Inclusion Allies Coalition Position Statement and Pledge
As Diversity and Inclusion professionals, we have become increasingly concerned about the growing atmosphere of hate speech, fear, animosity, violence and intimidation. For years we have worked to create inclusive environments in the workplace and to encourage employees to become allies for those who are marginalized. We are now engaged in dialogues across differences to encourage frank and open conversations between and among people with radically different social and political positions. This is becoming increasingly difficult as employees are fearful of reprisals in the workplace and in their communities
While we encourage diversity of thought and opinion, recent events in Charlottesville and other communities have caused us to feel the need to re-examine and affirm our commitment to being inclusion allies, as we watch hate groups call for the exclusion of people from many groups who should be equal and valued members of our organizations and communities.
At this time, we are putting a stake in the ground and raising our collective voices as diversity and inclusion practitioners. While we recognize there are groups that will never embrace the equal inclusion of all as a fundamental right and a bedrock of our country, we stand united and stronger than ever in our commitment to ensure inclusion prevails and hate speech is stopped. We will continue to speak out and act as allies against hate speech and violence, and to connect with groups that work to bring people together for dialogue and shared learningdersn
To do this, many of us support the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ and have committed to the following three actions to accelerate progress. We urge other diversity and inclusion practitioners to do the same by endorsing the pledge below
1. To encourage dialogues across differences in order to have courageous conversations around topics that may divide us and to serve as inclusion allies for marginalized groups, and advocates in our organizations and communities. We will train other diversity and inclusion practitioners to facilitate these dialogues, and provide resources to use within their organization.
2. To implement and expand Inclusive Leadership and Unconscious Bias programs by training more external and internal Diversity and inclusion practitioners to conduct these sessions, and working with organizations to create systemic change.
3. To share best practices in creating inclusive environments and becoming inclusion allies and to create mentoring matches for those practitioners less experienced in implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Join us at http://www.inclusioncoalition.info
IAC Founders
Margaret Regan and Andrea Cisco, The FutureWork Institute/iMCI
Howard Ross and Leslie Traub, Cook Ross Inc
Mary-Frances Winters, The Winters Group
Join our pledge by making your commitment in the comment section.