Black Lives Matter

Silence has allowed for the continuation of inequality and repeated brutality. That was wrong. None of this is okay. We will listen better, to understand better, to speak up more, and to do better. Our voices must repeat the words of our black family and friends so that our privilege becomes their progress.

First, House of Kaizen donated and matched employee donations to the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP and BLMUK. Second, we provided our team and our community of friends, family, clients, and partners with diversity, equity, and inclusion training specifically about when and how to speak up in opposition to unjust attitudes and behaviors in our professional and personal circles. Third, we will use that skill to continuously reevaluate and improve our operations, and our collaboration with clients and vendors, ensuring they support equal opportunity and justice.

The Workshop

This 3-part series served to raise awareness of issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion and help us begin to take real action towards culturally relevant spaces. Dr. Liza Talusan facilitated learning experiences that provided reflection assignments to be completed before the next session. While it was not required for individuals to participate in all three sessions, the content built upon the previous workshop. 

Prepare for the Real Work Zoom

We focused on why diversity, and in particular, race, matters. We worked with protocols for how to have these conversations in ways that both challenge and move the work forward. Our focus was on definitions and understanding of the differences between diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Identity Conscious Leading

We examined our learned biases by asking “How does my own personal socialization and learning inform or impact my approach to diversity, equity and inclusion work?” We explored how biases show up in our work and how to begin dismantling problematic biases that we have held.

Leadership and Change Management

This session focused on leadership and agency. What is the role of leadership in addressing diversity, inclusion, and equity? What are the institutional factors that are upheld by our personal and professional biases? Based on work rooted in understanding diversity and inclusion, this session focused on the action, conflict, and risk that accompanies change.