8th Annual Implicit Bias Conference: Building Strength Through Community
- We All Rise
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
On October 3rd, 2025, leaders, advocates, and community members from across Wisconsin gathered at UW–Green Bay’s Weidner Center for the 8th Annual Implicit Bias Conference, hosted in partnership by We All Rise: African American Resource Center, Midwest Survivor Institute, and UW–Green Bay.
This year’s theme — “Building Strength Through Community” — invited participants to explore how bias shapes systems, policies, and personal interactions, while also celebrating the ways healing and transformation are made possible through connection.
Conversations that Moved the Room
The day began with a powerful keynote from Gary Zajc of the Alma Center, “The Strength to Heal: Restoring Community Through Accountability, Compassion & Connection.” Gary drew on his lived experiences and community-based work to illuminate how current systems often fail victims of domestic and sexual violence, particularly underrepresented individuals whose experiences are distorted or silenced by systemic bias.
Throughout the day, attendees joined a rich lineup of workshops and panels that encouraged deep reflection and skill-building, including:
We Build Community, Not Just Programs with Kasia Klaus and Becky Wright (HER Alliance)
Agreeing to Disagree with Karen Bowling (Karen Bowling Consulting)
Fearless Belonging: From Bias to Brave Collaboration with Charm Der and Letesha Nelson (Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin)
The Greatest Story Never Told: Male Victims of Domestic & Sexual Violence led by Dr. Renita Robinson (We All Rise)
Stronger Together: Northeast Wisconsin Victim Services Partnership, a collaborative panel featuring Family Services, Golden House, Rainbow House, Violence Intervention Project, Wise Women Gathering Place, and We All Rise
Examining (Y)our Worldview with Stephanie Ortiz, strategist and community midwife
Power of Image Shift: Implicit Bias to Equity (Parts I & II) with Beverly Scow and Brenda John (Wise Women Gathering Place)
Community – It’s Not That Complicated: Bridging Supportive Services to Strengthen Collective Impact, a lively multi-agency discussion
The Bias Trail: How to Lift to the Surface and Address Racial Bias with Carl Fields, Director of Correcting the Narrative
Mentoring for Equity & Inclusion with Dr. Jon Shelton, UW–Green Bay
A Celebration of Shared Vision
This year’s conference was made possible through the generous support of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, via the Funds for Greater Green Bay grant program, ensuring the event remained free and accessible to all.
Special thanks to our planning committee and partner agencies — Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Golden House, Green Bay Area Public Schools, HSHS, House of Hope, Midwest Survivor Institute, Oneida Nation, Us 2 Behavioral Health Care, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Wise Women Gathering Place, and UW–Green Bay — for their collaboration and commitment to this vital work.
We also extend deep gratitude to the presenters, panelists, and facilitators whose expertise and lived experiences grounded each session in authenticity and hope.
And to the We All Rise team — including Robin Scott, Aree Martin, Charles Caston, Roychelle Norris, and others who supported this event behind the scenes — thank you for showing up with brilliance, care, and creativity.
Honoring Vision and Leadership
Finally, we share heartfelt thanks to Dr. Renita Robinson, Senior Director of Client Services at We All Rise, whose vision and leadership continue to shape this movement. Through her guidance, the Implicit Bias Conference has become a space where courage meets community, and where healing begins with honest conversation.
Together, we are building strength through community — one story, one connection, and one courageous conversation at a time.
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