What does it take to be a woke leader? Join us for a book discussion by author and action catalyst Dr. Priscilla H. Douglas, E’70, MEd’74. During her presentation of her latest book, Woke Leadership: Profits, Prophets & Purpose, Dr. Douglas will share the traits of those who effectively drive regenerative change. There will also be time for Q&A and networking as you find ways to become your own woke leader.

Bedford Embraces Diversity, in observance of Black History Month, will sponsor Dr. Priscilla Douglas for a Zoom event Wednesday, Feb 23, beginning at 7 pm. Dr. Priscilla Douglas, named a "Most Impactful Black Woman", will share recollections of her childhood as part of the first black family in Bedford, as well as her subsequent achievements in business and government.

Residents of all ages are encouraged to join; please write bedfordembracesdiversity@gmail.com for the link.

Douglas was appointed by Governor William F. Weld as the first Black Woman to serve in the commonwealth’s gubernatorial cabinet. She served as Secretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, chair of the Boston Public Library’s Board of Trustees, a Panelist for the President's Commission on White House Fellowships and on the boards of the American Repertory Theater, the Boston Museum of Science, Leader Bank and the International Women's Forum -Massachusetts.

Priscilla Douglas also has published two books:

Getting There & Staying There: Coaching Questions To Get There And Stay, 2013;

Woke Leadership: Profits, Prophets & Purpose, 2021.

The 2021 array of speakers for the International Womens Forum herald a Bold New Paradigm for women leaders and the world. I have the honor of presenting three outstanding IWF Members whose transformative "Ideas are Remaking the World". The count down begins to our virtual conference November 4,5. Click here to read the 2021 Conference agenda: Agenda: IWF World Leadership Conference & Gala (iwfconference.org)

Three authors, themselves leaders, put out a call to their friends, neighbors, and countrymen and women: it’s time to wake up and DO something. Tracy Swinton Bailey, in Forever Free: A True Story of Hope in the Fight for Child Literacy, makes an impassioned plea for literacy as the scaffolding on which success is built and describes how she started Freedom Readers, a nonprofit whose one-to-one tutoring model has succeeded in the rural South and has the potential to succeed across the United States. Drawing on thirty years of coaching Fortune 500 executives, Priscilla H. Douglas gleans inspiring stories of those who lead with consciousness and compassion in Woke Leadership: Profits, Prophets and Purpose. Former Harvard Business School professor Steven S. Rogers, in A Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues, uses historical research, case studies, and personal anecdotes to illustrate the causes of racial wealth disparity in the United States and presents practical solutions. You won’t want to miss this inspiring and important discussion, moderated by Steve Grossman, CEO of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. Sponsored by Other Press. Watch the program here.

Join Priscilla as she discusses her new book, Woke Leadership: Profits, Prophets & Purpose and what it takes to be a woke leader. Books available to purchase at the gallery. Visit their website to learn more information about the Gallery: https://www.cousenrose.com/