Many companies in Cincinnati have leaned into diversity, equity and inclusion in recent years. Honoring diverse lives and different perspectives is certainly something to celebrate! But it can still be a challenge to go further and ensure that those values are actively practiced in the workplace.
For businesses who want to lead by example, there is UNDIVIDED.
UNDIVIDED supports leaders and businesses troubled by race in America to activate their communities to change their culture, systems and policies. They do this through experiences that foster racial healing, solidarity and justice.
Founded in 2016 by Chuck Mingo, a pastor at Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, with a diverse group of five other leaders, it has grown into a powerful experience that has impacted thousands of individuals across hundreds of cities and towns worldwide.
“Our mission is to unite and ignite people for racial healing and justice, and we think the order matters. Any progress must begin with a shared experience that deepens trust and understanding,” Mingo says.
UNDIVIDED has two programs and a series of workshops that support that mission. LivingUNDIVIDED is designed for churches and Christian faith-based communities. WorkingUNDIVIDED is intended for businesses and organizations.
“One of our biggest focuses for this year is businesses,” says Brittany Wade, chief operating officer for UNDIVIDED. “We’re partnering with organizations to continue building on the work they’re already doing.”
UNDIVIDED offers immersive cohort programs virtually or in person. Co-facilitated by trained leaders, these experiential journeys include seven sessions of two hours each. Participants engage in conversations and experiences that guide them through a framework toward awareness, growth and action in their communities.
A suite of customizable workshops can be an excellent fit for businesses that want to make real change in their organizations.
“We’re doing a lot of workshops in corporate spaces,” Mingo says. “We’ve done several engagements at Chick-Fil-A and are working with Kroger later this year.”
Ranging from one-hour to full-day sessions, the sessions lead participants through learning on a variety of topics, including:
There are also opportunities to invite keynote speakers from UNDIVIDED to speak to groups to educate, enliven and motivate the audience on various topics related to racial healing and justice.
And since all businesses have their own unique strengths and challenges, UNDIVIDED can customize their workshops to meet those specific needs. “We really want to understand what the organization is working toward and how we can be a partner with customized material,” Wade says.
UNDIVIDED has had some powerful experiences come out of its work for individuals and organizations.
For example, one organization struggled to find ways to increase the diversity of its board, sales staff and management team.
“We constructed a strategy session for them about how they can start to build diversity and inclusion,” Wade says. “We helped them to come out of that workshop with three strategies on where to start. And we’ve continued that journey with them as they completed those first steps to find the second and third steps.”
A recent study published in Cambridge University Press in July 2022 reported evidence that UNDIVIDED is making real change. Research showed that the program helped participants to speak up against injustice, form deeper relationships with group members and take action to improve society and their communities.
“A holistic person needs to be taken care of in order to show up at their workplace as the best version of themselves,” Wade says. “So, we’re focused on the healing of the individual that leads to systemic and institutional change.”
Want to bring UNDIVIDED into your workplace? Visit undivided.us to request more information.