Workplace Diversity

About Mr. Landen Parkin: Landen Parkin is a graduate of St. Cloud State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts and literature. Mr. Parkin has worked as an educator for three years, he was drawn to education due to a love of working with and empowering students. In his spare time, he likes to write poetry, read and enjoys hiking in the Minnesota wilderness.

In this episode Dr. Gaye Lang and Landen Parkin discuss:

• The on-ramp to cultural competency

• Being aware of where you stand and looking forward

• Taking a step in the right direction

• Influencing others in your orbit

Key Takeaways:

• Tolerance is the on-ramp to cultural competency. You've got to take baby steps in order to build cultural competency. Tolerance is the very first step of that journey.

• Everyone comes from a different place and everyone is going to be at a different level when it comes to cultural competency. It's important for you to understand where you stand in that continuum and to look forward to how you can improve.

• Cultural competency is about you working on yourself, it's a self-improvement process that will lead to you understanding other people and people understanding you. You'll never get it perfect, but you have to try and keep trying.

• As you move further in that cultural competency continuum, seek to not only level yourself up in this aspect but also to help others by influencing those in your direct orbit.

"Be aware of who you are, look inward, and have some self-reflection on where you stand. And then I think it's important to then look forward to how you can actively be better." - Landen Parkin

Connect with Landen Parkin:

Website: https://landenparkin.com/

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn.

Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Gaye.Lang/

KEY WORDS:

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Tess Jackson is a government analyst, federal leadership coast, and a navy veteran who takes pride in her experience. With over 20 years as an executive administrator, Tess has expertise in forging constructive corporate communication to help infuse diversity in the workplace, increase feelings of belonging, add organizational value, and enhance transparency in decision-making. Additionally, Tess is a children's author.

In this episode Dr. Gaye Lang and Tess Jackson discuss:

• Grasping listening opportunities

• Asking questions the right way

• Colorblindness isn't anti-racism

• Training your self-awareness

Key Takeaways:

• Listen and assess the information you are being given. Every time a person allows you into their space and lets you learn from them, treat it like an opportunity.

• Ask the question in the right way. Instead of saying "why did you think that?", ask "how did you come to that conclusion?" It makes people more comfortable to engage.

• Colorblindness doesn't serve anyone, being apathetic or willfully ignorant of someone's identity is not the solution to racism. People want to be seen, heard, and loved for who they are. You can't just erase a person.

• People must strive to gain greater awareness and knowledge of their own culture so that when they engage in a conversation with other people, they'll be able to communicate clearly how they want to be referred to or addressed.

"Be open. Open up yourself to different perspectives, different ideologies. When you work with people, you have to stop, be open, listen, and then assess the information that you are being given." - Tess Jackson

Connect with Tess Jackson:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/T.-M.-Jackson/author/B08P6J3GQN

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TMJacksonAuthor

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn.

Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Gaye.Lang/

KEY WORDS:

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Juanita M. Cleaver Simmons , PhD, Diversity Consultant, specializes in training and designs for diversity, equity, climate, workplace civility and inclusion, and Equity Coaching with theoretical and practical strategies. Her passion is facilitating seminars in leadership development for cultural competency and excellence in equity. She is the former Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Northwest Missouri State University. She was awarded emerita associate professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she served in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis division of the College of Education. She earned her PhD in Urban Superintendency and Public Affairs, and a Master's in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas-Austin. Her research agenda focuses on race, gender, class, and equity in organizations and institutions. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and diversity training manuals. She is a former school teacher and administrator who continues to work with leaders in public institutions. Among her numerous awards, she was featured in the January 2018 issue of Ingram's business magazine as one of "50 Missourians You Should Know." Her work as a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant includes University Cooperative Extension System's Foundation, Engage & Empower Webinar Training – Diversity and Inclusion Three-Part Series: Foundation & Program Design for Diversity Infrastructure; Implicit Bias, Civility, and Microaggressions in the Workplace; Civility II, Institutional Inequities, Organizational Socialization. Thompson Coburn's Annual Employment, and Employee Benefits Law Seminar - Deep-Seeded: Understanding Implicit Bias.

In this episode Dr. Gaye Lang and Dr. Juanita M. Cleaver Simmons discuss: The lowest level of anti-racism. Growing in cultural competency The business benefits of diversity Teaching people to take responsibility Key Takeaways: Tolerance is the lowest level of anti-racism. It simply means to endure a person or an ideology that you don't really agree with in the same way that ones endures by way of complying to a policy. People must not stop at a basic level of civility. They must seek to grow their knowledge of cultural competency language. Companies that focus on diversity and have advocacies benefit from increased productivity and profitability. It's not just a humanistic endeavor, but also a capitalistic one. We must teach people first and foremost to take personal responsibility and to have the desire to grow their thinking in the space of diversity, equity, inclusion, and tolerance. "Tolerance - indicates a position of power over, it means that you are in a position to make the decision to tolerate or endure. It's simply the lowest level of anti-racism." - Dr. Juanita M. Cleaver Simmons

Connect with Dr. Juanita M. Cleaver Simmons: Website: https://www.tmconsultants.org/ Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang: Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it. Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn. Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Gaye.Lang/

KEY WORDS: Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Dr. Karla D. Brown served as an educator for nearly 30 years as an elementary school teacher and administrator in Houston, Texas in Southern California. She has served as an adjunct professor at Texas Southern University and California Baptist University. She holds a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction.

In this episode Dr. Gaye Lang and Dr. Karla Brown discuss:

• Allowing people to speak up about their experience
• Immersing yourself in other cultures
• The most powerful tool in spreading the message of tolerance
• Seeing the good in people

Key Takeaways:

• Boxes get checked, but that doesn't necessarily mean that things change. Therefore, organizations must create an opportunity for people to openly talk about their experience in the organization related to tolerance.
• When you find yourself in a different culture, explore the community. Immerse yourself in their art and music. Listen to the people and go to their places. Respect people and develop a curiosity for people's lives.
• Media is the most powerful tool for spreading knowledge. It's a good starting point for educating people en masse about the reality of the world and what we can do about it.
• Have a positive outlook in life. Look at the good instead of the bad in the person. Nobody wants to wake up each day feeling frustration and anger. We need to learn to forgive so that we could experience life better.

"Stepping out of that comfort zone makes all the difference. Going in and trying to see what can I see different. How can I do something different today? Or what can I do to change the outlook on people in general?" - Dr. Karla Brown

Connect with Dr. Karla Brown:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-d-brown-ed-d-28263416/

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn.

Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Gaye.Lang/

KEY WORDS:

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Eddie Blaylark's educational career includes over 20 years of experience including as a classroom teacher, an alternative school director in Denver, Colorado, and most recently, as an associate principal. Eddie Blaylark has proven results in transforming systems. In his first year at the middle school level, he reduced the out-of-school suspension by a whopping 68% and lead professional development sessions in effective communication with staff through an equity lens. Eddie Blaylark is a leader that promotes an equity mindset through results-oriented practices that support student and teacher growth in an environment conducive to changing culture.

In this episode Dr. Gaye Lang and Eddie Blaylark discuss:

• Working at an individual level
• Fostering growth in yourself and others
• Knowing your end game

Key Takeaways:

• Tolerance is a learning process that requires an individual to look within and cultivate a desire to change. It isn't only self-awareness that's necessary, but a willingness to go into different environments.
• Foster growth within yourself and then foster that growth in the people around you. The results that you want to see in others have to begin with you.
• Look at the end game in your position. Where do you want to be in the next three years? Create a life map from where you are to where you want to be and refer to it to see if you're on the path to what your goal is.

"Tolerance - the individual has to take an inward-outward approach, and they have to want to change and if that desire to change is there, then that that will be a lot easier for this process to take place." - Eddie Blaylark

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn.

Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Gaye.Lang/

KEY WORDS:

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Joy Johnson-Carruthers is a Master Trainer, Workforce Development Leader and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advocate with over twenty years of experience developing high-performing teams across the United States and abroad. Joy is a board member with the Middle Tennessee Society for Human Resource Management. She serves as the director of Diversity & Inclusion and named the 2019 Diversity & Inclusion Professional of the Year. She is the recipient of the 2020 MT-SHRM Leadership Award and the HCA, HealthTrust Supply Chain Impact Award.

​Joy's career of service began in the United States Army, and later as a police officer in St. Louis, Missouri. Her law enforcement career ended when a drunk driver rear-ended her patrol car. Joy went on to find her passion in education and workforce training, working as an adjunct professor of Humanities and Cultural Studies for over ten years. Her studies abroad include West Africa and South Korea.

In this episode Dr. Gaye Lang and Joy Johnson-Carruthers discuss:

• The first step toward tolerance
• Differences make us strong
• The real enemy of equity
• Putting relationships first

Key Takeaways:

• The journey of learning about other cultures starts with learning about your own. Know the history, the struggle, and the experiences of your ancestors so that you can have awareness, respect, and pride in who you are and where you came from.
• Differences are what makes us strong, differences are what built America. We need to move away from mere compliance, we need to promote education, community, and ultimately, understanding of each one's differences by cultivating relationships with one another.
• We're not up against a race or a group of people based on the color of their skin, what we're up against is the policies and structures that were created to perpetuate a system of inequity. That's the enemy that DIET is trying to challenge.
• We must have difficult conversations and allow people to speak their minds without fear of being hated as an individual. If we want to teach hard truths, we've got to start with having a relationship and creating a community.

"When you are on a journey to learn about culture, start with self. Because once you understand who you are, you can have a healthy respect for those in your own culture. Then, you're more able to have a healthy respect for other cultures." - Joy Johnson-Carruthers

Connect with Joy Johnson-Carruthers:

Website: https://www.jtrainingsolutions.net/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-johnsoncarruthers/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 615-772-4374

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn.

Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Gaye.Lang/

KEY WORDS:

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Tim Lord is an experienced leader of a community-based arts and social justice organization with a demonstrated history of working with social service and arts organizations. He is skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Major Gifts Fundraising for Arts Organizations, Board Development/Communications Campaigns (including Event Planning), Community Relations & Engagement Strategies as well as Fundraising Leadership/Community Outreach Training programs. Tim has a particular commitment to race-equity work, to partnering to dismantling institutional racist systems, and to collaborating in building pathways to equity and opportunity.

In this episode Dr. Gaye Lang and Tim Lord discuss:

• The only way that race equity training could work
• The heart of the work of anti-racism
• What does it take to really push forward anti-racism
• Restoration is a two-way street

Key Takeaways:

• The key to race equity training is to do it long-term and make it an ongoing thing. The goal of training isn't only to make the organization better but to impact the individual from within.
• Internalizing the impact of racism as one from the dominant race doesn't have to involve beating yourself up, it's about recognizing your personal mistakes and the mistakes of the system you've grown up under and being willing to be the start of the change. It's not about shame, guilt, or blame, it's about being a good human.
• Undoing racism, and implicit bias and upholding restorative justice isn't about just checking boxes. People need to be guided towards having an ongoing self-reflective journey and be inspired to have the courage to do the right thing.
• Even though white males in America are carrying the heavy burden to make the bridge, always remember that restoration is a two-way street. You've got to meet halfway and be respectful of their efforts if you perceive them to be genuine.

"Race equity training can be very effective, and it can truly change your practices, relationships, and the way you do your work both internally and externally but only if you commit to it over the long term." - Tim Lord

Connect with Tim Lord :

Website: https://www.dreamyard.com/ | https://www.dyprep.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-lord-267439/

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn.

Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Gaye.Lang/

KEY WORDS:

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn.

Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Gaye.Lang/

KEY WORDS:

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn.

Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gaye.lang.779/

KEY WORDS:

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Dr. Kenneth Gay is the CEO and founder of Kenneth Gay Education, LLC. He has over 21 years of educational leadership experience in public schools. Lieutenant Colonel Gay currently serves in the Army Reserves with over 27 years of experience.

Coach Kisha White is a certified wellness and empowerment coach. She specializes in helping individuals overcome mental blockers that keep them from accomplishing their goals. Coach White has 28 years of service in the army reserves and is a proud mother of three.

Dr. Gay and Coach Kisha has developed a strategic partnership in order to help each others minority owned and veteran owned businesses succeed.

In this episode Dr. Gaye Lang, Dr. Kenneth Gay and Coach Kisha White discuss:

• Tolerance is a personal choice
• Misunderstandings in communication
• How tolerance comes alive in a community
• No shame in asking for help

Key Takeaways:

• Usually, it's up to the organization's heads to initiate and drive better tolerance for the community. However, genuine tolerance can only be built up when people choose to and if they put their own personal effort in making their community a more tolerant place.
• A lot of misunderstanding happens whenever people communicate because they each come from different backgrounds. When misunderstandings aren't addressed, when they are bottled up, that's how intolerance festers in a community.
• When members of a community come together to take tolerance beyond the training, that's when true transformation starts. People need to commit to creating relationships with one another in order to truly understand each other.
• Always remember that there is no shame in asking for help. If you or someone you know is having issues in the mental health space, then know that help is available.

"Anyone within any particular organization needs to set a tone, that everyone feels vulnerable enough that they could share statements or ask questions, but also allow for feedback that will be helpful to them. This happens when you have a safe space; when people have built relationships with individuals and have had the opportunity to learn about each other." - Dr. Kenneth Gay

"There's just different types of ways that we have to just reassure people. That they're safe with us, what we talked about is safe, that it's a judgment free zone." - Coach Kisha White

Connect with Dr. Kenneth Gay:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kenneth-Gay-Education

Instagram: www.instagram.com/Kenneth-Gay-Education

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kennethgayeducation

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kenneth-gay

Website: www.kennethgayeducation.com | https://bit.ly/3J5lYgd

Connect with Coach Kisha White:

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/coachkishawhite

Instagram: www.instagram.com/coachkishawhite

Website: www.coachkishawhite.com | https://bit.ly/3b9tRVq

Connect with Dr. Gaye Lang:

Don't forget to subscribe to the show, so that you don't miss a single episode; and please leave a rating and review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow our show on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. You can also follow Dr. Lang on LinkedIn.

Download Three Vital Practices to avoid a potential lawsuit for free by clicking this link: www.WorkplaceRestorativePracticesInc.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaye-lang-1735761b5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gaye.lang.779/

KEY WORDS:

Diversity, inclusion, equity, tolerance, racism, bias, implicit bias, and explicit bias.

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.