Just a few blocks away, two worlds apart

Last week I spent many hours in two higher education institutions in downtown Minneapolis.  At the first institution, I took a 2.5 day finance class for mid-career professionals at the business school. At the other, a community college, I guest lectured at a public policy class.  These two

institutions were a short walk from each other, but worlds apart.

Out of the 25 or so people in the finance class, I was the only person of color. The mantra that was repeated over and over again was that the role of a corporation was increasing shareholder value.  While at least one participant ended up in the program through the dislocated worker program, most  were settled into well paying jobs.  Politics wasn't really discussed except in relation to the instructor's desire to have a balanced federal budget. I don't really know the political leanings of most of the people in the room, but I don't think it would count as progressive.

In the evening, I went to the community college to guest lecture in a public policy class. The student body was diverse and pretty clear that the economy wasn't working for them.  They wanted to know why we couldn't have public policies that supported greater equity.  We talked about the fact that there were still very differing view points in our democracy and that it is a feat to put together political will. I used the first class I was in as an example.

Going between these two classes was jarring.  However, I wonder how we can combine these conversations. How can we shift the conversation to be about how an economy creates value for all?

Job searching, learning and Flamin' Hot Cheetos

This is the third post in my job search series.  The first two were on organizationlessness and rejection.  While those covered the more painful moments of my job search, this one describes my learning process. 

I am someone who likes learning and I use experiences, even unpleasant ones,  toward this end. While this period has been hard for me, it has afforded me opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

The first is that I have been able to spend time at my child's school. I now have a greater understanding of what goes on in an elementary school class room and the struggles kids are having either in their personal life or academic life. I have also learned about modern class room management issues.  I know you were wondering how the Flamin' Hot Cheetos figured into this story and are probably getting hungry about now.  While I was volunteering in the classroom, my son's teacher made a comment about how she was having issues with Cheetos in the classroom.  I looked at her quizzically. Sure enough, a little while later, a student was trying to eat  those Hot Cheetos when they weren't supposed to be.

I have also learned how supportive my network can be.  After I initially posted on Facebook that my political appointment was ending, several people reached out. People who I didn't know well have taken me out to coffee and helped me on my search.  Others who I have sometimes had conflict with spent hours with me. Former colleagues helped me remember all the work I have done. I have caught up with a lot of people and have been able to pay fuller attention to them.

My compassion has grown for people in similar circumstances. I have worked on diversity and equity work from a place of privilege. This is the first time in over 20 years that I have not been employed.  It is good for me to at least have some lived understanding of what other people are going through.

I have also learned a lot about how the workplace is changing. I  last worked at the State of Minnesota, which is a bit behind the times. The offices of some of the smaller organizations I visited look really really different. They have more flexible schedules.  Data is becoming a big part of  even nonprofit jobs (hopefully someone is thinking more about how we should use the data in a just way).


And last, I have signed up for formal education. I am on day one of a finance course at the University of St. Thomas and will become a qualified Intercultural Development Inventory administrator in April.

I do hopefully be able to find a meaningful  job or become a sought after consultant, but I know I will continue to learn in this uncomfortable period.

The Practice of Diversity Equity and Inclusion

The book the As If Principle by Richard Wiseman recently caught my eye. Wiseman describes the work of psychologist William James who theorized that behavior causes emotion rather than the other way around - or to quote Wiseman quoting James, "If you want a quality, act as if you already have it."

The book describes a variety of studies that support this idea. For example, one study demonstrated that people who read positive statements out loud felt happier. In an experiment on donating to charities, only 3% of those visiting a web site of an organization supporting children of war made a donation when asked to click a link to donate.  When individuals were asked to sign a petition against land mines first, the percentage of people donating rose to 14%. Wiseman also provides a number of helpful tips and activities to people trying to change their lives.   

As you might guess, there isn't a chapter on diversity, equity and inclusion.  However, the premise got me thinking. As someone who has both delivered and attending training on racial equity, I know that  sessions can get emotionally heated.  For some people, strong emotion helps to solidify their commitment. For some people of color, expressing the harm racism has caused them personally is necessary for their health.  However, some people get stuck in the emotions. 

I believe there is more the one way to arrive at a destination. What if we approached DEI training like a meditation practice, with the most important thing being to do it regularly no matter how you feel  We do know from other studies that reading positive stories about a certain group will reduce implicit bias. o 

Here are some ideas for practicing diversity and equity on a regular basis.

• This week, read three articles that talk about the experience of people of a group that you are not part of.  Next week, read three more. 
• Talk to someone about your personal history around race or another identity twice this week and again next week. 
• Make regular contributions to a civil rights or Indian land tenure cause.
• Question out loud about how privilege might show up in some policy or practice twice a week.  Write what you did down.  
• State your commitment to diversity out loud three times this week to your co-workers. It should make you more committed to act. 

Let me know if some researcher would want to test these ideas.