Living the principles of diversity and inclusion everyday?
A strange thing happened to me on the way to the Presidential election of 2012. I turned my television off. I live in a swing state and by September, the constant barrage of election news was more than I could handle. It wasn't helpful. It seemed as if civility had gone out of the window and the only thing that remained was nastiness and vitriol. My fellow citizens, it seemed, reveled in the ugliness of it all. Everywhere I clicked... on websites, social media and television there was the most absurd hateful language directed toward people the perpetrators didn't know and had never met. It was corrosive and sickening to my spirit and I was forced to disengage. I wouldn't talk about the election because I was terrified about what would come spewing out of people's mouths. Whatever happened to agreeing to disagree? What happened to disagreeing with someone and respecting their right to have an opinion different from the one you hold? For goodness sake, when did we depart from the age old principle, "if you don't have something nice to say don't say anything at all? What happened to our civil society?
I have been a diversity practitioner for the past twelve years. I have taught individuals and organizations how to value diversity, manage bias in the workplace, and build an inclusion environment. My motto over the years has been "You don't have to be wrong in order for me to be right," and I have conducted numerous workshops providing tips and tools for people to overcome their mental models and prejudices and view their fellow citizens with respect and genuine curiosity.
Fast forward to Election 2016, and nothing changed. In fact, you could argue that things have gotten worse. It used to be the internet trolls hid under anonymity. Not anymore. Now, they are the candidates. We don't even to pretend to seek truth anymore. We are content to just defend our position with no regard for fact or data. When I woke up that long ago day on November 7, 2012, I made a vow to myself. I was going to actively and responsibly live the values that I teach every day. I was going to be respectful, I was going to find value in human differences and I was going leverage the diversity around me to make me a better person. (I have already called someone an idiot once today...so this has been harder than I anticipated.) This blog continues to be my journey. I am trying to forge a path to 365 days of inclusion. I hope you will come along for the ride.