Carlos Andrés Gómez: Diversity, Equity, & Healthy Masculinity

He has performed and delivered keynotes at more than 800 colleges and universities across 47 U.S. states, collaborated with John Legend on a project to counteract bullying, co-starred in the Spike Lee film Inside Man with Denzel Washington, and drew a standing ovation at the Obama White House. A former social worker and public school teacher, Carlos is a passionate advocate for healthy masculinity and equity and inclusion. He is also the International Book Award-winning author of the poetry collection Fractures (selected by Pulitzer Prize-winning former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey as the winner of the 2020 Felix Pollak Prize) and the memoir Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood (Penguin Random House, 2012). A star of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, you may recognize Carlos from his viral poems, “What Latino Looks Like,” “Where are you really from?” and others, which have garnered more than 10 million views online.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, Carlos was named 2021 Georgia Author of the Year, 2016 Best Diversity Artist by Campus Activities Magazine, and Artist of the Year at the 2009 Promoting Outstanding Writers Awards. He is a proud Colombian American and father of two.

Testimonial:
“Carlos was by far the most engaging and inspiring poet I have ever seen.” –Drew Donica, Lawrence University

Workshops

Antiracism as Action

(Minimum 2 hours; half- and full-day trainings available)

You care deeply about fighting and dismantling racism, but you have no idea where to start. How can you (or your organization) be actionably antiracist and not just a performative ally? This interactive session will help you (and your organization) build a roadmap toward fighting anti-blackness and dismantling racism, both on a personal level (internally) and through your organization and out in the world (externally). Participants will learn the distinction between structural racism and interpersonal racial prejudice, interrogate examples and impacts of implicit bias, identify concrete strategies to unlearn and counteract individual racism, and will leave with five (5) actionable strategies to fight structural racism in your team, company, community, and beyond. Using history, intersectionality, and personal experience as frames for discussion, participants will collectively explore these and other concepts.

Mental Wellness & Emotional Resilience

(45-60 minutes)

In a time of intense isolation, grief, and stress, the need for strategies to promote mental wellness and build emotional resilience are more urgent than ever. With pressure building to find ever innovative and creative ways to serve those studying and working remotely, this session will be focused on ways to keep students motivated and supported. Join Carlos Andrés Gómez for this timely and interactive program focused on finding ways to navigate some of the most pressing challenges of our new normal. From routine building to evidence-based psychological strategies and more, participants will leave with practical tools and a resource list for how best to support mental and emotional wellness. (Highly recommended for all college and high school student leaders, educators, staff, and administrators.)

Reimagining Gender: Building an Inclusive Workplace Culture

(60-75 minutes)

This interactive session will examine the ways in which we have been taught to think about gender. More specifically: what expectations and assumptions have we been taught to associate with gender? And how do those ideas impact how we think about ourselves, navigate the world, and interact with each other? How do our other identities impact how we understand and experience gender? Using interactive exercises and personal experience as catalysts for discussion, participants will collectively explore these concepts and work to find strategies to confront gender bias in the workplace.

‘But I Don’t See Color’ and other Treacherous Workplace Mindsets

(60-75 minutes)

This interactive session will explore how our identities (race, gender, sexuality, etc.) impact how we experience the world. How might ‘not seeing color (or gender)’ in fact promote bias and exclusion? Why do I feel a certain way when a co-worker receives a promotion instead of me? In what ways might a co-worker’s common experiences with either exclusion or access feel foreign to me? We will investigate structural and unconscious bias, as well as the varied dimensions of privilege. Finally, this interactive and generative session will ask participants to identify concrete strategies for counteracting bias and inequity in the workplace.

Writing Workshop: Storytelling toward a More Just Workplace

(60-75 minutes)

This writing workshop asks participants to use their personal experiences as a means of identifying the challenges to achieving equity and inclusion in the workplace.  We guide your team through a structured conversation as a way of generating solutions to combat prejudice and discrimination in your company. This session gives participants the opportunity to voluntarily share their writing and will challenge the group to draft communal strategies toward solutions, with facilitated guidance and support throughout.

Reimagining Modern Manhood:

(60-75 minutes)

Through storytelling, audience engagement, and poetry, Carlos Andrés Gómez shares his journey of growing up as a sensitive boy forced to navigate toxic machismo and restrictive gender stereotypes. A riveting combination of personal narrative and sociological excavation, Gómez guides the audience through his life story, from that tender-hearted and out-of-place little boy constantly moving and changing schools to where he is now: a father of two and husband, determined to reimagine how we all think about masculinity and gender—beyond preconceived social roles, beyond the binary.

Tailored Workshop for your Organization

(Adaptable for your needs)

We have a wide range of additional program offerings. Please tell us the specific challenges your team is facing when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as the outcomes you are hoping to achieve. From there, and with your guidance and input, we will craft a workshop that honors your vision during our time together.

The Power of Latinidad in a Fractured World

(45 minutes. 35 minutes: Keynote experience (combination of poetry, storytelling, & audience engagement), 10 minutes: Audience Q & A)

In a time of intense social division, people of Latinx heritage–whose cultures and histories inherently complicate rigid notions of identity–reside along many of the critical fault lines that will define the landscape of our future. We emphatically refute the notion of a monolith, impossible to reduce or summarize through a singular dimension. Which is to say, an exploration of Latinx identity demands a discussion of our other social identities and how those intersecting selves complicate antiquated beliefs about binaries and anything less than far-reaching and ever-evolving continuums of identity. Through poetry, storytelling, and audience engagement, Carlos Andrés Gómez (award-winning author & speaker) will illuminate how embracing and understanding his Latinx heritage has taught him life-changing lessons about intersectionality, equity, and what it means to truly celebrate human authenticity.