DEI Reflections Following the Derek Chauvin Trial
As I paced the family room waiting for the verdict of Derek Chauvin, I like most people had great anxiety about what was to come. While George Floyd's murder touched a collective awakening beyond black and brown people, it still seemed improbable that a conviction would happen. When the verdicts were read, tears of joy came along with a flood of relief. It felt as if we could all breathe again. As a Minneapolis resident and someone who has spent her career advocating for dive
Avoiding Ableist Language: Micro-Assaults That Can Lead to Big Rifts
There are certain norms and standards of acceptable conduct at work that are so hard-wired in today’s workplace that it’s eye-popping to even consider their violation. For example, the business world was rightly aghast when Papa John’s founder John Schnatter used the n-word on a company conference call in 2018. The use of that language is far removed from acceptable dialogue, and Schnatter faced swift and widespread backlash internally and externally. Ultimately, he stepped d
Unconscious Bias Just Isn't Going Away
Even as the nation watched in real-time as former police officer Derek Chauvin sat at trial in Minneapolis for the death in police custody of George Floyd, just a few miles away in the suburb of Brooklyn Center another black man, 20-year-old Daunte Wright, was killed at the hands of police. On April 11, Wright was pulled over by Brooklyn Center police, ostensibly for having expired license plates as well as for hanging an air freshener from his rear-view mirror. In the result
Generation Z and the Pandemic: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impacts
The tremendous impacts to everyday life brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt by every demographic, no matter how we slice up the American population. Regardless of age, sex, race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, income level, shoe size—you name it—the pandemic has upended normal routines, rituals, and relationships. But just because the pandemic has affected everyone, doesn’t mean it has affected everyone in the same way. One of the jobs of a mana
The Trouble With (Most) Unconscious Bias Training
One of the most common criticisms of unconscious bias training is its perceived lack of effectiveness.
