Debby Irving and Laura Shmishkiss -Waking Up White Monday, May 13, 2024

Debby Irving is a racial justice educator and award-winning author of Waking Up White: Finding Myself in the Story of Race, . Ten years and 275,000-copies later, Waking Up White continues to impact communities all over the country to break through the colorblind and saviorism syndromes of the white experience of racism. The book has been widely read and Educational Study Guides and facilitated workshops have been designed around it. Debby designed the book to read like a memoir yet include educational conversation prompts at the end of each chapter. And, as she hoped and anticipated, educators and book groups adopted Waking Up White to take on this challenging issue. Since publication, Irving has seen interest in understanding racism skyrocket in predominantly white communities, often at the urging of community members of color who use Irving’s book as an entrée to how racism operates. As she unpacks her own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, she reveals how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated her ill-conceived ideas about race. Debby will discuss why and how she herself has changed the way she talks about racism, works in racially mixed groups, and understands the racial justice movement as a whole. https://www.audible.com/pd/Waking-Up-White-and-Finding-Myself-in-the-Story-of-Race-Audiobook/B01EINR1M4 https://www.debbyirving.com/the-book/ Joining Debby Irving is Laura Shmishkiss, an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) consultant and coach who has committed her life to advancing social and racial justice. She brings 25 years of experience as an organizational leader, trainer, educator and activist in nonprofit organizations and schools. She specializes in equity-based training and facilitation; leadership coaching and development; antiracist practice and organizing; program and curriculum design; EDI strategic planning; and organizational culture development. Throughout her career, Laura has held many leadership roles within the nonprofit and education sectors. Most recently, Laura served as co-Executive Director at Center for Racial Justice in Education, a nonprofit organization that trains educators to dismantle racism wherever children learn. Laura earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Colby College, and a teaching certification from San Francisco State University. She holds an ACC coaching certification through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and is also a trained herbalist. https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurashmishkiss