July 2017 | Vernā Myers

24 Jul 2017

Why talking about race on The Bachelorette matters

An Interview with Julia Fawal, Social Media Associate at TED We need to have more honest, open-ended conversations about race and bias — in our own lives and in the TV shows and movies we see, says diversity consultant Vernā Myers. It’s not every day that the TED world collides with a reality TV show, but recently on The Bachelorette, one of the most compelling conversations about race...

19 Jul 2017

Why an “Alumnae of Color” Dinner?

I attended my recent Barnard College reunion with a group of fabulous women: architects, entrepreneurs, professors, chemists, dancers, doctors, recovering retirees, and brave nonprofit leaders who renewed my faith in women’s power to make the world a better place. I also had the honor of participating in a panel discussion entitled, “Still We Rise: A Panel of Barnard Alumnae Activists,”...

18 Jul 2017

Twitter Is Loving Eric’s Aunt’s Questions For Rachel On ‘The Bachelorette’

by Kelli Boyle in TV Eric’s family stole the show on this week’s episode of The Bachelorette. Eric’s hometown visit with Rachel was sweet as hell, and people on Twitter are loving how supportive his family is. The entire family was beaming with positive energy the second Eric and Rachel walked in the door, as Rachel is the first woman he’s ever taken home to meet his family. Peo...

17 Jul 2017

The Sugarcoated Language Of White Fragility

By Anna Kegler For a while now, I’ve been thinking about how terms like “white privilege,” “inclusion” and “unconscious bias” all sound just… too nice. Don’t they seem a little on the pleasant side for words used to address a system of racist oppression? It reminds me of how, in Minnesota in January, the meteorologists will say it’s going to be a “cool evening” as they stand in front ...

17 Jul 2017

Who Is Eric’s Aunt On ‘The Bachelorette’? Twitter Instinctively Loves Her

By Mariella Mosthof at Romper Hometown dates kicked off in Baltimore with Rachel Lindsay meeting Eric Bigger’s warm, supportive family, but one woman in his life instantly charmed Twitter. His aunt wasted no time in bringing up race, refreshingly asking Rachel how she’s been handling the pressure of being the first black Bachelorette. So who is Eric’s aunt on The Bachelorette? Auntie ...

14 Jul 2017

What If I Say the Wrong Thing? 10 Tips for Culturally Effective People

This week I had the honor — and fun! — of speaking at Relate Live by Zendesk, a three-day conference on how people can build better relationships with their customers and each other. (See my post-event video here!) In my presentation, “What if I say the wrong thing? Interrupting bias in ourselves and others,” I talked about how people can practice culturally effective habits to help b...

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