Inclusion i-Program

September 26, 2020

A leader is someone who works with others to create a positive change. Anyone can be a leader as long as they learn to understand self-knowledge. The Inclusion i-Program was great to gain self-knowledge because it focused on Openness, Cultural Competency, and Diversity Advocacy. Openness was discussed to understand personal values while having a positive response to new ones. Cultural competency acknowledged how to create authentic relationships with those from different cultures. Lastly, Diversity Advocacy is the competency I wanted to focus on most throughout this i-Program; It promoted cultural diversity throughout organizations where everyone is celebrated. The goal of the Inclusion i-Program was to become more critical and conscious of how norms can not only be harmful but also helpful in leadership.

One quote by Samir El A. that stood out to me was “The more we know about the cultures of others, the more open-minded, tolerant, and global we become”. My small group began the discussion of power and privilege by first looking to culture and identity. Each one of us discussed a cultural item that we brought to the i-Program. My item was a ring that I always wear that was passed down from my grandmother to my mother to me, signifying the importance of family.

Outside of the small group, I analyzed the story behind my name as well as worked on an identity wheel and personal identify list. What surprised me the most about this activity is how much I had to address that I may not usually talk about in my daily life. Some identities that I don't pay attention to daily are being white, a young adult, that I'm heterosexual, and that I don't have any visible disabilities. However, going through this activity made me pay more attention to who I am and how I see myself both from an outsider point of view and my own internal interpretation. The part that I feel uncomfortable discussing is my upper-middle class identity. I believe that everyone deserves the right to healthcare and education. But I also understand that not everyone can afford it. Being in the upper-middle class, I acknowledge I have privilege to experience things that others may not without incurring any debt.

Being able to talk about our cultures and identities created a safe environment for sharing our thoughts. Focusing on my privilege made me feel uncomfortable. The questions asked are not the ones I typically think about; nor do think about my safety or being the center of a joke due to my race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. I grew up in a pretty affluent town, but my parents made sure to educate me that my sisters and I were very privileged compared to the rest of the country and the world. Examining the questions posed in this exercise made me confront myself that I am really privileged since I don't have to think about typical struggles.

It is important to be aware of the privileges associated with our social identities in order to better understand what others may not have. As a white heterosexual woman, I typically don't get harassed on the streets or taunted by groups of people. However, understanding my privilege enables me to be more empathetic towards others and learn more about what they go through. Furthermore, by having these interactions as a society, we would be able to lessen the effects of privilege.

The i-program also discussed the difference between equity and equality and how they are under the umbrella of privilege. Equity is trying to understand others to the best of our abilities. We are never going to know exactly how other people feel or what experiences/struggles they have gone through. We also cannot compare our experiences onto others. With equity, we realize that everyone is different yet we try to give everyone fair opportunities and encourage everyone to strive to become the best version of themselves either through education, workplace environment, or providing some sort of healthcare for everyone. Equity allows for the levelling of the playing field. Equality is giving everyone the same amount of opportunity. This is not always a positive thing. Some people may have an advantage already by having more money, being more educated, or having special relations with people than others. Sometimes equality ends up excluding others from obtaining the same goals.

With privilege, we also have to be careful with unconscious biases. Biases are shaped by our experiences and by our cultural norms which allows us to filter information and make quick decisions. However, these mental shortcuts may lead us astray and sometime make us misjudge people. We have to foster a better awareness and accountability for our actions to combat implicit biases.

Some key takeaways from the Inclusion i-Program are some ways of having opportunities to be more involved and change perspectives on campus through cultural houses and being informed about what’s happening in the world. Another key takeaway for inclusion was having the ability to make people feel comfortable in conversation to have their input into account as well and have a more open discussion. Inclusive leadership takes time, thought, and commitment. Being able to say “I don’t know but I want to learn about your perspective” is a critical characteristic to be an inclusive leader. This enables people to have a conversation about where we differ, where we overlap, and how we can learn together throughout journeys of growth.