writing.exchange is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
A small, intentional community for poets, authors, and every kind of writer.

Administered by:

Server stats:

336
active users

#DiversityEquityInclusion

2 posts1 participant0 posts today

Last year, the United States Marines judged a contest for teenage musicians, with the prize being the opportunity to perform with the U.S. Marine Band. It had been organized by a Chicago-based nonprofit called Equity Arc at the request of the Marines in response to the fact that American orchestras today are 80% white, 11% Asian, 5% Hispanic and 2% Black, and all the winners were musicians of color. Last month it was canceled because it contravened President Trump's executive order against diversity programs. The kids were disappointed — and so were veterans of military bands. So they decided to put on the show anyway, playing the music of the canceled concert — "Nobles of the Mystic Shrine" by John Philip Sousa. On Sunday, that concert took place, performed by what @CBSNews describes as "an improvised orchestra of equity that you might call America's own," including 22 teen competition winners. Watch the 60 Minutes coverage and read the transcript here.

flip.it/o_3Yj1

#Music #Culture #OrchestralMusic #TrumpAdministration #DEI #DiversityEquityInclusion #BlackMastodon @blackmastodon

Trump fordert Apple auf, DEI-Richtlinien vollständig abzuschaffen
US-Präsident Donald Trump hat Apple öffentlich aufgefordert, seine Diversity-, Equity- und Inclusion (DEI)-Richtlinien nicht nur anzupassen, sondern
apfeltalk.de/magazin/news/trum
#News #Tellerrand #Aktionrsversammlung #Apple #DEI #DiversityEquityInclusion #DonaldTrump #Personalstrategie #TimCook #Unternehmenspolitik #Unternehmenswerte #USRegierung

Replied in thread

@emilymbender This is similar to the "unconscious bias" trope in #DiversityEquityInclusion

In 2021 I wrote and delivered a short presentation “Unconscious bias – does it really matter?” that was based on the framework for Open Life Science, a not-for-profit based in the UK.

It made the case for centering the victims, not the people with the bias.

Presentation is here - figshare.com/articles/presenta

figshareUnconscious bias - does it really matter?This is a presentation that was written after I was asked to give a talk on unconscious bias.This presentation challenges concepts around unconscious bias. This presentation is for the reader who wants to make the world a better place.
Instructing government agencies to stop all #DEI / #DEIA programs, is basically telling them to ignore long standing laws that are based on the American goal of fairness and equality. It's NOT woke, it's the LAW.

I don't want to hear how these programs were only about race or gender. Some other examples of who DEI(A) programs are aimed to help:
- Veterans: In 2023, 8.39 million veterans were employed, which is about 46.6% of the veteran population. This is lower than the employment-population ratio for nonveterans, which was 62.4%.
- Poorer Communities / "Working Poor": 6.3 million individuals were among the “working poor” in 2020. The working poor are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force but whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level.

#diversityequityinclusion #accessibility #civilrights #civilrightsactivists #words #notwoke #law

I am surprised concerning Costco.

My first time ever visiting a Costco (we have one in West Springfield, Massachusetts), was many (many) years ago with a friend and their family. They said they were going to go shopping, and asked if I wanted to come with them.

The odd thing, was they were not going right away, and wanted me to come back in 30 minutes. And what makes that odd was they used this time to "dress up", as if they were dressing up to go to church or attending a special event. I recall them looking a little surprised that I still had the same t-shirt and blue jeans, I had been wearing, earlier. I recall my friend's mom, asking if I was ready to go, as if she was uncertain I should go.

It was not just them, because as soon as I entered Costco, I truly did feel out of place. Imagine an entire store of people dressed up to go shopping. I have never seen anything like it outside of Costco. And it was not just that 1x, either. My few shopping trips to Costco varied between weekday to weekend, and nowhere near any holidays or special occasions that I am aware of.

You would be surprised on how many people gave you a hard glance, because you were not dressed up. My friend's family never again offered for me to tag along, and I recall their mother wanting to keep some distance, as if she was ashamed I was there with them.

The atmosphere was that of "snotty people" with their noses up in the air. I recall even the staff, who were offering free samples, ensured I did not touch anything, while other folk were allowed to simply walk up and take what they liked. Mine was specifically handed to me, from a respectable distance (armed reached out). The store was also filled with white people, and I mean, not even any of the workers looked different from one another.

Anytime I tried entering Costco I was challenged by staff, who gate kept the entrance, verifying everyone was a member. Since I stood out of place, they were quick to stop me every time, and made me obtain a "guest shopping pass" the few times I went alone. Costco was not a stop I felt comfortable shopping in, and I have not been in a Costco in years. Preferring our local BJ's Wholesale Club (Chicopee, MA).

So I am very surprised - Very surprised, that it is Costco who is keeping their DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies, and now giving all their employees a pay raise.

I admit, it has been years (many) since I have entered a Costco. But I will always have that memory.

#Costco #DEI #DiversityEquityInclusion #LivingWage #PayRaise #BJsWholeSaleClub #BJsWholesale

Continued thread

Update: Costco isn't the only company sticking with DEI. Here's @abc's story on how Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase & Co.have also reaffirmed their commitment. A Goldman Sachs representative told the network: "We strongly believe that organizations benefit from diverse perspectives, and Goldman Sachs is committed to operating our programs and policies in compliance with the law.” At the second link, find recent stats about workers' perspectives on DEI from Pew Research. About half of workers (52%) said focusing on increasing DEI at work is mainly a good thing, down from 56% in February 2023, while 21% said it was bad, up from 16%.

flip.it/93F_Xk

flip.it/ATh7Nz

ABC News · These companies are standing by their DEI policies amid backlashBy Kiara Alfonseca

More than 98% of Costco shareholders voted down an anti-DEI proposal at their annual meeting. The proposal had been filed by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank. In its Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Costco's board of directors had urged shareholders to reject the motion, saying: "Our efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion remind and reinforce with everyone at our Company the importance of creating opportunities for all." Here's more from @AxiosNews.

flip.it/AD2S.m

Axios · Costco shareholders overwhelmingly reject anti-DEI measureBy Kelly Tyko

Sometimes when I think about not often experiencing interpersonal racism or harassment by cops, I recall something that reminds me that I have not actually been spared by racism. I remember the racist media I’ve consumed from a young age that taught me that white people are superior—if only by the lack of presence of people of color.

It instilled in me a scale on how to judge people by the color of their skin and the texture of their hair.

Living in a predominantly white area, most of the people I interact with locally are white—where only a few hundred years ago, I’d have only come across an Indigenous face.

In my art, I must remind myself to draw people of color—particularly dark-skinned Black people—to avoid perpetuating the racism I was exposed to. Something other creators who consider themselves to be anti-racist might want to consider as well. For how do we exist in a diverse world if we don’t see that diversity in our media?