Part 1: DEI Insights

diversity, equity, and inclusionDiversity, equity, and inclusion are among Wholespire’s core values, which is why integrating all three of them into the fabric of our organization is part of our current three-year strategic plan. Between 2021 and 2023, we hope to incorporate DEI (with a particular focus on racial equity) into all of our organizational practices in a measurable way. We aim to promote these practices among all of our local chapters.

In order to achieve these goals, we’re going to be training and educating ourselves on DEI, assessing our organizational DEI landscape for areas in need of improvement, and implementing new practices, standards, and policies in order to create an institutional structure that is predicated on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Why Is DEI Work Important?

Working to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into not only our organization but all facets of society is of the utmost importance. Demands for DEI approaches seem to be growing louder by the day. Meaningful attempts to bring DEI to businesses, educational institutions, and other organizations have been on the rise for years now. However, with widespread protests on racial discrimination and police brutality in the summer of 2020, the globe as a whole seems focused on how we can make conditions more diverse, equal, and inclusive.

DEI is about affording all individuals an equal opportunity to be educated, employed, and free as per the U.S. Constitution. However, it’s also about providing marginalized groups with the sort of representation they need to bring about lasting systemic change. It’s hard to argue against the importance of something like that.

How to Get Involved

If you’re interested in becoming a champion of greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in any facet of your community, there are a number of avenues you can pursue. The first step would be to better educate yourself on not only DEI but also any races, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, etc. with which you are not familiar. Once you’ve gained a deeper understanding of these marginalized groups, seek out members of your community who are taking action to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Perhaps there’s an advocacy group seeking to influence DEI policy. Or maybe there’s a community coalition that’s looking to gather different social and cultural groups in order to address local issues pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion. There could also be groups of DEI activists that organize rallies and protests in response to the injustices they see in their community and in the world at large. Seek out the group that speaks to you and join them.

Learning Resources

There are free resources, social media groups, and entire college courses all centered on DEI, so it’s safe to say there’s plenty to learn on the subject. It may seem very daunting to dive into this type of activism, especially since it’s so important to so many people. Just know that, when it comes to DEI, perfection is not expected. All you need is the willingness to learn and fight for what you believe!

Get involved with us today to further our DEI impact and become a change agent in your community!

If you want to learn more about Wholespire’s race equity in the workplace journey, visit our DEI webpage. It has complete information about our framework, as well as resources to explore. You can also find race equity resources on Options for Action.


Race Equity in the Workplace Blog Series

Part 2: Getting Started with Race Equity in the Workplace

Part 3: 6 Steps to Advance Race Equity in the Workplace

Part 4: How do you access race equity in the workplace?