As you consider your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging journey, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Diversity is about professionalism.
While helping and doing work in the community is good, what do we need to address in our own community/organization? What resources do we need to put into our community to make equity occur?
This work is not about addressing or agreeing on social/political views inside the organization. It is about addressing how we treat each other and respect one another while at work.
We can’t expect people in marginalized groups to be the only ones who do this work, on top of their other job functions, without pay or additional time to do the work. We also can’t expect that they automatically want to do this work or might be skilled at it.
Your organization's Senior Leadership/Board of Directors must be committed if whole change is to occur.
Some of this work should be operationalized into existing roles.
A cue is a way to show your staff that you are serious about diversity and making changes. Cues go a long way for marginalized groups. They help people feel comfortable and like they belong. Examples of cues might be using pronouns, having genderless restrooms, completing diversity training, or developing a diversity task force.*
Most importantly:
Give yourself, and others, grace during this journey while pushing forward.
No one is going to solve all the problems of DEIB or become completely evolved. We are all learning, growing, and doing our best to move toward the aspirational goals of respecting each individual and creating pathways for all to thrive in our organizations.
A note about the use of the term "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)":
FSA affirms our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as fundamental principles guiding our actions and beliefs. While we acknowledge that there may be differing perspectives on the term “DEI” and its implications, we believe that differences of any type may be utilized toward the common goal of one’s organization, and that each person can and should bring their unique talents, skills, and ideas to make their organization a more innovative and inspiring place to be. As a Quaker values-rooted organization, we engage our value of gentle bravery and stand by the term “DEI,” and continue to employ a non-judgmental approach to doing this important work, no matter what it is called.
*the concept of cues is adapted from Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect us and What We Can Do by Claude M. Steele.