Rules of Engagement

 

You can listen to Rules of Engagement here.

 

We look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming EDI IS, EDI ISN’T Virtual Town Hall Debate – Featuring CeLillianne Green to open the discussion, on the 29th of May at 15:00 – 17:00 (BST). To make sure that everyone who is attending can participate openly and freely, we have put together the following Rules of Engagement. These are key points and behaviours to consider, when participating and interacting with others.

In addition, we have put together a suggested Glossary of terms. Whilst many of these terms will come up naturally, we have listed a few here, which will act as prompts and can be drawn upon by the facilitator (or any other participant) throughout the meeting.

 

GLOSSARY (not exhaustive)

 

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

 

o Be courageous

Speaking up can be difficult, especially in a room full of strangers. However, remember why you’re here and know that you’re amongst others with a common goal. The likelihood is that whatever you’re thinking about saying, there’s someone else in the room who’s already thinking it. So pluck up your courage, take a deep breath and speak your mind.

o Cameras

For best engagement, we ask that all cameras are turned on, however we appreciate that this doesn’t work for everyone. If you are blind, partially sighted, neurodivergent or have accessibility needs or are none of the above and just have technology gremlins working on the day, then that’s no problem. Keep your cameras off.

o Chat box

For best engagement we also advise that everyone uses their audio to speak, however if this is not possible for any reason, please use the Zoom chat box feature. The session facilitator will monitor the chat box as best as possible.

o Listen

It’s not possible to think clearly, without listening to others or even to yourself. We encourage you to actively listen to what’s being said before responding. Remember it’s not a race, so take your time, listen and respond.

o Open and safe

We want the town hall to be an open and safe space where everyone can speak honestly and freely without judgment. We appreciate that there will a mixture of people in the room, with different perspectives and viewpoints and so we ask for everyone to be respectful of each other. Feel free to challenge or support what others are saying, but please do so with politeness.

o Prompts

We know how awkward it can get when you have those uncomfortable silences and so to avoid those moments (unless the discomfort is related to a theme or argument, in which case do bring it up in the discussion), we have prepared a list of terms to be used as prompts. Feel free to familiarise yourself with these terms or come as you are, ready to expect the unexpected.

o Raise hands

Please use the raise hand Zoom function when you want to speak. The facilitator will moderate hands as fairly and quickly as possible.

o THINK

If all fails, we encourage you to THINK before speaking. Yes, THINK! We don’t want you to censor what you say, but by utilising the acronym THINK, consider whether what you’re saying is True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary or Kind?

o Time and response

We know how passionate people can get when wanting to get a point across. We encourage your enthusiasm but ask that everyone is mindful about how long you speak for. If you find yourself speaking over 2 to 3 minutes when it’s your turn, wrap up your point and give the floor to someone else. We won’t be monitoring how often you speak; you can respond as little or as much as you like, but just be mindful of giving the floor to others. The facilitator will also help to move conversations along.

o Transcription

If you are deaf, have hearing impairments or want to aid accessibility and clarity with conversations, please make use of Zoom captions and transcripts. These will be activated at the beginning of the meeting and all participants can control whether they display or not.

 

Finally, we want to remind everyone to have fun and to remember that by participating in the town hall, you’re already contributing to an important conversation.

We look forward to seeing you there and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

The Team at PILAA

EDI IS, EDI ISN’T: A Virtual Town Hall Debate

Listen to Event Description here.

Listen to Event Contributors here. 

 

Join this virtual (online) Town Hall for a timely debate on what EDI IS, EDI ISN’T. Featuring CeLillianne Green to open the Town Hall.

 

About this event

“We have to be courageous Reverand. Al Sharpton. We have to continue to make them say the words, diversity, equity and inclusion, not just DEI, because the virtues are in the words. “Diversity. Equity. Inclusion.” Every humane society respects those things.” – US Attorney Benjamin Crump

 

To address the current state of affairs around EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) in the UK or DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) as it is typically referred to in the US, we will be hosting a virtual Town Hall debate to address what EDI IS, EDI ISN’T. Whichever iteration one uses, our understanding of the essence of this work must continue despite some of the misunderstandings, negative rhetoric’s, and scapegoating of initiatives that seek to re-address inequalities and injustices.

In the advent of US Executive orders that are having an impact globally, to the detriment of the many faces of EDI work and its lasting legacies, we invite anyone who is interested in holding space on this topic, in joining us at our virtual Town Hall, on Thursday the 29th of May 2025 at 3 – 5PM BST, for a timely debate on what EDI IS, EDI ISN’T.

The Town Hall is open to everyone, irrespective of role or position. We want the space to be free of barriers (and ego), so that all participants can deep dive into exactly what is at stake, in our pursuit of the meaning of EDI. Whether you’re an EDI practitioner, work in HR, an academic, student, researcher, activist, creative, a thought leader, a leader in a leadership position, a staff network chair, a network member, or are just curious and passionate about EDI, without any work affiliations – we want to hear from you.

From the anecdotal, to the real, to the lived experiences, and best and worst practices in this area, we invite you to participate in some real talk!

We are honoured to feature CeLillianne Green, poet and lawyer, who will be opening the Town Hall debate. In 2016 CeLillianne Green wrote The Present, a poem to commemorate the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The Present is now a poetic reaffirmation of the importance of the NMAAHC in response to the 3-27-25 Executive Order of the current U.S. President about the NMAAHC. Such orders undo many decades of work that museums, galleries and other educational and non-educational institutions have done in the decolonising project and in making these spaces inclusive to all. You can watch the present here.

We hope that at the end of the Town Hall, we’ll be able to create a 21st century PILAA visual guide on EDI, which we’ll be able to share with all participants. So we welcome you to be part of this diverstory.

 

To register your spot to participate, please visit Eventbrite here.

We will share the joining instructions and Town Hall rules of engagement closer to the time.

We look forward to seeing you there, for what we think will be a timely and open discussion!

 

Event Contributors

 

CeLillianne Green

CeLillianne Green (opening Town Hall) is an internationally known poet, as well as a lawyer, teacher, and speaker. She is a graduate of Drexel and Howard Universities. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Law Journal, and is admitted to the Bar in PA, NY, DC, and MD. Her legal career includes a federal clerkship, Wall Street law firm associate, and an AUSA who tried cases from misdemeanors to 1st degree murders, and presented appellate arguments. She was a partner in a private law practice, served as a legislative counsel, a mediator, and as a law school instructor. In 2003, Ms. Green published her first poem, Because I Love You. In 2005, more poems started, and in 2009, the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity recognized her as a Social Justice Thought Leader for her poem, Lifted. Her first book, That Word, an epic poem was published in 2010. The recording, CeLillianne Says and her poetry collection, A Bridge were published in 2011 and 2015. She has been interviewed on radio and TV, quoted in newspapers, cited in law journals, and in online publications. She has contributed to anthologies, documentaries, and presented at public schools, universities, and organizations. Her 2023 production, CeLillianne Green’s Evening of Poetry & Jazz and other works are on YouTube / www.CeLillianneGreen.com. She is currently an Adjunct Lecturer in the English Department of Howard University teaching Technical Writing Professional / Pre-Law. Ms. Green continues to write poetry and prose about life, love, spirituality, relationships, history, and politics. www.CeLillianneGreen.com

 

Photo credit: Dr Ope Lori by Ajamu X

 

Dr Ope Lori (PILAA Founder & CEO)

Dr. Ope Lori (Town Hall facilitator) is the Founder and CEO of Pre-Image Learning and Action (PILAA), an Arts & Diversity company she founded in 2017. Some of their clients include, ACME, Tate, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, the Courtauld, the Open College of Arts, Corps Security and GamCare. She is also a practising visual artist; specializing using video and photography in her political practice. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at La Fondation Blachére, France; 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning and at Autograph in London.

She was a Lecturer at both Chelsea School of Arts and Leeds Arts University between 2009-2019, and continued to guest lecture at the Royal College of Arts until 2021, amongst other leading institutions of Art. She completed her PhD in Fine Art in 2013 and held one of the first Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships at TrAIN (Transnational, Art, Identity and Nation) Research Centre UAL between 2016-2018, before fully utilising her knowledge and training in the diversity and Inclusion industry.

She is the author of “Should I, shouldn’t I?’: A self-reflexive study in unpacking ideologies of race while devising a critical studies fine art programme”, in Hatton, K. (ed.) Inclusion and Intersectionality in Visual Arts Education, (UCL Institute of Education Press, 2019). She is also the author of her first solo forthcoming book, Beyond The Feminine: The Politics of Skin Colour and Gender in Visual Culture (Bloomsbury, 2025) due to be released on the 24th of July 2025.

Dr. Lori featured in the first ever UK Black Pride (UKBP) The Black Lesbian Power List 2024, brought together by UK Black Pride CEO Phyll Opoku-Gyimah and supported by DIVA.

PILAA News – Recruitment

 

We are pleased to announce that from February 2025, we will be including some of our friends and partners job vacancies on our website and newsletters. We want to include listings from organisations who are keen to get the best candidates, especially those who can demonstrate an awareness of ED&I either as part of their role, or as part of the desired inclusive behaviours and person specifications.

We will be including job listings from organisations that we’ve worked with over the years, and anyone who is keen to reach a diverse pool of candidates for their vacancies.

In addition, we will be putting together a pool of delegates who have taken our courses, such as the Inclusive Welcome CPD. They will be added to our database and notified to receive job alerts, when opportunities within the museum and heritage, visitor attraction and security sectors arise. If you need applicants trained in these areas, get in touch with us!

The hope is that by applicants taking our course(s), it then puts them in good stead to apply for such jobs, with organisations knowing that they’ve taken our training and already have a good introductory knowledge around ED&I and the encompassing inclusive behaviours that you may want to see; whether in an entry level role or whether as a senior executive in a leadership position.

We know the question of posting vacancies on a range of platforms, is key in diversifying teams and reaching new audiences, and we believe that PILAA can be a conduit between employer and reaching new applicant’s to do so.

If you are interested in listing your jobs with us or interested in our pool of candidates for your role, please get in touch here.

 

The Team at PILAA

PILAA Wins UK Enterprise Awards

 

We are delighted that PILAA has won the award, Best EDI Specialist Professional Services Consultancy 2024, in SME News seventh annual UK Enterprise Awards.

This is a fantastic achievement, that would not be possible without the strong commitment and work ethic from our team, who continuously strive to always do better in the world of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

We would like to thank our clients and partners, where without them this work, recognition and mutual learning would not be possible.

We congratulate everyone who have made it possible, and we look forward to many more success stories as we move through the years.

Stay tuned for more exciting news to come!

 

Dr. Ope Lori, Founder & CEO 

PILAA News

In April, we were delighted to have been featured in the press. The first was in Your Business with James Caan, Spring 2024 edition, where we spoke about the importance of carrying out a good EDI health check and what it includes. Our CEO Dr Ope Lori, also lent her expert voice on themes related to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. The full articles can be found on pages 194 – 197 and accessed here. 

We were also in The Evening Standard: London Business Guide, on Monday the 22nd of April 2024. Here we spoke about ‘Doing diversity differently’ and gave away a discount on our upcoming PILAA Inclusive Welcome CPD. If you didn’t manage to pick up a physical copy, do check us out here.

There is still time for you to book our PILAA Inclusive Welcome CPD, for Front of House teams or applicants looking to work in visitor attractions. Read the article for the discount code.

Finally, our Founder and CEO Dr. Ope Lori, featured in the first ever UK Black Pride (UKBP) The Black Lesbian Power List 2024, brought together by UK Black Pride CEO Phyll Opoku-Gyimah and supported by DIVA. This is an amazing accomplishment not just for our CEO, but for the wider PILAA family and our clients. Her much deserved recognition, will ensure that she continues to steer PILAA and the EDI industry ship, in a meaningful way. 

Read the full list here.

 

Stay tuned for more exciting news to come!

10 Women Who Have Inspired Inclusion

Today is International Women’s Day, falling on the 8th of March each year. The annual observation encourages people to recognise and strive for better rights for girls and women around the world, and build a more inclusive and equitable society. There are a lot of important women who have made a difference or who continue to do so today, and at PILAA, we thought we’d mention a few who have inspired us. As difficult as this was to round it down to ten, we had great fun coming together as a team and bringing you these names:

 

Caroline Criado Perez (1984-) – The 2019 book Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez has been very influential in making people aware of how women have been ignored or disregarded in research, policy and more generally in society. There is an Invisible Women podcast and newsletter, which continues this advocacy work.

Gloria Steinem (1934-) – Activist and writer Gloria Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine and has been an important figure in feminism, reminding people that the world will not be equitable or safe until all humans are treated with respect and fairness.

Kimberlé Crenshaw (1959-) – In 1989, Kimberlé Crenshaw came up with the concept of “intersectionality”, which she used to explain that people are never just one thing (for example, their gender or educational level), but instead sit at the intersection of many different characteristics. How they are treated and how they feel about themselves depends on their own unique combination, and in EDI work, we need to remember that there are no homogenous groups. We’re all invidivuals and need to be treated as such.

Judy Singer (1951-) – Sociologist Judy Singer coined the term “neurodiversity,” which reflects the idea that all human brains work differently and that one type of brain is no better than another. She has been a pioneer in the disability-positive movement, particularly for her work on autism spectrum disorder.

Rosie Jones (1990-) – British comedian, writer and presenter is a staunch disability advocate. Being a woman with cerebral palsy, she incorporates this part of her identity into her stand-up comedy, thereby raising awareness about the condition. In 2023 she took the brave step to make a documentary based on the abusive language and the slur words used to describe disabled people. Her feelings of continuously being poked like a bear, due to peoples’ words, outweighed the controversy around her use of the ‘R-Word’ slur. 

Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1916-2000) and Golda Meir (1898-1978) – Politicians Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Golda Meir were some of the first female leaders of contemporary times. Bandaranaike was the prime minister of Sri Lanka for three non-successive terms, while Meir was the first female head of state in the Middle East, serving as prime minister of Israel and then later as the country’s the secretary of labour and housing. While neither leader was without controversy, their strength and knowledge inspired other women.

India Willougby (1965-) – Broadcaster, Journalist and the World’s 1st Trans Newsreader, Willoughby was also the co-host Loose Women. She is a trans activist, fighting for the community and women’s rights, and due to her campaign work, she was nominated in 2023 for Woman of the Year. In February 2023 she was a panellist on Question Time, discussing trans women using single-sex spaces and the Scottish gender Recognition Reform Bill. Despite some hostile questions, Willoughby was praised by the community with how she handled the audience.

Adrienne Rich (1929-2010) – Poet and essayist Adrienne Rich has not only been important for her creative writing, but also because of her idea of “compulsory heterosexuality”. With this phrase, she suggested that girls and women were forced into the institution of heterosexuality, regardless of how they actually felt, and this then structured their lives. She made the concerns of women, especially lesbian/gay/queer ones, more visible.

bell hooks (1952-2021) – was the pen name of Gloria Jean Watkins. hooks was a prominent thinker in unpacking representations of race, gender, feminism, love, class and overlapping ideologies of oppression. It was the essay The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators, which basically described black women’s experience of watching film, being the same as black men on the grounds of race, but separate at the intersections of gender, that is a reminder, that we all see differently.