Express Yourself
Who you are is an asset, not a liability. Inclusiveness is a strength in a productive working environment and for society.
To anybody who has ever questioned your identity ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us.- Ariana DeBose
According to the CDC, discrimination comes in many forms. They list:
- Age Discrimination
- Disability Discrimination
- Sexual Orientation
- Status as a Parent
- Religious Discrimination
- National Origin
- Pregnancy
- Sexual Harassment
- Race, Color, and Sex
- Reprisal / Retaliation
What's The Problem?
Discrimination can influence individuals' health indirectly, even when they are unaware that it has happened. Discrimination due to race, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation determine access to health care and the social determinants of health, including contact with the criminal justice system. (-healthaffiars.org Feb 2020) Discrimination is corrosive, eating away at self worth and self esteem. Discrimination leads to resentment and hate. The result for our society is a lot of wasted potential.
There's an economic cost for this country because of discrimination. Broad groups of people are categorized and marginalized by discrimination. We lose trillions of dollars by not allowing certain groups full participation in the economy. Those trillions would be put back into the economy in jobs, and increased spending power. For example, Gender inequality costs the US economy over 6 billion dollars a year. Racial disparities and discrimination has resulted in $16 trillion in lost potential over the past 20 years. -Citigroup Sep/2020
Instead of dividing us to gain political power and wealth, as some leaders do, we should be embracing the talents of those they would marginalize.
To change this we have two choices. We can wait for somebody to take charge, to become the leader of a just cause, or we can, as a group, speak out. Activism creates leaders and leadership. We need to be raising our voices, rejoicing in our diversity to help our society reach something closer to its full potential.
But How?
I borrow from a positioning statement the Methodists once used, “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” If our hearts and minds are truly open, it must mean we're listening. Then, the doors will open wide.
Discrimination is a learned behavior. Because of that, there is still the hope we can get it right.
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