The OC Grantmakers Breaking Barriers Summit brought together a melting pot of nonprofit, philanthropic, and emerging leaders to challenge and discuss Orange County’s cultural norms. With workshops focused on exploring the future of OC’s demographic diversity paired with insightful speakers discussing land use justice, inclusive language, and health equity, the event provided a safe space to address how the business community can contribute their part in creating a more united OC.
Social Justice Partners Los Angeles delivered an insightful workshop highlighting the importance of a ‘liberatory workplace’, coined by Daniel Lim. With the projection of OC’s population diversifying at a faster rate than the average US state, a liberatory culture can be the key to creating an equitable and inclusive workplace leading to higher employee retention rates that represent our diversified OC population. To name a few characteristics of a liberatory workplace: interdependent, learning culture, decentralized and participatory leadership, and generative conflict. The presenters challenged the crowd to assess their own workplace to question how their company’s cultural norms affected their mental health, and if a liberatory workplace characteristic may cause a different outcome.