If I haven’t said it recently, I’m going to say it now… DEI work is hard. It’s tough on the mind, body, and spirit. It is inherently infused with emotions – from the fervent passion that drives advocates to the raw pain of those marginalized and discriminated against. Acknowledging and dissecting these emotions is the…
For the past three years, I’ve worked with leaders to help them understand the psychological safety of their organizations. Through that work, I realized that I had the unique opportunity to not just talk about psychological safety but to coach leaders on how emotional intelligence is the key to creating those more inclusive and psychologically…
Anyone who has worked with me knows I live by the mantra, “Let’s stir it up a bit.” That’s my way of pushing against the status quo and challenging systems, policies, and authorities on how we operate. That’s what this week’s episode is all about. Good trouble means pushing boundaries. It means standing up for…
Leadership has been an integral part of my learning journey throughout my life. From leading church youth groups as a teen to serving as the leadership development chair for my sorority, I never shy away from opportunities to lead and develop the skills of others. Even now, as I work with leaders and executives through The…
Community cultural wealth assets. In this week’s podcast, Dr. Hayley Haywood discusses the concept of community cultural wealth. Community cultural wealth is a call to action to complicate and expand how we think about capital in our society. It challenges us to value and celebrate the various gifts and attributes that communities of color can…
It’s deja-vu all over again… It has been a few weeks since I wrote a blog post and I thought this was the perfect topic to explain why. I’m tired, and my self-care has been slacking. The last few weeks have been a bit more challenging than most as I’ve been juggling more of the…
A war is happening across the United States, and very few people know. Politicians and conservative academics are working towards dismantling DEI… and it’s setting a dangerous precedent. A recent Inside Higher Ed article, entitled ‘DeSantis debuts a new conservative playbook for ending DEI” states: “The new model legislation has four stated proposals: to abolish…
If you know me, you know how I feel about placing DEI in the organization’s Human Resources function. It is short-sighted and limits the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the business – from employees to customers to the community. Over the last two years, many organizations have noticed those limitations.…
I love talking to other DEI practitioners about this work. Not just the day-to-day tactical aspects but what it takes to do this work. I clearly remember when several people would say they wanted to go into DEI because they were ‘passionate’. I quickly realized that equated to social events or elevating issues that were…
As a practitioner, I often find myself caught in the minutia of the daily DEI work. I think about the conversations I have, the programs I’m building or modifying, or analyzing data. But now and then, I think about DEI’s future. With everything happening in the world around us, what is the future of this…