Inclusion is not the end goal. Love is. Justice is. Community is. This experience we will share together draws on Catholic Social Teaching, the prophetic imagination, and the real-world complexities of doing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) work in a polarized world. It's a conversation for those who want to move beyond the performance of inclusion and toward the deeper, riskier, more sacred work of collective liberation. Our aim is to leave with framing and language to name what we are for (not just what we're against) and to keep showing up with courage, clarity, and care.
Tshombé Brown is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Portland. He studied linguistics and Spanish at Western Washington University before embarking on a career in community organizing. In his spare time, Tshombé enjoys working out, urban hikes, gardening, sticking his feet in freezing water, eating sashimi, and full-belly laughs…especially his own.