Solidarity Matters: Diversity and Inclusion is not only about black and white #8
The latest news about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Hello Agents of Change,
Black History Month is coming to an end and I have Nobel Prize winners to celebrate with you. Afterwards, just because a month is called like this, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue to cultivate and celebrate those who are part of our history. Next month is Women’s Month. I’ve also prepared some toy-related news for you that will show you some examples of inclusive marketing. For those of you looking for ideas on how to engage your workforce in this time of pandemic to keep them informed with the mass of information to pass along, it’s right this way. Without forgetting our support to the Asian community. We stand against racism and against acts of hatred. We encourage everyone to condemn racism and violence and not to remain silent when confronted with it. #StopAsianHate
As every week, you will find in the newsletter a series of supports to help expand your knowledge of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. These resources may also help you to identify how to understand in order to act better. Diversity is a state indicating plurality while inclusion is an action, a choice to include people in a group that respects and values their differences. It allows them to express their true best self, to realize their full potential (giving them what they need: Equity) and give the best of themselves for the realization of a common project in a psychological safe environment.
Enjoy your reading time!
Take care and see you soon ✌.
Best regards,
Dolores Crazover (DEI & You Consulting’s Founder)
Articles to Read — Hot Topics
1 — #STOP ASIAN HATE
Since the beginning of the Covid outbreak there have been nearly 3000 hate crimes against asian americans across 47 states. They have increase by 1900% in the United States. Most of them are against elderly asian americains.
We saw the #StopAsianHateMovement initiate in social media by Asian American celebrities like Daniel Dae Kim, Gemma Chan, Chrissy Teigen, Olivia Munn, and fashion designer Philip Lim have all been vocal, posting #StopAsianHate Instagram posts. They were followed by major brands such as Nike, Converse, Tommy Hilfiger and media companies including ESPN, HBO, Complex and Westbrook.
The beauty industry was there too. Brands like Benefit Cosmetics, MAC, Shiseido and U Beauty posted statements on Instagram declaring their solidarity with the Asian community.
What about the global luxury industry?
Valentino was the first major luxury brand that took a stand and expressed its solidarity with the Asian community. The social media sphere got angry to see the lack of solidarity and luxury global group like Kering posted its statement this end of the week. No news of LVMH or Richemont.
We should ask ourselves why the major luxury mansions, if they want to overcome the pandemic, are not fostering and communicating a culture of diversity and inclusion? Why is that so difficult? Is staying out of the current reality is a real strategy for them? Racial discrimination has always existed, but not wanting to be part of the equation to solve it, is that wise?
To be inclusive you need to be empathetic, stand up for others, speak out with the Asian community against any and all racism. We must not be quiet or silent because hate against one of us is hate against all of us.
There are workshops talking about diversity and inclusion mentioning whites and blacks, but we must not forget that there is a multitude of diversity and minorities, the Asian community is one of them.
Last year in France many acts of racism and aggression against the Asian community were recorded and the #jenesuispasunvirus (#Iamnotavirus) appeared. in other European countries, such as in Spain, with the #NoSoyUnVirus tag. Its violence is accentuated whereas it was already on the rise before Covid, but was very little exposed because the Asian community remains very little exposed in the media.
Cynthia Choi, one of the co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate and co-director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, shared some actionable steps on ways people can help.
- Encourage those who experience or witness acts of hate towards the AAPI community to www.StopAAPIHate.org which is available in 11 different languages.
- Share resources with your friends and family on what to do if you encounter or witness hate.
- Be informed about what is happening and why.
- Be civically engaged in your local community and ask your elected official what they are doing to address racism.
- Donate to www.StopAAPIHate.org and a network of organizations dedicated to addressing anti-Asian racism at the local level. Movement Hub, a platform and database for on-the-ground AAPI organizations across the country, is a great resource to find groups to amplify in the community.
I would also add:
1- Acknowledge, denounce and condemn the ongoing anti-Asian hate crimes
2- Interrupt anti-Asian or anti-Black racism or whatever racist act you’re witnessing.
3- Fight against generalizations and beliefs that say “Asians are anti-Black” and “Black are anti-Asian”. Many Asians have worked on this in their communities. It is also the same on the opposite side. Many members of the black community are fighting in solidarity with the Asian community.
2 — The mindset that some companies use to foster diversity, equity and inclusion
No PR-friendly declarations but real actions and change.
Example of five successful tech companies across the U.S that recognize the need for ongoing investment in DEI. (KeepTruckin, Wistia, RingCentral, ezCater, Reddit)
Here are their major takeaways:
- Diversity hiring but not only…How do you retain them? What about the promotions?
- Collect the DATA about how included employees feel in the overall team and share it
- Successful DEI is an ongoing process
“What you measure matters, and evaluating data regularly is a great way to hold yourself, your team and company accountable,” said Amaia Arruabarenna, a senior manager of diversity, equity and inclusion at Boston-based online catering marketplace ezCater.
In a DEI approach: transparency, empathy and accountability are essential. This work is continuous; there is no checking the box. It takes time and requires the involvement of everyone at every moment and every day.
3 — Gender equality and Inclusion in Toyland
Hasbro is promoting gender equality and inclusion by officially dropping the Mr. from the Mr. Potato Head brand name and logo. The brand Goes Gender Neutral (kind Of).
“Hasbro is making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr. from the Mr. Potato Head brand name and logo to promote gender equality and inclusion,” the company said in an initial statement on Thursday.
In the Toyland, they follow Mattel with the addition of female train characters and friends from countries such as India, Brazil and Mexico for the brand Thomas the Tank Engine in 2016. After that American Girl introduced a boy doll in 2017 followed again by Mattel in 2019 with a new line of customize gender-neutral dolls called Creatable World that allows “kids to create their characters.”Without missing in 2020 the release of Barbies (Mattel) with more skin tones.
If you are looking for examples of inclusive marketing, here are some.
4 — Internal podcasts to boost remote employee engagement!
How to engage employees at work during the Covid?
Can you believe at podcasts? Do you think they really work? Here are the points where they are a plus for the company. Let’s not forget that we are in a period of pandemic and companies need to be connected with all their teams to reach the same objectives and motivate their workforces. Organizations must therefore innovate.
- Bringing external speakers providing training and education tools
- Exploring the company culture (teams, leaders’ interviews). Hearing about the company’s progress and ambitions, the culture, how values are applied, can help employees project themselves towards the same goal.
- Make the onboarding process more personal
- Celebrating someone, recognize an achievement and share it with everyone to inspire others
The explosion of podcasts is well-documented. Listenership in the U.S. alone has grown more than 37% over the last three years.
McKinsey research has found that when their company’s purpose is activated and aligned with them personally, employees are more likely to be loyal, engaged, and willing to advocate for their company.
To engage your employees at work, people are looking for things that are simple, easy to consume and above all that will keep them engaged and connected to their company so that they stay up-to-date. It can be a good solution for some and a horrible one for others so make your choice according to your company and its culture.
5 — Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has a new President
Ms. Hashimoto was named president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee following Mori Yoshiro’s resignation over his sexist remarks. Basically, he said women talk too much.
It’s a major news when you know that the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee executive board, is 80% male. There is clearly a problem of gender equality. In any case it is a big step towards a more equitable and inclusive society. She is a leader who will be an inspiration to others who hopefully will be able to follow in her footsteps. Congratulations Madame!
6 — Black History Month celebration
I would like to share with you 5 Black Nobel Prizes that we should all know about. This is itscrazysally, a talented Youtuber-instagrammer/jurist presented them on her Instagram video and I loved it so I share with you :-)
- Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, poet and essayist in the English language. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first sub-Saharan African to be honoured in that category for his sophisticated creations inspired by the Yoruba culture.
- Denis Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist he was awarded Nobel Peace Prize 2018 for his efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. “As a surgeon Denis Mukwege has helped thousands of victims of sexual violence in armed conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both on a national and an international level he has repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape and criticized the Congolese government and other countries for not doing enough to stop the use of sexual violence against women as a strategy and weapon of war.”source: www.nobelprize.org
- Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize (2004) for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.
- Arthur Lewis was a Saint Lucian economist and the James Madison Professor of Political Economy at Princeton University. Lewis was known for his contributions in the field of economic development. In 1979 he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He Developed two economic models which mark out the causes of poverty among the population of the developing countries, as well as the factors determining the unsatisfactory pace of development.
- Tonis Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison, known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist, essayist, book editor, and college professor. She was awarded Nobel Prize in Literature 1993 for her characterized novels with visionary force and poetic scope, she brought to life an essential aspect of American reality.
PS: Stay tuned for the next episode in the series and don’t hesitate to follow us, comment, like or share.
Cheers,
Dolores (DEI & You Consulting’s Founder)
