Mary-Frances Winters

This is the first book to define and explore "black fatigue," the multigenerational impact of systemic racism on the physical and mental health of black people--and how to combat its pernicious effects. "Living while black" is a new and viral term that catalogues the many unjust experiences and inequities that define what it means to be black. Having to constantly deal with these experiences leads to what diversity and inclusion thought leader Mary-Frances Winters calls "black fatigue," a particular form of extreme tiredness that continues to tear the nation apart. In this book she chronicles the fear, frustration, anguish, and anger that is a unique and normalized part of living while black and prevails intergenerationally. In every aspect of life, from socioeconomics, education, and the workforce to criminal justice and health outcomes, the trajectory for black people is getting worse. Black folks are quite literally sick and tired of being sick and tired. This book will lead to more invigorating conversations around race and offers coping mechanisms and self-care advice that centers on the needs of black people to combat black fatigue.

How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit

Black Fatigue

We Need to Talk! Conversations about taboo topics happen at work every day. And if they aren't handled effectively, they can become polarizing and divisive, impacting productivity, engagement, retention, teamwork, and even employees' sense of safety in the workplace. In this concise and powerful book, Mary-Frances Winters shows how to deal with sensitive subjects in a way that brings people together instead of driving them apart. She helps you become aware of the role culture plays in shaping people's perceptions, habits, and communication styles and gives detailed guidance for structuring conversations about those things we're not supposed to talk about. Preparation is crucial—but so is intent. Winters advises you to “come from your heart, learn from your mistakes, and continue to contribute to making this a more inclusive world for all.”

How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics

We Can’t Talk about That at Work!

We Can't Talk About This at Work!

how to talk about race, religion, politics, and other polarizing topics

We can't talk about that at work!

The Winters Group Team

Creating justice-centered organizations is the next frontier in DEI. This book shows how to go beyond compliance to address harm, share power, and create equity. Traditional DEI work has not succeeded at dismantling systems that perpetuate harm and exclude BIPOC groups. Proponents of DEI have put too much focus on HR solutions, such as increasing representation, and not enough emphasis on changing the deeper organizational systems that perpetuate inequities-in other words, on justice. DEIJ work diverges from traditional metrics-driven DEI work and requires a new approach to effectively dismantle power structures. This thought-provoking, solutions-oriented book offers strategic advice on how to adopt a justice mindset, anticipate and address resistance, shift power dynamics, and create a psychologically safe organizational culture. Individual chapters provide pragmatic how-to guides to implementing justice-centered practices in recruitment and hiring, data collection and analysis, learning and development, marketing and advertising, procurement, philanthropy, and more. DEIJ pioneer Mary-Frances Winters and her coauthors address some of the most significant aspects of adding a justice focus to diversity work, showing how to create a workplace culture where equity is not a checklist of performative actions but a lived reality.

Practical Solutions for Systemic Change

Racial Justice at Work

Creating a truly just workplace is the next frontier in DEI—this book shows how to go beyond compliance to address harm, share power, and create equity. Traditional DEI work has not succeeded at dismantling systems that perpetuate harm and exclude non-white groups. They have put too much focus on surface-level activities like simply hiring more people of color, and not enough emphasis on changing the deeper organizational systems that perpetuate inequities—in other words, on justice. DEIJ work diverges from traditional metrics-driven DEI work and requires a new approach to thought and action to effectively dismantle power structures. DEIJ pioneer Mary-Frances Winters and her coauthors address every aspect of adding a justice focus to diversity work. This wide-ranging, thought-provoking, pragmatic book offers strategic advice for leaders on how to shift to a justice mindset, anticipate and address resistance, redistribute power, and create the psychological safety needed for such challenging work. And they explain how to implement justice-centered practices in organizational functions like recruiting, procurement, learning and development, marketing, and more. Racial Justice at Work will help readers to both achieve equity and sustain it. Discussion guide is available in the book for reading groups and book clubs.

"What is impressive is not only how Winters builds a case for the urgency and need for bold, inclusive conversations but that she also gives specific strategies and competencies to turn her theory into practice.” —Dr. Sheila Robinson, publisher and CEO, Diversity Woman Media Effective dialogue across different dimensions of diversity, such as race, gender, age, religion, or sexual orientation, fosters a sense of belonging and inclusion, which in turn leads to greater productivity, performance, and innovation. Whether in the workplace, faith communities, or educational settings, our differences can tear us apart rather than bring us together if we do not know how to communicate. Recognizing our collective responsibility to earnestly address our differences and increase understanding and empathy will not only enhance organizational goals but will also lead to a healthier, kinder, and more compassionate world. Award-winning diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant Mary-Frances Winters has been leading workshops on what she calls Bold, Inclusive Conversations for years. In this book she offers specific dialogue strategies to foster greater understanding on the following topics: • Recognizing the importance of creating equity and sharing power • Dealing with the "fragility" of dominant groups--their discomfort in engaging with historically subordinated groups • Addressing the exhaustion historically marginalized groups feel from constantly explaining their different lived experience • Exploring how to build trust and create psychologically safe spaces for dialogue This guide is comprehensive for anyone who wants to break down the barriers that separate us and facilitate discussions on potentially polarizing topics.

Mary-Frances Winters

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