2020 marks the 100th Anniversary of Louis Gregory’s visit to Austin to promote racial amity and the oneness of humanity with integrated talks at the two institutions that later became Huston-Tillotson University, and at the original Anderson High School.
The Louis Gregory Race Unity Symposium on April 2nd, 2020 will explore the following theme:
Vision: 20/20 in 2020
20/20 vision gives us a perfect view of what lies ahead. Hindsight is also said to be 20/20 in allowing us to see where we have been. Join us in examining how far we come on the issue of racial inequality and prejudice over the last 100 years - and how far we have yet to go - to realize true equality and the oneness of humankind.
The featured speakers for this year are as follows:
Dr. William “Billy” Roberts
Dr. William “Billy” Roberts, holds an MA in Administration/Organizational Development and a Ph.D. in Counselling/Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Now retired, his clinical practice served peoples of diverse backgrounds and his organizational consulting practice focused on human resource development and change management.
As a member of the Baha’i Auxiliary Board and the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas, he traveled widely consulting and serving Baha’i communities in North America, Central America, and South America including the Caribbean Islands. Elected as a member of the United States National Governing Body of the Baha’i Faith in 1998, he served as Treasurer for 13 years, leading several successful multi-million-dollar capital campaigns. He is the Founder of the Baha’i Black Men’s Gathering, an initiative to build a collaborative network designed to serve local communities.
Billy and his wife Bette have been married for 48 years and live in Osterville, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. They have two married children.
The Louis Gregory Race Unity Symposium on April 2nd, 2020 will explore the following theme:
Vision: 20/20 in 2020
20/20 vision gives us a perfect view of what lies ahead. Hindsight is also said to be 20/20 in allowing us to see where we have been. Join us in examining how far we come on the issue of racial inequality and prejudice over the last 100 years - and how far we have yet to go - to realize true equality and the oneness of humankind.
The featured speakers for this year are as follows:
Dr. William “Billy” Roberts
Dr. William “Billy” Roberts, holds an MA in Administration/Organizational Development and a Ph.D. in Counselling/Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Now retired, his clinical practice served peoples of diverse backgrounds and his organizational consulting practice focused on human resource development and change management.
As a member of the Baha’i Auxiliary Board and the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas, he traveled widely consulting and serving Baha’i communities in North America, Central America, and South America including the Caribbean Islands. Elected as a member of the United States National Governing Body of the Baha’i Faith in 1998, he served as Treasurer for 13 years, leading several successful multi-million-dollar capital campaigns. He is the Founder of the Baha’i Black Men’s Gathering, an initiative to build a collaborative network designed to serve local communities.
Billy and his wife Bette have been married for 48 years and live in Osterville, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. They have two married children.
Julie Lythcott-Haims
Julie Lythcott-Haims is the author of the New York Times bestselling book How to
Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success (2015) and Real American: A Memoir (2017). Real American details her personal battle with the low self-esteem that American racism routinely inflicts on people of color. The child of an African American father and a white British mother, Julie shows how microaggressions and blunt-force insults can puncture a person’s inner life with a thousand sharp cuts. Real American also expresses through Julie’s path to self-acceptance, the healing power of community in overcoming the hurtful isolation of incessantly being considered “other.”
Julie Lythcott-Haims received her B.A. at Stanford University, her JP at Harvard Law School, and her MFA from the California College of the Arts. She lives in Silicon Valley with her partner of thirty years, their two teenagers, and her mother.
Julie Lythcott-Haims is the author of the New York Times bestselling book How to
Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success (2015) and Real American: A Memoir (2017). Real American details her personal battle with the low self-esteem that American racism routinely inflicts on people of color. The child of an African American father and a white British mother, Julie shows how microaggressions and blunt-force insults can puncture a person’s inner life with a thousand sharp cuts. Real American also expresses through Julie’s path to self-acceptance, the healing power of community in overcoming the hurtful isolation of incessantly being considered “other.”
Julie Lythcott-Haims received her B.A. at Stanford University, her JP at Harvard Law School, and her MFA from the California College of the Arts. She lives in Silicon Valley with her partner of thirty years, their two teenagers, and her mother.
Master of Ceremonies - Beverly Reeves
Beverly E. Reeves spent her entire career serving families of Central Texas. Recently retired from the Austin Independent School District, Ms. Reeves is best known for her empathetic ear and expertise in mediation, facilitation, empowerment and advocacy. Her passion is bringing individuals from different backgrounds or perspectives together to find commonalities and build relationships.
Beverly has a B.A. in Communications from Baylor University and a M.S. in Organizational Leadership and Ethics from St. Edward’s University. She also has earned certificates in mediation and coalition building.
Panel Facilitator - Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon
Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon is the Founder and CEO of Conscious Leadership Alliance LLC. She works with leaders and organizations to be sources and forces of social good. She works as an advisor, consultant and coach on social innovation, conscious entrepreneurship, change and resilience, philanthropy and high-impact purpose-driven work. Khotan has served on the Board of Leadership Austin; is the current Chair of the Board of Peace Through Commerce; and serves on the Board of Greater Austin Asian-American Chamber of Commerce. She is the Co-Director of Austin Mayor’s Taskforce on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities education working group. She has received multiple Gracie Awards for by Women in Radio and Television and was named one of Austin’s “Women We Love” by Austin Monthly Magazine in 2016. Khotan lives in Austin, with her husband Wade and their cat ZuZu.
This event is open to the public and are free to attend. Contributions will be accepted to further the mission of the Louis Gregory Race Unity Foundation, a Baha'i-inspired, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Beverly E. Reeves spent her entire career serving families of Central Texas. Recently retired from the Austin Independent School District, Ms. Reeves is best known for her empathetic ear and expertise in mediation, facilitation, empowerment and advocacy. Her passion is bringing individuals from different backgrounds or perspectives together to find commonalities and build relationships.
Beverly has a B.A. in Communications from Baylor University and a M.S. in Organizational Leadership and Ethics from St. Edward’s University. She also has earned certificates in mediation and coalition building.
Panel Facilitator - Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon
Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon is the Founder and CEO of Conscious Leadership Alliance LLC. She works with leaders and organizations to be sources and forces of social good. She works as an advisor, consultant and coach on social innovation, conscious entrepreneurship, change and resilience, philanthropy and high-impact purpose-driven work. Khotan has served on the Board of Leadership Austin; is the current Chair of the Board of Peace Through Commerce; and serves on the Board of Greater Austin Asian-American Chamber of Commerce. She is the Co-Director of Austin Mayor’s Taskforce on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities education working group. She has received multiple Gracie Awards for by Women in Radio and Television and was named one of Austin’s “Women We Love” by Austin Monthly Magazine in 2016. Khotan lives in Austin, with her husband Wade and their cat ZuZu.
This event is open to the public and are free to attend. Contributions will be accepted to further the mission of the Louis Gregory Race Unity Foundation, a Baha'i-inspired, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.