Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As a professor and diversity, equity and inclusion facilitator, Ayvaunn Penn founded The #ForBoInitiative to provide organizations and institutions with an effective vehicle for holding difficult conversations surrounding racial bias. Those interested in participating in The #ForBoInitiative can find guidance, resources and tools at theforboinitiative.com. Take a look at participant testimonials in the video above.

About The #ForBoInitiative

Spurred by the murder of George Floyd by police, in 2020 people of all races and cultures across the United States of America marched to protest systemic racial injustice and the pandemic of Black lives — such as Botham Jean, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Atatiana Jefferson — ending at the hands of police. The glimmers of hope for change have never been greater, but:

  1. How do we ensure these marches transform how Black people are perceived and treated?
  2. How do we explain the deeply rooted origins of these marches to students?
  3. How do we ease the challenging discussion of racial bias in the workplace?
  4. How do we identify steps we can take on a personal level that will lead to the dismantling of racism on a macro level in our communities, churches, schools, corporations, law enforcement, government, and beyond?

Organizations and institutions across the nation have found answers to all of the above through participation in The #ForBoInitiative. Participants host a reading/screening and discussion of For Bo: A Play Inspired by the Murder of Botham Jean by Officer Amber Guyger. The For Bo script has garnered national honor as a 2020 finalist in the prestigious Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and is a co-recipient of the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award. Don’t just march. Don’t just release a diversity statement. Take action today that will pluck racial bias and injustice from the root and create a more equitable tomorrow. Join The #ForBoInitiative.

#ForBoInitiative Participants

The following organizations and institutions have participated in The #ForBoInitiative — hosted a reading or screening of For Bo paired with a community discussion — or have students who have participated independently.

  • Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX)
  • University of South Carolina Aiken (Aiken, SC)
  • Urban Arts Center (Dallas, TX)
  • Young Women’s Leadership Academy (Fort Worth, TX)
  • Harding University (Searcy, AR)
  • Austin College (Sherman, TX)
  • Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, NY)
  • University of Texas Arlington (Arlington, TX)

Join The #ForBoInitiative