First, I must thank those of you who are interested enough to sit down to read this, I appreciate your attention.

Next, I must say that I do not speak for all people of color. I do not speak for all First Nations people. I do not speak for my tribes. I do not speak for all women. I do not speak for my family. I speak only out of my own experiences.

My experiences are extensive, but yours are just as valuable. And so now that you know that I know . . . I must say before begin any workshop that I recognize your right to agree or disagree with anything I say.

Finally, I would like to urge you to remember that learning about issues of diversity takes a lifetime of experiences. And you can not learn everything you need to learn in an hour or a day or a week or a month or a year. It is important that you are open to listening and learning. Thank you.

As a part of my own commitment to community service all workshops are FREE! If you are interested in inviting me, I will go almost anywhere as long as it fits in my schedule. You should pay for any costs of expenses like transportation, food and lodging; but any honorarium is unnecessary.

However, if you feel you must pay for this service, donations in both our names should go to the University of Oregon Foundation earmarking it for the Longhouse fund to build a new community center for Indian people at the university; or to the Native American Student Union for their fundraising account. Although I do occasionally lecture, I generally prefer giving workshops which include a variety of activities. I believe people retain more if they are active participants in the learning process.

I believe strongly in socially responsible leadership, so I am careful teach workshops which have content that is both meaningful and safe. I do not encourage the "woe is me" approach to teaching about issues of diversity. Panels of people of color, who pour out their hearts to an audience for a few minutes, can be effective; but generally it does little more than provide entertainment. It rarely affects change in the lives of those involved.

Nor, do I support workshops that are like "lipstick"--those that are meant as cosmetic approaches to deeper problems within a group or an institution. To put up a sign that says this is a racism free-zone does little to provide a safe environment for people of color. To bring in a speaker for an hour or even a few days does little more, if there is no follow through. A sincere commitment to understanding and preventing discrimination is vital to the strength of the society as a whole.

And, social responsibilty of the trainers in workshops about diversity includes caring about the long term safety of the participants. One moving exercise which is used across the nation in workshops about discrimination is called "Crossing the Line." The participants are asked to stand on one side of the room and walk to the other side if they are a member of a protected class group. The exercise is intended to demonstrate just how many of us are impacted by racism.

I have seen this exercise twice in ways that were harmful to the participants. In the first, the trainer asked for anyone who was gay or lesbian to cross the line in the middle of the room. This was just at the beginning of the AIDS awareness time period, and people were literally being beaten to death because of the fears sexual preference. It also compounded issue of the guilt for those who wanted to keep their private lives private. The second time was less obvious in it's risk. Apparently, the trainer did not understand the rationale for the exercise, so she added a few categories of her own. One, "How many of you are over 40 pounds overweight?" could have somewhat fit into the goal, but did not relate to the protected class groups as identified in the laws. But the next question of "How many of you did not have breakfast this morning?" completely tossed the relevance of discrimination in our daily lives into another category altogether. The protected class groups are protected for a reason. This approach to this exercise not only contained all the same issues of the first one, but also added to the devaluing of the civil rights of those protected class members.

I do use this exercise, because it is moving and does demonstrate how easily discrimination can hurt anyone. Of course, I changed it to be a private activity, with participants marking their own crossing of the line on a piece of paper, or of counting the times they would cross the lines on their fingers behind their back. The follow-up discussion then follows the standard format.

The "historical" approach to training about discrimination is rarely done effectively, as well. This is especially true when issues for Native Americans are raised in this format. Sadly, it too often perpetuates the stereotype that we are dead. By focusing upon the sins of the past, it distances the participants from their own role in the present toward all groups.

One of my favorite statements relating to social responsibility of trainers comes from a very effective socially responsible trainer, Byron Kunasawa. He says that when we want to teach people about issues of diversity we put on the music and turn on the stove. The result is that "all we are teaching about other cultures is that people of color are fat people who can dance."

This workshop offers basic level instruction on understanding why discrimination occurs. Activities vary given the time, number of participants, setting, and other resources. Generally, this session includes cultural sharing, recognizing stages of cross-cultural interaction, and discussion on the valuing of similiarities and differences of cultural groups.

This workshop can be completed in an hour for groups ranging from 5 to 30 people, but I prefer at least a two hour minimum. For larger groups, and a more in depth version, a full day is preferable.

For a list of organizations, programs and departments that have invited me to present speak, see my curriculum vitae.

By defining discrimination, and identifying methods of resolving issues of discrimination; participants are led through an instinsive series of learning experiences. Activities vary given the time, number of participants, setting, and other resources.

This workshop can be completed in an hour for groups ranging from 5 to 30 people, but I prefer at least a three hour minimum. For larger groups, and a more in depth version, two-full days are preferable.

For a list of organizations, programs and departments that have invited me to present speak, see my curriculum vitae.

Generally, this lecture is designed to encouracge participants to discuss issues of gender equity and equality for women of color.

It can be completed in an hour, but I prefer at least a two hour minimum.

For a list of organizations, programs and departments that have invited me to present speak, see my curriculum vitae.

Beginning with exercises that define the reasons people make art and moving quickly to discussions of those aspects of art which are culturally influenced, this workshop is generally a dynamic exchange of ideas.

It can be completed within an hour at minimum.

For a list of organizations, programs and departments that have invited me to present speak, see my curriculum vitae.

Dealing specifically with the impact of discrimination upon First Nations People including issues of identity, stereotyping, gender roles, economic development, urbanization, etc.; this workshop is probably the most personally revealing of any I teach.

It can be completed in an hour, but I prefer at least a two hour minimum. For larger groups, and a more in depth version, two-full days are preferable.

For a list of organizations, programs and departments that have invited me to present speak, see my curriculum vitae.

Upon individual consultation , other topics related to diversity, or combinations of those listed above, can be tailored to meet the needs of the group or institution.

For a list of organizations, programs and departments that have invited me to present, see my curriculum vitae.