Stephen Dorsey is the author of the critically acclaimed book Black and White, “An Intimate Multicultural Perspective on “White Advantage” and the Paths to Change. (Nimbus 2022). In his deeply personal and insightful debut, he offers readers intimate and unfiltered access to his lived experience of anti-Black racism around the world, including Canada, the United States, and Europe, focusing on his formative years growing up in 1970s Montreal as a Black child in a white family headed by a racist stepfather, and details his personal awakening inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.
He is a sought-after speaker and moderator working with diverse audiences to help bridge the divides of understanding on the important challenges facing organizations around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Stephen’s “no-shame zone” approach is inclusive and accessible, and focused on bringing people together to learn and drive towards real change together.
For two seasons now, Stephen has also been heard globally hosting his impactful Black and White podcast (Evergreen Podcast Network) engaging with corporate and institutional leaders and luminaries actively who are working to make change happen.
Stephen is also a volunteer director on the board of the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) , Canada’s leading association supporting Black professionals and entrepreneurs from coast to coast to coast. His articles, essays, and Op-eds have been widely published nationally and internationally and he is a frequent on-air commentator on national television and radio media speaking to societal challenges and progress around DEI.
https://www.stephendorsey.com/en/media-coverage
Professionally, Stephen is a senior-level business, brand, and marketing strategist, with three decades of international experience, and a creative writer, director and producer of visual content. He is the principal of The Fractional CMO, a strategic consultancy, and of Dorsey Studios, a content production development company. Stephen’s book, podcast and presentations look to inform and build bridges of understanding, with an aim to create opportunity for action that can lead to positive change for all.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Stephen Dorsey speaks on many issues related to inclusivity, diversity, resilience, and perseverance – sharing his personal and professional lived experience in successfully overcoming headwinds and adversity.
1. “A Path to Inclusive Excellence”: Tangible Steps Towards Positive DEI Organizational Transformation
Expanding from his ground-breaking book that tackles the urgent need for more equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across organizations and public and private institutions, Stephen’s customized talks are rooted in stories of his lived experiences and present a comprehensive guide to achieving tangible change and true organizational transformation. A practical and actionable roadmap for those seeking to recommit to EDI and effect real change- to “Be Better and Do Better, Together”.
Taking a “shame free” approach, Stephen anchors his talks in the principles of truth and reconciliation with a purposeful intent and openness to bridge the divides of understanding. Audiences are guided through key strategies that drive transformative action to achieve change big and small. From making EDI a business imperative to securing leadership buy-in, defining measurable goals, and establishing partnerships with in-community organizations, Stephen suggests the paths and provides the insights necessary to build more inclusive, diverse, and equitable environments.
2. Resilience & Perseverance – Overcoming adversity to live a thriving life:
Building on the topics explored in his best-selling book Black and White, Stephen shares learnings from his lived experience of growing up through paradox: Black and White, French and English, Poor and Upper-middle class. A positive story that has many lessons about how to achieve success in the face of adversity including the harrowing and unbelievable story of the racially-based challenges he faced in his youth. As a compelling storyteller, Stephen takes his audience on an emotional journey, from his formative years growing up black in a white world, through to his ascension as a thriving adult and professional. In his engaging talk, he shares many relatable messages and lessons about how to persevere, overcome challenges and ultimately succeed.
3. Be Better. Do Better. Live Better, Together: Building and Transforming Communities through Practical Activism:
Stephen brings to life innovative and transformative ideas curated from diverse sources on how to affect real change at the community level including how to build more successful, diverse, and inclusive communities. Using compelling narrative, Stephen inspires his audiences to see and act to; build stronger communities to best address society’s greatest challenges. He shares how we can all play a role in creating positive change by taking big and small steps to action at a local level. Stephen extensive experience involved in civics, volunteer board engagements with community impact organizations, and thought leadership rooted in extensive research undertaken for his book Black and White provides an authentic perspective from a recognized community leader.
MEDIA
Speaker: Stephen Dorey from DORSEY on Vimeo.
To book Stephen Dorsey, contact Rob Firing at speakers@transatlanticagency.com.