Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training is not an easy topic to discuss. It is sensitive, but I promise you it is necessary for all of us to continue the conversation. Not to point fingers; not to blame; and definitely not to create divisions.
Every manager should go through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training to learn to create a safe and professional room for all in any environment they find themselves leading. From my perspective, I still feel like the 12 year old young immigrant girl who struggled with language and assimilating into the United States culture.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training can give an individual or an organization the basics in understanding:
- Even after governments create laws to protect specific classes of people, those same laws can be misused and misunderstood.
- Laws tend to be developed reactively rather than proactively.
- In the US, it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on: Race; Color; Religion; Disability; National Origin; Genetic Information; Gender Identity; Sexual Orientation; Age. Is it enough? Is it too much?
- Treat everyone with dignity and respect.
- Pay gap for women vs. white males in the US: Black women earn 55%; Hispanic women earn 58%; White women earn 80%; and Asian women earn 97%.
participant Feedback
These are some comments participants of in one of my international diversity and inclusion sensitivity training said:
- Black History Month is October for the UK. One mind blowing thing I learned last year was about Hair, and how people feel they have the right to touch/pull or even comment on how the hair is worn. Thankfully we held a “Don’t Touch My Hair” event to share some other interesting facts.
- Religion plays a big part in African American life. It is our food for the soul. It lets people know they can do all things and that all things are possible.
- Slavery continues to be a painful experience for the Black community all over the world. Western capitalism has been infused deeply with the brutality of the slavery system.
- In Ireland, many companies try to block or not include people with disabilities from the workplace. 36.5% of people with a disability in Ireland work compared to 72.8% who are in the workplace without a disability.
- Age old lesson that love makes the world go around. Love is a difficult feeling to capture and understand. Many struggle to have meaningful relationships with anyone. I truly feel for them as they miss out on so much.
additional comments
- I am the only female department head, and I am bullied on a daily basis. I have the most seniority and the lowest pay.
- I’m literally only able to attend this meeting today because I was let go from my job yesterday due to my mental disability
- I think in America we see less discrimination based on disability in the workplace because it’s illegal. But as a culture, I believe there is still a huge gap in how disabled people are treated.
- Racism (or biases) have been embedded into our society, organizations (…lack of diversity in the C suite has been that way for hundreds of years), from the railroads to voting rights. To sporting events as we see the challenges within the NFL and lack of diverse coaching and yet 70% of the players are of minority status; the challenges are everywhere, and it is hard to determine how much you want to speak up in order of fear of retaliation
“The fountain of content must spring up in the mind. The person who has so little knowledge of human nature as to change anything but their own disposition, will waste their life in fruitless efforts, and multiply the grief they propose to remove.” –Samuel Johnson
Inclusivity training is a must! Finding common ground, understanding different perspectives, and taking ownership of our roles and responsibilities in this world is why Every manager should go through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training.
