Week 49: Inclusion On Purpose ⁠& "Chocolate Mint Nanaimo Bars"

WHY THIS BOOK?⁠

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Ruchika’s book is broken down into looking at the individual behaviours and organizational structures to create inclusive cultures. She has great examples and shares stories of other leaders in this space. If you are an organization who wants to support women of colour you need to read this book. ⁠

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Research from McKinsey says that fully engaging women in the US would add 4.3 Trillion annually to the US economy by 2025. ⁠

Women of Colour will be the majority of working women in the US by 2050. When discussing inclusion we have to look at intersectionality which Kimberle Crenshaw termed in 1989. Even though it was termed in 1989 it wasn't until much later that this term was used in everyday language. ⁠

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She has a great framework on cultivating an inclusive mindset. I love a framework as it helps to communicate my message in an easy succinct way. ⁠

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B= Be Uncomfortable⁠

R=Reflect (on what you don’t know)⁠

I=Invite Feedback⁠

D=Defensiveness doesn’t help⁠

G=Grow from your mistakes⁠

E=Expect that change takes time⁠

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I often talk about being uncomfortable in this work however talking about it and doing it are two different things. One theme that I have seen in many EDI books that I have read is this statement to be uncomfortable. This means you could offend someone and cause harm. It means you will need to apologize and do your own research to understand how to do better. ⁠

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Finally she explains the 4 warning signs of a psychological unsafe culture for women of colour⁠

➡️ Lack of safe mechanism to report bias⁠

➡️ Women of colour are penalized for speaking up⁠

➡️ White women are prioritized about issues that impact their community⁠

➡️ Lack of advocacy for women of colour⁠

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So did I convince you to get this book? Go get this book and if you have read it share some highlights with me. ⁠