“America is a melting pot” gets said a lot. But that implies that we’re all melting down our differences and becoming the same thing. Instead, we might think of America as a salad: many different cultures, all existing together in the same bowl. Our diversity is our strength, and that’s what we’re celebrating today.

Our Troublemaker of the day is Erika Marquardt, a high school student in Ohio who helped plan her school’s diversity event called “Many Cultures, One Bison.” Erika shares why it was important to her to celebrate diversity, what the response was like from the adults in her community, and why it’s important to start these discussions at home. Just like adults taking DEI trainings at their workplaces, the work doesn’t begin and end on one day; it’s a mindset and a lifetime of learning.

After that, Rachel sits down with Liz Sohyeon Kleinrock, an anti-racism and anti-bias educator. She and Rachel chat about some misconceptions about DEI trainings, what it really means to be an ally, and how her own personal experiences and identities have shaped her work. They also talk about AAPI Heritage Month and celebrate some amazing Asian-American women in history. To learn more about Liz’s work, you can visit her website at teachandtransform.org.

Finally, Amanda, Rachel and Jasmine raise a glass to community events, Sherrod Brown, and The Renew Democracy Initiative in this episode’s “Toast to Joy.”

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve recorded almost 100 episodes of The Suburban Women Problem. So to celebrate, we’re hosting a live virtual event with our very first guest, rockstar historian Heather Cox Richardson! The event will be happening on Monday May 15th and you can purchase tickets here.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

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