Did this episode get you thinking, or did we miss the mark? Let us know by leaving us a message on SpeakPipe.Chris uses his hot question “hall pass” from Jake as he tries to understand a lived experience that he
never considered until now. They discuss why going straight to “asking your Black friend” for the
answer can be a costly short cut to valuable learning and brain changes. The discussion prompts
Chris to think about his White privilege and his responsibility to work toward dismantling systems of
oppressions to ensure the next generation is better off.
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Resources/materials:
Nudges to Increasing Diversity: “Attracting, hiring, and retaining talent is the result of
organizational decision-making dynamics. Organizational procedures result from the leadership’s
decision making and enable organizations to function. In theory, such decision-making processes
seem rather straightforward: a goal is defined, and a course of action is set out. If a problem
emerges, the possible options and actions are identified for achieving and solving the problem. The
different options are then analyzed and weighed, and the most effective one is selected and adopted
by the organization.”
Hardwired to Exclude Others: “We are each entitled to our own personal world view. But
unfortunately, when it comes to interpreting information and trying to make objective sense of reality,
human brains are hard-wired to make all kinds of mental mistakes that can impact our ability to
make rational judgments. In total, there are over 180 cognitive biases that interfere with how we
process data, think critically, and perceive reality. There is no simple way to get around these basic
human instincts, but one thing that we can do is understand the specific mistakes we make and
why.”
Do No Harm Guide: “Personal and organizational efforts to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion
(DEI) need to extend not only to our internal processes of hiring, promotion, and professional
development but also to our external communication efforts to represent the people and
communities we focus on. To that end, we need to consider how to apply a DEI lens not just to the
words, colors, icons, and other elements in our writing, graphs, charts, and diagrams, but also to the
process of crafting these communication products. This guide and the associated checklists and
toolkits focus on the often hidden or subtle ways that data analysts and communicators fail to
incorporate equitable awareness in the data they use and the products they create.”
From colour blind to Anti-Racist: “For many people, their skin colour matters very much because
they experience racism on a daily basis. To say “I don’t see colour,” is to say we don’t see the
racism people face. What matters is people’s own experience of being racialized. Believing that
ignoring skin colour will solve all of our problems fails to consider the very real experiences of racism
that occur in daily life. As a result, this attitude helps to maintain inequities and systemic racism. We
need to see to believe."
Employee Volunteering: “You’ve been tasked by your company to operationalize purpose – big
commitments to “make an impact” on an important social issue – maybe it’s childhood hunger,
STEM education or homelessness. You’re charged with engaging employees around this critical
issue – at scale. You’re reminded that it’s important that you consider this critical issue through an
intersectional lens because diversity, equity and inclusion are a priority for your company. You’re told
that it would also be fantastic if you could find a way to make it connect with your company’s
sustainability goals, as well (thanks so much!)”