The Context: We recently got a dog. It's not my first dog, and it took me a while to agree to get one when my daughter asked. If you have (or have had) a dog - you know many of the reasons why. One of the many reasons I didn't want another dog is the fur. It's everywhere! But because I …
bias
The Power of Words
If you've been following my posts for a while, you’ve surely read this is one before: words are powerful. We may use them carelessly, but the messages can stick and inform/lead to/strengthen biases, prejudices, and judgments that can ultimately undermine acceptance and inclusion. My mom is …
Musings about Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss is getting a lot of attention this week. If you haven’t read about the decision to no longer publish 6 books you can do so here. The CBC article has many good points, some of which I will discuss below. Impact First, let’s talk about the impact of images and words in books. The …
Changing Behaviour
As you may recall (if you read last week’s blogpost) I changed the password on my cellphone two weeks ago. I’m reporting back on my progress, and I’m happy to report that it’s been a couple of days that I’m finally getting it. Link to D&I What does this have to do with D&I you may …
Who are we seeing? Who are we missing?
On a bike ride over the weekend, we came across this poster. At first glance, without a proper look, it’s a feel-good gesture: our health care workers are not only working hard for all of us, but are taking risks every day as they do so. But look closer. What do you see? Who do you …
A World without Assumptions and Fear…
I had a powerful conversation yesterday with a colleague – Heather Hansen O’Neill. She was asking me about my thoughts regarding bias, assumptions, fear and how they get in the way. During that conversation she asked me a question that I had to think about. Not because I didn’t have an answer. …
Addressing Bias in Hiring
Unconscious Bias is a hot topic in the D&I world these days. It’s not surprising then, that the majority of presentations and workshops I have done in the past year have been (at least in part) about unconscious bias. Educating people about what it is and how it works is important and …
Memory, Diversity and Inclusion
This week I’m re-reading a book by David Cameron Gikandi called A Happy Pocket Full of Money. It’s a great book about the mindset of abundance. I highly recommend it, it’s a fascinating read. It’s my second time through, and of course different things are jumping out at me this time. Here is …
It’s OK to Notice Difference
When you have children in your life, it’s bound to happen that they will say something that embarrasses you in public. Sometimes it’s more painful than other times. But likely every caregiver has had at least one experience where a child has noticed something about someone out loud. What does …
Serena Williams – part 2
I have had the opportunity of a few discussions about Serena since last week’s blog – all of which I am grateful for. A key component of diversity and inclusion is dialogue and discussion. It’s imperative that we create an environment where we can share our perspectives and expand our awareness in …