Work and freedom presentation

Presented by:
Dr. Kecia Brown McManus
President & Managing Director
www.kingstonbaygroup.com
FREEDOM
“What’s Love Got To Do With It?” - Creating Love Spaces to Radically Oppose
and Deconstruct Oppression in the Workplace
POWER
LOVE

Foundation of the Conversation

Direction of Our Conversation Today
• Self
• Love Spaces by Design
• Micro-Affirmations @ Work

What Does Freedom Look Like to You?

Critical Consciousness & Love
“Critical Consciousness is the
synchronicity of knowledge, will, and
love.”
Mustakova-Possardt, E. (2003). Critical Consciousness: A study of morality in global, historical context.
Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

You are
BEAUTIFUL
and
You are
FREE
Audio: Muhammad Ali. https://youtu.be/F30t-weDqko

Justice & Love

What does freedom
from oppression
look like to me
personally?
What does freedom
from oppression
look like to me
professionally?
Are my words and
actions in line with
my vision of
freedom? How do I
know for sure?

Love Spaces by
Design

Counter-Narrative & Support
• Self-Leadership (vision)
• Micro-Affirmations in the midst of
Macro-Aggressions
• “Love Spaces”
• “Souped-Up” Affinity/ERG’s

Hostile Work Environment…by Design

Reflections...
In your dyads, please describe the best and worst
organization in which you have worked.
• Culture
• Communication styles
• Leadership
• Peer-to-peer interaction

“Love Spaces” v. “Safe Spaces”
(Term used in BPS Discussion - CPDP Development)
• Origins: Civil Rights/Social Justice Support Structure
• “Holding Environments” (Adult Education)
• “Finding a Sanctuary” (Leadership Development)
• “The 4 S’s” (Career & Adult Learning)

Definition of a “Love Space”
My Defn: An emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual,
space of rejuvenation. In this space, one’s personhood is
welcomed and continuously validated. It is a place to
restore one’s sense of purpose, gain perspective, and
revive courage in order for the person(s) to move forward
with the work of countering hegemonic, demonic, and
pathologic forms of social dis-ease.

Designing Your Space
• Given your lived
experiences, what do you
need in order to develop a
love space for yourself?
• What might you do to
create a love space for you
and your colleagues?
• What barriers (if any) might
you encounter in actualizing
your space/s?
“Souped-Up” Affinity/ERG’s

Micro-Affirmations
@ Work

Remember…by Design

Reality Check...
External Threats (Institutionalized/External
Oppression)
• Macro & Microaggressions
• Lateral Violence/Workplace
Bullying/Sexual Harassment -> Hostile
Work Environment
• Job Socialization Failure
• Leadership & Org. Structure
• Dreaded Drama Triangle

Freedom from O.P.P.
Internal Threats (Internalized Oppressions AS A
DIRECT RESULT OF EXTERNALIZED O.P.P.)
• Stereotype Threat
• Imposter Syndrome
• Dunning-Kruger Effect
• “Othering” and Collusion
• Agency Dissolve
• Dreaded Drama Triangle

Definition: Micro-Affirmations
“…small acts, which are often ephemeral
and hard-to-see, events that are public and
private, often unconscious but very
effective, which occur wherever people
wish to help others to succeed.”
Rowe, M. (2008). Micro-affirmations and micro-inequities. Journal of the International Ombudsman
Association, 1(1), 45-48.

Micro-Messages
Video: “Micromessages in the STEM Classroom”
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/using-micromessages

Actions: Micro-Affirmations
“Micro-affirmations are tiny acts of opening doors to
opportunity, gestures of inclusion and caring, and
graceful acts of listening. Micro-affirmations lie in the practice of
generosity, in consistently giving credit to others—in
providing comfort and support when others are in
distress, when there has been a failure at the bench, or an idea that did not
work out, or a public attack. Micro-affirmations include the myriad details of
fair, specific, timely, consistent and clear feedback
that help a person build on strength and correct weakness.”
Rowe, M. (2008). Micro-affirmations and micro-inequities. Journal of the International Ombudsman
Association, 1(1), 45-48.

Micro-Affirmations in the Face of
Macro-Aggressions/Inequities

Evidence of the Destruction of Oppression:
Joy

Because I understand the intricate design of oppression, I intend to actualize my
freedom in the following ways:
Page 2

Are we “working” towards a
Shared Liberation
OR
Shared Oppression?

Continuing the Conversation…
Facebook: Kingston Bay Group
Website: www.kingstonbaygroup.com

Thank You

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