-: What I've learned in the past year
that will inform how we make meaningful progress
on DE&I this year is that DE&I is deeply personal,
and each of us has a responsibility
to support one another and to continue
to develop and educate ourselves around the issues.
No one is immune, myself included.
Even if I've spent years leading our DE&I efforts
and researching the topic.
In the last year, my teams have faced enormous challenges,
including juggling childcare during the pandemic
while still delivering on work expectations.
Or dealing with mental health and personal stress
at levels that are debilitating,
and police assaults in their local communities.
Each situation required first listening
and understanding and having empathy
and then, needing to prioritize what we took on at work,
where and when we should extend timelines.
In one case, supporting flex-work models
and in another an individual to take a leave of absence
versus resigning and disengaging completely.
To support long-term inclusion,
we need to be aware of and sensitive to
the work and non-work challenges we all face.
The pandemic challenges will be with us
long after we're vaccinated.
Systematic racism won't be dismantled overnight.
And so I continue to educate myself.
For example, I led and participated
in our learning groups on racism
and audited an online college course
on Black American history
from before the US Civil War to today,
listening and learning to fully understand the challenges
and identify the ways that I could create
a more inclusive work environment for my teams.
Now is the moment to lend an ear
and continually educate ourselves,
a time to stay engaged, lend a hand, and flex our support.