Teaching Inclusion

When I was a child I did not hear much about diversity and inclusion. I was taught briefly about civil rights and the movement that provided me an integrated classroom. I was told about Martin Luther King and his fight to unify Americans of every race. By no means was I ignorant of the importance of loving my brother that I see everyday.
The thing that was not taught in the classrooms was about acceptance and embracing different cultures for who they are. I was told about history not how to make history. I often heard stereotypes and abrasive language that hurt myself and others. I remember being one of the only Black kids at a sleep-a-way camp.
A girl told me that my skin was dark because God burned me in the oven. This was said in the company of camp counselors and nothing was said to reprimand the young lady for her words. As I reflect on that situation I remember that we were only in the third grade. This young girl's behavior was a by-product of something that she was taught not something that she was born to think. The reason why schools hire me to come in and talk about inclusion is because it may not happen at home. It is everyone's responsibility to take captive negative thoughts and words to protect the kids of today. Take some time today to recognize any biases or stereotypes you may have absorbed. Have those behaviors been passed on from you to someone that you hold dear? The best place to start navigating damaging thoughts about others is to have a conversation and then apply action to change the mindset that this thought pool has come from. The Dimensions of Diversity Alliance is a group of many causes-but action is the key to making us successful.
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Two Ladies meet for Coffee...

Guest blogger Two Ladies meet for coffee…By: Jaclyn Kochis

The New York Times features a piece called “Coffee, the Daily Lift” in which they interview three New Yorkers about their daily routines and the role coffee plays in it. Similarly, I have the pleasure of telling a story about two ladies who took some time in their busy schedules to meet for coffee. Tara Michener and I had met through Chamber of Commerce meetings nearly a year ago. I immediately took to Tara because of her outgoing personality and friendly nature. She was someone who, after I would talk to, left me feeling as though I needed to go back to work and push myself a little harder—in short, she inspired me.

Even more, her mission to promote self-esteem and diversity seemed to match my vision at The Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America (MPVA) where I work as the Director of Development and Public Relations. I found that what Tara promotes and what we promote at the MPVA is entirely parallel because we both strive to build awareness on issues of diversity and inclusion.

Thus, we began to schedule periodic meetings over coffee so that we could discuss our goals together. And, just after the first of the year, Tara and I set up another coffee meeting which led us to some exciting conclusions. First, we were both reminded of how powerful a simple “brainstorming session” could be.

Second, we both discussed how powerful a group of committed business men and women could be in discussing topics of diversity—basically we had just outlined the goals for The Dimensions of Diversity Alliance. You see, in just a short amount of time two ladies in a coffee shop were able to come up with a vision and set out to make it happen. While this happens every day, I think we tend to forget how influential people can be when they come together and support one another’s goals. That is why I am particularly excited to see what we are able to come together and create through The Dimensions of Diversity Alliance.

I have no doubt that we will surely demonstrate that greatness is achieved when our distinctly different minds collaborate towards one distinguished goal! I look forward to meeting you all on February 25, 2010 at 3:00 PM at The MPVA Chapter Headquarters located at 40500 Grand River Avenue in Novi.

The Wheel of diversity

When people think of diversity sometimes they just think of race. Diversity can be an array of characteristics that distinguish a person. I like to look at diversity in primary and secondary ways. Primary usually involves the things that you can see about a person just by looking at them. Secondary involves those things that you may not know until you open up dialogue and talk to them. Think about yourself for a second. What do you have in common with those around you by appearance? How about things that you have found out after you got to know the person? Once you take sometime to discover these different facets...share them with others. Diversity and inclusion begins with a great conversation! -Read something great

The business case for diversity

I'm typically asked why we need to focus on diversity in this day and age. I like to tell people that practicing diversity and inclusion is just like learning a new language. Have you ever learned to speak in a different tongue than your native one? It probably took lots of practice and focus to make sure that your diction and pronunciation made sense. Many times when people learn a new language they take it in steps and go from formal to conversational. Now think about this have you ever forgotten some of the key components of the language when you failed to practice repeatedly? Diversity is the same way. When we continue to focus on the positive aspects of diversity and inclusion and uplift it in our daily lives-we make a difference. When we decide that our work is done-it can unravel.
The Dimensions of Diversity Alliance has been created to remind us that when we work together we can accomplish our goals even faster and more effectively.
Hope to be able to communicate with you more in these blog posts and update you on our efforts!
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Welcome and pass it on!

Thanks for stopping by our Diversity Dimensions blog! Today is the first day of our newly created forum and we are happy that you get to share it with us. This blog supports our mission to create alliances with those in the field of Diversity & Inclusion. It also is the home page and main online headquarters for the Dimensions of Diversity Alliance.
Tara Michener Industries, a children's book author that is an advocate for self-esteem and diversity and the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America (MPVA), a non-profit, 501 (c) 3, organization that works to enhance the lives of veterans with spinal cord injuries and disease are the co-creators of this new alliance.
We want to get you excited about our goals so we will kick off the first post with a contest!

Doodle for Diversity
Would you like to be a Diversity Rockstar? Students from ages 5-18 can design a logo for our new alliance that is dedicated to Diversity and inclusion. We will unveil your design at a special ceremony and recognize you for your hardwork!
Send in your submissions to P.O. Box 530432 Livonia MI 48153
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