Sadandre’ (Dre’) Jackson (’22) and Destiny Talley (’22), current 2nd-year graduate students in the Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education (SAAHE) program, who have been Selected to present at this year’s Diversity & Inclusion Conference at the University of South Florida’s.
Their presentation, entitled “Leave The Door Open: Analyzing leadership when it hinges on social identity compromise”, examines traditional leadership structures to help participants identify where they fit within them. They plan to create dialogue around validating resistance of oppressive professionalism in lieu of compromising by creating a self-reflection plan to debrief identity experiences in the workplace that are harmful yet real.
We know through lived experiences that identities and politics play prominent roles in the conventional aspects of professionalism. What is often overlooked is the intersection of identities that influence who gets the largest command of positional power versus who deserves it. This workshop depicts the topics of deconstructing traditional leadership structures, acknowledging positionality, and exploring retaliation. We examine these themes through the identity lenses of race, gender, age, and economic realities. Participants should expect to leave with tools to aid in the self-reflection process of how to maintain resilience in the workplace without the barriers that result in compromising.
Presenting with my friend, colleague, and fellow Libra is always going to be a blast! We basically said ‘Discuss leadership and identity, but make it engaging, thought-provoking, and relevant’. That was our goal and I honestly think we achieved it. So happy to do great work with Dre’. As I said before, I’m so grateful to him for always pushing me to be better and think deeper. Who knows what’s up our sleeves next!
-Destiny Talley
I echo everything you said. The relevancy of this work is very imperative to recognize and act upon. I’m excited that we were able to capitalize on this opportunity and share our perspective with the Higher Ed field. What a great time!
-Sadandre’ (Dre’) Jackson
Help us in congratulating both Dre and Destiny for being selected to present and represent our SAAHE, SOE, and UNC Greensboro students.
