5 Things / Patrick is back
Today my son turns ten. Some of you may remember watching some videos we posted on LinkedIn earlier this year during the first weeks of quarantine. In this video, we talked about some of the kind things that companies were doing in the early days of Covid-19. And in this delightful video, Patrick and I discussed Transgender Day of Visibility.
It's been months since we made a video, but today was the day. Patrick and I caught up to discuss some of the learnings and silver linings he'd had this year. You can watch the next video here:
Here are some things that brought me good vibes this week:
For years, I've spoken about the Indigenous Muxes people of Oaxaca, Mexico, as an example of a third gender of people celebrated in their community. Now Mexico City has an inclusive futbol/soccer team named Muxes to pay tribute to those people and create a safe space for LGBTQ inclusion in the sport. The team is now sponsored by Nike. This matters because the team is powerfully standing out and proud in a conservative culture, and serving as role models for LGBTQ youth.
Like many companies, Macy's 2020 racial reckoning included commitments to partner with more Black-owned brands. They've taken that a step further and will launch five exclusive collections with Black fashion designers this spring. This matters because Black-owned businesses typically have less access to resources and distribution channels, and this access provided by Macy's will promote sales and ultimately greater equity.
American Express became the latest major company to achieve pay equity for all employees. This is significant in that the gender pay gap is about $.20 in the U.S., and higher for women of color. Conducting a pay equity audit and correcting the gap is simply an equitable (and anti-racist) thing every company should do.
This week I learned about Civic Alliance, a new non-partisan coalition of 844+ companies (including Blue Apron and Capital One). Together, the member companies are supporting safe, healthy and trusted elections, and inspiring employees and customers to participate in civic life. There are many ways companies can play an important role in employee civic engagement, starting with paid time off to vote. The coalition provides tools and resources to support those initiatives.
Finally, I was recently on the What's Betwixt Us podcast, produced by the Zanie app. Lyssa and I had a very real conversation. I hope you'll take a listen.
Thanks for all you do to build a more inclusive world.