Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Racial Equity

"Racial equity is about applying justice and a little bit of common sense to a system that's been out of balance. When a system is out of balance, people of color feel the impacts most acutely, but to be clear, an imbalanced system makes all of us pay."~ Glenn Harris, President, Race Forward and Publisher, Colorlines.

Equity has been a big topic for us since the start of Diversify, and the beginning of the Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace discussions, with the topic of our second meeting being "Equity vs. Equality".

Equity is the acknowledgment that while people should always have equal opportunities to resources like jobs, health care and education, we live in a world that is far from equal. Social equity takes into account systemic inequalities to ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities and outcomes.

Racial Equity is the acknowledgment that in many cases, this unequal distribution of resources is driven along racial lines, leading to the systemic discrimination that exists within many structures, including the workplace.

Racism is often an uncomfortable topic to address. In some cases, denial or ignorance is seemingly bliss. Many people deny the existence of racism against people of color on the assumption that racism is a conscious and calculated byproduct of hate. Racism can however occur without conscious intent. Where racist experiences of people across racial lines are concerned, racism happens more often than many people, especially white people, are aware of. How then can companies address the issue of racism as they move towards racial equity in the workplace?

This month we ask the questions:
- What have recent surges in anti-Black racism and Asian-hate shown us about the situation today?
- What is the relationship between racism, micro-aggressions and gaslighting and how do they show up?
- What is the difference between subtle and overt racism?
- Do we have the skills to talk about racial, bi-racial and intersectional identities?
- What degree of race confidence do we need to be able to navigate this topic without causing harm?
- How and when can bystanders intervene in harmful scenarios?
Join us to explore these questions and many more.

This topics acknowledge Black History Month and LGBTQIA+ Month, celebrated in February in the US and UK.