Allyship N Action: Moving Allyship from Rhetoric to a Skill

Moving Allyship from Rhetoric to a Skill

Allyship is a lifelong journey that requires community , courage, and confidence. Community with others that desire to be a representative for the underrepresented; courage to speak when you may be the only one; and the confidence to know why you speak and when to speak.

The WICT Network: Greater Philadelphia and NAMIC of Philadelphia is proud to present another Allyship N Action event: Moving Allyship from Rhetoric to a Skill.

Join us as Dr. Murali Balaji of Maruthi Education Consulting (MEC) facilitates a workshop that highlights ways in which empathy and critical listening skills can be deployed to support peers within the workplace. This session seeks to reframe allyship as a tangible skill developed from within rather than rhetoric that is performed publicly.

During the session, participants will engage with the facilitator and one another to understand the different ways to engage as equals, de-escalate potential tensions through empathy and practice active listening skills. We will also work to address challenges among marginalized and underrepresented communities, including hidden hierarchies, harmful assumptions, and the universalizing of experiences.  The session will seek to address how we - regardless of background - can improve our overall human relations skills so that we can learn, listen, and empathize with the gamut of experiences of our colleagues.

Please note: The intention of this time together is to provide a safe and supportive environment where people can respectfully and openly learn from one another about sometimes difficult topics.

About the Speaker: Murali Balaji, Ph.D.

Journalist, author, and academic with over 20 years of experience in diversity leadership. Founder of Maruthi Education Consulting, LLC, and consults numerous organizations, including the University of Pennsylvania and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on diversity and inclusion issues. Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, and former mass communications chair at Lincoln University. Recognized as a national leader in cultural competency and religious literacy.