Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget – Ebook

With today’s top diversity story focusing on a small community college getting headlines over a “no white people allowed” social event, I was happy to run into this book, Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget. Some people still aren’t getting it about diversity (the school’s diversity officer came up with the idea of the exclusive party). But these authors get it, and have something important to share:

Read a preview here -- 

Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget: How to have a more engaged and innovative workforce with little or no dollars, by Evelina Silveira with Jill Walters.

This results-driven ebook offers affordable tips, tricks and links to get your diversity and inclusion strategy implemented, ongoing and successful.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

“Need some inexpensive ways to integrate diversity, inclusivity and accessibility in your organization? Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget gave me some great tips and tools to help build organizational commitment on our diversity journey.”

~Mary Ryan, Manager Community Resources / Diversity & Inclusivity, Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket, Ontario.

“If you think you don’t have the resources, money or time to make your organization inclusive, you need to read this book. The tips, and advice presented here demonstrate how even organizations that have “no” budget for diversity can make immediate changes. It's also a great book for any individual who wants to know what they can do to make a difference in their workplace.

~Simma Lieberman, “The Inclusionist”, Simma Lieberman and Associates

“The Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget workbook is a valuable resource filled with practical, ready-to-use information ideal for any NFP wanting to get up to speed with AODA legislation or to advance diversity and inclusion practices. No more excuses! The initiatives outlined in this book can be carried out with little or no cost.”

~Frances Ruffolo, Manager, Knowledge Exchange, Children's Mental Health Ontario

“Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget brings together a large number of great resources in one handy place. By focusing broadly on diversity of all types, the authors have created a helpful guide for any size organization.”

~Elizabeth Goldman, CEO, Perth & District Union Library

“Changes that are transformational are often small and simple. And they are often free or very low cost. Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget is just right for those who want simple, inexpensive actions that even the smallest business can do.”

~Dr. Linda Manning, Intercultural Economist, Transforming Hidden Talent into High Performance

Here's a link where you can learn more. sk

http://www.yourdiversityatwork.com/ebook/

***

No kidding, a college diversity officer decided a white's only party was the ticket for learning to get along with others:

"The event was focused around an effort ” to “build support and community” for people of color.

“If you want to create space for white folks to meet and work on racism, white supremacy, and white privilege to better our campus community and yourselves, please feel free to do just that,” stated an email which was sent out to 300 employees.

Students at the college expressed their bewilderment at why a “diversity” event would specifically exclude people of a certain race.

“This….contradicts the message they’re trying to send, don’t judge people based on their color but they’re judging white people because they’re white” said one student.

College spokeswoman Kellie Purce Braseth said the exclusion was “not condoned” by the school, adding, “If you want to come you should be able to come, that just makes a richer conversation.”

However, despite being forced to apologize, Karama Blackhorn, program coordinator for the school’s Diversity and Equity Center, who helped write the invitation, seemingly doubled down.?

Read more in today's issue of Diversity News Online.  Or take a look here -- 

Good reading. Susan

Most Americans Believe in Same Sex Marriage

Report from The Drucker Institute

Marital Strife

Posted on Mar 29, 2013 | 7 Comments

With a speed that has astonished both its supporters and its opponents, same-sex marriage has gained the support of a majority of Americans.

Opinions and policies range from state to state, however, and this week the United States Supreme Court took up the question of whether marriage by two people of the same sex is as protected by the U.S. Constitution as marriage by two people of the opposite sex.

That cases like these have come before the high court at all is a testament to the importance of the court’s role in socially divisive issues. Peter Drucker, when he first wrote about U.S. politics, found it striking how much the American political process preferred “to handle noneconomic issues on a ‘bipartisan’ basis, that is, to remove them essentially from party politics.”

When there was no room for broad bipartisan consensus, however, “initiative in such an issue is left, as if by passive agreement, to the one body in the American political system that is outside the established party alignment, the Supreme Court.”

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court

Drucker had no objection to this, for he felt the Constitution owed its longevity in great part “to the fact that the Founding Fathers wrote into it provisions for its being changed, and also created in the Supreme Court an organ specifically designed to adapt the Constitution to changes in society, economy and technology.”

As time went on, however, Drucker saw this balance coming apart. No longer, by the 1980s and ’90s, were party politics the home of “economic” issues and the Supreme Court the home of “noneconomic” issues. Instead, a “new pluralism” had placed noneconomic issues front and center in American politics, with numerous single-issue interest groups organized around staunch moral values.

“Economic interests can be compromised, which is the great strength of basing politics on economic interests,” Drucker noted in Managing in a Time of Great Change.  By contrast, with many moral issues, “there is no compromise possible.”

That has the effect of placing divisive social issues into a no-man’s land, with no agreed-upon moral authority except for a majority. From this perspective, it’s possible that Drucker would have seen a Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage as an intrusion by the court into the domain of politics. But it’s also possible that he would have seen the politics of same-sex marriage (such as the Defense of Marriage Act) as an intrusion into the domain of the court.

What do you think: What should be the Supreme Court’s role in setting policy on same-sex marriage?

Too Few Black CPAs, Says Howard University Professor (Who Offers Solutions)

Listen to Frank Ross, CPA:

Most of the accounting profession recognizes the importance of attracting more Blacks to the field and helping them pass the CPA exam. Few, unfortunately, have a good track record in getting results. In 2002 and 2010, Blacks hired by CPA firms accounted for only 3 percent and 4 percent, respectively. Even slightly lower, the percentage of Black professional staff members of CPA firms was 2 percent in 2002 and 3 percent in 2010. As expected, this has resulted in the marginal representation of Blacks at the management level of CPA firms, with only 1 percent of Black partners in 2002 and less than 1 percent in 2010, according to the American Institute of CPAs.

Have can this problem be resolved?

Ross, director of the Howard University School of Business Center for Accounting Education and a visiting professor of accounting, teaching auditing and ethics, offers his opinion.

(In 1968, Ross was one of the nine cofounders and the first president of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). In December 2003, he retired from KPMG after providing more than 38 years of service. Prior to retiring, he was the Mid-Atlantic area managing partner for Audit and Risk Advisory Services and managing partner of the Washington, D.C., offices. Ross was also a member of KPMG’s board of directors and chairman of the KPMG Foundation board of directors.)

This article continued -- http://bit.ly/ApyZiL

Emmett Till Blog; Murder in the Mississippi Delta; Civil Rights Cold Cases: Hollywood can still redeem itself (from The Help), by teaching diversity and tolerance through true historical movies on the civil rights movement#links

Cross-cultural leadership and understanding – not limited to the “big city”

Diversity in action. Images may be subject to copyright.

“You guys live in such a nice little town,” Larry S. was telling me.

My new teaching colleague was sharing his first impressions of Lawrenceburg, Indiana soon after being dumped by the faculty dean in the teacher’s lounge of the town’s small junior college campus.

“Larry, this is Susan – Susan, this is Larry, the new accounting instructor. Susan teaches computer classes.”

It turned out that Larry had always lived in a metropolis, and was now experiencing some culture shock after relocation from Indianapolis, a city of one million plus people, to this little river town of less than 7,000.

We got to talking, and it scared me when I learned he had no place to live, let alone a place to stay his first night. Larry was quite black and Lawrenceburg was still very racist, so I invited him to live at our house until he could find a place of his own.

Larry told me he was born near Salisbury, Zimbabwe, now called Harare, the biggest city in this African country, with a population of around 2 million. Harare is also the commercial capital of the country. The British founded the city in 1890 and called it Salisbury but when Zimbabwe gained independence in the early 1980's, the name was changed to Harare after a Shona chief, Neharawa.

True, Lawrenceburg was a comfortable, little town back in the mid 1970s. Located in the tri-states of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, “Whiskey City” was situated on the Ohio River and known by this moniker, since Seagram Whiskey was the town’s main (and only) major employer.

Indiana Vocational Technical College, where Larry and I taught, was a very small local campus (known informally as Ivy Tech and headquartered in Indianapolis) that catered mostly to white, young adults studying business-related classes.

My husband Fred and I knew most people in Lawrenceburg, from the local politicians, newspaper owner and medical practitioners, to teachers and other folks who worked for the Canadian distiller. Fred worked for the region’s mental health center.
In those days, if you went shopping in downtown Lawrenceburg you would find the typical small-town stores. Of course, this was pre-Walmart and most shops and larger stores carried American manufactured items.

Meanwhile, Fred and I have moved to a somewhat larger region; the population of the small city where we now reside is about 20,000. I think my colleague, Larry, would enjoy visiting here some day!

As a teacher back in Lawrenceburg, I once had a student from Russia. That was an exciting venture for me; I enjoyed hearing his life story and about how he moved to Indiana. Where I now live, I can probably count a representation of at least 20 ethnicities and cultures represented. (Moreover, we have a Walmart.)

Honestly, the days of Mom and Pop businesses that catered to people who looked, felt, thought, and talked the same as Mom and Pop are over. Ethnic and cultural diversity have reached even the most remote and isolated regions of our nation.

In what ways are you preparing to build a successful enterprise in the midst of this diversity?

Business diversity expert Dr. Greg Waddell, who writes about adapting leadership style to cultural context, asks this question, while saying he does not lament for the days when everyone was like him – and neither do I.

It really is quite exciting to live in times where you can easily meet people from around the globe, even if you live in a small city or even a smaller little village or town.

Here are three reasons why both Dr. Waddell and I get excited about diversity:

1. Ethnic and cultural diversity is here to stay. “It’s always better to accept reality than it is to live in denial,” Dr. Waddell notes.

2. While cultures differ in fundamental ways, these differences follow certain patterns and can be learned. We CAN learn to do business with people from other cultures. It has been happening for centuries all over the world.

3. The ethnic diversity in which we live today provides an excellent opportunity to discover new approaches to leadership.

Dr. Waddell suggests this change requires effort and preparation. Even with practice, this can be an intimidating experience, “because it requires seeing yourself through the eyes of another culture.”

Many of the management theories that were inscribed in the hallowed pages of management literature of the 1970s and 80s are now obsolete. Almost all of the research behind these earlier business theories was carried out in the context of a Euro-Anglo cultural background.

Sure, there is a lot that we can learn from these classic studies, as long as we see them as one way to envision leadership and as long as we remain open to the very real possibility that these concepts may not work today.

Cultures typically differ in some predictable ways. So, if a person is willing to do what it takes to learn new information about other cultures and ethnicities, he or she can learn to be culturally and ethnically sensitive.

Not too long ago, I took a college course in intercultural communication. Students were assigned to choose a culture different from our own, and to do a report about differences.

Darned, if some of the white students didn’t pick their grandparents’ countries of Sweden, Switzerland and Germany for their reports. I was surprised they were allowed to get away with their lazy, “safe” decisions. What could they have possibly learned?

Once a person really learns about differences or uniquenesses, they are more adept at adjusting leadership behavior to fit the situation, Waddell believes.

Here is a short list of several cultural patterns that Waddell finds helpful in understanding cultural diversity.

•Power Distance. How people view power and the degree to which differences in power are not only allowed but even preferred.

•Individualism versus Collectivism. Some cultures think as a group—others think individually. The Anglo-European culture of the U.S. has been consistently identified as high in individualism.

•Uncertainty Avoidance. This is the degree to which a culture sees uncertainty as a bad thing, something to be avoided.

•Contextual versus Verbal communication. Some cultures allow the context to communicate meaning without words. In the U.S., we usually feel the need to say it.

•Human nature. Some cultures sees human nature as fundamentally evil while others as fundamentally good.

•Work and Leisure. Many cultures see work as an unavoidable or even necessary evil needed to get to what life is really about. Others see work as the main point of life.

There are so many more considerations to address when trying to become a better cross-cultural leader. This short list shows, at least, that cultural differences can be understood. In other words, these differences are not mysterious and impossible to comprehend.

Waddell suggests the main requirement is to have “an inquisitive spirit and a willingness to experience some discomfort for the sake of learning to see the world from a different perspective.”

What about you? What are some of your feelings toward cultural and ethnic diversity? To what extent is it making an impact on your organization? How well do you think other companies are adapting?

All are very good questions to consider in your journey to understanding cross cultural leadership.

When workplace diversity becomes a fraud; don't let the PR photos fool you

Employees at the "XYZ" Company, where diversity reigns(?)

Now come on. Do you really believe that many (most?) large organizations are as "diverse" as they appear in their advertising and public relations venues? I am talking about that photograph of "casually" posed black and white females and males, all wearing elegant suits with their arms folded, and looking as if they are at the pinnacle of their corporations.

It’s quite unfortunate that the rally cry for diversity has companies scrambling to make sure that they appear diverse to the outsider, states William Powell, writing for The Leadership Advisor, an online publication representing an international leadership organization.

In fact, a significant percentage of companies have developed informal “quotas” to make sure they are a diverse organization, causing some business leaders to claim diversity in the workplace has become a fraud. "The common thought is that it mitigates discrimination accusations and makes them appear forward thinking to stakeholders and investors. Pretty much keeping up appearance for the current “trend”," Powell says.

Of course this isn’t true for all companies, but it’s more common than what it should be. The mantra “diversity strengthens an organization” is absolutely true, but with one caveat. You have to embrace what diversity brings. The mere existence of various cultures, ethnicities, gender and religious beliefs within the same relational space does not connote strength of anything. It’s just a description of a group of people.

Far too often, even in the face of this pseudo or fraudulent diversity, there is an expectation that those diverse groups of people must somehow lose whatever makes them diverse for the sake of conforming to specific standards so that there is less conflict.

I remember this so well from my old college sorority days. "Lose that sweater. It's the wrong color! We wear camel blazers. Cut your hair. We all wear Sassoons at Delta Delta Delta! (Now, that last remark dates me!)

Unfortunately, leadership of a number of organizations see diversity within the organization as an increased chance of conflict, "so their conflict strategy is to encourage (dare I say, enforce) this generic sense of homogeneity" (Powell's words).

Of course, this counters the power of diversity altogether and is ignorant leadership. For most people, it is common to feel threatened by an unfamiliar viewpoint. Take a look at the childish drama seen in Washington D.C. Is this how you want your organization to behave?

So where can an organization initiate change?

Start by genuinely making it a point to include the opinions and insight of those from varied cultures and ethnic groups.

"Switch off your judgment for a moment (or permanently) and instead of seeing their perspective through your filters, ask questions to understand why that seems like a viable solution for that individual. You may actually learn something. You are giving people a voice and may be able to incorporate a hybrid of what differing opinions bring to the table."

If you value what a person’s culture/ethnicity (something extremely personal) brings to the table for solution management, how engaged do you think that person will be? How likely are they to be looking for work elsewhere? Things don’t have to be perfect, just moving forward in a way that can allow them to be proud to be a part of making the solution a reality.

We now certainly know from diversity research, that embracing the true value of diversity, allows for the discovery of innovation and creativity within an organization. "Typically, turnover may decrease as engagement increases. How much stronger would your bottom be if just 8% of your workforce would increase their discretionary effort by 5%?" Powell states.

Why is Powell's message surprising?

Folks who live and work at the apex of multinationals and other large organizations, for the most part, are quite elitist. (Think Brown University, Harvard, Smith). Diversity is “in” but not so in that such an apex employee would actually send his or her child to a public school (where most of these “diverse” employees send their children).

We have seen elitist politicians kill health care, public education, social security, Medicare and Medicaid etc. in the name of greed. We have seen them short the market until retirement plans for the “diverse” are DOA.

Until rich and elite white people get serious about diversity, nothing much is ever going to change. For an organization to “look” diverse, probably fools the stockholders for a while. (But no problem, the elites are killing stockholders off, too.)

Check Out - how understanding across cultures brings fast success

(Cash In On Diversity eBook author Susan Klopfer reviews The Cultural Intelligence Difference, By David Livermore. Amacom, 206 pages, $25)

So I remember the days of sorority sisterhood back in the mid 1960s. We sisters of Gamma Phi all had cute, short haircuts, wore the same camel-colored mohair blazers and pretty much dated very similar young men from the same fraternities, especially sisters who were of higher status, members of Greek Council.

While our sorority house was known to be less conforming (some people called us the "zoo") than other more popular houses at the University of Nevada, Reno, we still had a sense of safety in our ability to toe the acceptable conformity line, most of the time.

And when we finally graduated, leaving college and the safety of sisterhood to enter the workforce, what we encountered was really not much different from the institution we just left. The workplace of that era was certainly not as diverse as today; it was not even close. Nearly all co-workers were of the same ethnicity as us (white, Germanic or Irish heritage) and we closely conformed to the accepted dress norms, if we wanted to keep our jobs. Actually, one of my friends was fired from a major pharmaceutical company because he wore loafers with tassles. No kidding.

Today, many of us work with colleagues and customers from around the globe, people who may dress, talk and behave much differently from our former, cookie-cutter sorority sisters and fraternity brothers. To succeed in today's world of business, author David Livermore believes we need cultural intelligence, or CQ. A consultant, Livermore came to this conclusion because he moved from Canada to New York when he was a child. However, he made regular trips back to visit relatives, remaining fascinated by Canada's culture - the different money and way of saying things, the foods and other significant things that keep Canadians being Canadians.

Now a grownup and highly respected author on this topic, Dr. Livermore still enjoys navigating between different cultures, using CQ - "the ability to function effectively in a variety of cultural contexts, including national, ethnic, organizational, and generational."

Livermore tells us that CQ is the primary predictor of your success in today's borderless world. "It's more important than IQ or, the current darling, EQ (emotional intelligence)," he asserts.

"EQ is a strong predictor of your success when you're working with people who come from the same culture as you, but your CQ is a much better predictor of how you'll do working with people from different cultural backgrounds - the inevitable reality for all of us over the next decade," Livermore writes in The Cultural Intelligence Difference.

He clearly explains that our cultural intelligence is comprised of four different capabilities based on our motivation, knowledge, strategy and ability to adapt our behavior appropriately for different cultures.

While it might seem quite difficult to change one's CQ, this author gives specific advice making the task appear less tenuous. Most important, he tells us we must face our biases:

"Explore which subcultures really push your hot buttons, encourage your defences or just make you uncomfortable. Any time you meet someone new, make an effort to connect on a human level as early as possible rather than just seeing him or her in light of cultural context. Another approach is to explore your hobbies and pastimes - be it art, sports, or food - in new cultures."

Livermore gives us many more specific ways to become better at operating in and around cultures that are new or different. For instance, he suggests that we "Discreetly watch people from other cultures when you're in public places." Or that we "Attend celebrations of other cultures in your city; eat their foods and attend their music and events. When travelling, visit public markets, shopping districts, museums and art galleries. Increase your global awareness by visiting BBC news online and reading The Economist, for example, or by plunging into novels and movies that immerse you in different cultures. Learn about different cultural values in other countries, how they may differ in terms of factors such as individualism, avoidance of uncertainty, co-cooperativeness, and orientation to time."

Livermore's book is an excellent guide to gaining or increasing cultural intelligence as he points out some of the research and concepts; highlighting some of the critical differences between countries and spelling out specific ideas about how to improve one's CQ.

"It won't transform you overnight, but will alert you to important factors and help you along the path to fitting in beyond your traditional culture," blogger Harvey Schachter advises his followers. (I learned about this book from Harvey.)

And I am going to agree with Schachter, going a step further. Livermore's book is a must read for anyone who wants to survive (and succeed) in today's world of diversity. This means learning how to work well with older people, gay people, transgendered people and just about any people who are not the same as us (whatever this means). Is this important? Ask the CEOs of major corporations who by now should be sick and tired of being sued because an employee called an older worker an "old fogey." Or because a supervisor demanded a female remove the scarf she wears for religious reasons. Happens every day. Don't kid yourself.

This book is especially critical for those who might have just escaped a cookie-cutter world of most educational institutions and are ready and waiting to face reality. For anyone who went to private schools that specialize in all white kids, especially -- my advice, pick up a copy now.

Don't leave home (for work) without it.
* * *

Other books by Livermore

Check Out the Top Ten Facts about diversity management that could benefit your organization or business

If you own or work for a business, you might not be taking advantage of all the opportunities managing diversity has to offer. Many of us are still confused over diversity best practices and how diversity benefits an organization.

Yet, research is showing that organizations close to diversity, that really know how to maximize diversity, are moving ahead.

(A group of researchers from MIT Sloan School of Management in a five-year study, for instance, found that... "To be successful in working with and gaining value from diversity requires a sustained, systemic approach and long-term commitment...Organizations that invest their resources in taking advantage of the opportunities that diversity offers should outperform those that fail to make such investments. See http://bit.ly/p8dzBK )

So, here are ten questions and answers that I believe can benefit -- and of course, I want to hear more ideas from you. So please add your comments at the end.

1. What are the advantages of a more diverse workplace?

Co-workers with different histories and life experiences may think of new, different products or services. They may have other social or information networks to enable them to promote products or services. They may also identify potential customers that we have so far missed, overlooked, or dismissed.

2. What is the matter with doing more of what has worked in the past?

Nothing — if it keeps working. Yet the population base, from which our customers come, is rapidly changing due to disease, war, travel, changing birth rates, and the rapid spread of information. If we don't adjust to what our potential customers will look like, we'll get smaller.

3. Will increasing the diversity of my company's workforce guarantee success?

No single-thing approach to management can guarantee success. Beware of fads.

4. Do I really have to change my workforce? Can't my good salespeople sell to anyone?

Selling anything to anyone is one way to define a good salesperson. Another is to say that a good salesperson can sell any one thing over any other thing. Yet even good salespeople can't make a sale if they don't know how to deliver the message in a language or in a way the customer understands. Even worse is a product name that translates poorly in the language of the customer. Barriers can also exist in terms of price. For example, India is encouraging businesses to come up with a computer device costing less than ten U.S.dollars. Cultural difference can be complex, and some of them really matter.

5. How can I get my current employees to accept new and different employees?

In general, two characteristics of success come to mind. First of all, management, from the very top down, needs to understand that success in this arena is absolutely expected and that resistance is not acceptable. Secondly, it needs to be clear that the success of new employees is not part of a zero-sum game. No one has to lose in order for the new employees to win.

6. Will an emphasis on diversity fundamentally change my business?

That depends on the nature of the business. The more you work with people instead of things, the more your business will change as the population it serves, and your employees, change with it.

7. What if my business mostly sells to other businesses? Do I still need to worry about diversity?

Who owns the other businesses? As you well know if you've ever looked at manufacturing’s "Made in" labels or tried to call customer service, many companies now outsource work to foreign companies. If your company markets to businesses, your customer base, and potential competitors are growing.

8. I make a lot of sales on-line? Does the diversity of my workforce matter when my customers are mostly ordering my products on a computer?

Of course it does. Language, whether written or oral, often contains idioms, inferences, or idiosyncrasies that a person unfamiliar with American English will not understand. If your Internet site contains videos of people talking, the nonverbal communication may also be unclear or misunderstood by persons with other backgrounds.

9. How do you "train" for diversity? Isn't this mostly a matter of tolerance?

Tolerance is part of it, and our first lessons about tolerance come during our childhood. But tolerance, and receptiveness, and active listening, and company priorities, and evaluation procedures, and many of the day-to-day details of how business is done” in your company may be able to be improved if given proper review and assessment. Learning new things is a lifelong requirement, even if we don't like it. In this case, we stand to learn some new worthwhile things.

10. Can we do our own diversity training in-house? Isn't this a good way to identify and get rid of bad supervisors? Also, What is wrong with continuing to hire people who “fit in?”

If you want the idea of Diversity Training to create hatred and resentment in your company, that would be the ideal way to do it. Instead, training should be available at all levels of the organization, with obvious top-level endorsement. It should be done by outside “experts.”

To this final question, the answer is nothing, if your business skills are good enough to hire such persons, avoid losing discrimination lawsuits, and continue to grow or maintain the business as customers change.

Tags

multicultural, psychology, business, marketing, economics, counseling, civil rights, diversity, administration, personnel, inclusion, human relations, diversity ebooks, cultural diversity

Defining Diversity; It's Not Just About R E S P E C T

How many times have you heard a person say, "Well, I get along with everyone. We really are all alike, deep down." Or, "We don't need diversity training. We just need to learn to get along."

Wanted to share this great definition of diversity. I ran into it on a site supported by the University of Oregon --

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect.

It means understanding that each individual is unique,

and recognizing our individual differences.

These can be along

the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs,

political beliefs, or other ideologies.

It is the exploration

of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment.

It is about understanding each other and moving beyond

simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the

rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.

Reminds me of R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr.'s Platinum Standard of diversity. Here is a link to a fascinating video of Dr. Thomas talking about diversity

http://youtu.be/JA3Z27RZ_bk

Have a great day. I am off to the accupuncturist... (I believe in diversity of health care.)

Special Announcement: 25 percent discount on new diversity eBook for blog readers

Readers of this blog will receive a special discount on my new eBook, Cashing In On Diversity when they purchase it through Smashwords --

Promotional price: $2.99
Coupon Code: HC29F
Expires: July 10, 2011

To purchase your copy now, go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/63393 and use the Coupon Code, above, for your special discount.

Susan

Expanding Speaking Engagements

Tell me about your club! If you are a member of Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions -- any such group -- I would like to know more about it. I've been working to expand my speaking to other groups and organizations like these on the topics of Multicuturalism and Diversity; initially, I'm waving my speaking fee for these groups. If you are a member of one of these clubs, please get with me. I would love to know who to speak with to set up a speech for your organization.