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Happy Pride Month!
This year, the Chapter’s DE&I committee is focused on sharing more on how to be an ally. Look out for social media posts with tips, ideas and suggestions. Feel free to share/comment as we all need to learn and the Chapter continues to work on how to ensure we are cultivating a safe and welcoming environment for all people with the tools and resources needed to succeed and move forward together, this month and every month! Love is love, and we all need LOVE!
This year, the Chapter’s DE&I committee is focused on sharing more on how to be an ally. Look out for social media posts with tips, ideas and suggestions. Feel free to share/comment as we all need to learn and the Chapter continues to work on how to ensure we are cultivating a safe and welcoming environment for all people with the tools and resources needed to succeed and move forward together, this month and every month! Love is love, and we all need LOVE!
Juneteenth is also coming up and marks the emancipation of slaves in the United States. Take a moment to pause, listen and reflect. Listen to the voices and experiences of your Black colleagues, family and friends. The responsibility to educate and create awareness should not rest on their shoulders. Those that are more privileged should be helping to cultivate dialogue, facilitate a safe and open environment, and stand together with marginalized groups to defeat ignorance and intolerance. Juneteenth gained more recognition from lawmakers and corporations in 2020 following the death of George Floyd.
According to Dictionary.com, allyship is "the status or role of a person who advocates and actively works for the inclusion of a marginalized (or politicized) group in all areas of society, not as a member of that group but in solidarity with its struggle and point of view. Genuine allyship does not come with special recognition – we do not get awards for confronting issues people have to live with every day."
Being an ally does not mean that you can completely identify with the experiences of injustice of the oppressed group, but it does mean that you will stand with them and for them in the face of discrimination.
We're taught to believe that hard work and dedication will lead to success, but that's not always the case. Gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation are among the many factors that affect our chances, says writer and advocate Melinda Epler, and it's up to each of us to be allies for those who face discrimination. In this actionable talk, Epler shares three ways to support people who are underrepresented in the workplace. "There's no magic wand for correcting diversity and inclusion," she says. "Change happens one person at a time, one act at a time, one word at a time."
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