13 Mar 2020

Diversity Lens - Issue 17

Diversity Lens - Issue 133 Diversity Lens - Issue 132 Diversity Lens - Issue 131

Mar 13

Diversity Lens - Issue 17

Diversity Lens

Welcome to Diversity Lens, the newsletter from BAME Recruitment and Diversifying.io! We’re excited to be bringing you all the latest news and opinions about recruitment and the world of diversity and inclusion.

Latest News

Improv helps anxiety relief says new study
“People with anxiety a lot of times are either thinking about the past, or they’re thinking about the future,” Megan Hastings, an improv student told website Freethink. Freethink.com documented the adventure of Stephanie Azzaline and other students who signed up for the 8-week course - a mixture of group therapy sessions (led by two licensed clinicians with improv experience), with actual improv training and performances led by instructors at one of the world’s premier comedy clubs, Second City. The idea, which came to life at Second City a couple of years ago, was to create a support network which would help bolster the confidence of members, both teens and college students, stuck in anxiety’s grasp. A scientific study had proved the idea to be sound. After a short-term clinical study involving 32 patients, researchers in Illinois concluded that intervention using improvisational comedy exercises may provide a strong and efficient treatment for patients with anxiety and depression. Click on the photo below to read more about this exciting initiative.

White sports lecturers learning how to make their classrooms less racist
Lecturers Michael Hobson and Stuart Whigham who teach Sports Sociology speak out about the nuances needed for lecturing about sports: "We’ve realised that when discussions of race are framed purely as lecture content, they become disassociated from individuals’ lived experiences. Too often, as “liberal” white academics, we can be guilty of discussing racist incidents in sport without considering how our day-to-day behaviours contribute to a culture which can disadvantage others who do not share our privilege." There is also a call for universities to create more inclusive spaces for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students. Jessica Ennis, pictured below, and other sports legends such as Serena Williams have brought to attention the topic of racial discrimination in sport, drawing on their own experiences. Indeed, the fact that BAME students in sport are overwhelmingly taught about race by white lecturers, who lack the experience of structural inequalities present in sport, higher education and wider society, is in itself an illustration of the self-perpetuating inequality in modern universities.

Click Here to read more on the effects of white privilege in sport and academia.

'Not easy': Serena Williams shared a candid photo revealing what it's like being a mum and a professional athlete
Tennis legend Serena Williams has shared an intimate photo of herself with her daughter Alexis, aged 2. Serena stated that she is "in awe" of other working mums. Serena has always been transparent surrounding the challenges of balancing work and family, trying to shine a spotlight on the obstacles women face when it comes to balancing home life and work. She reveals: “It’s totally normal to feel like I’m not doing enough for my baby. We have all been there." She also stated in the photo caption, “I am not sure who took this picture but working and being a mum is not easy, I am often exhausted, stressed, and then I go play a professional tennis match. We keep going." The tennis pro has made further strides in helping working mothers by recently joining The Mom Project, a platform that connects mothers with employment opportunities. Williams has taken on the role of Strategic Advisor. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re a team of one or 100,000; if you’re hiring, are you considering hiring mums?” Serena said in a press release. Click on the photo below to read more about how Serena handles her own work-life balance.

Diversity and Inclusion Insights

Forbes s ix key character traits of a disability inclusion leader
Inclusive leadership is an essential part of embracing diversity and inclusion at all levels. One area that has been lacking is the clear direction on disability inclusive leadership. Forbes has outlined six key traits of a disability inclusion leader:
1. Respect For Individuality
2. Patience
3. Curiosity
4. A Collaborative Mindset
5. Intuitive Nature
6. Challenging The Status Quo
To read in more detail about what these traits mean for your business, click on the photo below.

A take on why diversity and inclusion isn't moving as fast as you'd expect
“Unless and until white America – including those who claim progressive values – comes to terms with its complicity in persisting injustice, diversity initiatives will continually fail.” This powerful quote from Pamela Newkirk’s recent book, Diversity, Inc., The Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business, exposes the slow pace of improvements in diversity and inclusion. This is further exemplified by writer Paolo Gaudiano, who points out that the rate of diversity and inclusion success is going to be very slow, unless we can find ways of identifying very direct, very specific benefits of diversity and inclusion for those who are already privileged. Gaudiano reflects that the efforts will continue to disappoint as companies and individuals alike continue to choose inaction, thereby perpetuating inequities. This is an interesting take on the model of diversity and success - click on the photo below to read more.

Story of the Week

Out and proud - life as a gay Buddhist monk and a makeup artist
Born in Tokyo to parents who were monks, Kodo Nishimura wasn’t interested in Buddhism when he was younger, yet his thinking later changed. Today, this out and proud gay man is both a monk and a professional makeup artist who has worked with the likes of singer Christina Milian and model Halima Aden. Kodo uses his Buddhist teachings to inspire his makeup skills. He hopes to encourage LGBTQ+ people to feel good about themselves. He says, “I want people to feel that they are equal, they are powerful, they can be who they are and be proud." Check out the video to see more about his unusual story.

Kodo is a Buddhist Monk who uses his religion, and his makeup skills to encourage LGBTQ+ people to feel good about themselves.

Featured Video

All-female Muslim Basketball team breaks barriers
This all-female varsity basketball team is made up of Muslim students from the Salam School, an Islamic school in Milwaukee. All the players wear hijabs and modest athletic wear. In an ideal world, this wouldn’t make headlines, however in an age of increasing Islamophobia they often face judgement based on their outfits and their religion. The Salam Stars are focused on playing basketball and making space for other girls to do the same.

The coach of the all-female Muslim basketball team Salam Stars says: "It's not just about basketball here, we're trying to build confident young women."

Events

Join us at the Business Change and Transformation Conference Europe 2020
Our CEO Cynthia Davis will be speaking next Wednesday 18 March at the IRM UK event on how diversity and inclusion is essential for good business and society. This is a unique opportunity to explore and debate the vital connections between business change, business and digital transformation, innovation and leveraging technology. This conference is an excellent mix of vision, strategy, principles and implementation. Discover new ideas, approaches and solutions while learning first-hand from the experiences and successes of organisations across Europe. Click the photo to register for tickets.

Inspirational Person of the Week

Kelly Gallagher
Kelly is a British skier and the first athlete from Northern Ireland to compete in the Winter Paralympics. Gallagher won Britain's first ever Winter Paralympic gold medal during Sochi 2014. Gallagher has oculocutaneous albinism, is visually impaired and competes with a sighted guide. She only started skiing at the late age of 17, being inspired by her father, Patrick, who had become a commercial pilot at 36: "He showed me that if you want to do something it's never too late." With limited funding for the sport in the UK, Gallagher had to combine her competitive passion with a day job as a Civil Service Statistician. At the 2009 New Zealand Winter Games, Gallagher, competing with guide Claire Robb, won gold in her first ever international race, the giant slalom. In January 2011, Gallagher became the first British athlete to win a medal at the IPC World Championships. Competing with Evans, the pair won the silver medal in the slalom and bronze in the giant slalom at the event held in Sestriere only five weeks after they started working together. The pair also won a gold medal in slalom at the 2011 Europa Cup Finals. Find out more about Gallagher by clicking the picture below.