The child of parents with racial intolerance, Ouida Crozier was raised in the segregated south of the 1940s, '50s and '60s. She graduated from an all-white school in 1965, 11 years after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Shortly after graduating from the University of Florida, Crozier chose to teach in a newly integrated South Carolina school. Of that year, Crozier says, "For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to become immersed in the culture of a different racial group. I spent that year learning from all my students, their families and my fellow teachers."

As she witnessed her students learn about one another and bypass stereotypes, Crozier felt a shift take place. A shift that would lead to a life dedicated to challenging racism and bias.

Today, nearly 40 years later, Crozier's work as the Coordinator for Diversity and Cultural Competency at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is aimed at enhancing the awareness, knowledge and cultural competency of the DHS workforce.

Crozier helps create and present professional development opportunities such as Visions for Success, a circle dialogue event focused on helping staff envision positive outcomes for African American consumers of human services, and the Department's Respect in the Workplace class, focused on respectfully acknowledging differences in coworkers.

Her work has impacted hundreds of employees and unnumbered human services consumers within the Metro area and throughout the state.