Freddie Broome, GMA’s director of diversity and inclusion, is leading the association’s efforts to equip cities to combat institutional and systematic racism, violence, acts of injustice, inequity and intolerance, and to foster healthy lines of communication that yield sustainable change.
Another Seat at the Table Diversity and Inclusion Training: This is a three-hour or six-hour course customizable to a city’s needs. Organizations work to improve employee engagement and mitigate the risk of adverse financial and legal consequences due to the lack of culturally sensitive training. This training provides a basic overview of diversity and inclusion by expressing the importance of working together to appreciate the differences and strengths of all team members to affect change. The overall goal is for individuals of all ranges of diversity to feel safe to engage in conversations and make a positive change to feel valued and included in their organization.
Having Difficult Conversations: This three-hour, customizable course will meet individual needs. As human beings, we all have conscious and unconscious biases that affect how we perceive and engage in our communities. Although biases are normal, it is essential to learn to channel biases to engage in dialogues about systemic racism and social injustice. This training provides the critical skills that help city officials gain the confidence to engage in courageous conversations around current events through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion to develop relationships and deliver efficient government.
Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute’s Making Cultural Diversity Work: Cultural diversity is essential because our county, states, cities and organizations are comprised of individuals from various cultural, racial and ethnic groups. As we work to improve relationships within our organizations and communities, we must learn how to facilitate conversations within our various groups that will lead to collaborative efforts to ensure efficient and effective government.
This story originally appeared in the January/February 2021 edition of Georgia’s Cities magazine.