Resolutions

(Note this was scheduled for earlier in the year but the Capitol Riots altered the timing.)

The New Year is upon us and it is a time for resolutions. Yes that strange time of year when everyone resolves to achieve some goal attuned to personal growth… Lose 20 pounds… Exercise every day… Spend more time doing whatever… And it generally lasts … what… about 3 weeks? … That’s at least how long mine do… And lord knows I need to lose the weight! (Every doctors appointment now starts with me apologizing for liking chocolate way too much… Sigh)

I am often asked for advice on what someone can do regarding diversity and inclusion. While I have given a bunch of advice in these blog posts I realize that some things are more difficult than others. Impossible for some in fact. Not everyone is a hiring manager for example... Not everyone wants to do a blog either. :)

But people still want to help or at least understand.

They want to start but don’t know where. I have lots of recommendations on the Resources tab of EmergingAlly: Movies, Books, Even Comics/Graphic Novels. There are also tons of resources available on the web - The Resources tab has some search recommendations as well.

But I get it. Time is short. We are in a Pandemic. And an economic depression. And home schooling kids… Coordinating office space with a spouse at an increasingly tight kitchen table while trying to figure out what an improper fraction is … a tad exhausting? ….

So how do you find time to do something constructive on diversity and inclusion?

I have an idea.

Social media.

Yes that social media. The LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, everyone posting everything social media.

Hear me out.

You look at it everyday most likely. So what not make it helpful?

My advice: find 2 or 3 diverse voices on social media and follow them.

That’s it. No need to post. No need to react. Just follow.

There are very interesting voices out there. Giving different perspectives than in traditional media. Giving thoughts and insights from their experiences. Sharing their research into topics. You get a new insight into topics and hear about items that aren’t in the headlines. Thoughtful critiques and perspectives of stories.

In addition I find it has changed my feed. The algorithms shift and you get new stuff. On LinkedIn you get shifted over to new diverse voices and potential candidates for positions. Twitter for example will start recommending different things. You move out of your bubble a little.

I have a number of suggestions on my Resources page but some people I follow on LinkedIn (and some are on Twitter as well) include:

Minda Harts

Ibram X Kendi

Lily Zheng

Future Cain

Ronnell Richards

Daron K Roberts

Kim Lancer

Martin Stark

Some LinkedIn pages and groups:

The Trilogy

AllInTent

Some Organizations include:

Human Rights Campaign

The Female Lead

And of course you could follow me as well.

There of course are others. Some are more active on some platforms than others. I am active on LinkedIn but not on Twitter. Yet where ever they post, they all bring a perspective and experience that can help give a new view and better understanding.

The beauty of this is you only need to do this once. You click follow and this resolution feeds you automatically. Thats it. When explaining the new math between zoom meetings gets too much technology actually works for you! Just pour the wine and relax. Open up your feed like you always do and it's there. A quick read or two and voila! You’ve done your new years resolution! What could be more satisfying? … Other than adding a piece of chocolate cake of course :)

As always I hope this helps. I look forward to continuing the conversation. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.

All the best,

Dave Terné