We all deserve to live a peaceful life, freely and equally
Diversity, Equity Inclusion & Belonging (“DEI&B”)
But what do these terms really mean?
Diversity is about what makes each of us unique; it includes our backgrounds, personality, life experiences and beliefs, all of the things that make us who we are.
Equity means that every person can participate equally and freely in life without disadvantage, discrimination, harassment, victimization or vilification.
Inclusion refers to how diversity is leveraged to create an accessible, equal, fair, healthy, and high-performing community where all individuals are and feel engaged, heard, motivated and respected, and their contributions toward meeting organizational and societal goals are valued.
Belonging is the emotional state that comes from feeling equal, included and valued within one’s environment. In business, this is the key to attraction and retention of top talent. At home, this can feel like safety, respect and even true love. While easily measured, the richness of this principle is deeper than a metric. When someone doesn’t feel they belong, it can begin to feel unsafe, and that’s where the danger arises. This is why it’s imperative to prioritize this element in DEI&B programs.
With our extensive experience leading multinational portfolios of Social programs, we’ve seen first-hand that too many people fear for their life in environments where they should be safe. Too many have been lost from acts of ignorance and hatred, and too often we allow tragedies to fade away before we’ve even begun to address the systemic injustice that spawned them. We seem to lose sight of what’s really important, and it’s a cycle that's been on repeat for generations.
The questions to ask yourself is, “What can I do?” “What contributions can I make to actually illicit change?”
As much as we wish it were true, this isn’t something any one of us can solve all on our own. It takes the collective. But there are many things we can do to educate ourselves better, which will enable us to stand up for injustice when we see it, vote intelligently and spread the kindness that just might save someone’s life the day you say. “Hello, you’re welcome here.”
Allow us to guide you to this new social norm, where we respect ourselves by respecting others. We will create an equitable community that is as beautiful as it is diverse. And we will include room for everyone, regardless of their identify, whether born or chosen, it’s all possible so long as we agree to:
Never hurt ourselves, never hurt others and never knowingly violate any other person’s rights to coexist in a peaceful and individual pursuit of life.