Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion
FCBE champions diversity and inclusion.
CWDI Hosts A Courageous Conversation By Taylor Woody
D
uring Black History Month, FCBE’s Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion (CWDI) partnered with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Bank of America to host “A Courageous Conversation: The State of Black America in the Workforce.”
Enrica Ruggs, Assistant Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion (CWDI)
Kurt Kraiger, Professor and Chair, Department of Management
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FO G E L M A N FO C U S
Bank of America organizes Courageous Conversations “in response to events that challenge our communities on issues related to diversity and inclusion, social justice, and race and equality.” The event included a panel of local community leaders and a keynote address from Bank of America’s Diversity and Inclusion executive, Calandra Jarrel. “It was a huge success,” said Kurt Kraiger, professor and Department of Management chair. “Part of the mission of the center is to engage people from the community, and they took the
message of the center out into the community.” There were dozens of attendees from college students to professionals from a variety of industries. Kraiger said one highlight of the event was “the questions that emerged during the discussion between minorities and non-minorities.” CWDI continued its work by funding three faculty members' research projects in summer 2020. “Dr. Ruggs received a National Science Foundation grant to study the responses and stressors of Memphis’ essential workers to the crisis,” Kraiger said. Taylor Woody is a Public Relations major and marketing student assistant for the Fogelman College of Business & Economics. She’s the creator of By Teadubs lifestyle blog and YouTube channel.