Registration is underway for the American Booksellers Association’s fall workshop, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Addressing Stereotypes and Creating a Welcoming Environment [6],” which will be presented from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11, at the Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel in Denver, just ahead of the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association [7] trade show.

Ilsa Govan, M.A., of Cultures Connecting [8], who delivered an inspiring keynote presentation [9] at Children’s Institute earlier this year, presented the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” workshop on September 14 to booksellers in the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance [10] region.

Feedback from the session included a number of comments calling the workshop valuable, informative, and powerful.

Kristen Beverly of Half Price Books [11] in Dallas, Texas, called the session “a fantastic ‘food for thought’ workshop,” and said it offered “so much to think about and real ideas that can be implemented to reach the diverse communities around us.”

The October 11 workshop will illustrate how implicit racial stereotypes can influence attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs about others and create barriers to genuine relationships. The workshop also aims to help booksellers understand the factors that create a sense of welcoming in an independent bookstore.

Through the workshop, participants will:

• Develop a shared language of cultural competence to serve as a roadmap for creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive bookstores.
• Learn and practice tools for engaging in courageous conversations about difficult issues with employees and customers.
• Increase their awareness and knowledge of the impact of stereotypes on our everyday thoughts and actions.
• Learn strategies for countering implicit bias and stereotype threat in the workplace.
• Reflect on practical applications of new skills at a personal and organizational level.

Registration is $75 per person. Fall show registration is not required to attend the workshop, and the workshop is open to all ABA members, regardless of regional association membership.

Register for the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Addressing Stereotypes and Creating a Welcoming Environment [6]” workshop now.