You’ve likely heard the argument, or perhaps made it yourself. It goes something like this: "When you come to Canada you should be prepared to be Canadian. Do whatever you want to do from 'your own culture' at home, but otherwise this is how we do things here." Often in this argument someone … [Continue reading] Exploring Resistance – Part 1
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The Price of Lack of Representation
Last week I spoke at Allies in Tech. Given their mission, it wasn't surprising that the room was filled mostly women - and there were two men present. Yay! My topic was why inclusion is the key to diversity. As I was looking for images for an activity, I came across a few statistics about CEOs … [Continue reading] The Price of Lack of Representation
Day of Pink 2019
It’s Day of Pink tomorrow, April 11, 2019. I have seen the rows of pink shirts on display at my daughter’s school, with words of encouragement and advice on how to be more caring. I hope that these are words that go beyond the assignment and the t-shirt slogan, and show up out loud on the … [Continue reading] Day of Pink 2019
When Words Replace Action
Sometimes when we talk about an issue, and when we are talking about the right things and using the right language, it’s easy to miss when the talk changes to just words. That’s how I felt watching the video clip of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response to activists “crashing” the Liberal … [Continue reading] When Words Replace Action
What Gandhi Didn’t Say
This past week I was at the Global Influence Summit, run by Joseph Ranseth. Joseph has spent years studying the movements of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and teaches this to thought leaders in their commitment to change. The Global Influence Summit was about starting movements. As you … [Continue reading] What Gandhi Didn’t Say
Who Gets to be the Hero?
In the past two weeks I have watched two thought-provoking movies: Green Book and Same Kind of Different as Me. The former (as you may know) won Best Picture for last year. I watched it on the plane. The latter was from 2017, and I found it on Netflix. I love them both for the lessons they … [Continue reading] Who Gets to be the Hero?
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights
I was in Winnipeg last week to deliver training for the CGLCC in LGBT+ Inclusion for the tourism industry. While I was there I visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Overall, the visit reminded me that when our rights are protected, we don’t necessarily realize their importance or the … [Continue reading] The Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Different Faces of Social Justice
A few months ago I wrote about my experience moderating a panel on raising socially conscious kids. What I discovered was that being socially conscious meant different things depending on who was speaking – some parents were busy reading and speaking to their young children about privilege and … [Continue reading] Different Faces of Social Justice
Cultural Competency vs Cultural Humility
Over the weekend I was considering cultural competency versus cultural humility. If you’ve been to one of my workshops, chances are you’ve heard me talk about the latter as a new (and more appropriate) point of reference than the former in terms of D&I work. Cultural Humility Cultural … [Continue reading] Cultural Competency vs Cultural Humility
What if we put the I first?
Diversity and inclusion. D&I. What if we put the I first? Imagine what might change? This week I’m thinking (again) about Board diversity. The lack of diversity and the need for diversity on Boards of Directors is something we have been hearing about for years. Last week I was at an … [Continue reading] What if we put the I first?