I’ve found myself hopefully dreaming more these past few months. Would you dream with me?
Imagine...
- A world where the color of your skin doesn't predict the quality of healthcare you will receive.
- A world where anyone can run through their neighborhood or sit in their home without fear of being shot and killed.
- A world where your childhood zip code doesn't predict your future.
- A world where your physical ability doesn't limit access to opportunities that can be afforded with modifications.
- A world where kindness is prioritized over hate and dissension.
- A world where your race, gender, class, ability, dis(ability), religion, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, or any other dimension of identity do not prevent you from equitable access and belonging within whatever role or organization you may dream.
- A world where the engineers and scientists solving the most complex problems that affect all of us, proportionally mirror the gender and race of the population.
Unfortunately, we do not live in a world like that.
As we are challenged to start again amid COVID-19, we have an opportunity. We can initiate a new trajectory that dismantles the barriers and obstacles that meet the marginalized and minoritized at every turn and prevent us from realizing this ideal world.
For many of us, we don’t experience or see the barriers and obstacles faced by others. If they weren’t built for you, you often don’t see them unless you are looking for them. However, just because one can’t see the barriers faced by others, doesn’t mean they don’t exist or that the power they wield is any less.
We aren’t helpless, though. We can develop an increased awareness of the systemic and institutional barriers that affect people all around us. We can learn new tools and develop a practice for dismantling systems of oppression within our sphere of influence.
A Fresh Chapter
Let me introduce you to our fresh chapter:
I began my career playing with light projection on tiny microscopic mirrors as an electrical engineer for Texas Instruments. Fresh out of grad school, I never imagined I’d pivot so drastically from technical engineering to work focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Over the past year, I’ve reflected deeply on my two distinct careers and have found that they aren’t that different.
In 2008, I shifted my focus from widgets to workshops and began teaching, speaking, and writing about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Now, instead of the tangible, I utilize metaphorical projectors and mirrors to shine a light on micro and macro social systems that, when adjusted, improve student, employee, and organizational success.
This realization led me to rebrand my business and fully activate my engineering training in a new capacity. You see, I envision a world where personal and social circumstances are not obstacles to achieving potential, and where kindness, inclusivity, and conservation prevail. Clearly, complex problems must be solved to reach this vision. However, by leveraging engineering thinking, process-improvement, and research-based inclusion strategies, I am confident that we can collectively work towards sustainable solutions and systemic change.
With that as our driving goal, Engineer Inclusion helps people intentionally and systematically engineer equity and inclusion into their organizations: driving positive outcomes and effectively supporting employees and the community. Our mission is to provide services, tools, and resources that inspire awareness and initiate action.
So 2020 ushered me into a fresh chapter that falls in parallel with a tragic season where social inequities are increasingly exposed to the broader public. It is fair to say that this season is a new chapter for us all. This chapter is a revitalized opportunity, and our goal cannot be to return to “normal.” While normal for you may feel comfortable, the barriers and obstacles that persistently marginalize non-dominant groups must go. We can interrupt cycles of inequity and challenge the status quo!
A New Community
Elevate Inclusion is a collaborative and inclusive network for people with a heart for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many of us seek to find and amplify our voices to make our chosen impact on the world. Our network’s goal is to serve as a journey-partner and contribute to the success of one another collectively. We created the Elevate Inclusion Network to bring you together with equally passionate people ready for a new way to connect and share.
The group is open to anyone seeking community with equity-minded professionals at any point in their journey. All are welcome: college students, young to seasoned professionals, and retired individuals. Anyone who seeks to have an impact on this world can join the Elevate Inclusion Network.
Join us in the Elevate Inclusion Network and share with us how this bold new chapter has increased your awareness of inequities and inspired you to take action.
Join Elevate Inclusion
You are welcome to join and we encourage you to invite other like-minded individuals. If you are uncertain, or have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
