“All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.” ― James Allen, “As a Man Thinketh”*** Being negative is not the same as being toxic, though we often find that toxicity may be the real issue when we find

“Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.” – Malcolm Forbes*** In 2020, U.S. President Joe Biden, indicated his intent to put a Black female judge on the Supreme Court if he were elected president. Recently Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer announced that he will be retiring. Biden confirmed his

“You have a meeting to make a decision, not to decide the question.” – Bill Gates*** Have you sat in meetings where only a select few get… or take… the floor to speak? Have you sat in meetings where freedom reigns and the conversation is all over the map? Maybe

“A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.” — Sundar Pichai*** In today’s social, economic and political environment, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) are business imperatives regardless of the size or scope of a business. While many organizations embrace the notion, the reality of

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison*** When I was young, my Dad loved watching westerns on TV, “cowboys” as my parents would call them. I didn’t see the attraction. I didn’t understand the appeal. Then one day, as my Father was

“Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under led.”- Stephen Covey*** Stella Stella was a tough example of a woman. She ran her household, in spite of her husband and unfortunately, she ran him too. If you asked her husband, John about being involved in something or simply being present at

“Herb Brooks, God rest his soul, wasn’t coaching a Dream Team. He was coaching a team full of dreamers.” – Jim Craig (Herb Brooks was the head coach of the 1980 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team at Lake Placid)*** Once upon a time, in a far far away land,

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle*** In several recent conversations with a few teens, I was shocked to hear stories of how common it is, or was, to hear other students use racial and ethnic slurs

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.*** A young 10 year old tells her teacher that a boy in her classroom keeps teasing, taunting and touching her. The teacher asks, “Did he hurt you?” “No,” the little

“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” – Verna Myers*** The year 2020 brought the shocking reality of the COVID-19 Pandemic, along with the piercing jolt to many Americans and millions of others across the world through the Black Lives Matter Movement. While the

“The child becomes largely what it is taught; hence we must watch what we teach it, and how we live before it.” – Jane Addams*** Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the idea that elements of racism exist within the major institutions of society, causing many of the inequities we have

“Be careful who you trust, the devil was once an angel.” – Author Unknown*** Tina was the leader of a small group of volunteers in a nonprofit organization. The group, however, facilitated programming that affected the entire organization, to include processing initial paperwork, onboarding and more. The small group assigned

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the future inaccessible.” – Maya Angelou*** The American dream – the belief that any person, regardless of where they were born, regardless of class at birth, has the ability to realize success whether that includes educational attainment,

“Accept what is, Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.” – PictureQuotes.com*** I recently had an accident when a request for hands on assistance resulted in an unwanted collision between a splash of bleach, a favorite black shirt and my fear of a collision of the

“The essence of cross-cultural communication has more to do with releasing responses than with send messages. It is more important to release the right response than to send the right message.” – Edward T. Hall*** Imagine being in your early 20’s and going to a doctor for strange, dark, itchy

“Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.” – Malcolm Forbes*** Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is an exciting career path for the right personalities. In my work with various consultants, corporate professionals and community representatives, I found some interesting yet powerful personas. Caring Professionals There are two camps, in which most

“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” – T.D. Jakes*** I once knew an older woman, Etta, who was under my committee leadership, and who was trying to discover her gifts and what she wanted to

“Fortunately for serious minds, a bias recognized is a bias sterilized.” – Benjamin Haydon*** Unconscious bias, also referred to as implicit bias, is often defined as prejudice or unsupported judgments we have accumulated in life that are in favor of or against a person, or group, that are usually considered