes some common forms of microaggressions and uses the White counselor-client of color dyad to illustrate how they impair the development of…
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