. . . At the same time, we can’t be individually responsible for our impact without a strong dose of cultural and compassionate humility — for ourselves and each other.
We are, at best, life-long DEIBA learners in this social-change adventure. Eating crow genuinely is both a skill and an art. There are no “ultimate experts” in all DEIBA matters – there are specialty experts, and even these are keenly aware that their specialties are evolving and expanding so rapidly they can’t be “fully mastered.”
Cultural and compassionate humility are critical because we cannot escape that, at some point, we will be insensitive, unkind, inequitable and exclusive. And we will be on the receiving end of such attitudes and behavior. We have all, at some level, absorbed as “normal” the unjust attitudes and behaviors of dominant American culture or its subcultures.
While our infractions may inevitable, we are still each also responsible for caring enough about our impact to learn. The alternative is to indulge and defend the ignorance that allows us to perpetrate in subtle or more egregious ways.
In any given moment, we only need to learn enough to effectively spark and be the change we wish to see – mindful that we’re always still missing important information. When our shared DEIBA-related learning is imbued with cultural and compassionate humility, the shared learning deepens our connection to ourselves and each other, catalyzes our growth and expands the collective reach of our positive impact.
In alignment with our DEIBA Mission and Vision, VDC aims to nurture rigorous self-reflection and a nuanced understanding of:
- How social/systemic injustice is created, maintained and defended politically and interpersonally, and the nature of our known and unwitting participation in perpetuating injustice.
- The adverse impacts of unchallenged injustice on us as participants, on marginalized groups and on the socio-political systems we live in, and
- Actionable “remedies” to injustice, including but not limited to:
- Cultivating an attitude of cultural and compassionate humility towards ourselves and others,
- Sustaining an attitude of “benign curiosity” when engaging DEIBA matters (rather than, for example, debating, arguing, defending or sheltering under our “good intentions” or alleged “sameness”),
- Leaning in to understand and to explicitly communicate understanding of the other’s subjective experience, rather than defending, “countering” and polarizing ourselves,
- The skill needed to tolerate and embrace awareness of any of our own attitudes and behaviors that violate our DEIB or personal values,
- The ability to conceptualize a given injustice as intricately embedded within our own individual histories and interests, and also within our larger socio-political systems and their interests,
- The skill to interact effectively with others as we raise and address sensitive, challenging DEIBA matters, and
- The quality and effectiveness of our targeted efforts at proactive advocacy.
To this end, we offer the DEIBA Learning Resources below. We envision our taking on DEIBA-related learning in manageable bites, in community, such that action items emerge that are collaboratively-conceived, personally meaningful and systemically-focused. With one slow and steady step at a time, anything is possible! Please respect all copyrighted material. (We’ve included some PowerPoints because these often provide speaker contact information as well as Resource lists.)
Multiple areas of Bias, Segregation, Inequity & Exclusion
Dismantling Microaggressioons-Fresh Lev White 2022
Harvard Implicit Bias Test
Microaggressions – Recognizing Them & Messages They Send
Privilege & Microaggressions Video Links
State Bar DEI Report & calls to Action
Ableism
How “unmasking” leads to freedom for autistic and other neurodivergent people
Heterosexism:
Transphobia (includes bias against Non-binary Gender Identity) &
Homophobia (bias against Sexual Preference)
Best Practices for Schools – Gender Diversity
Best Practices for Youth Sports – Gender Diversity
Coming Out – Human Rights Campaign
Gender Identity, Preference & Expression
Gender Identity Resource Links – Transforming Family
GenderDiversity – Author, Researcher & Writer
Language of Gender – Gender Spectrum
LGBTAI+ Recursos en Español
LGBTQAI+ Adoption
LGBTQAI+ Allies Ressources
LGBTQAI+ Religion & Faith
LGTBQAI+ College Resources
Myths – GenderSpectrum
Parenting Resources
Publications | GLAAD website Resource
The Genderbread Person
Transgender People-GLAAD Media Reference Guide
Transgender Updates & Websites-Transforming Family
Understanding Gender-GenderSpectrum
Videos re Gender Identity-Transforming Family
Workplace Resources-Human Rights Campaign
Workplace Sensitivity and Inclusivity
Racism
21-Day Racial Equity Challenge
Cultural Competence – Perilous Blind Spots
“Off The Reservation”- Teachable Moments
RACE Media Resources – Fresh Lev White
Race-Racism CPCal Workshop – PowerPoint
White Supremacist Culture in Organizations
Video – Most Common Myths re Race
Sexism
Xenophobia