ROCHESTER, NY – September 10, 2018 – The Workforce Diversity Network (WDN), the Rochester region's leading resource on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, will present the Defamation Experience, on Monday, October 29 at Monroe Community College. This interactive and engaging workshop has been hailed as one of the most relevant and compelling diversity and inclusion programs ever presented.

The event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at the MCC Brighton Campus, 1000 E. Henrietta Rd, Rochester. Registration is now open online at workforcediversitynetwork.com/conf_workshops.aspx . Fees range from $25 to $49.

Mike Streeter, president and executive director of the Workforce Diversity Network said, " We are fortunate to be able to bring t his widely acclaimed program to Rochester. It is a unique opportunity for participants, who are the jury in this courtroom drama, to create a better self, a better organization and a better community. They will leave with an understanding that when faced with issues of class, religion, race, and gender that no one is immune to bias, unconscious or otherwise. We all are part of the problem and we all need to be part of the solution."

Defamation is a gripping courtroom drama. The premise is a civil suit: A South Side African-American woman sues a Jewish North Shore real estate developer for defamation. The legal issue is whether or not she was falsely accused of stealing his watch, which caused her financial harm. The experience begins when the plaintiff, her white male attorney, the defendant, and his African-American female attorney walk through the audience and take their seats at their respective tables. Without a word having been spoken, the tableau compels audiences to immediately engage.

Moments later, Judge Barnes appears and stares down the audience before announcing, “We’ve got serious business here, a civil suit. Wade V Golden.” From that moment forward, the venue transforms into a courtroom. What follows is a 70 minute riveting trial that holds the audience’s own prejudices and assumptions under a powerful lens, and does not let go except by the way of an unsettling self-examination.

Defamation was written by Todd Logan and first premiered in 2010 and has been performed more than 400 times throughout the United States and seen by more than 75,000 people.

For more information or to become a sponsor contact Mike Streeter at (315) 333-4009 or  [email protected] .

The Defamation Experience is sponsored by Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, Coordinated Care Services Inc., The Community Foundation, Lifetime Assistance, Inc., Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Rochester Regional Health, and Wegmans.

About the Workforce Diversity Network (WDN)

The WDN is a non-profit network of more than 35 regional organizations and businesses of all sizes, that recognize that diversity, inclusion and equity are essential elements of successful organizations. The WDN has organized some of the largest and most highly regarded conferences in the country and has conducted more than 200 educational meetings hosted by members that represent the essence of creating strong connections and personal relationships that lead to inclusive, engaged, successful organizations. Visit workforcediversitynetwork.com for information on membership, and helpful resources, including articles, papers and insights from the nation’s leading diversity and inclusion experts.