An Uncomfortable Conversation Between a Woman of Color and a White Woman - RonitaJohnson - C0507

The New Dimensions Café

Ronita Johnson has worked at the intersection of DEI which stands for diversity, equality, inclusion, and has been convening sacred circles for over 30 years. She cut her teeth in the corporate world as a first diversity manager in a large corporate organization in the 80s. Skilled in the practice of dialogue, she creates safe spaces for listening, learning, and self-reflection to bring conscious that which lies in shadow. In 2010, after a successful diversity consulting career, Ronita retired to devote all her energies to convening circles. She hosts online and in person circle gatherings, organic in nature and focused on authentic conversations toward excavating truth around life giving topics that matter. She, along with Justine Toms, are founding conveners of the Millionth Circle. She is also an original convener of Women Eradicating Racism and convener facilitator of Becoming Anti Racists. She is the author of Coming To Forgiveness: A Daughter’s Story Of Race, Rage And Religion (Ronita Johnson & Associates 2012). She created and acts in the one woman show Forgivable.

Interview Date: 8/26/2020 Tags: Ronita Johnson, White Fragility, racism, tender box, oppression, inequality of races, diversity, inclusion, antiracism, internal racism, The Millionth Circle, diversity is a coded word, Ubuntu, Sam Cooke, Change is Gonna Come, Jim Crow, black woman walking in a white neighborhood, resilience, empathy, I don’t see color, I describe myself first as black, internalized prejudice, being an ally to people of color, microaggressions, Social Change/Politics