Pre-Convening to Upswell
On November 12th, 2019 join Equity in the Center (EiC) and Upswell attendees in Chicago for a day-long, deep dive into how to build a Race Equity Culture.
Description
Join Equity in the Center (EiC) and Upswell attendees on November 12th in Chicago for a day-long, deep dive into how to build a Race Equity Culture. Plenary sessions and workshops will focus on how to operationalize race equity, highlighting best practices from EiC’s Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture publication.
Speakers include racial equity thought leaders and practitioners, as well as nonprofit and philanthropy executives leading race equity transformation initiatives. Workshops will explore issues ranging from racial healing and allyship strategies that support people of color to building successful partnerships with equity consultants and cross-functional operationalization of race equity.
Convening & Registration Information
This EiC gathering is a pre-convening to Independent Sector’s Upswell, and you can include it in your Upswell registration via this link.
Stand-alone registration for the one-day EiC convening is available via EventBrite for $425.
Hotel Room Discount: Click here to book a hotel room at the Upswell rate of $269/night.
If you have any questions, please reach out to EiC Associate Director Andrew Plumley (aplumley@proinspire.org), or Event Planner Ana Estrada Daniels (ana@anavo.solutions).
Convening Sponsors

Learn more about how you can become a sponsor for the Pre-Convening to Upswell here.
Agenda for EiC Pre-Convening to Upswell
November 12, 2019
TIME | SESSION | SESSION DESCRIPTION | SPEAKER(S) |
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8:30am to 9:00am | Registration and Breakfast | ||
9:00am to 9:30am | Invocation & Welcome | Andrew Plumley, Associate Director, Equity in the Center Dr. Dorene P. Wiese, CEO, American Indian Association of Illinois |
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9:30am to 11:00am | Opening Plenary | Speaker Introductions | José Rico, Director, Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Greater Chicago, Woods Fund Chicago |
Rx Racial Healing Dialogue: A Context for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation | Moderator: Kerrien Suarez, Executive Director, Equity in the Center Gail Christopher, President & Founder, Ntianu Garden: Center for Healing and Nature Marcus Walton, President & CEO, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations |
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11:00am to 11:15am | Break | ||
11:15am to 12:45pm | Concurrent Sessions | ||
Racial Healing Circle: Introduction to the Rx Racial Healing Process (Pre-Registration Required) | Mee Moua, Principal & Founder, InterDependent Group, LLC Maricar L Ramos, Board Director; Co-Chair, Racial Equity & Social Justice Committee, Chicago Women In Philanthropy |
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Building a Race Equity Culture in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Organizations | Moderator: Lucy Mayo, Senior Advisor at Supermajority, Former Senior Vice President of Organizational Development, Demos Amanda Misiko Andere,CEO, Funders Together to End Homelessness Antoine Andrews, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Year Up John Bouman, President, Shriver Center on Poverty Law Caronina Grimble, Program Officer, Woods Fund Chicago Hilary Meyer, Chief Innovation & Impact Officer, SAGE Steve Lew, Project Director, CompassPoint |
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Beyond Commitment: Four Steps to Get You Started Building a Race Equity Culture | Desiree Adaway, Principal, The Adaway Group Ericka Hines, Principal, Every Level Leadership Heidi Massey, Founder, CommunityConnective |
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12:45pm to 1:00pm | Break | ||
1:00pm to 2:45pm | Lunch Plenary | Closing the Racial Leadership Gap & Building a Race Equity Culture in Chicago Organizations and the Regional Ecosystem | Moderator: Angelique Power, President, The Field Foundation of Illinois Niketa Brar, Chicago United for Equity Melissa Connelly, CEO, OneGoal Christopher Goins, Chief Equity Officer, Thrive Chicago Michelle Morales, President, Woods Fund Chicago Nina Sanchez, Executive Director, Enrich Chicago Carmita Semaan, Founder & President, The Surge Institute |
2:45pm to 3:00pm | Break | ||
3:00pm to 5:00pm | Concurrent Sessions | ||
The Blanket Exercise | Vance Blackfox, Director of Communications at National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Prairie Rose Seminole, American Indian Program Director, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
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White Allyship Training | Whitney Parnell, CEO & Co-Founder, Service Never Sleeps | ||
What Would an Equity Consultant Do: Building Capacity for a Race Equity Culture | Moderator: Andrew Plumley, Associate Director, Equity in the Center Eric Polite II, Chief Transformation Officer, Eric Polite & Associates Frances Kunreuther, Building Movement Project Jessica Vazquez Torres, Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training Maegan Scott, Principal, Wayfinding Partners McKensie Mack, Anti-Oppression Consultant, Coach & Facilitator |
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4:45pm to 5:00pm | Break | ||
5:00pm to 6:30pm | "Ignite Talks" & Reception | Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails will be served while EiC partners share brief, TED-style “Ignite Talks” on new equity resources. | OtherWise- Vance Blackfox, Creator & Director, Other+Wise Intersectional Allyship- Whitney Parnell, CEO & Co-Founder, Service Never Sleeps |
About Equity in the Center
Equity in the Center (EiC) works to shift mindsets, practices and systems in the social sector to increase race equity. We envision a future where nonprofit and philanthropic organizations are characterized by a Race Equity Culture, meaning they implement and advance race equity internally while advocating for and centering it in work externally.
To learn more about Equity in the Center, watch the “Why EiC?” video below on our work and impact. You can view videos of our previous convenings, the 2018 EiC Summit and May 2019 EiC Convening, via our Facebook page.