Focusing on the mechanics of Ramadan not only perpetuates “othering” of the Muslim community, it shortchanges a deeper understanding of the tradition. The essence of Ramadan is for all of us. To me, it begins with a sincere contemplation of three elements: our relationship to our bodies, our relationship to consumption, and our relationship to community.
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What goes into differentiating “good” from “bad” in this binary conception of immigrants? Why are some perceived as “different?” Is it the fact that he is educated? Or that he speaks with no accent? Is it because he is working in a career that most consider “respectable?”
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Whether people have a positive or negative employee experience with your organization is and will continue to be critical not only to business success but to individual success. Although it is only one component of the overall experience, establishing a culture that fosters high engagement is an important step in the right direction.
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How does one recognize when an organization’s culture is toxic? To follow, I will outline four types of toxic culture that might be present in your organization.
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The overall goal of this process is not to feel pressured into turning every circle on the diagram green. It simply isn’t possible to feel a sense of belonging all of the time. The goal is to ensure that you are consciously choosing what’s right for you and staying curious about what’s possible. The path to belonging is just that: It is a path, and not a moment.
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During May’s AAPI Heritage Month, I wonder what it might take for America to offer enough multilingual services and employees so that no one will feel left out simply for not speaking English. What might a more language-inclusive U.S. even look like? How do we begin to preserve the language heritage of this nation and tap into the wealth of cultural ancestries from around the world?
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I recall asking a family member if I had “good hair” like grandma. There was a chuckle followed by a firm no. I remember feeling so disappointed. If my hair was not good, did that mean it was bad? I began to question myself. What if I were encouraged to celebrate my natural hair? If I were taught how to care for and accept my God given locks? What if I were reminded of how beautiful, unique, and perfect my hair was? The reinforcement of these positive messages could have saved years of damage to my mane. Like many Black families, mine was not immune to the harmful views passed down through intergenerational trauma.
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When we think about inclusion, there seems to be an important piece that we overlook: What exactly are we fighting to be included in? We have made strides in increasing the physical diversity of people within workspaces, but when we consider the complexities of our humanity and our whole, authentic selves, how “diverse” are things, really? How do our beliefs and actions toward those different from us affect the experiences of people who are considered different in our environments?
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In shedding the pursuit of “self-confident-lady-boss,” I felt my foremothers exhale a sigh of relief. I became who we have always been: women of faith, women of Love. Our faith and love finding its expression, its home, in community and in service. What I’ve come to realize is that what the world needs is not more confident leaders, but a deeper consciousness of our interdependence; a celebration and cultivation of our interdependence.
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Why has Encanto taken the world by storm? The simple answer is representation. Encanto incorporated timeless lessons about family, love, duty, and forgiveness through beautiful animation celebrating Colombian culture. Encanto delivers on a change to the status quo of Disney movies in a multitude of ways. The main cast includes characters with indigenous, Afro-Latina, and European features, all of whom are given the care and development that you would expect from a Disney protagonist.
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We are now in the midst of Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 – October 15. This year’s theme is Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope, a reminder “that we are stronger together,” especially in the face of a uniquely challenging and complex year. In the spirit of remembering and reflecting for Hispanic Heritage Month, here are 10 Hispanic heroes from history we should know.
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Justice is not neutral. After decades of keeping politics, conflict and anything beyond the job description out of the workplace, we are recognizing the collective harm and inequities that often arise as a result of organizations’ commitment to being “impartial,” “neutral” or “apolitical.” It has harmed not only those in our workplaces, but also our broader community. On a cultural level, our interpretations of what is “neutral” are more often than not associated with a specific set of values — values that center European colonists’ (white Americans’) values, while deeming other cultural values as “less than,” and in the case of the workplace, unacceptable, or even penalized.
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