Achieving racial and gender equity in the workplace will be one of the most important issues that companies will tackle in the coming decade. Research shows that diverse workplaces are more effective, and justice demands that candidates of every background have a chance to succeed. Yet implicit bias, systemic racism, and gender bias keep companies from developing diverse and inclusive workplaces. In this timely talk, Deborah Archer contends that to champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, we have to understand how racism and other forms of bias stands in its way.

According to Deborah Archer, when most people think of racism they think about a person, or maybe a group of people, who dislike people of a different race, and then act on that dislike. Or, increasingly, they talk about implicit bias where someone is acting on unconscious feelings. Certainly, it is  important to understand how individual and implicit bias work. But thinking of racism only in those terms misunderstands the true nature, power, and persistence of racism.  This understanding of racism overlooks the centuries-long impact of race-based laws, policies, and practices that have caused and perpetuate racial inequality. In this eye-opening talk, Deborah Archer provides a deeper understanding of race in America — focusing on systemic racism is a variety of contexts, including housing, the criminal legal system, health care, education, and infrastructure.

In this thought-provoking talk, Deborah Archer explores the role of race and ethnicity in the American legal system and the  interaction of race and the law in society. She also examines the intersection of race, culture, ethnicity, and various institutions including the legal and political institutions. Specific areas include race and education, race and political participation, race and the criminal legal system, race and segregation, and race and the built environment. Audiences leave with a deeper understanding of  the role of the law in creating and perpetuating racial inequality.

So much of how we think about our society can be shaped by our education system — at so many levels, teachers are at the forefront of closing the racial divide in America. In this talk for educators, Deborah Archer discusses how schools can advance racial justice by teaching students not only about the nature of systemic racism, but the way that racism persists in its power. She also inspires educators to truly live the values of their institutions by challenging systemic racism and individual bias within their own walls.

The term Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become a flashpoint topic in our culture, which is why it’s so important to understand what CRT actually is, so our country can move forward. In this talk, Deborah Archer discusses why CRT is not the scourge it’s been portrayed as but an important lens for understanding systemic racism and examining laws, systems and power structures that embed racial inequality. She’ll discuss the fundamental tenets of Critical Race Theory and explore how it can help us better understand the sources and reality of systemic racism.