Category: Recent Posts

Cultivating a Kapwa Consciousness: Decoloniality in Equity Work

The future of diversity management incorporates an Indigenous consciousness, a way of knowing and being distinct from the normative Western approach. The concept of “kapwa” is defined as a “recognition of a shared identity, an inner self, shared with others.” Because kapwa is rooted in my own heritage and tradition, it is a way to orient myself away from notions of othering and competition. But more than that, it is a powerful tool for fostering collaboration.

Read More

Power to the People: A Way Forward After the US Presidential Election

As we reflect on one of the most consequential U.S. elections in our lifetime, emotions are running high. This election brought us a choice between division and polarization or unity and inclusion. The contentious and divisive rhetoric surrounding the campaign was such that no matter who the winner was it would require some healing and a plan forward. Let’s commit to cultivating spaces where everyone can belong, empowered by our shared humanity.

Read More

Hiding Under the Covers: How Covering May Not Keep Us Safe After All

As children, many of us feared the monsters under our beds or lingering in our closets. Some of us sought nightlights for refuge from the dark, many found ease in shutting our closet doors tightly, and others ensured they were tucked away, hidden under the covers. As we age, the mythical monsters under the bed are replaced by more tangible threats. Our classrooms, and then our workplaces, are filled with various anxieties and for many of us — especially those from marginalized groups — bias, discrimination, and othering present daily threats.

Read More

Ways Employers Can Support Their LGBTQ+ Employees During Election Season

“This should be mailed to every leadership team and HR leader in the country. To many, this is an election. To our LGBTQ+ folks, it’s trauma on trauma.” A connection of mine on LinkedIn commented that on a post I created about how employers can support their LGBTQ+ employees during election season. I can’t help but agree. Not only because I wrote the post with leadership teams and HR leaders in mind, but because I’ve never received any kind of support during election season while at work. As an openly queer, nonbinary, transgender, biracial person, I could use it. And I know many others can too.

Read More

Power to the People: We Can’t Afford to Ignore Education

I began my professional career as a middle school teacher in Washington, D.C., teaching sixth, seventh, and eighth grades in a public school in a low-income neighborhood. While in graduate school, I studied the ins and outs of the public education system with a particular focus on urban schooling. Though my student teaching experience was in a rural Georgia high school, I figured that teaching in D.C. couldn’t be that much different — kids are kids, after all, and good teaching is good teaching.

Read More

Why Parental Mental Health and Well-Being Is a Critical Public Health Issue — and How Employers Can Help

There are many reasons I look forward to autumn in New York. I intentionally keep these experiences top of mind because this time of year can also be very stressful for me — particularly when it comes to sending my son back to school and navigating the complexities of special education. Whenever there’s a transition in services, whether it’s specific to preschool or turning 5, it involves marshaling what feels like a village of people to ensure that everyone does their part.

Read More

Join Us at The DEI Strategy Academy™ 2024: Navigating Change with Confidence 

As the Vice President of Strategy and Assessments at The Winters Group, Inc., and the principal facilitator for The DEI Strategy Academy™, I’m excited to invite you to join our six-week virtual learning experience designed to help you craft a sustainable and measurable diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy for your organization. The program kicks off next week and there is still time to register!

Read More

Power to the People: The Reversal of Roe v. Wade and IVF — Where Does Choice Really Lie?

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, conversations around reproductive rights have been reignited with a fire we haven’t seen in years. People are asking tough questions like, What does autonomy over our bodies truly mean in this country? And who gets to decide? While much of the conversation has centered around abortion, the ripples of this decision extend far beyond the abortion clinic. They reach into the private and often hidden realms of those like me who have experienced infertility and relied on reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF). Suddenly, choices we thought we had control over feel fragile and precarious.

Read More

Power to the People: History Repeats Itself in the Fight for a Multiracial Democracy

The impending U.S. presidential election looms large in the minds of many around the world as a fight for democracy. We are being reminded once again of just how fragile this experiment is: to be a democratic society that purportedly stands for freedom, equity, and justice. At the heart of the struggle is race. The fight for a multiracial democracy in the U.S. has been marked by violent clashes and systemic attempts to maintain white male domination, most notably since Reconstruction, a period after the Civil War when the U.S. government tried to address both the destruction of slavery and the preservation of the nation. Sadly, history continues to repeat itself.  

Read More

A Point of View: Reclaiming Power in Spaces of (Un)Belonging

Recently, I have been reflecting on the idea of belonging and how to cultivate spaces where people feel appreciated, affirmed, and dignified. Personally, I have never felt a strong sense of belonging in most spaces I’ve had to navigate. This also speaks true to my experiences where safety and belonging are assumed — rather than something that needs to be carved out and intentionally nurtured. After all, you cannot truly belong in spaces that aren’t designed for you.

Read More
Loading

Racial Justice at Work: Practical Solutions for Systemic Change

Racial Justice at Work book cover

Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit

Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy and Belonging Across Differences

We Can’t Talk About That At Work! (Second Edition)

Cover of the book We Can't Talk about That at Work (Second Edition) by Mary-Frances Winters and Mareisha N Reese

Watch Our LinkedIn Learning Courses