Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has frequently been attributed as a branch of HR and something that we must navigate in a world of schedules, budget and organizational operations. I believe a DEI mindset requires us to think less like an entrepreneur, and rather dream and think more like artists and scientists, tapping into our innate creativity, curiosity and play, to radically envision and produce a more liberatory world.
As a DEI practitioner, my work exists because of the negative impacts that “genius” design ideas, structures and products have had and continue to have, on large, complex populations of people. They are not centred, equitably recognized or considered when systems or products were designed. Empathy has only ever gotten us so far, how can we instead co-design with communities for sustainable, flexible and just systems, products and services?
5 ways the model minority myth creates harm & barriers in the workplace for (South) Asian women. These barriers continue to persist even as many of us learn how to bypass, overcome and conquer them. It's important for all leaders (including WOC) to remember as we "break glass ceilings" that we systematically remove it for others rather than pride ourselves for breaking through them.
DEI must be baked into the design of an organization; and if inequity is by design, then it can be redesigned for inclusion by breaking down barriers of exclusion. If we start to look at DEI as a design problem, we will progress towards creating a workplace that is designed with human diversity, social inclusion, and equity at the forefront.
This article has no solutions or profound insights and instead it's me sharing the internal tug-of-war I've been feeling to respond to any difficult thing in my life by minimizing my own needs and holding the world on my shoulders. When I reflect on 2020, I'm grateful and yet I'm overwhelmed by survivors guilt, anxiety, urgency and I think of the line from Friends's theme song "when it hasn't been your day, your week, your month or even your year".
I’m noticing an urgent call to action for organizations to start to increase the number of diverse employees. If organizations do not build the capabilities to utilize diverse perspectives, foster inclusion and increase their cultural intelligence first, diversity won’t work.
The thing about representation is that it isn’t as simple as putting a brown or black character in the story and having them react in a similar fashion as your white characters. People of colour go through different experiences that shape the way we go about looking at life. When you write about characters of colour, it should be less about, “what can I do to make my story seem more diverse?” and more about “am I accurately representing the communities my characters are from?”
April is National Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness month. To prevent abuse, we have to break through the stigma and shame, to talk about how the sexual abuse of children happens and how disturbingly common it is. It’s the way we will be able to stop a great health crisis, protect victims (instead of abusers) and advocate for justice.
One of my core values is kindness and I truly believe that operating from a place of love and kindness toward self and others is the most powerful, influential way of leading and working. The current pandemic has me accepting the fact that I am achingly human. Little soft human, fleshy and emotional. Arrogance and hatred is weak & easy to display. It is in giving & showing love where we find our true strength. Soften your armour, shift your thinking, & choose kindness, always and especially now.
Conversations about “checking our privilege” historically turn heavy, sensitive and awkward without actually bridging much of a divide. So how we do we have this conversation in a non-toxic way so that it is productive, effective and helpful? I’m exploring ways to create more self-awareness, self-reflection and empathy in the conversation around privilege. How can we own our privileges and can we, by considering these as our superPOWERs start being agents of equitable change?
