MIT SMR: BRAVE Conversations About Race

The BRAVE acronym offers a starting point for conversations about race and racism at work. In the past few months, there have been strong calls for organizations to join the movement in the fight against racial injustice, and many have started to answer this call. Although many see the value in addressing race and racism in organizations, it can be difficult to have conversations about these topics in the workplace. Please join diversity and inclusion experts Enrica N. Ruggs and Derek R. Avery as they discuss the importance of explicitly talking about race in the workplace and provide advice on how to begin productive conversations. They will discuss factors to consider when planning these conversations, such as audience, timing, and purpose, as well as how to structure, facilitate, and navigate a conversation about race. They will provide tips on how to have brave conversations that address tense aspects of race as a way to build competency around what inclusion really looks like in organizations.