Racial and Gender Equity in Victim Services

Racial and Gender Equity in Victim Services

The Racial and Gender Equity in Victim Services symposium aims to bring child and family service leaders together to discuss how racial and gender equity impact the services that our organizations provide to families. Participants will learn mechanisms of historical trauma and institutional racism within the context of critical race theory, how poverty, education, and other previous trauma contribute to racial inequity and will gain resources and best practices for developing more equitable victim services while also being able to network with others in the field.

Sessions: 

Racial Equity in Victim Services: A look beyond Race: Have you ever asked yourself why Black and Brown people are more prone to victimization and trauma? Often the issues lie within the environment that shape their realities. In this discussion, researcher Storm Ervin will explore contextual factors –  such as poverty, education, mental health, and previous trauma –  that contribute to racial inequity in victimization experiences and how practitioners can be both aware of and address them.

Creating a Culture of Belonging:  Recognizing Bias and Inequities in the work of Trauma Informed Care: Working with families who have been traumatized can have a significant impact on the service provider. Supporting our families is rewarding and can also cause its own challenges within us (the service provider).  This work requires a Trauma Informed approach both for the family and ourselves.  We must not only recognize our own trauma but also biases that may keep us from providing effective services, all while caring for ourselves.  The work within our agencies to address policies and practices that further traumatize our families is also a part of this impactful work.  Intentional communication keeping in mind cultural needs, bias, and the effects of trauma can be one of the effective tools for goal setting and problem-solving.  In this session, participants will recognize biases within themselves that keep them from doing their work. They will also understand and learn the policies and practices that may retraumatize the families they are serving.

Watch the Racial and Gender Equity in Victim Services webinar HERE

 

Welcome Speaker:

Nicole Holm:

Nicole Holm has been with Cal OES since September 2014, and has been Chief of the Children’s Unit for three years. Nicole has oversight of 15 programs that focus on providing services to children victimized by abuse. With more than $35.5 million in state and federal funds, the Children’s Unit provides funding to approximately 160 Subrecipients that provide much needed services to abused children.

Prior to Grants Management, Nicole worked in the Cal OES Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office where she was responsible for ensuring EEO compliance with grant Subrecipients, conducting internal EEO investigations, and developing and providing training.

 

Keynote Speakers

Ingrid Cockhren:

Ingrid Cockhren, M.Ed. specializes in cocreating equitable and inclusive environments within organizations, collective impacts and grassroot movements.  Utilizing her knowledge of stress, trauma, human development and personality, Mrs. Cockhren has been able to translate research concerning diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI) and trauma-informed practices into workplace and organizational solutions that suit both traditional and virtual teams.

Mrs. Cockhren graduated from Tennessee State University with a B.S. in Psychology and Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College with a M.Ed. in Child Studies.  Her research areas are Adverse Childhood Experiences, historical trauma/intergenerational transmission, brain development, developmental psychology, and epigenetics.  Mrs. Cockhren’s past career experience ranges from juvenile justice, family counseling, early childhood education, professional development & training, and community education.  In addition to consulting, she is currently an adjunct professor specializing in developmental psychology, abnormal psychology & personality theory at Tennessee State University and the TN/Midwest Regional Community Facilitator for ACEs Connection, a social network dedicated to raising awareness of adverse childhood experiences, stress & trauma.

Mrs. Cockhren’s consulting, facilitation and DEI clients and affiliates include ACEs Connection, Thistle Farms, Inc., Metro Nashville’s Public Schools, Meharry Medical College, Tennessee State University Foundation, Tennessee’s Dept. of Children’s Services, Tennessee’s Office of Child Safety, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Raphah Institute, Mental Health Cooperative, American Institute of Architects, Indiana Youth Institute, Indiana University and Tuskegee University among others.

Ingrid Cockhren is a Clarksville, TN native who currently resides in Nashville, TN with husband Jurnell Cockhren, founder of Civic Hacker, a software development consulting agency.

https://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/alumni/success-stories/story/ingrid-cockhren

 

Storm Ervin, MPP: is a research analyst at the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center. She conducts research on services and systems for people who experience violence, are charged with crime, and those who both experience and cause harm. As a racial justice activist, Storm also speaks to national audience on the importance of realizing racial and class equity across disciplines.

 

 

 

 

Kikanza Nuri-Robins: Kikanza Nuri-Robins has been an advocate for justice, equity, and inclusion her entire career, serving mission-driven organizations across the country. She focuses on sustaining healthy organization cultures by improving communication, developing effective leaders, and nurturing corporate values for cultural proficiency.  Kikanza is the author of many articles and six books, including: Cultural Proficiency and Fish out of Water. She lives in Los Angeles where she serves on the Bio-Ethics Committee of the UCLA Medical Center and the boards of several social-service organizations.

 

 

 

 

Day of Agenda: 

9:30 – 9:45 – Introduce CVCA and review agenda/objectives

9:45- 10:00 – Welcome remarks

10:00- 12:00- Historical Trauma & Institutional Racism with Ingrid Cockhren

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:00- Racial Equity in Victim Services with Storm Ervin

2:00-2:15- Break

2:15- 3:15- Creating a Culture of Belonging:  Recognizing Bias and Inequities in the work of Trauma Informed Care

3:15 – 3:25 –Break

3:25- 3:50- Networking/Small group discussions

3:50- 4:00 – Closing Remarks

 

Register for the Racial and Gender Equity in Victim Services webinar HERE