News

The University of New Hampshire has posted a calendar of events honoring Black History Month. This year's theme, Radical Change: It's In Your Hands, features a variety of topics including (but not limited to):

• Rebecca Carroll "Surviving the White Gaze"
• Turning up the Volume on Black Voices
• Confronting the Racial Wealth Gap
• Race & Care of the Soul

Learn more HERE.

Our current model of social change isn’t working.

By David Brooks Opinion Columnist , New York Times,  Dec. 31, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET

This is the year that broke the truth. This is the year when millions of Americans — and not just your political opponents — seemed impervious to evidence, willing to believe the most outlandish things if it suited their biases, and eager to develop fervid animosities based on crude stereotypes.

Worse, this was the year that called into question the very processes by which our society supposedly makes progress.

So many of our hopes are based on the idea that the key to change is education. We can teach each other to be more informed and make better decisions. We can study social injustices and change our behavior to fight them.

But this was the year that showed that our models for how we change minds or change behavior are deeply flawed.

It turns out that if you tell someone their facts are wrong, you don’t usually win them over; you just entrench false belief.

Read the entire column HERE.

Jenifer Berman Dec 14, 2020, 1:59 PM (Business Insider)

The social movements that have emerged in recent years are recalibrating how many organizations focus on and prioritize company culture.

For The Human Impact of Business Transformation, Insider's multi-year initiative to learn more about the effects of transformation in the workplace, we asked more than 50 executives what it takes to create a positive corporate culture.

Their response? Empowerment and inclusivity. 

Thomas Bartwick/Getty

Now more than ever, companies are prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI. They're putting their people first, turning intent into action to create new opportunities for diverse talent, and committing to

Published by the American Management Association

BY MIKAELA KINER

Bringing in, engaging, and retaining diverse people in your organization requires awareness and preparation. Part of that shift means equipping managers with the right sensibilities and skills to navigate the complexity that leading a diverse team invites.

The stakes are high. When employees don’t feel included, when they don’t feel a sense of belonging, they’re less engaged. They’re less productive. They’re not happy and, eventually, they leave for greener pastures. That’s why, after decades of diversity programs, some leaders are concluding that what they’ve been doing isn’t working. This is a result of bringing people in but not supporting them as full participants in (or members of) the organization. This is where inclusion comes in.

Read more here.

NH Businesses for Social Responsibility urges employers, employees to participate
December 15, 2020  NHBR Staff

The NH Workplace Racial Equity Learning Challenge, a four-week series of virtual workshops to encourage and support Granite State employers and employees in creating more equitable workplaces and communities, is being launched in January by New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, in partnership with the Diversity Workforce Coalition.

The Learning Challenge series, which begins Monday, Jan. 18, will include:

• A discussion of how racism is manifested at the individual, interpersonal, organization and systemic levels
• Insights into New Hampshire history and current developments relating to racial equity
• A review of local resources and individuals working on issues related to race to help participants by supporting, amplifying and complementing the work of the Learning Challenge

The program will also feature weekly discussions among participants to allow them to reflect and consider how they can take action and invest resources in effective ways.  Read more here.

To learn more and register for free, visit nhbsr.org/equity.

Presented by New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility with support from the Diversity Workforce Coalition

By Lenora Billings-Harris, CSP,CPAE

Diversity and inclusion Strategist & author

Think of a leader in your life who really motivated you to be the best you could be. What attributes or characteristics describe him or her? What habits did he or she have that worked for you? Over the past several years, I have asked hundreds of leaders that question. Here is a sampling of the most frequent answers. He or she:

- Was fair and respectful toward others.

- Had high personal standards.

- Believed in my abilities and potential.

- Helped me believe in myself.

- Encouraged and stretched me.

- Led by example.

- Mentored and coached.

- Asked for and appreciated different points of view.

- Listened to my ideas and others.

- Criticized objectively.

- Had integrity; was honorable.

- Helped me solve my own problems.

- Had a vision.

- Developed a trusting environment.

The specific word, diversity, was rarely used when people described their best, favorite, or most effective leader. However, fairness, respect, objectiveness, and listening recurred frequently.  Read the rest of the article here.

The Diversity Workforce Coalition (DWC) and the NH Health & Equity Partnership will soon accept applications for the Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award.  The award recognizes outstanding efforts of organizations that actively engage in promoting and implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.  All organizations across the corporate, government, community, and not-for-profit sectors are eligible for nomination. 

“There is tremendous value to organizations that have created a workplace where everyone feels welcomed and accepted, and has the ability to share their thoughts and experiences,” said DWC Board President Tina Sharby. “Creating these connections can transform the employee experience—increasing engagement and retention.  With this award, we recognize and celebrate organizations that have excelled in their efforts toward these goals.”

The 2020 winner was Eastern Bank, which was recognized for its exemplary, longstanding reputation of being a social justice advocate and building inclusive environments both within and external to their organization. Finalists also named for their considerable achievements in DEI were Bangor Savings Bank, Five Guys, and Port City Pretzels.

Nominations for this year’s award program will be accepted from November 16, 2020 to February 1, 2021.  Candidates will be selected for a virtual interview and site visit, conducted by Selection Committee representatives, with the final winner announced March 11, 2021.   For more information, please visit: https://www.diversityworkforce.org/Award/Nominations

The Diversity Workforce Coalition is a membership organization comprised of employers and other community members to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace through education, networking, and training of its members and community partners.

The New Hampshire Health & Equity Partnership is a public-private collaborative effort of philanthropic organizations, public health agencies, community based organizations, advocates and others concerned with health equity. 

Media contact:
Tina Sharby
603-621-3417
tsharby@eastersealsnh.org

By DeVry University

The U.S. is projected to become a majority-minority nation for the first time in 2043 and by 2060, 57 percent of the U.S. population will consist of racially ethnic minorities, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This means that companies, business leaders and organizations must create effective solutions to recruit, support and retain a more diverse workforce. While many business leaders may already realize the importance of these population changes, certain companies still struggle to understand the best methods to achieve diversity, how to properly define diversity in the workplace or why diversity is so important.

Diversity and the bottom line

Beyond demographic shifts, diversity directly impacts the financial future of a company, says Meredith Morales, Senior Program Manager of Inclusion Recruiting, Innovation and Solutions at LinkedIn. As a diversity and inclusion consultant, Morales has advised many well-intended leaders who often wish to improve diversity in the workplace but may not fully comprehend the value diversity adds to their organizations.

“I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard people say they want to focus on diversity because, ‘It’s the right thing to do,’ but that’s not what this is about,” says Morales. “Being inclusive of individuals from underrepresented groups is a value add. It impacts the bottom line.”

Read more here.

By Hadley Barndollar 

PORTSMOUTH – The city has begun to take steps to support a racial justice municipality proclamation adopted by the City Council this past summer following the killing of George Floyd and subsequent national outcry.

The proclamation, which was unanimously passed in June and written in concert with the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, includes planned actions such as racial bias training for municipal officials and a concerted effort to highlight Black history in Portsmouth, among other items.

Recently, in a list of demands for elected officials and local governments, the Black Lives Matter Seacoast chapter called on municipalities to follow through on promises made after Floyd’s death.

In her report to the City Council ahead of Monday night’s meeting, City Manager Karen Conard updated on the action taken thus far in support of the proclamation.

“We are at the beginning of what we expect to be an enduring effort to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in our local government and city,” Conard wrote.

The city has established a web page under the city manager’s page to indicate its commitment to racial justice. The web page includes the text of the proclamation, as well as links to resources like the Seacoast African American Cultural Center, Black Heritage Trail, African Burying Ground and the NAACP.

Conard said an interdepartmental staff working group focusing on racial justice, inclusion and equity has been meeting “once or twice” a month since July. The group has 10 participants, she said, and has established a staff website that serves as a repository for useful resources – like videos, articles, presentations or training programs – that any member suggests may be helpful to the discussion.

The city has also scheduled its first mandatory training on diversity, equity and inclusion for Oct. 29 with Jermaine Moore of the Mars Hill Group. Department heads and supervisors have been invited to the training, which will be recorded and re-usable, Conard said.

Various city departments have been participating in roundtable discussions, and individual staff members have attended numerous trainings, including the Urban Sustainability Director’s Network “Driving Towards Equity” series, the International City/County Management Association’s “Building and Maintaining an Equity Mindset in Local Government,” and more locally, the Portsmouth Public Library’s series on “Standing Up to Racism.”

Conard noted one city department is offering its staff members a 21-day racial equity habit building challenge, and another has created an internal online forum to discuss related issues. The Portsmouth library is currently exploring endorsement of the Urban Libraries Council’s Statement on Race and Social Equity, she added.

The city has also joined the Diversity Workforce Coalition, and is evaluating the possibility of joining the Government Alliance on Race and Equity.

Conard said next steps being discussed by the city’s working group include better organizing web resources to assist those in self-education, expanding training to additional staff, hosting monthly brown bag lunches via Zoom to “celebrate differences,” and reaching out to other communities to learn what they are doing in regards to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Diversity Workforce Coalition announces the recent addition of eight new organizations to its membership base. The newest members represent financial services, fine art, apparel, community services, and city government; they include (listed alphabetically): City of Portsmouth, Currier Museum of Art, Life is Good, Morgan Stanley, RiverStone Group, Timberland, Vermont Federal Credit Union, and Work Opportunities Unlimited.

“We’re pleased to welcome this impressive roster of organizations that recognize the immeasurable benefits of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace,” said DWC Board President Tina Sharby.  “The continued success of our important work in this area is further driven by the influx of new members that ultimately help us expand the knowledge and experience of the DWC’s already rich pool of DEI expertise.”

The DWC has grown steadily since its 2012 inception.  Founding members include Catholic Medical Center, Globe Firefighter Suits, Goff Wilson PA, Lindt & Sprungli, Manchester Area HR Association, Northeast Delta Dental, Prime Buchholz LLC, and Southern NH University.

About Diversity Workforce Coalition

The Diversity Workforce Coalition comprises employers and other community members whose purpose is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace through education, networking, and training of its members and community partners.  To learn more, please visit diversityworkforce.org.