Big Ideas with Verna Myers
Our morning started early with this program at 8:15. Okay, yes, all you library folk were at work at 8:00, but an 8:15 program was early after we all got up around 3:00 the day before. We all were very tired come Wednesday night. Anyway, this was a great program for early morning. Verna was incredibly interesting and and engaging. Her talk was all about diversity, inclusion, and the idea that extraordinary libraries create extraordinary communities.
If we practice, as she suggests, inclusion it will result in improved service, attract more diverse talent, and improve our reputation and ability to connect with different communities.
We all have biases, whether we think we do or not, because of the lens through which we see our world. That lens is based on who you and where you come from. So, for me, my lens could be a white female from Southern California raised by two parents in a upper middle class yet racially diverse community. Our lens impacts how we communicate, who and what we value, to who we show respect, how we define family, who we trust, and what we think is funny. Knowing your lens helps you understand, embrace your biases, and then weaken your biases. To do so: Question your conclusions, go looking for information that disconforms with what you believe, think of counter examples, expand you comfort zone, and purposefully connect.
A lot of people when you talk diversity worry about "What if I say the wrong thing?" No one wants to hurt any one's feelings. Effective people will think of intent vs. impact. If you do hurt some one's feelings apologize and refrain from adding insult to injury, but also, do not beat yourself up or use your mistake as an excuse to disengage. All of our interactions are about connections, not perfection.
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