Monday, October 30, 2017

[those of us who stand outside...]

"Those of us who stand outside the circle of this society’s definition of acceptable women; those of us who have been forged in the crucibles of difference – those of us who are poor, who are lesbians, who are Black, who are older – know that survival is not an academic skill. It is learning how to stand alone, unpopular and sometimes reviled, and how to make common cause with those others identified as outside the structures in order to define and seek a world in which we can all flourish. It is learning how to take our differences and make them strengths." 

~ Audre Lorde

Monday, October 23, 2017

[Jim Fitterling makes the case for LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion]


Jim Fitterling, President and CEO of Dow Chemical Company, says the following:
"Data suggests that about 75 percent of any organization’s LGBT population remain in the closet … because they’re too scared to come out. I know this from first-hand experience. I was one of those employees."

"Employees who feel connected to the workplace—who feel free to speak their mind without fear of being “outed”—and who feel connected to their co-workers—are more engaged and feel more empowerment.

Ideas flow more genuinely. People trust one another more. Collaboration rises.

Did you know, by the way, that natural work groups perform cognitive tasks 32 percent better when LGBT team members are “out” as opposed to when they are closeted?"
Read the rest of his talk at https://www.vsotd.com/featured-speech/making-small-talk-case-lgbt-diversity-and-inclusion


Wednesday, October 18, 2017

[naming ourselves: who defines Indigenous identity? article]

Indian Act (2002) artwork by Nadia Myre. Image from Walrus article. Artwork is a page from the Indian Act, taped onto a background, with white beadwork on red covering the left portion of the page.

About identity and names and power....
Recent identifiers such as “Native American,” “Aboriginal,” and “Indigenous” are deceptively vague, attempting to contain all of the complexities and differences of each individual tribe under one umbrella term. The problem with such terms, of course, is that the bigger the group they attempt to represent, the more they erase complexities and differences and encourage homogenization. While grouping all Indigenous tribes and nations together can be convenient, the reason these terms became necessary in the first place is colonialism. Settler governments needed a term to differentiate us from the settler population (i.e., not indigenous to or claimed by a tribe indigenous to Turtle Island) to figure out how to exactly describe the problem we posed to their burgeoning nation-states. We could not be “The Hopitu-Oceti-Sakowin-Kanien’kehá:ka-Powhatan-Chahta-Annishnawbe-Beothuk, etc. problem.” We must be, simply, “The Indian problem.” Bearing that in mind, the question of how to define Native identity should always be split in two: how the government defines us and how we define ourselves.

Read the rest of the article at: https://thewalrus.ca/we-didnt-choose-to-be-called-indigenous/

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

[OpenDyslexic typeface]


OpenDyslexic is a new open source font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. The typeface includes regular, bold, italic, and bold-italic styles. It is being updated continually and improved based on input from dyslexic users. OpenDyslexic is free for Commercial and Personal use.


Available at: https://opendyslexic.org/




Note: there are some book readers which are being designed to allow the user to change various view settings, including font size, font type (the poeticcomputation example offers OpenDyslexic as one option), spacing between lines, and more.

https://www.fastcodesign.com/90144268/designing-a-book-that-fits-in-your-browser-window

http://poeticcomputation.info/ sample site where you can change font to this one, etc.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

[every 10th jesus...]

"Every 10th Jesus is a Queer" poster by Eric Handel, based on Sainte Famille (The Holy Family) William-Adolphe Bouguereau, showing Mother Mary with Jesus and John the Baptist as children. From politicalgraphics.org

This poster is from the collection of the Center for the Study of Political Graphics

The title alludes to Alfred Kinsey's work in the 1940s which found that 10% of men in the United States are homosexual. Despite there being significant methodological reasons that this number should not be applied to the general population, the number "10%" has stuck.

From the details page:
By incorporating this statistic into Bouguereau’s traditional religious portrait, Handel challenges the understanding of Christian views on homosexuality. Bouguereau’s idyllic depiction of the affectionate infants Jesus and John the Baptist in the loving embrace of the Virgin Mary evoke Christ's and Mary's love and compassion for all humanity, including the ten percent who may be gay or lesbian. The peacefulness of the scene emphasizes the stark contrast between the great benevolence and love expressed by Christ in the Bible and the hatred and violence directed towards the LGBT community that some attempt to justify with Christian ideology.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

[answering messages of hate with love]


Here's an innovative and constructive way to deal with racist graffiti:
Ibo Omari has a plan for when he comes across a swastika painted onto a wall in his hometown of Berlin. He’ll grab a can of spray paint from the graffiti supply shop that he owns, and cover it up. But Omari doesn’t just erase the Nazi trademark—he transforms it.

Since launching Berlin #PaintBack earlier this year, Omari and his fellow organizers have covered up at least 20 swastikas across Berlin, leaving an array of whimsical street art where symbols of hate were once visible.

Picture of Ibo Omari transforming a swastika in Berlin, using spray paint. Photo by Deutsche Presse Agentur.

Read more about how #PaintBack is transforming neo-nazi graffiti into whimsical street art.
https://www.citylab.com/life/2016/08/transforming-neo-nazi-graffiti-into-whimsical-street-art/497867/

Here's a Canadian story where a church in Waterloo did something quite similar.

Thursday, October 05, 2017

[what does inclusion and diversity mean?]


I've been keeping an eye out recently for catchy ways of explaining diversity and inclusion, especially in ways that make the distinction clear, and came across this graphic in a presentation by Lyft.

What does Inclusion and Diversity mean? Left side "Diversity" shows an envelope and says "Get Invited to the Party." Right side "Inclusion" shows two people dancing and says "Get Asked to Dance". Graphic from Lyft presentation.


But it begs other questions: Can you dance with whom you wish at this party? Will anyone whisper about you behind your back or jeer at you openly?
Can you be authentic and free to be the person you are without fear?

And here's another set of questioning: who controls the music that is played? whose styles of dance are acceptable?
It's one thing to be invited to someone else's party and to be asked to dance their dances... but is that inclusion? Or is inclusion having a variety of music that reflects everyone's interests and cultures, and enjoying and learning from each other?

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

[canada and lgbtq+ employees]

As we generally all know:
“... Canada’s LGBTQ populations have implied protection under Section 15 of the Charter. The Canadian Human Rights Act protects LGBTQ employees from employment discrimination; Bill C-16 … was put forth by the sitting Liberal government to update the act to include the terms ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression.’”

Then, there’s this news (not surprising, but let's spell it out):
“A recent study by Telus found that one third of the 814 respondents (half of whom identified as LGBTQ) did not find their workplaces safe and inclusive for lesbian and gay employees; 45 per cent said the same for trans workers. Nearly a third of respondents said they had experienced or witnessed homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment at work -- with fewer than 40 per cent of these incidents reported to employers.”

Clearly, not an environment to flourish in.

As well, some minority groups are acknowledged and others are not. For example, in some workplaces, there are Aboriginal Day events and Anti-Bullying events, but nothing official is done internally to recognize Pride week. What does it say about you and the group you are part of, when you are left out of celebrations? Is that a favourable environment in which to flourish?

Source of quotes: Pride Guide by Susan Goldberg
http://www.corporateknights.com/magazines/2017-best-50-issue/pride-guide-14961924/
[co-posted on September 18, 2017]

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

flourishing: an introduction


Flourishing. According to one online dictionary, flourishing means ”grow and develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.”

Much is said these days about diversity and inclusion. Diversity, of course, is about numbers and percentages, about homogeneity and heterogeneity, but is no guarantee of good relations. A jungle has a diversity of wildlife, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is a food chain and that some kinds of animals eat other kinds of animals who in turn eat other kinds of animals. That’s not the kind of world we want.

Inclusion has to do with people being included and respected. As Royal Bank put it on their D&I page, “In simple terms, diversity is the mix; inclusion is getting the mix to work well together.” However, inclusion can potentially be perceived in other ways, such as the idea of including someone within an existing structure which remains unchanged or, in the case of the Borg, assimilation into the collective. Some people also add the concepts of justice and equity, to address the more systemic problems that are experienced by many people who belong to minorities.

Flourishing is like diversity and inclusion and justice and equity all together on steroids.

[co-posted on September 13, 2017]

Friday, August 25, 2017

[jasper diversity project]

Jasper Diversity Project banner on streetlight. Photo by rob g. Sign says, "Jasper Diversity Project. Embrace the uniqueness of your fellow community members."
I came across this diversity project while on vacation in Jasper. Banners featuring various Jasper residents, and some with sayings, hang on the street lights along the main shopping street. Here is how their website describes it:

"You're different? That's awesome. You're just like the rest of us!
The Jasper Community Team's Diversity Project showcases the value that Jasper's unique peoplescape brings to the community. The Diversity Project reveals the beauty in Jasper's human surroundings - something that can easily be overlooked in a place that is constantly on display for its world renowned natural landscape."

What I really appreciate about this project is ... how diverse it is! The people on the poster and the street signs represent a wide range of community members and a broad range of differences.

Along with sayings like the one seen in the picture below, people hold up signs about themselves. The poster to the left gives some examples; the signs on the street have more:
Jasper (Alberta) Diversity Project poster, from their website. Text: "You're different. That's awesome. You're just like the rest of us". "Jasper embraces diversity". Images show different groups of people holding up signs about what they love, related to diversity.
  • I love my freckles
  • Drama king!
  • Proud to be brown!!
  • Nous parlons francais
  • Proud to be newlyweds!
  • I'm proud to be native!
  • We are blessed to be in a blended family
  • I love being Christian
  • I love being gay
  • Winning my battle with depression
http://jasper-alberta.com/2439/The-Diversity-Project

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

[the dream we form by being together]

The Caller of the Morning Prayer, by Dale Auger. Seen at Borealis Gallery "The Dream We Form By Being Together" exhibit. Photo by rob g. Image of yellow and black bird, perched on a stick, above smoking smudge

"As part of Canada’s 150th year, the Borealis Gallery opens The Dream We Form By Being Together. This exhibition centres on the theme of reconciliation and emerges from the awareness that art can play a central role in the process. Drawing from indigenous practices and understandings, the show seeks to rebalance colonial narratives within the much larger story of this place we now call Canada."

The exhibit runs until October 1, 2017. If you are in or near Edmonton, check it out!

More info

Monday, August 14, 2017