It's Ok to Feel Awkward About Race

By | diverse workforce, Diversity and inclusioin, diversity and inclusion, race and gender, race relations, racism, Uncategorized

  Talking about race with people who are different than you can be awkward and uncomfortable, but it’s necessary and doable. The fact is racism exists, racial conflict exists, and inequality still exists.  To say that we are post-racial is nonsense. To say that everyone is the same is nonsense. And to say that we should all be color blind…

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Teen On Trial- Accused of Stealing 65 cent milk

By | Inequality, racism

Teen charged w stealing 65-cent milk carton on trial http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/teen-charged-with-stealing-free-milk_us_57f3b69ce4b01b16aafef68d?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004 via @HuffPostCrime According to Huffington Post a young Black teenager is accused of stealing a 65 cent container of milk, He was on the free lunch program already and forgot to get his milk. He cut through the line, was seen by a security guard,  handcuffed and arrested. oThe guard…

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Intersection of Diversity, Race and LGBTQ

By | Diversity, LGBT, LGBT Inclusion, racism, Uncategorized

I was honored to be a special guest of Carole Copeland Thomas on her Conversations With Carole, on Understanding Intersections between race, diversity and LGBTQ. This is an important topic and everyone is included in real inclusion. If we support diversity and inclusion, then we can’t pick and choose which issues are real, or stay in our little comfort zones….

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Do You Let Friends Make LGBT or Racist Jokes?

By | Diversity and inclusioin, diversity speaker, GLBT, LGBT, LGBT equality, racism

“I have a friend who keeps making offensive jokes about  LGBT  people and racist comments about Black people, but I don’t say anything. I don’t want my friend to be mad or hurt her feelings,” a colleague told me.   My reply, “If you are really a diversity champion, if you support equal rights and opportunity for everyone, then you…

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Diversity and Inclusion Live Under Our Umbrella

By | Discrimination, Diversity, Diversity and inclusioin, racism

A recent email message said, “It seems like every time I read the news, there is some story about racism, homophobia, transphobia, bigotry, agism, gender discrimination. What’s going on? In the “old days “ you didn’t hear about all of this discrimination. It’s because people are overly sensitive. You can’t say anything without being accused of wrong doing.” The sender…

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Did Beyonce´Use A Racial Slur?

By | Diversity, racism

Iggy Azalea claimed that Beyoncé used a racial slur against White people in her new album Lemonade. Iggy was upset, and went on a twitter rant about the use of the name “Becky” when in her song Sorry, about infidelity, Beyoncé says “He only want me when I’m not there. He better call Becky with the good hair.” According to…

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Three Ways to Prevent Discrimination in Your Business

By | bias, Discrimination, Diversity, diversity and inclusion, racism

Three Ways to Prevent  Discrimination in Your Business Whether discrimination is unintentional or intentional, the impact is the same, and no amount of rationalization makes it acceptable.  Here are three ways you can prevent discrimination in your business. 1- Be conscious of your personal biases and learns to filter them out. Bias and wrong assumptions won’t go away without intervention….

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Racing With Howard Schultz

By | bias, dialogue, Diversity, diversity and inclusion, Howard Schultz, Race Together, racism, Starbucks

When Howard Schultz announced the “Race Together Campaign,” he was met with criticism by those in denial that there are any issues regarding race in the US, and by social activists who said he “did it wrong.” Schultz may not have “done his research,” or created a working foundation for baristas and customers to have constructive discussions on race, but…

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Inequality, Racism, Homophobia Are Barriers To Success

By | Inequality, racism

Can we really claim to support diversity and inclusion and not talk about Ferguson, Missouri, racial disparities and economic exclusion? Someone told me that I shouldn’t talk about it in my work because it’s too political. If stopping the dehumanization and brutality against people of color, mentally ill and anyone else is too political, then I’m too political. Inclusion is…

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Martin Luther King And The End of Segregation Didn't Happen In One Day

By | Diversity, March on Washington, Martin Luther King, MLK, racism, segregation, Slavery

 People talk about the end of segregation in passing as though it was a minor blip in US history. Politicians continually co-opt the name and work of Martin Luther King, and refer to one paragraph of his most famous speech where he said ” I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where…

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