02 My Diverse Community Empowers Me
Week 02 of 2024 – I’ve been working in the areas of diversity and inclusion for some time now. I’ve learned that understanding the adversity faced across any group takes traveling and engaging across cultures so that we don’t only look through the lens of our personal experiences. The work should be simple, but it is not. The opportunities should apply to all, but they do not. It takes considerable effort and advocacy. There always has and there always will be a need to stand up for and speak up for others. I can recall school and work environments where I never felt like I belonged. All it takes is one brave person saying, “Hello there! Let me show you around.” Discovering mentorship helped me overcome so much. Being a mentor helped me learn even more. My desire is that the basic human experience be elevated for everybody regardless of background, race, gender, or belief. The negative stories are endless, and I even have many of those. I’m purposely focusing on the positive. There is a global community of people that desire to work together to improve all aspects of the human experience. No matter how tired we get, we must know that we are not alone and there is help all around us. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
