On June 19th each year we observe the commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. A day marked with celebration and rejoicing, it is also a time for reflection and growth. We invite people of all backgrounds and abilities to join us in honoring this important day by coming together to celebrate our differences, our similarities, our cultures, and each other.
During this training attendees will learn about ways organizations and individuals can celebrate Juneteenth through action and service. We will learn about racial trauma and how workplaces can become trauma-informed; strategies for anti-racist organizational change; and how to respond to resistance with a racial justice lens. We’ll also celebrate our own cultures, share and learn from one another to leave attendees feeling uplifted and inspired.
Time & Location: Tuesday, June 21st, 12:00 – 1:30pm via Zoom
In this training, you will:
- Learn how to be a contributing ally to the racial justice movement;
- Understand whiteness as a technology;
- Identify action steps you and your organization can take to promote racial equity;
- Celebrate the different cultures of your fellow attendees and the Juneteenth holiday.
Presented by: Shaplaie Brooks, Executive Director, Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth and Owner/Operator, Beyond DEI, LLC.
About the presenter: Shaplaie Brooks owner/operator of Beyond DEI, LLC and has trained, provided technical assistance and strategic planning to the boards and staff of many nonprofit organizations. Shaplaie is also the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. The Commission is tasked with providing annual recommendations to nineteen state entities to address the inequities in policy and service provision to LGBTQ youth. Previous to this position, she served as the BUILD Program Director (a program of Roxbury Youthworks, Inc.)
Shaplaie has a wealth of experience working with children and families, including over 10 years in the child welfare system serving multiple states. She assisted in writing the Law Enforcement Guidelines for the BPD, and has trained the DA’s office, DCF and other state agencies. She has also served as advisor to the Dorchester District Courts.
Shaplaie is a fervent advocate of serving the marginalized within the marginalized, and has worked with cisgender boys, transgender, and nonbinary youth who were at high risk and or victims of CSEC(Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children). In 2021, Shaplaie Brooks collaborated with the Commission on a report exposing pervasive threats to safety, wellbeing, and permanency faced by LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system and providing critical recommendations to the Department of Children and Families. Shaplaie is also one of the founders of a youth coalition to address the concerns within the child welfare system in Massachusetts.