MAR 3 | THE POWER OF GIVING 

First, this isn't a pitch. We invite you to close your wallet and open your mind as we explore the power and opportunity, and leadership that is cultivated through giving. Please join us for a conversation to expand your perspective on philanthropy led by Professional Dimensions Members Cecelia Gore, Brewers Community Foundation,  Patti Keating Kahn, Colby Abbot, Colby Abbot Parking Garage & Railway Exchange Buildings, LLP,  Emily Phillips, Baird,  Fiesha Lynn Bell, Greater Milwaukee Foundation and Laura Bolger, Alverno College.

FEB 25 | RIPPLE EFFECT ADVOCACY TRAINING
Interested in creating a more economically vibrant community? Learn how to become a PDCF Ripple Effect Advocate by attending an Advocacy Training session on Thursday, February 25 from 4:00 - 5:30 PM. 

In this session you will 

• Understand how to use your sphere of influence to bring awareness to issues and opportunities for employers to create, or improve, their ability to attract and retain a diverse workforce
  
• Learn from YWCA leaders Martha Barry, Ginny Finn and Paula Phillips on why the issue of attracting and retaining a diverse talent pool is critical to our economic vitality and what YWCA's resources are available to employers seeking to create equitable and inclusive employment options
  
• Learn practical strategies for how to be an effective advocate from Vicky Selkowe, attorney and Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Community Partnerships for the City of Racine 
  

FEB 26 | CODED BIAS: A PD DISCUSSION
Professional Dimensions will be hosting a discussion for the film Coded Bias from American Filmmaker and Activist Shalini Kantayya. This film focuses on Joy Buolamwini, a researcher at the MIT Media Lab. She discovered that facial recognition software could not detect her dark skin tone until she put on a white mask. Her experiments and research pointed out serious inefficiencies at some of the biggest technology companies around the globe. 

Our discussion will take place on February 26, 2021 @ 6:00 pm via zoom and will be hosted by Kerri Balliet. This 90-minute program will include small breakout group discussions surrounding thought provoking questions prompted by the film.

You can watch the movie from the comfort of your living room any time before the discussion by purchasing a ticket ($3.99) from MKE Film. Tickets can be purchased here.

MARCH 2ND - 30TH | CONVERSATION CIRCLES
Professional Dimensions has been hosting Conversation Circles since 2009. The objective is to bring women of color and white women together to have meaningful and challenging conversations designed to break down barriers, discuss issues of race and confront systemic racism in an open and honest way. 

The circles are from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, beginning on March 2nd and concluding on March 30th. Participation is limited to 12 women in order to promote relationship-building and an environment conductive to meaningful conversations. 

MARCH 25 | BETTER TOGETHER ACROSS GENERATIONS: A DIALOGUE ON AGE
Interpersonal connections and communication drive what inspire us, help us learn from one another and is the glue that binds organizations such as Professional Dimensions.   

Our membership spans women across four generations. We have lived experiences which can serve as powerful examples for others, if we have the courage to share, listen and hear them WITHOUT hesitation. The Program Committee is excited to pilot a dialogue to bring women together to talk about how the number we call “age” influences how we lead and show up in all environments

PD CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH MILWAUKEE FILM

Professional Dimensions is excited to partner with Milwaukee Film for Black History Month. Milwaukee Film is celebrating Black culture and traditions with month long programming that includes discussions, films and events. You can check out all of the programming HERE.

As part of our partnership, members of Professional Dimensions are invited to a screening of Growing Up Milwaukee, followed by a public conversation with The Race, Equity and Procedural Justice Committee . We hope you can join us for this informative and timely event.

Here are the event details:

SCREENING: GROWING UP MILWAUKEE

(Documentary)—Behind every statistic is a story. Three inner-city youth growing up in Milwaukee struggle with the daily dilemma of growing up Black and avoiding becoming just another statistic.

The film is available for one week only February 22nd-28th through Milwaukee’s Films virtual platform located at watch.mkefilm.org. 

CONVO: DISRUPTING THE PIPELINE

(Panel)—A committee established to inform conversations on equity within the criminal justice system, The Race, Equity and Procedural Justice Committee hosts a conversation informed by the film Growing Up Milwaukee.

Informed by the film Growing Up Milwaukee, this event brings together community advocates and public officials for an open discussion on Milwaukee’s youth that challenges our community and legal system partners to disrupt the school to prison pipeline.

This public conversation will be held on February 25, 2021 at 7pm CT on Milwaukee Film’s Youtube and Facebook pages as well as Black Lens’ Facebook page.

Sylvie’s Love (Drama, Romance) from screenwriter Eugene Ashe—When a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father’s record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.

The Road Up (Documentary) from American Film Director Greg Jacobs and public discussion—Jesse Teverbaugh is a charismatic leader at the job-training program where he mentors four Chicagoans during their precarious journey from homelessness, addiction, and incarceration to stable employment. The Road Up powerfully chronicles not only America’s unforgiving economic and social structures, but also the essential role that community, connection, hope, and love play in overcoming adversity.

FREE SCREENING—ONE NIGHT ONLY, FEBRUARY 21ST: The Lost Tapes: MALCOLM X
from Directors Tom Jennings and David Tillman. In 1959, a 33-year-old minister from the Nation of Islam gains notoriety with his fiery rhetoric and keen intellect. His name is Malcolm X. Presented entirely through his speeches, newscasts, and rarely seen archival footage, The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X tells the story of the man who willingly put his life at risk to bring change and equality to black America.