Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become common terminology in 2020, but do you know the difference between being an accomplice vs. an ally to your black coworkers?

What does it mean to be an ally? What is an accomplice? Is there a difference? According to Colleen Clemens, for Teaching Tolerance, “An ally will mostly engage in activism by standing with an individual or group in a marginalized community. An accomplice will focus more on dismantling the structures that oppress that individual or group—and such work will be directed by the stakeholders in the marginalized group.”

In every moment, each of us gets to decide whether or not to be an ally. And in every moment, each of us gets to choose whether or not to put our allyship into powerful practices and become accomplices. As a part of the marketing community, we need people who are willing to make sacrifices and take action under the leadership of and in solidarity with communities impacted by racism and other forms of marginalization. Understanding the difference and becoming an accomplice will not only help marketers become better team members, but it will help foster an open and creative environment to build diverse and inclusive marketing campaigns both internally and externally.

At our virtual AMA in the PM on January 21, our panel of experts will talk about:

• The importance of creating accomplices in the workplace
• How we can turn allyship into accompliceship
• What microaggressions are and how to pinpoint them

Virtual Event Details | Presentation and Q&A
Thursday, January 21, 2021 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Prior to the event, you will receive an email with the Zoom meeting link and ID needed to join.

Meet the Panel

Dr. Kimberly Harden
Founder & CEO, Harden Consulting Group, LLC

Dr. Kimberly Harden is a diversity strategist, an award-winning educator, and a keynote speaker. As Founder and CEO of Harden Consulting Group, LLC, Dr. Harden helps organizations shift from a traditional diversity and inclusion model to a model that emphasizes inclusion, equity, and belonging. Dr. Harden serves as a professor in the Department of Communication at Seattle University. Before she became an educator, she spent over 15 years working in the healthcare sector. Dr. Harden agrees with Aristotle’s assertion that “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

Jessica Boyer
Digital Producer, OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network

Originally from Washington D.C., Digital Producer Jessica Boyer has what’s known as “native knowledge” of digital and social media platforms. Her social media career began in 2006 when she made the argument to promote Student and Greek Homecoming events on Facebook. In the years since, Jessica has headed social media campaigns for media personalities, nonprofit organizations, and political campaigns. Her skills landed her a coveted space in the 2012 Presidential Campaign and 2013 Inauguration Committee.

After moving to Los Angeles in 2014, Jessica turned her focus to entertainment. Currently, she provides social media support for live events and cable networks. Some projects include writing digital content for Steve Harvey, creating daytime antics with the ladies of The Real, and producing digital content at the NAACP and BET Awards, and the Oprah Winfrey Network. She believes that digital media is a means of creating and developing meaningful content and messages, and hopes to continue moving the industry forward.

Darryll Peterson
Project Manager, Jellyfish

As a Baltimore native, Darryll attended Bryn Mawr before heading to New York to play D1 basketball at Binghamton University. After graduating with a degree in English, she returned to Baltimore and went on to receive her MBA from Loyola University Maryland. Currently, Darryll works as a project manager at Jellyfish, a digital marketing agency in downtown Baltimore. As a project manager, Darryll works as a liaison between the internal Jellyfish team and multiple clients, to make sure projects stay on track, are delivered as expected, and come in under budget. Additionally, she works in fitness, teaching both barre and spin classes at studios (and virtually) downtown.

Meet the Moderator

Ashley Young
VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, AMA Baltimore

Ashley Young serves as VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for AMA Baltimore. In this new role, Ashley will implement initiatives that not only increase diversity inside of the organization but also ones that will increase diversity in marketing companies overall. By networking with POC in the marketing industry, Ashley and the DEI committee will develop programs to improve workplace culture to make all employees feel welcome.

In addition to her role with AMA Baltimore, Ashley is a Marketing Strategist for the Precision Marketing Group. There, she works hard to develop strategies specifically tailored to her clients. She loves immersing herself in digital products, ideas, and looking at the bigger picture to better serve her client and build their business. Ashley is from Louisville, KY, and majored in Communications at the University of Louisville. She cares about giving back to the community, and also has a small event planning company where she coordinates and plans social and corporate events. Her passions are social justice, sports, and traveling.