2015

“CRT in an Era of Racial Violence and Social Unrest”–Dr. Lloyd Sheldon Johnson

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Dr. Lloyd Sheldon Johnson of Bunker Hill Community College to keynoteLloyd Sheldon Johnson

Saturday, September 19, 2015.

As a published writer and motivational speaker, Dr. Lloyd Sheldon Johnson’s presentations have been described as “life transforming,” “powerful,” “thought-provoking,” “fiery,” and “intense.” He is committed to bringing fresh ideas and new strategies to the communities and professionals he works with so they can model and foster change and transformation.

Dr. Johnson has been nationally recognized for his work in diversity, human relations, and education.  Currently, Professor of Behavioral Science at Bunker Hill Community College*, Johnson has received many awards for teaching excellence. He developed courses in African literature and Middle East literature through grants provided by the U. S. Office of Education.  He has been a leader in institutionalizing   learning communities in higher education and creating bridges between community colleges and males incarcerated in the Massachusetts prison system. As a multicultural education and diversity specialist, he has worked with Milton Academy, the Portsmouth School, the Chestnut Hill School, and other independent and public schools, K-12, in need of his services and expertise.  He spent years working with middle college high schools through the American Social History Project at Hunter College and Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan. His past work with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and other institutions recruiting and training new teachers is noteworthy. He is a part of the Achieving the Dream faculty team at Bunker Hill Community College and is involved in partnerships with the Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket, and the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Most recently, he was a member of the Resource Faculty team at the Washington Center for Learning Communities at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA.

The multidimensional Johnson holds many certifications in New Age modalities and many awards for professional achievements.  His research interests include the brain and its functions, dream analysis, spirituality and religion, the education of urban males, the social construction of masculinities, the integration of spirituality into higher education pedagogy, and alternative and integrative therapies for health and wholeness.  He engages such topical issues as: race and gender, conflict management and resolution, moral and ethical dilemmas in the workplace, violence prevention, recruitment and retention of faculty and students of color, inclusive counseling and intervention, anger management, and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). He has presented at national and international conferences on a wide range of topics, including health disparities in minority communities,

A writer and professional actor, Johnson, an EQUITY member, has been recognized by his fellow members of both the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) for his commitment to equal employment opportunities in radio, television, print and electronic media for actors of color and those with physical challenges.

Dr. Johnson was educated at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Wayne State University, Harvard University, Antioch College, and Emerson College. His own personal journey of transformation has taken him to many countries where he has traveled, lived and studied.   He has traveled extensively throughout Europe and West Africa and has visited Cuba, Brazil, many islands in the Caribbean, and parts of Southeast Asia.

 

*As CCBC did in 2015, Bunker Hill Community College, based on work by Dr. Johnson and others, received the Leah Meyer Austin Award from Achieving the Dream in 2014.

 

“CRT in an Era of Racial Violence and Social Unrest”–Dr. Lloyd Sheldon Johnson Read More »

A Question Technique for Difficult Group Discussions

Here is a practical tool for taking the competition out of difficult discussions, such as how we explain the uprising in Baltimore after Freddie Gray’s death.

The facilitator sets this simple rule:

No one should make a declarative statement. Only questions are written on the board.

If one feels compelled to make a statement, the facilitator helps convert the statement into a question.

As questions accumulate, a kind of gestalt of collective concerns appears.

The most important lessons are:

  1. That there will always be many more questions than answers
  2. That the answers are in the group, not just in one individual (leader, teacher, authority)
  3. That dialogue means hearing all questioning voices (the loud, the soft-spoken, and the silent)

Here are images from a class discussion the morning after an evening of civil disturbance in Baltimore.

Everyone takes out a camera and captures the images on the board.

Looking to achieve some consensus, we then ask for interpretations of what all the questions taken together might mean.

A Question Technique for Difficult Group Discussions Read More »

Past CRT Seminars

Summer 2015
“Easy Riders”  Summer 2015

A very “easy,” collaborative CRT Seminar Summer 2015 (June 2-June12) has ended. After considering elements of Thoppu Karanam yoga, the role of reflection in growth mindset, social capital dialogue, and other CRT ideas, the group claimed the moniker “Easy Riders.”

"The Connectors" Winter 2015
“The Connectors”
Winter 2015

"The Legends"  Summer 2014
“The Legends”
Summer 2014

 

 

 

 

Past CRT Seminars Read More »