Episode 4 - "Talking About Diversity @ Work"

About This Episode

"If you don't address inequity, you will never retain diversity."

The topic of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is being highlighted everywhere we look but many people still feel hesitant to talk about it, especially at work! Worrying about saying “the wrong thing” prevents many people from exploring this important and difficult topic. So how do you start a conversation about Diversity that feels both real and relevant to their life inside and outside of work? If you are trying to advance a more inclusive work environment, and go beyond “training,” join Naomi Banks and her special guests on this episode of The Leadership Living Room for a wholehearted conversation that will encourage people to talk more openly about diversity at work.

On This Episode, We Will:

Explore the feelings and fears people have about engaging in diversity conversations
Understand how our own lived experience shapes the way we approach conversations about diversity
Encourage people to lead these conversations at work

DOWNLOAD OUR TEAM TALK TOOLKITS TO LEAD THESE CONVERSATIONS IN YOUR WORKPLACE

Team Talks in this Series:

Naomi Banks

The People Side

Alicia Huckleby

St Paul Public Housing Agency

Kara Inae Carlisle

McKnight Foundation

Who joined us in the Living Room today?

Naomi Banks is an executive coach, leadership consultant and speaker who is passionate about partnering with organizations to drive positive transformation. Naomi brings two decades of experience in the high-tech and healthcare industries working as an HR Business Partner before she joined our team at The People Side. Naomi has a special interest in building cultures where all people feel welcomed, included, and valued. She is the creator of our DEI Team Talks Series: "Conversations for an Inclusive Workplace."

Alicia Huckleby is the Director of Human Resources at St Paul Public Housing. She is a native Minnesotan who grew up in the Frogtown area of Saint Paul. Alicia currently serves as both the Human Resources Director, as well as the Resident Initiatives Director, for the Saint Paul Public Housing Agency (PHA). She has over twenty-three years of public administration experience in affordable housing and housing policy. Over the course of her career Alicia has served on the boards of the state chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, HousingLink, and Model Cities; she has been a requested guest session speaker at national housing advocacy conferences, received national peer recognition awards for partnership collaborations that benefit affordable housing residents, and served as a housing policy and human resources consultant for other housing agencies. Alicia holds a graduate degree in Public and Non-profit Administration from Metropolitan State University, as well as a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota.

Kara Inae Carlisle is the VP of Programs at The McKnight Foundation. Kara Inae Carlisle has spent over 20 years working to advance inclusive and equitable communities. From her early days working with middle school girls through the YWCA in Southern California to raising funds for immigrant-led nonprofit organizations, from being the first full time staff person for Zócalo Public Square to serving as President of the City of Los Angeles’ Human Relations Commission, Kara has worked to bridge across differences in order to drive toward positive social and cultural change. Having joined the McKnight Foundation in 2017 as Vice President of Programs, Kara has spent the past few years working with board and staff on program strategy and diversity equity and inclusion. Previously, Kara spent eight years at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation serving as director of New Mexico Programs. Carlisle holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and an M.Div. in urban studies and education from Claremont School of Theology.

SHOW REFERENCES & RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

Podcast: Scene On Radio

“Seeing White” https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/

Podcast series began in 2015, with multiple rebroadcasts

Marcus Littles https://www.frontlinesol.com/team-member/marcus-littles

Frontline Solutions Advisor

bell hooks, "Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom" - Published in 1994

Paulo Freire, "Pedagogy of the Oppressed"

Building Movement Project: https://buildingmovement.org/

Research and reporting on social sector data with explicit lens of race

TED Talk “On Diversity: Access Ain’t Inclusion” with Anthony Jack; June, 2019

Research on Women in the Workplace: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace