I have recently read Blind Spot - Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald and it blew my mind. I have always focused on bias when developing and delivering workshops on diversity and inclusion, because I firmly believe that it's an important starting point for …
Diversity
The Ugly side of Diversity
It intrigues and saddens me to notice how often celebrations of diversity result in xenophobia.One of this year's Superbowl ads is a shining example of this.Coke ran an ad featuring the song America the Beautiful, sung in seven different languages and featuring a diversity of cultures and people. …
In the Wake of Nelson Mandela’s Death
There are many things I could write about this week: How the sign language fiasco at Nelson Mandela’s memorial is an example of how bias keeps us from recognizing or acknowledging issues that for some people are so very vital. How the stigma of mental illness keeps it in the shadows, and prevents …
A Great Example of Inclusion
About a week ago I read part of an article in the newspaper (which I can no longer find, sadly) about a restaurant owner who had made the decision to serve Halal meat in his establishment. He is not Muslim. But there are members of the Islamic community who live in the area of his restaurant, and …
Biracial Cheerios…?
If you're not a TV watcher, you may have missed the new Cheerios ad that is causing quite a stir. It features a biracial kid and her white mom and black dad - gasp! I would have loved to see ads like this when I was a kid - ads that showed a family that looked like mine. Never mind, I would love to …
The Similarities and Differences of Diversity
Last week I did a D&I workshop for TAVA (Toronto Association for Volunteer Administrators). The focus was on managing a diverse group of volunteers with an eye to inclusion. It was a great group. One of the participants brought up a point that I hear often - that she focuses on the similarities …
[Continue reading] The Similarities and Differences of Diversity
Considering the Canadian Census – part 1
The recent census data is out. I'm sitting on my living room floor with the newspaper spread out all around me. There is so much I want to write about, I think I will have to dedicate a few posts to this topic. For today, two first impressions to provide some food for thought: - It strikes me as …
Religious Accommodation
One of the things that I hear about a lot working with organizations is how difficult religious accommodation feels. Passover begins next week and in the spirit of things, I thought I'd share a success story that I just heard about. B&H is a photo, video and audio company in the USA. They have …
Halloween – Through a Diversity Lens
It's been a long time since I handed out Halloween candy, and even longer since I went out trick or treating. But my re-entry into the sugary costumed world last night has me thinking. Of the many children who showed up at the door, I would say only about 50% were costumed. I remember teenagers …
Recognizing Discrimination in a Multicultural Society
I just saw the news about the Blue Jays player Yunel Escobar who had a homophobic slur written in his eye-black during a game this weekend. It reminded me of the challenges of recognizing discrimination in a multicultural society. If Escobar played the whole game with these words on his face, a …
[Continue reading] Recognizing Discrimination in a Multicultural Society