----YOLANDA WEBB----
"AND SO IT GOES"
The "Be Attitudes of Inclusion” ©
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” - Muhammad Ali
The word itself says, "I'm Possible."
There is no hero without a villain, no saint without a sinner, no darkness without light, and no courage without a challenge. When we understand that all life is made up of duality, we can begin to live our lives by saying, "I'm Possible" and charging ahead.
In today's world that duality shows up in the fight for women's equality and the fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion. And I believe we are witnessing the duality of our allies.
What does that mean?
The duality of women who take a position on one issue, but refrain from speaking out on another. The duality of women who, from either side of the aisle, speak out on women's rights, equal pay, and the women's movement, but then shy away from speaking out on diversity, equity, and inclusion for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, those with disabilities and older adults.
And these two issues are two sides of the same coin.
I don't watch the news often, but I caught a news story the other day on the challenges faced by this new crop of DEI practitioners. It seems as if many corporations are now downsizing their focus on DEI and abandoning any effort to ensure that the workplace is once again level, equitable, and fair. Why? Because most people believe DEI is about race.
As I listened, I heard one anonymous source announce that the problem with DEI is that it was impossible to ensure that any of the efforts would be sustainable over time and would cost more money than many companies were willing to pay. It was akin to Affirmative Action.
Impossible. That's when I remembered the quote by Muhammad Ali.
Impossible when it's easier to live in a world you have been given rather than to explore how to open and expand the world around you to others in our great experiment to become beautiful, inclusive, and inviting.
It's easier to be stuck rather than to be brave. It's easier to make excuses rather than to make change. Old habits are hard to break. Duality.
Aristotle once said, "Excellence therefore is not an act but a habit." If we are ever to realize a just society and just and equitable work environments we must continue to charge ahead and push for diversity equity, and inclusion for all women, for all people.
Despite the impossible.
On this day in 1971, Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day to mark the date in 1920 when the 19th Amendment finally guaranteed women’s right to vote.
As we charge forward for Women's Rights, we cannot do that in isolation outside of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
This day marks a significant milestone in the women’s movement, but the name can be a bit misleading since we are still far from equity for women.
And the women's movement marked the beginning of the charge ahead for equity, diversity, and inclusion. When we remember that centuries later, we are still charging ahead to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. And in 1920 women were fighting for equity, for diversity and to be included.
The Equal Rights Amendment is far from being ratified by all states. Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah have all not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment.
Is DEI dead? If it is, we will never ratify the Equal Rights Amendment or make a habit of establishing work environments that are fair, equitable, and just.
Our allies must remember that a fight for women's rights is also a fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The duality of the fight must die. Not the fight itself.
Today, the fight for women's rights is the fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
I challenge you to step up and declare that DEI is not dead, it's not impossible. It's a dare. It's potential. It's a chance to change the world.
Impossible... It's nothing.
And So It Goes...
WEBB Advisory Group 2023 ©All Rights Reserved
"Inspired (In Spirit), we live and move and have our being."
Prayer for the Week
Dear God,
As we step into this new week, we invite your presence into every situation, knowing that with you, all things are possible. We look forward to the opportunities and even the challenges for as we go deep within ourselves, our world changes around us without. We pray with open eyes to see the light within. Amen.
“Be Attitudes of Inclusion” ©2023.
"And So It Goes..." is a weekly blog post and podcast. We welcome the voices of all people. Are you interested in writing or being on our podcast? Let us know. Listen to this segment on our podcast here.
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