5 Things / Trivia Edition
Pop quiz (no googling): Name the self-described “Black, lesbian, feminist, mother, poet, warrior," who made lasting contributions in the fields of feminist theory, critical race studies, and queer theory, and is known for such works as “Coal”, “Black Unicorn”, and “Sister Outsider”?
See, I’m super excited to share that we’re offering a fun, engaging new program: Team Trivia, Diversity Edition. This program is available at an introductory rate of 50% off to existing clients, or anyone booking a full-priced session between now and May 31, 2022.
Team Trivia will be hosted by Maui Jones, who wrote a great children’s book on diversity called Everyday with Ella – and is an experienced team trivia host, having hosted this program for a variety of companies (and in pubs). In our version of Team Trivia, attendees will work as random teams in breakout rooms to answer questions and bond with their colleagues.
Maui has trivia ready to go for this month (Diversity Month), AAPI Month, Pride Month, and more. Trivia questions will be varied, global, and intersectional, so attendees will learn about history, pop culture, art, music, and more in one engaging event. This is not a boring lunch and learn — be prepared to sing along in your breakout room to some favorite songs with new friends from around the globe.
As many of you know, I like to bring approachability, positive energy, and humor to diversity, equity, and inclusion work. It brings me a ton of joy to be able to offer something new that educates folks in an engaging and refreshing way. Good vibes indeed.
Other good vibes…
Mastercard has a new ad created with visually impaired people in mind first, using audio descriptions as in the storytelling. The ad is to promote their Touch Card, which has notches that help visually impaired folks identify whether it’s a debit, credit, or prepaid card. This matters because accessibility is often an after-thought rather than part of the creative process, meaning that many people with disabilities have an incomplete experience.
The Baltimore Museum of Art invited their security officers to curate an exhibit called “Guarding the Art” – after all, they spend more time with the art than anyone. Through mentorship with museum departments, the officers learned what it takes to put up an exhibit and were paid in addition to their regular salaries. Many of the officers/curators are BIPOC who are artists themselves, have other jobs, and/or are putting themselves through school. This matters because the museum gave them to influence and expanded their access to education. Equity in action.
Google is increasing its supplier diversity spend to $2.5 billion this year, up from $1.5 billion last year. The company has a number of educational and mentorship programs designed to enhance the ability of minority-owned businesses to earn contracts and does its best to pay invoices within 15 days of receipt. This matters because large companies often have onerous requirements that make it difficult for diverse suppliers to compete.
The Governor of the U.S. State of Maryland has eliminated 4-year degree requirements for thousands of jobs. This is a significant move (and the first for a U.S. state) and matters because it can expand the talent pool and provide more lower-income folks access to well-paying jobs. These folks are referred to as STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes). I love it. Again, equity in action.
Alaska Airlines now has gender-free uniform and grooming policies for front-line employees. There are very few airlines (or other companies with front-line employees) with a gender-free uniform policy and it particularly matters to nonbinary and gender non-conforming employees who may not subscribe to traditional gender norms enforced by uniform policies.