DECODING DIVERSITY

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGNING AN

EQUITABLE & INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY

Hanna Song, Ph.D. (she/her)

GROW Conference

September 10, 2021

What is Diversity?

Benefits to Diversity

EFFICIENCY PRODUCTIVITY BETTER DECISION MAKING

CREATIVITY & INNOVATION

People:

Additive Ability VS Toolkits

110 120 125

110

130 95 100

Total=790?

WHAT WORDS DO YOU ASSOCIATE WITH

DIVERSITY?

CHAT FLOOD:

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Diversity Is …

• Any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another.

• Showing respect for and appreciation of differences in ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, education, and religion.

• The collective mixture of differences and similarities that includes individual and organizational characteristics, values, beliefs, experiences, backgrounds, preferences, and behaviors.

Protected Characteristics

Race Color National originPolitical

affiliations or activities

Religion

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and gender expression

Sex, male or female (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related

medical conditions)

Medical conditions

AIDS/HIV

Disability: physical or

mental

Age (40 and older)

Marital StatusMilitary or

Veteran status

Status as a victim of domestic violence, assault, or stalking

WHAT FEELINGS, ACTIONS, AND EVIDENCE

DO YOU ASSOCIATE WITH INCLUSION?

CHAT FLOOD:

9

Inclusion Is …

• The state of being valued, respected, and supported.

• About focusing on the needs of every individual and ensuring the right conditions are in place for each person to achieve his or her full potential.

• It should be reflected in an organization’s culture, practices, and relationships that are in place to support a diverse workforce and the clients it serves.

Why Inclusion?

• Introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989

– Marginalization of Black women in antidiscrimination law, feminist and antiracist theory and politics.

• Individuals have multiple identities

• Certain identities may be perceived as having more or less privilege in society

• Systems of oppression are interconnected and cannot be examined separately from one another

– Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, classism, etc.

Intersectionality

“We all occupy multiple

and intersecting social

positionalities. These

identities don’t cancel

out one another; each is

more or less salient in

different contexts.”

IDENTITY: WHO ARE YOU?

WHAT ARE YOUR MOST SALIENT

IDENTITIES?

CHAT FLOOD:

14

What is your

cultural lens?

WHAT WERE SOME CULTURAL NORMS THAT YOU REMEMBER GROWING UP WITH OR CURRENTLY PRACTICE? ESP. AROUND FOOD/NUTRITION?

Associations

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Unconscious Bias

Our mind is constantly processing

information, oftentimes without

our conscious awareness. When we

are moving fast or lack all the

data, our unconscious biases fill in

the gaps, influencing our everyday

choices and actions.

Unconscious biases are created and

reinforced by our environments and

experiences.

How Bias

Works:

Information

Categorize

Safety

Bias

Types of

Implicit

Bias

Unconscious

Bias

Conformity Bias

Beauty Bias

Affinity Bias

Halo Effect/Horns

Effect

Contrast Effect

Confirmation Bias

Microaggressions

• Statements or actions that can be intentional or unintentional.

• They communicate slights and insults and can be harmful, hostile, and send negative messages based on a persons’ marginalized identity

Stereotype Threat

•The threat of being viewed through the lens of a negative stereotype

•Fear of doing something that will inadvertently confirm a stereotype

•Linked to diminished performance based on the associative psychological stress

Race in the US

• White

• People of Color

PoC/BIPoC

PoC= People of Color

Asians

Latin(x)/Hispanic

Black/African American

Native American/Pacific Islander/Indigenous

2 or More Races

RACE

How we see

ourselves

How others see us

MORE TERMS

PREJUDICEEVERYONE HAS THEM

REINFORCED BY CULTURE

THOUGHTS/FEELINGS THAT LEAD TO STEREOTYPES, ATTITUDES, AND

GENERALIZATIONS

RACISMGROUP’S COLLECTIVE

WHEN POWER OR LEGAL AUTHORITY CREATES INEQUALITY

STRUCTURAL NOT JUST AN EVENT

GOES BEYOND THE INDIVIDUAL

BACKED BY IDEOLOGY

DISCRIMINATION

ACTION BASED ON PREJUDICES

ANTI-BLACKNESS

“Inequity can occur simply through homogeneity;

if I am not aware of the barriers you face, then I

won’t see them, much less be motivated to

remove them. Nor will I be motivated to remove

the barriers if they provide an advantage to which

I feel entitled.”

Systemic oppression is often invisible & we are ALL complicit

What do we do?

SAME FAIR SYSTEMIC

CHANGE

Diversity: Difference

Equity: Fairness

Inclusion: Belonging

Diversity

Recruitment

Hiring Practices

Explicit Partnerships

Outreach

Equity

New Programs

Succession Planning

Leadership Development

Inclusion

Climate Surveys

Policies and Procedures

Affinity groups

Mentoring Programs

What can DEI look like?

Allyship

Activate new language

Be open to feedback

Be proactive; Take action

Step out of your comfort zone

Veil of Ignorance

RacistAnti-Racist

“Not Racist”

MISTAKES! Oops!

• What do you do if you are the one who made a mistake?

• WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES

• APOLOGIZE and LEARN

• KEEP TRYING!

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?

THANK YOU!

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