2021 Uncomfortable Conversation – Dialogue #9

Social Sustainability: “The Indigenous practice of Being”

Workshop

Indigeneity recognizes the cultural, religious and holistic contributions of Indigenous people. This webinar acknowledges that while people are not all native to the Americas, they are all indeed connected to indigenous tribal communities from the ancestors of their land of origin. This unique DLA webinar will address the problematic patterns of colonial thinking which can exploit and marginalize most things. All of our institutions, which were built by colonial powers, are plagued with hierarchical thinking, systemic exploitation, and marginalization which are the root of patterns of systemic forms of “ism”.

Transgender Inclusion: Helping Transgender employees feel a true sense of belonging in the workplace

Workshop

Despite growing public knowledge and awareness of Transgender individuals, many still face stigma, hostility and discrimination in the workplace. Some employers are not equipped with the supportive Culture or policies designed to protect and support their Trans employees, leading to issues with retention and overall job satisfaction. In this eye-opening, candid discussion, attendees will hear individual accounts of what it is like to navigate a workplace as a Trans individual while remaining authentic and expressing your true gender identity. Attendees will walk away with the tools needed to become Allies for the Trans community and help to promote and cultivate a more Trans-inclusive workplace that is open, honest and accepting of all gender identities.

Resources

Here are some resources from the webinar and responses we received from your questions.

Video from Beginning of Webinar: An Introduction to Transgender People:
https://youtu.be/YSuJ70OMo3I

Transgender Inclusion Kit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IwOrHXrj6GSNYJBug3vhYTYaj_9pf3lC/view?usp=sharing

Panelist Information

Cassandra Williamson, cassandraleighwilliamson@gmail.com • 205-723-3316, post-op trans woman, parent, grandparent, Veteran, Naval Academy grad. Retired and available as panelist, speakers, etc.

Julian Melson, julian_melson@yahoo.com • 602-403-5899 best way to reach me is call or text. You will never bother me. I leave my ringer off and check often for that reason.

My friend has a son who is going through transition but she does not understand the whole trans. She is from Mexico and is afraid that her family will shame her and son. What do you recommend I should tell her?
The first step would be for her to get support. There is a group for parents called www.aztypo.org also www.transspectrum.org. They have support for trans folks and loved ones.

If it would help her, contact Julian for her to see the potential for her son’s future.
https://genderodyssey.org
genderbread.org
genderspectrum.org/articles/understanding-gender

Any advice for advocating for trans-inclusive healthcare within the workplace?
Make sure your insurance providers offer a broad range of gender affirming care – mental, hormonal, surgical.

This year in my son’s middle school they asked each child to introduce themselves and tell their pronouns. A girl that my son has known since kindergarten stood up and said she is now a boy and wants to be referred to as he/him. Any suggestions or books/resources that are targeted to helping middle school aged kids learn about this?
Google Trans children’s books.
welcomingschools.org/resources/childrens-books-transgender-non-binary

This isn’t about employment – What do you suggest to a parent with a child that identifies as non-bionary; has come out to only me and our family is extremely religious. We have left our Church and are disconnecting from family but feeling lonely and don’t want to reconnect and have my child put on a facade.
You’re doing great! Keep listening and keep being supportive. Your actions go a long way to making life easier for your child.

Wired Differently: Embracing Neurodiversity in the Workplace

Workshop

Wired Differently is a powerful look into how we can ALL re-imagine an inclusive and healthy workplace that truly embraces all Neurological differences. As an HR professional, manager or co-worker, attendees will learn to make meaningful connections between people and their skills, placing the focus not on what they CAN’T DO, but rather on what unique attributes they bring to the table.

Resources

• CAI Autism2Work: https://www.cai.io/
• Job Accommodation Network https://askjan.org/
• Autism Society of Greater Phoenix https://phxautism.org/
• AzAssist https://phxautism.org/connect/community/azassist/
• Arizona Vocational Rehabilitation https://des.az.gov/services/employment/rehabilitation-services/vocational-rehabilitation
• Federal Rehabilitation Services Administration https://rsa.ed.gov/about/people and https://rsa.ed.gov/about/programs
• ADHD Success Network Coaching for those over 20 years: https://www.adhd-coach-asn.com
• Autism and Special Needs Life Coach: https://www.asnlifecoach.com/ http://phoenixaddtesting.com/
• Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center: https://www.autismcenter.org/
• US Department of Education Trio Programs: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html
• Express Employment Professionals: https://www.expresspros.com/

**We apologize that the ASL is lost when there is a screen share. This is a known issue with Zoom, so please contact them and let them know how important it is for this accessibility to be able to be recorded.

Food Apartheid: “How Hunger and Food Insecurity Affects us ALL”

Workshop

Not having enough food to eat and the inability to eat healthy food is about more than food deserts, is about racial equity, food justice, and systemic change.

Did you know that in the City of Phoenix, 42.5% of people live in a food desert? This means that nearly half of all the people living in Phoenix in these 43 food desert areas do not have access to healthy food due to lack of healthy food outlets, lack of reliable transportation, income, and time. The Coronavirus pandemic exacerbated the reality for those already suffering and many experienced uncertainty about where their next meal was coming from for the first time.

In this eye-opening webinar, you will hear from advocates working in government, education, grassroots organizations, restaurants, and food producers about the state of the local food system, the effects of the pandemic and how collaboration among unlikely partners is making progress towards a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food system. You will also learn actions you can take to promote food equity in your own community.

Resources

Check out the Female Farmer Project (and podcast) http://www.femalefarmerproject.org

Food Action Plan: https://www.phoenix.gov/oep/food-systems/2025-phoenix-food-action-plan

Backyard Food Production Program Applications open in Sept via @phoenix.gov

Chef Michelle Daniels to volunteer: Chef Michelle Daniels, 623-221-8627 @allaboutfoodaz, email: allaboutfoodaz@gmail.com

Fatima Modaba to volunteer: www.momsdadsbabies.com, Fatima.modaba@gmail.com, @ Modaba.fatima, 602-710-8212

DLA Conference Information: https://www.diversityleadershipalliance.org/conference/

DLA Award Nominations: https://www.diversityleadershipalliance.org/awards/

DLA Aug 19 Registration Required: asu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mbC6qreMT_SToJJxTeLd-A

**We apologize that the ASL is lost when there is a screen share. This is a known issue with Zoom, so please contact them and let them know how important it is for this accessibility to be able to be recorded.

Mental Health and Our Evolving Workplace Norms: Facing the Complex Emotions Associated with Resuming In-Person Work

Workshop

After over a year of working remotely, many employees have mixed emotions about resuming in-person work and returning to the office, including excitement, anxiety, fear, and uncertainty, to name a few.

Concerns about exposure to the COVID-19 virus, reduction in flexibility, resuming a daily commute, office safety and cleanliness protocols, and vaccine-related expectations are a few emerging pain points.

In this important and timely webinar, Dr. Lauren C. Taveras, a licensed clinical psychologist, will guide us through an exploration of these concerns, and more, while identifying concrete strategies to manage our emotions, focus on what lies within our locus of control, and practice perspective-taking to promote an inclusive, compassionate transition back to the workplace.

About the Presenter

Dr. Taveras is a bilingual, bicultural, licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Coral Valley Psychological Services, a private practice dedicated to addressing the psychosocial concerns of individuals, couples, and families, with a special emphasis upon the Latino/a/x immigrant community. In addition to psychotherapy, Dr. Taveras conducts immigration-related psychological evaluations in Spanish and English for asylum- seeking immigrants in the U.S.

Dr. Taveras graduated with a Doctorate of Psychology from Long Island University, where she also taught as an adjunct instructor, offering psychology theory and assessment courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She holds Masters degrees in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University Teachers College, as well as in Education from Pace University. Prior to her career as a mental health professional, she was a dual language educator and instructional coach in NYC public schools. As a Dominican American, she was raised in a bilingual, bicultural home; building multicultural competency is an ongoing value at the center of her practice.

Learn more about Dr. Taveras and her practice at https://coralvalley.health

Resources

Emotion Wheel Link: https://www.glenntrigg.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/emotion_wheel2_colour.png

Mindfulness & Meditation Support: https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/getting-started

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): https://mbsrtraining.com

For Mental Health Support

• Psychology Today
• GoodTherapy
• Open Path Collective

Webinar on the relationship between Covid-19 and PTSD Symptoms: Covid-19 and PTSD: A pandemic’s hidden trauma, available at: https://hub.jhu.edu/2021/04/16/covid-19-ptsd/

**We apologize that the ASL is lost when there is a screen share. This is a known issue with Zoom, so please contact them and let them know important it is for this accessibility to be able to be recorded.

We Are Not Silent: Stories and Support for the Asian American & Pacific Island Communities

Standing strong and united in solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Island (AAPI) brothers and sisters, DLA presents a special edition, “Uncomfortable conversations that ignite change, We are not Silent: Stories and Support for the AAPI community.” Racially motivated hate crimes and harassment have been systemic in America for people of color and other vulnerable populations for hundreds of years. More recently, specific targeting appears to be focused on members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander descent communities. Very much like the COVID-19 virus pandemic, hate is a virus that must be uprooted at its core. We cannot allow it to further harm the condition of race relations in America. It is deplorable and unacceptable. America is a country of immigrants, and all its citizens must be treated with dignity, respect, and humility.

This special edition community dialogue will be a safe space and place to listen and learn while acknowledging the frustration, pain, and fear that many have experienced and witnessed in their AAPI communities. We will then harness that energy and focus it on change while addressing critical short and long-term strategies to transform the systemic nature of hate and oppression. Attendees will hear from local activists, and community leaders as they share their stories and perspectives. Each attendee will leave with a charge of the one thing they can do now to be agents of change, leading to dismantling injustice.

Moderator: Tram Mai, Channel 12 News Anchor
Panelists:

• Jason C. Wong, Board Chairman, Asian Corporate & Entrepreneur Leaders
• Leezie Kim, Chief Legal Officer, Fox Restaurant Group
• Lor Lee, Administrative Director Diversity and Inclusion, MAYO Clinic
• Jennifer Chau, Founder and Director, AANHPI for Equity

Resources

Bystander training: Get Trained | Hollaback! Together We Have the Power to End Harassment (ihollaback.org)
https://www.ihollaback.org/harassmenttraining/

AAPI Community Action to Stop Asian Hate: AAPI Community Actions | Asian American Day of Action
https://www.asianamericandayofaction.com/aapi-community-actions/

AZ AANHPI for Equity Social Media:
Instagram: AZ AANHPI For Equity Coalition (https://www.instagram.com/azaanhpiforequity/“>@azaanhpiforequity) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: (2) AZ AANHPI for Equity | https://www.facebook.com/azaanhpiforequity
We’ll be posting AAPI history content everyday for the month of May.

A Bully-free Forum Toolkit: Have youth start a conversation on the topic of bullying. Click on resources.
http://bff-animation.creativecreate.com/bffani_sliders/home/

AAPI: The City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department has done Story Maps of some ethnic communities in Phoenix, and one is AAPI. Here is the link to learn more about AAPI history in Phoenix: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/21c1aad2b570463796bc3acba6772fd3

Myths and Facts Black and Asian Solidarity
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_bAsUjSmSOVUqucqQ810h7gw2ziQUSVuxmt-HRpBuHU/edit#slide=id.p

List of Things To Do:

1. Donate to an AAPI Organization
2. Commit time to volunteer at an AAPI Organization
3. Bystander Training
4. Invite others in conversation
5. Believe we can change
6. Buy from a local Asian business
7. Pay cash to avoid credit card fees during this hard time
8. Celebrate Asian Month in May

The Digital Playing Field: “How Racially Equitable is it?”

In this eye opening webinar, we will address the educational risks that students of color face due to systemic inequities and lack of access to technology. As students went online with virtual learning, many of our students of color struggled, as they did not have access to computers, high speed internet or reliable wi-fi, making it difficult to be successful in the virtual learning environment.

Our expert panel of Educators, Community Advocates and Trainers will discuss the disproportionate socioeconomic and racial gaps that exist for students of color around technology. The panel will also examine how if persistent and not resolved, this digital gap could put even more students of color at risk of falling further behind.

What you can do:

1. Tell the stories and file with FCC docket so local, state and federal government know: https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData/consumers
2. Join the ASU ShapingEdu Universal Broadband Committee: https://shapingedu.asu.edu/project/universal-broadband-access-us
3. Take the Universal Broadband Course: https://courses.cpe.asu.edu/browse/uto/courses/shapingedu-universal-broadband-access
4. Use this concept map to learn more: https://cmapspublic.ihmc.us/rid=1RV10HHG8-K0TQ9R-3M0/DigitalDivide-2017%20and%20beyond.cmap (by Dan Bassill provide link back to it as attribution.)
5. National Digital Inclusion Alliance: https://www.digitalinclusion.org
6. Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://www.eff.org
7. Algorithmic Justice League: https://www.ajl.org
8. Watch Coded Bias on Netflix
9. California Broadband Council Report: https://broadbandcouncil.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/68/2020/12/BB4All-Action-Plan-Final.pdf
10. American Indian Science and Engineering Society: https://www.aises.org
11. From Attendee Daniel Bassill building a web library since late 1990s. One subsection is “technology-digital divide”. I point to this using a concept map at http://tinyurl.com/TMI-DigitalDivide-Issues. Students on every campus could be building a similar map, sharing links to resources they know. Use as an effort to close silos.
12. Contact your local officials https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
13. Temperature checks within your local community
14. Find something that interests you and learn more about it…
    a. Issues section Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://www.eff.org
    b. Speak to a young person and ask them to teach you something they know about technology

Information on Indigenous Populations

• National Tribal Broadband Strategy: https://on.doi.gov/3e2bf7i
• Another resource: https://ailanet.org/tribal-library-resources/
• FCC: Native Nations: https://www.fcc.gov/general/native-nations
• From Earl: “The Digital Edge,” by Watkins and Cho: opensquare.nyupress.org/books/9781479849857

Crowning the Empowered Woman: “Reimagining global Sisterhood”

This webinar is an open and honest conversation with diverse female Leaders from all walks of life and experiences. This conversation will hopefully challenge you to recognize, examine and start to dismantle the boxes in which we put ourselves and others; and start to live your life on your own terms.

Our panelists will share lessons learned from their own experiences and identify how they learned to minimize and shift the automatic tendency to judge, label, and stereotype other women. In addition, we will explore the power of mentors, Allies, and co-conspirators to create action, opportunity, and the capacity for gender equity and acceptance.

Thank you to:

• Equal Access Services with interpreters Stephanie and Chasity for our ASL translation today.
• Lady Caress and her inspiring poem: ladycaress.com
• Bruce Kirkwood for his beautiful melodies: www.instagram.com/Bruce_The_Violinist

Unveiling the Invisible Man

In our February workshop, we seek to provide a thought provoking discussion into understanding the invisible cloak that many men of color sometimes wear as they navigate society. Our panel of men, represent various facets of life and stages in their career and will explore the social transformation that they experience as fathers, recent college graduates, professionals, community leaders and mentors. Attendees will hear real life accounts about the lack of belonging experienced as they seek employment, mentor others and navigate workplace pressures. This honest and open dialogue will provide attendees with a valuable perspective of what it is like to be a BIPOC (Black Indigenous Person of Color) and male in the United States and the constant devaluation they feel as they strive to share their narrative, be authentic and build strong partnerships and networks.

MODERATOR – ESSEN OTU
Essen Otu is the Manager of Diversity and Inclusion at SRP responsible for providing corporate leadership and direction for diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging strategies in support of business objectives and corporate goals. He leads the D&I Department and together with his dedicated team, implement and oversee D&I objectives and deliverables in areas of training, integration and measurement. Essen is a purpose-driven executive leader who serves on the DLA, ACF and Vitalyst Health Boards to name a few and is the Founding member of REAP (Real Engagement through Active Philanthropy), a Black men’s philanthropy circle in partnership with the Arizona Community Foundation.

Panelists

DR MARC PRINE
Dr. Prine is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist that is known for his dynamic professional style and analytical approach. He thrives on using data and analytics to take an objective perspective to improving human performance. Marc partners with his clients to provide guidance and develop custom-built programs that are constructed around individual, team, and organizational outcomes. His key areas of focus include working with organizations to integrate empirically supported methodologies into the management of human capital.

JACOB M. QUINTANA
Jacob is a recent Accountancy and Business Data Analytics graduate from Barrett, the Honors College and the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU. He serves on the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), engaging students in diversity employment and professional development opportunities in the western region of the United States. He currently works for KPMG Phoenix as an Audit Associate and is studying to complete the CPA exam.

CARLOS MAVINS JR.
Carlos is the Founder and CEO of Bridge to Leadership and is a servant leader passionate about helping young professionals discover their purpose in life and thrive within their professional careers. His organization, Bridge to Leadership is designed to create a global database and pipeline of diverse talent, offering services to both young and experienced professionals that focus on Education, Community Outreach, Leadership and Professional Development, and Networking Opportunities.

The Invisible Man Video: https://fb.watch/2iMUvA_usf/

Special thanks to Bruce Kirkwood for our music: https://www.facebook.com/watch/BruceTheViolinist/

ASL translation provided by Equal Access Services. A very special thank you to Dave Wollenhaup and his translators for the continued partnership.

Answers to additional workshop questions asked by the audience, as answered by Jacob M. Quintana

What do you think non-white men can teach others about resilience. I find those with privilege are not used to the struggle and can have deficits with resilience.
I think non-white men can offer reflections to others, not only about how their differences leave them subject to discrimination and certain marginalization, but also how in overcoming these obstacles, they’ve been shaped into better and stronger men. I think the unfortunate circumstance is that it can take lifetimes for us to achieve the equality that people of color seek, but in doing so, we create legacies and are often seeking to improve upon ourselves to create better versions; just one way we seek to level the playing field. This can be especially impactful in the workplace where the general assumption may be that since all coworkers have one way or another ended up in the same position, the routes taken to arrive there aren’t so different.

What do you think about removing certain information from resumes, like colleges attended, names, addresses, that could give hints as to the person’s race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background etc.
I’ve stood to benefit from wearing my identities on my sleeve. Many of the opportunities in leadership roles during my time at university have been with Hispanic/Latinx organizations. Ideally, people of color would be taken under consideration for our merits and our experiences only, but I’ve personally always been comfortable sharing these things on my job applications. I’d like to think as more people of color enter into the upper echelons of management and have sway in terms of the hiring practices, we’ll take a look and ensure that pools of applicants are more representative of the population they’re pulling from. I think if we were to remove those things, we would in some ways admit defeat to succumbing to our own biases. To close, I think there is still a larger discussion to be had about reactive vs. proactive measures when it comes to racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination. And I think having measures that are preventative rather than detective could be a good thing if implemented correctly (for example, I think the use of a gender-neutral pseudonym has offered interesting results when used on a job application). For that reason, I wouldn’t want to rule out my own support for these measures. Unfortunately, the ongoing discussion appears to be more so about the deficiencies most people have in relating to those that are not like them. As much of a “crutch” as these general identifiers can be (like schools attended, hometowns), they still do provide some benchmark for how we can relate to one another. The way in which they are referenced is the key.

Cultural Humility as a Foundation for Social Transformation

To kick off the first dialogue of 2021, participants will join an interactive facilitated dialogue on the application of the Cultural Humility principles in their work as a foundation for social transformation. For over two decades, cultural humility has replaced the insufficient notion of “cultural competence” with a cyclical approach that embraces critical self-reflection as a lifelong learning process to create a broader, more inclusive view of the world. Participants will gain insight on how to build trustful partnerships with colleagues and the communities we serve, and how organizational policy and behavior can be transformed by applying the Cultural Humility principles.

About the Presenters Indigenous Vision:
Souta Calling Last and Tyler Walls are both Cultural Humility Trainers with Indigenous Vision, an educational nonprofit based in Phoenix, Arizona and Missoula, Montana. Souta is the Founder and Executive Director who focuses her efforts on environmental justice and community health. She is a member of the Blood Tribe and a graduate of the University of Montana and the University of Phoenix and holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies-Water Resources and a master’s degree in Innovative Leadership and Change Management. Tyler is the Project Director who works with communities and partners to advance social transformation. He is a member of the Hopi Tribe and Onondaga Nation and a graduate from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in American Indian Studies and a minor in Geography. Indigenous Vision is led by an all-Indigenous team who work to revitalize Indigenous communities – culture, people, and land – by providing educational programs nationwide.

Resources:
From the Discussion: Cultural Humility and the Pre-Health Professions Student – Jann Murray-Garicia, M.D., M.P.H. (2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZUP6CrHAXA

Title: Cultural Humility (complete) – 30 minute documentary https://youtu.be/SaSHLbS1V4w

End Video with John Legend and the Roots:
https://youtu.be/iJgxJ6JrPkc

Download: Indigenous Land Resources (PDF)
https://www.diversityleadershipalliance.org/docs/Indigenous_Land_Management_Resources.pdf

Native Land Map: https://native-land.ca
https://www.diversityleadershipalliance.org/docs/Honor_Native_Land_Guide.pdf