Inside Community Podcast #025: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion with Crystal Byrd Farmer
There’s a rich opportunity to push the needle forward when it comes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, but navigating Race, Class, Privilege, Ability, and all the ways folks face different levels of adversity can be vulnerable and uncomfortable. Sometimes we need support to know what to ask for, how to be better allies, and to push us to grow in our capacity to accept others… and recognize our own blindness to our priviledge. In this conversation with Diversity Consultant, Crystal Byrd Farmer we cover code switching, how to have safe conversations, microagressions, call out culture, hidden diversities, tools and resources, and how to create communities and spaces that are welcoming to all people.
Crystal Byrd Farmer is an engineer turned educator, organizer, and speaker. She attended University of South Carolina and received dual degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Russian Studies. After working in engineering for six years, Crystal became a freelance technical writer and eventually found her way into the world of self-directed learning and intentional communities. Crystal has been active in the intentional communities movement for over six years and serves on the board of the Foundation for Intentional Community and Co-President of the BIPOC Intentional Community Council. She is the former website editor for Black & Poly and is active in her local polyamory community. In 2022 she served as the committee moderator for PolyamProud.
Crystal’s day job is as owner and facilitator of Gastonia Freedom School, an Agile Learning Center for children with disabilities. She lives in Gastonia, NC and has one daughter.
Books and Resources We Mentioned:
- The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in your Organization by Crystal Byrd Farmer
- Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
- White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Dr. Robin DiAngelo
- Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
- My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
- Racial equity tools https://www.racialequitytools.org/
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
If you want to learn more about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in community or any aspect of community, check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community. FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, and lots of free educational materials. Podcast listeners get 20% off in FIC Bookstore with code INSIDE20 and 30% off FIC courses with code INSIDE30. You can learn more about FIC and access transcripts at ic.org/podcast.
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