Refresher DEIB Concepts

00:06 When doing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging work, it's important that we have shared language as we move through each of the processes or stages of the transformational journey.

00:16 At the beginning of each of these sessions, it's important to kind of make sure that you understand what the terms mean.

00:23 And also understand that none of these terms are meant to make anyone feel guilty or to be an attacking mechanism for anybody.

00:33 But we do have to know what terms mean and use facts so that we all are on the same page.

00:38 And then we all come to a shared understanding of how to kind of transform ourselves from the problems, how to correct it.

00:46 So remember that I've said in previous segments, we have to name things in order to be able to do something about it.

00:53 And also in terms of communication with each other, we have to be able to name issues.

00:58 That's the only way that we'll come to that shared understanding using that shared language.

01:04 I love using quotes.

01:05 So I'm going to use another Maya Angelou quote, to talk about the definition of diversity and kind of equality.

01:12 But I love to start it off with this.

01:14 "We all should know that diversity makes for rich tapestry." And spend the moment with that, because diverse means what? Different, right, uniqueness.

01:24 And we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value.

01:29 So, sit with that, and think about in the segment, when we talk about biases and microaggressions and hierarchies, and oftentimes we marginalize people and put them in these categories and lessen people.

01:45 But we're all equal in value.

01:47 And in Maya Angelou quote, she says, "No matter what their color," but I have a habit of reversing people's definitions, and will altering definitions and also quotes.

01:58 So I like to stop it at no matter what, because it goes beyond color.

02:04 It's definitely about every part of who we are as individuals, and we're all equal in value.

02:10 So whether we have disabilities, no matter.

02:13 Again, if we're people of color or not, I feel like every person is a color.

02:18 So if we think about that, as well, in terms of uniqueness of people.

02:24 So what is the definition of diversity? Is all the ways in which we differ, and different is beautiful, we just have to learn to embrace different difference and not be afraid of it.

02:36 The next definition we'll talk about is inclusion is authentically bringing historically marginalized individuals or groups into processes, activities, and in decision and policymaking.

02:50 We want to have a shared power system so that there is again, no hierarchy.

02:55 We all should be equally involved in decision making.

02:59 And then asking affected individuals within communities what they need, and not making assumptions based on stereotypes and generalizations even though that's appropriate in some circumstances.

03:12 In terms of an organization, what does it mean, when we talk about inclusion? It's not only offering people a space on a committee, or middle leadership positions, it's letting people know you have an opportunity to exist in any space within the organization.

03:30 So there's a picture in your handout of some ducks, and there are some little black ducks and a yellow duck.

03:36 The black ducks are counted up on this platform, the yellow duck is below the black ducks.

03:41 If you look at that duck in that picture, the yellow duck I'm speaking of, that duck is definitely included because it's a part of the group.

03:50 However, if you look at all of the different nonverbal cues, and this is the same thing that happens with people.

03:58 If the black ducks back, so turn to the yellow duck, they don't see that that yellow duck is struggling and begging for help.

04:04 And no one's here in that duck.

04:06 So do you think that duck feels like it belongs? And I'm making a point about this because some people feel like or believe that belonging is subsumed in inclusion.

04:19 When my opinion that's not true in this picture shows you exactly what that means.

04:24 If you aren't listening, then obviously the yellow duck will not feel like it belongs.

04:30 Belonging means that you feel like you're welcomed into a space.

04:34 So just because you sit at the same table with other people, you definitely don't feel like you belong if your voice isn't heard, and you don't feel valued, and people aren't willing to support you and help you along the way.

04:48 Then we want to talk about equity and social justice.

04:53 It's a distribution of benefits and burdens in a way that's not skewed by isms.

04:59 When we think about all of the ways that when we bring up structural racism, again how it has a negative impact on creating equitable and equal systems.

05:10 So every, again, person should be able to feel a sense of shared power, and a true belief that you do have opportunities to exist in all spaces, including C suites.

05:23 Anti-racism. We talk about racism a lot.

05:26 But how can you be a part of the anti-racism movement? What is anti-racism? It's the policy or practice of opposing racism, and promoting racial tolerance is the true definition.

05:39 But again, I like to switch that up.

05:42 I revise that definition.

05:44 To stay that is the policy and practice rather than the policy or practice of opposing racism, and rather than promoting racial tolerance is promoting racial acceptance.

05:55 And why is that? Because in my humble opinion, and also, according to Merriam Webster, tolerating means I'm allowing you to be a part of a space.

06:06 So it's allowable deviation from whatever the norm or standard is, especially from a Eurocentric point of view.

06:13 It implies superficiality is saying, that I'm going to deal with you only because I have to.

06:19 So there's so much wrong with that in terms of anti-racism, because who gave whom permission to allow someone to be a part of a space.

06:30 No human should have that much control over what another human being should be able to exhaust space that that person should be able to exist in.

06:38 So racist systems is what gave that power.

06:41 and we're trying to reverse that power with the anti-racism concept.

06:45 And who set standards? So we know that the majority is where standards came from.

06:51 But we want to remove that and think about everyone being a part of the majority, by way of being a human.

06:58 So, acceptance rather is the first step in that transformation and reconciliation process.

07:04 It cannot be about allowing, it has to be about shifting and balancing power dynamics, equity and including in a way that facilitates a sense of belonging.

07:16 I use the term marginalization again, in some of the definitions we just went through.

07:21 And I want to make sure we understand that marginalizing is putting people in a space.

07:26 So it's a spatial metaphor, and it's a process for social exclusion.

07:30 Remember, we're trying to move toward inclusion.

07:33 So if we continue to marginalize people, then we continue to exclude people.

07:38 And I mentioned in a previous segment about exclusionary inclusion, that's what that picture of those ducks we just talked about is it's including but excluding at the same time, so we don't want to do that.

07:52 And again, it's relegating people to the fringes of a society where people are denied economic, political and or symbolic power and push towards being outsider. Again, outsider.

08:04 As you don't feel like you belong if you're an outsider, revisiting why we don't want to label people as foreigners or less than in any type of way.

08:14 And then stigma.

08:16 There are three different types of stigma, but in general.

08:19 Stigma is a negative, a set of negative or unfair beliefs that society or group of people have about something.

08:26 It's a mark of disgrace.

08:28 So when you think about it, it encourages people to feel like they're less than.

08:33 So that is self stigma.

08:34 It creates a negative attitudes about yourself.

08:37 We internalize shame. we internalize guilt.

08:40 We often blame ourselves if we're stigmatized about something.

08:44 And again, remember, thinking about the negative impact it has on someone's psyche and confidence and ability to function well in any space, or organization.

08:56 And these definitions are some that are kind of from the American Psychiatric Association, and just trying to put it in terms that we can talk about in everyday language.

09:07 But think about that self-stigma started with that one first.

09:11 Because we all as human beings do internalize negative things people say about us.

09:18 And then public stigma is when we have negative or discriminatory attitudes about certain people or groups.

09:24 And what does that mean? We label a whole group of people as we talked about in a certain segment, because one person or one small group of the larger group of people does something that's negative, and we assign that across the board.

09:39 So people again, it's the cycle, start to feel some type of negativity about themselves.

09:46 And then institutional stigma.

09:48 That's a systemic problem.

09:50 And that involves policies that either intentionally or unintentionally limit opportunities for some people from marginalized groups.

09:58 So some examples of that could be lower funding for certain research, stigmatized type research such as mental illnesses, HIV, sickle cell, things that people see as something negative.

10:11 And even currently, COVID-19, you know that especially in the beginning of the pandemic.

10:17 People kind of turn their nose up at people who got diagnosed with COVID.

10:22 Now, we know that, we can't just assign that to certain groups of people, even though certain groups of people had greater morbidity and mortality as a result of it.

10:32 And then when we talk about health services, from a systemic standpoint.

10:38 Because it's not a priority oftentimes then people who fall into these stigmatized groups or have stigmatized illnesses may have fewer opportunities to receive high quality health services.