7/19/2019

The importance of belonging

The topic of the meeting was Diversity and Inclusion. Huge words — buzzwords? — in todays world especially. There’s a lot that could be said about it. But what really struck me was what a woman my colleague and I rode the elevator said after I asked her what her impression of the session was. It’s important to know that this woman was black. She said, I’m not as worried about diversity as I am about inclusion. If I’m included, then I know that diversity will take care of itself.”

This, I think, points to the power of Belonging. Belonging means that we’re in this together. Inclusion means that the access to power is still limited. If you belong, than you have power to bring others in with you. And the rest takes care of itself.


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Looking over the shoulder Today was fairly open. Yet, somehow, I find myself feeling like I have little time. Let’s not pretend that we get to chose how our days flow 100%.
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The interplay of privilege and systems The interplay of systems is fascinating. Not seeing and not tracking systems is a privilege. I just learned this this weekend. Here’s the example