This time, I’m doing a solo episode to share my thoughts and recap the latest 5 Things. This week my conversation with myself is about inclusive books winning big, Pride over profits, Michigan stepping up against hate, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Inclusive Stories Win
2. Hate Stops Here, Michigan Steps Up
3. Thailand Puts Money Behind Gender Care
4. Pride > Profits: Community Steps Up
5. DEI Showdown: Companies Hold the Line

Good Vibes to Go: 

It’s Lunar New Year, a 15-day festival in many parts of the world. Here is a good primer on Lunar New Year. What do you say to someone who celebrates? Happy New Year!

Read the Stories

Watch the show on YouTube.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Carlos Butler-Vale (he/him), Co-Host, Corporate Cafecito Business Podcast, and Founder, Avizo Consulting, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about history at the Oscars, marriage equality in Thailand, Bloomberg’s big investment, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Bloomberg Stands for Climate Action
2. Hyatt and Carnival Lead Accessibility Wave
3. A Trailblazer’s Moment
4. Thailand Says 'I Do' to Equality
5. Brave Rep. Emily Randall

Good Vibes to Go: 

Bernadette’s GVTG: Read this article by Lily Zheng in Harvard Business Review in which they present a new framework: What Comes After DEI. 

Carlos’ GVTG: Look for a symphony performance of “Encanto”, the Disney movie, and support the Central Illinois Friends Center, or your local LGBTQ Center. Find yours at CenterLink.

Read the Stories.

Connect with Carlos Butler-Vale

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Dorie Clark (she/her), WSJ Bestselling Author and Professor of Executive Education at Columbia Business School and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about Inclusive Care with a Smile, Raising the Curtain on Neurodivergence, Toasting Respect, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Inclusive Dentistry Is More Than Words
2. Long-Overdue Apology Hits Home
3. Neurodiverse Stars in the Spotlight
4. Respect in Every Pour
5. Neurodivergent Nights

Good Vibes to Go: 

Bernadette’s GVTG: Watch Rez Ball on Netflix! It’s a drama about a high school basketball team in New Mexico competing for the state championship. I loved the authenticity of the storytelling. 

Dorie’s GVTG: Dorie celebrates LGBTQ-inclusive wedding cards while acknowledging there aren't many of them including on Etsy!

Read the Stories

Connect with Dorie Clark

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

We are in National Hispanic Heritage Month and I’d like to recommend some Latine folks for you to follow and/or hire all year long. Ingrid Harb is my guest on 5 Things in 15 Minutes this week. She’s a fabulous, connective speaker who also leads transformative in-person DEI experiences. You can follow Ingrid here and catch her on my podcast this week.

My friend, speaker Miguel Aviles-Perez is based in Puerto Rico, which remains in crisis once again due to the devastation of Hurricane Fiona. Much of the island still lacks power. Miguel is thoughtful and insightful and his energy is amazing! You can follow Miguel here.

Finally, we have a new team member here at Equality Institute, Erika Latines, who is a compelling and engaging facilitator and storyteller. You can read more about Erika here. She’s available for our new workshops True Colors and Just the Way You Are, as well as our bestseller, Voices Carry.

And if you’re looking for a great novel, I highly recommend the NYT bestseller Olga Dies Dreaming written by my old friend Xochitl Gonzalez. It’s a juicy novel set in NYC and Puerto Rico. I loved it.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Virgin Atlantic Announces Non-Gendered Uniform Policy
2. Amazon, Hilton, and PepsiCo Among Nearly Four Dozen Major Companies That Commit To Hiring 22,000 Refugees
3. Activision Blizzard launched a boot camp for industry outsiders
4. California Job Postings Will Soon Include Pay Ranges Due to a New Salary Transparency Bill Signed Into Law
5. First Neurodiversity-Focused Chamber of Commerce Launches in Colorado

Read the full blog here

Learn more about Ingrid and NOTA Inclusion here

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

There was a recurring theme this week in my conversations with clients: how to recover after you’ve been called out or accidentally offended someone. Here’s the short answer: don't get dramatic. Apologize sincerely once without diminishing their experience. If you’re corrected, say thanks. Educate yourself, rather than asking them, so you can do better next time.

During an in-person keynote for a corporate client, I was asked a question that took the topic a step further. I was asked, “How much responsibility do I need to continue to take after I’ve offended someone when, after my sincere apology, they remain angry and/or aggressive?”

Here are a couple of guidelines: Remember you don’t know what it’s like to walk in their shoes and it’s a good idea to acknowledge that when speaking with the person. And, after an appropriate period of time, it’s OK to ask, “Is there anything I can do to repair this relationship?”

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Disabled Models and Designers Take Center Stage at New York Fashion Week
2. Hearst Joins Employers Expanding Benefits to Include Divorce Support
3. Twilio Promises ‘Anti-racist’ Layoffs as Ceo Says 11% Job Cuts Won’t Hit Workers From ‘Marginalized Communities’ More Than Others
4. Hot Chicken Takeover’s Mission Is to Hire People Who Might Be Passed Over Elsewhere, Whether Because of Prior Incarceration, Drug Addiction, or Homelessness
5. Interior Department Completes Removal of “Sq___” from Federal Use
    

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-recovery

To learn more about Rex, visit: https://www.rexwilde.com/
 

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

If you’re a long-time reader of 5 Things, you may have noticed that it doesn’t matter to me why an organization decides to “do the right thing” – to embed equity and inclusion into its systems as a way to accelerate the promises of diversity. 

I don’t care whether an organization is working on DEI initiatives because everyone else is because they see the promises of higher revenue because they want to reduce turnover, because they don’t want to be left in the dust, or because it’s just the right thing to do. I don’t care why Hard Rock is paying $100 million in wage hikes (as you’ll read below). I care about the long-term benefits.

Don’t get me wrong: having an inspirational and aligned purpose will only help organizations get there faster (if they effectively rally employees around that purpose) – but if it’s just about making more money, that’s fine, too. Real change, the systems and policy change that I write about every week here, that I wrote about in my awesome book Inclusive 360, is replicable, scalable, and sustainable. 

In my conversations with clients, I will keep making the business case because – whatever works.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Patagonia’s Founder Transfers Ownership Into Two Entities to Help Fight the Climate Crisis
2. Runners for the First Time Had the Option to Select Nonbinary, Male, or Female in Response to the Gender Question for their Boston Marathon Registration
3. Doordash Invests in Employee Resource Groups by Compensating Leaders
4. Casino Company Hard Rock to Spend $100 Million to Raise Employees’ Wages
5. This Year Marks the First Ever South Asian New York Fashion Week (SANYFW)

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-no-matter-why

To learn more about Gearah Goldstein and The GenderCool Project, visit: https://gendercool.org/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week I met with a client to prepare for an upcoming keynote. We were discussing some of the company’s DEI challenges, and I heard the familiar comment, “We struggle to get the sales team to care. They don’t get why it’s important.”

It’s a common struggle: in many cases, DEI events are voluntary, and many folks on the sales team are in the field. How do you reach them? How do you get them to care?

It starts with embedding DEI into the sales meetings and getting the senior leaders at those meetings to care. But there are a few other tricks, best summarized in this lovely feedback I received from a client: They were VERY appreciative of the practical tips for relating to their clients and candidates. I personally felt that her focus on those folks, over their own colleagues, also may have made this feel more like a professional development session than "another DEI lecture" for those that are less receptive to our DEI council's efforts.

The sales team is financially motivated. To reach them, share any myriad bits of data about the financial benefits of diversity. Then talk about DEI and cultural competency more broadly in terms of how it relates to their clients and candidates – how do they establish trust with, and NOT accidentally offend their increasingly diverse client and candidate base? No one, especially no one in sales, likes to embarrass themselves in front of a client.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. ‘Peppa Pig’ Gets Its First Same-Sex Couple – Two Polar Bear Mommies
2. A Swimming Cap Made for Black Hair Gets Official Approval After Previous Olympic Ban
3. The Hubspot Culture Code: “Better to Try and Sometimes Fail Than to Sit Tight...and Fail for Sure.”
4. U.S. Soccer Players Formally Sign Equal Pay Agreements
5. If Your Family Makes Less Than $100,000 per Year, Princeton Will Cover All Your Tuition

Learn more about John Avila here: https://www.avilacreativeinc.com/

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-the-sales-team

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week I facilitated a conversation with a client about my book Inclusive 360. In the conversation, I was struck by how often my conversations around DEI quickly focus on hiring for diversity. Yes, that’s important, but data tells us that at the entry-level of organizations, the percentage of men vs women, and White people vs BIPOC are fairly balanced. The gaps widen as employees are promoted. Classic unconscious bias.

It’s clear to me that organizations should instead prioritize embedding equity into the employee lifecycle to give everyone a fair shot at success and growth. This includes everything from updating and standardizing the performance review process, to inclusive leader training for managers, and coaching for high potentials. There’s a reason that many organizations are paying out big bonuses right now…it can be far more cost-effective to invest in current employees than hire new ones. 

Yes, we can help you with those things…but here’s how to start making the case for this: share the data that shows it can cost 3x an employee's salary to fill a role (including time spent by other employees as part of the hiring process). Then ask some of your high potentials, “what can we do to keep awesome people like you around?” Listen to the ideas and work through what’s reasonable, bit by bit.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Period Poverty: Scotland First in World to Make Period Products Free
2. Global Consumer Brands Are Wading Into an Uproar Over the Firing of a Popular Female Television Anchor
3. Ben & Jerry's and Tony's Chocolonely Team Up To Tackle Cocoa Slave Labor
4. All-Black, All-Female American Airlines Crew Flies From Dallas to Honor Bessie Coleman
5. Races Are Finally Making Room for Nonbinary Runners, Whose Stories Are Driving the Change

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-high-potentials

To learn more about Geneviéve Jones-Wright and Motivation.In.Action (MIA), visit: https://yourmia.org/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week the U.S. Congress passed a significant and transformative climate bill that President Biden is expected to sign. Among many other things, the law will provide many incentives for shifts to clean energy, including rebates for car buyers. 

I found this timely when I read how GM connects the dots between diversity, equity, and inclusion and its goal to be an electric vehicle leader. Telva McGruder, chief diversity, inclusion, and equity officer at GM, shared:

“Our tagline, ‘Everybody in,’ means that we are designing vehicles that will be able to accommodate people regardless of their level of income. So vehicles from low- to high-income price points. It also means people who purchase electric vehicles are going to have the ability to charge them wherever they are, regardless of location…We're also thinking about the impact on the electrical grid, making sure that communities that are typically underrepresented or under-considered when major infrastructure plans are made are indeed represented.” 

A holistic approach to DEI is deep and robust and hard work. But wow, when it’s thoughtful, what a difference it can make in the lives of others – literally in the lives of Black and brown communities. That’s what matters. Read that whole article above about GM – they’re doing some fantastic stuff with DEI.

Here are other good vibes I found this week:

1. Private equity giant Carlyle thinks it’s found the formula for incentivizing diversity work
2. Taco Bell has a unique strategy to improve its frontline ... a six-week program aimed at helping store workers move up the ranks
3. LinkedIn has added nudges to its hiring platform to prompt recruiters to consider diversity
4. Gender neutral ‘Mx.’ prefix option added to the Disney experience

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-everybody-in

To learn more about Sarah and Bettman Consulting Group, visit: https://www.bettmanleadership.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week I was reminded that every story is nuanced – sometimes, I miss the [whole/complete] picture when researching the stories. In the last 5 Things, I shared how Shopify’s CEO was humble and kind in handling layoffs. A reader so smartly responded:

While they lost their jobs due to his mistake he still made over $20 million and cashed out more than $623 million in equity last year. To me, this raises huge questions about internal equity, executive compensation, and holding decision-makers accountable for their decisions. Instead, once again, we will likely see huge numbers of lower-wage, junior, and shared service (where most diversity exists in US companies) employees paying the price.

Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Perfectly put.

And yet, in addition to some layoffs, I’m also seeing salary bumps and bonuses announced across industries as a potential antidote to still-high resignation numbers. Does that count as a good vibe?

Ultimately, there are so many gray areas, and there are always trade-offs. I’m hopeful we will mostly see leaders choose the path that causes the least harm. I’m reminded of what my friend Jess Pettitt says, “Do the best you can with what you have some of the time."

Another reader had a question about Disney’s Fairy Godmothers from last week… we inadvertently left off an apostrophe, causing the story about going gender-free to make no sense. Sorry for the confusion! To summarize Fairy Godmothers in Training --> Fairy Godmother’s Apprentices.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. How the World’s Biggest Four-Day Workweek Trial Run Changed People’s Lives in the UK
2. Spotify Allowed Its Employees to Work From Anywhere in the World and Its Turnover Rate Dropped
3. Gen Z Knows What It Wants From Employers And Employers Want Them
4. U.S. Companies Support Harvard, UNC in Supreme Court Affirmative Action Cases
5. Microsoft Has Taken a Proactive Approach to Accessible Technology and Disability Hiring

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-trade-offs

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week I had some important conversations with my team about the future of our little company, where we’re going, and what we have to do to get there. As a CEO and leader, I’m making big decisions and taking massive risks. It’s scary but it’s less scary when I admit how scary it is, and when my team shares their fears, too – and we all move forward anyway with humility and our shared sense of purpose.

I was reminded this week that sometimes big risks don’t pay off. Layoffs and hiring slowdowns have hit tech. What we’re now seeing crystal clear is that there’s a right way and a wrong way to reduce the workforce. Shopify laid off 1000 employees - and did so with humanity and compassion.

In the letter to the team, CEO Tobi Lütke was transparent about the mistakes that were made that led to the staff reduction: Ultimately, placing this bet was my call to make and I got this wrong. Now, we have to adjust. As a consequence, we have to say goodbye to some of you today and I’m deeply sorry for that.

Lütke also gave departing employees some generous perks beyond severance pay, including still paying for internet, money for new hardware, and organizing and distributing a list of employees looking for work.

To those remaining employees, Lütke reiterated the company’s purpose: Our customers are merchants, entrepreneurs, and small business owners - the bedrock of our economy and precisely those that are typically hit hardest during recessions. Most are already feeling it. We again have a clear objective in these challenging macro-economic times, and we will use everything we’ve got to help them succeed and come out stronger. That’s our core mission.

This matters because it shows humility. The CEO, in admitting his failures, also models a way to create psychological safety.

Here are other good vibes I found this week:

2.  VP Aims for Inclusivity: “I Am Kamala Harris. My Pronouns Are She and Her, and I Am a Woman Sitting at the Table Wearing a Blue Suit.”

3. Disney Replaces ‘Fairy Godmothers’ Title at Parks With Gender-Neutral ‘Apprentices’

4. Pottery Barn Debuts 150+ Pieces of Furniture for People With Disabilities

5. HSBC Offers Gender-Neutral Banking in Inclusivity Bid

To learn more about Genesis Fisher, Esq. and her firm, visit: http://www.fisherlawpractice.nyc/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week my partner said something incredibly wise to me when we were talking about the kids’ rules. She said, “what I’ve come to realize is that it should be about equity, not equality."

That was a mic drop moment for me. By that, she meant that each kid should be treated according to their own unique needs. Of course. The kid who gets overstimulated has different needs than the one who is a hardcore extrovert.

Of course. I remember at work. I forget at home. Anyone else? Or vice versa?

Equity, not equality. Since my business is Equality Institute, I’ll quickly define those terms. Equality (“the condition of being equal”) simply isn’t possible without equity (“more for those who need it”) first. I see equality as an aspirational outcome. I’m an aspirational kind of person. Let’s get to it.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Food Lion Has Made Working With Owners From Underrepresented Groups Part of Its Day-To-Day Sourcing Processes
2. The ANA Membership Assembly Took Historic Action by Unanimously Voting ‘Yes’ to Adopt The ANA Racial Reckoning Statement
3. IOC Reinstates Jim Thorpe as Sole Winner of 1912 Olympic Decathlon and Pentathlon
4. Once Neglected, Dei Initiatives Now Present at All Fortune 100 Companies
5. Top Russian Tennis Player Daria Kasatkina Comes Out as Gay

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-mic-drop

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week we launched a really cool DEI web app (and the feedback has been 🔥). Creating the Inclusive 360 Assessment and Roadmap has been my obsession for 10 months as I sought to solve a recurring challenge our clients share - a need to cut through the overwhelm and get crystal clear direction about the next steps forward with DEI.

To be perfectly honest, I was also dissatisfied with the custom DEI analysis and strategic plan we were providing to consulting clients. I felt that the analysis was great but the plan was too general. In my own experience, when I don’t have specifics, I often get stuck and don’t take action. I like specifics. The tool is very specific.

Anyway, I promise we’ll chill out with the emails about the web app, but I want to share how proud I am of what we built, and how much I believe it can help organizations accelerate their DEI and accessibility goals.

Watch the 3-minute video.

Try it out with the Inclusive 360 Quiz.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. A Black History & Culture Collection Was Created to Provide Access to Historical & Cultural Images of the African/Black Diaspora in the US & UK
2. Nintendo Has Enchanted Video Game Players With Titles Like Super Mario Brothers and the Legend of Zelda, but Now It’s Helping Bring LGBTQ Equality to Its Home Country of Japan
3. Educator and Civil Rights Activist Mary McLeod Bethune Makes History as the First Black Person to Have a State-Commissioned Statue in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall, Replacing a Confederate Statue
4. & 5. ADP Created a Preferred Name Policy to Foster an Inclusive Workplace.  Betterment did something similar - users of this financial app have more than two genders to choose from when registering. Account holders can also add their preferred names.

Read the blog version here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-obsessed
 

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Lekeshia Hicks (she/her), Diversity Strategist & Inclusive Leadership Coach and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about breaking barriers with Fenix FC, cutting out racism in barbering, and inclusive beauty that benefits everyone!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Style That Fits—Literally!
2. Fenix FC Breaks Barriers
3. Cutting Racism Out of Barbering
4. Inclusive Beauty That Benefits All
5. Game-Changer for Brands

Good Vibes to Go: 

Bernadette’s GVTG: Check out one of my favorite DEI Books: Inclusion Nudges by Tinna C. Nielsen and Lisa Kepinski. This book has 100 crowd-sourced DEI behavioral design ideas that specifically “nudge” our brains towards inclusion using principles of neuroscience. It’s an incredibly useful book. 

Lekeshia’s GVTG: Build yourself a personal board of directors, people you can collaborate with, bounce ideas off, and get support when things are tough. It can be transformative to your life and business!

Read the Stories.

Connect with Lekeshia Hicks on LinkedIn and her website. Get her book Receipts and Revelations here.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week I spent time in California whitewater rafting and hiking with an old friend. There was no cell service while we were on the overnight rafting trip, and it felt great to be completely unplugged. After I returned from the solace of nature, I learned there was a parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois about 30 miles from my home. 

Another shooting. So much for good vibes. I wanted to unplug all over again.

Friends, it sometimes feels like the world is falling apart and I run out of words. I run out of patience. Maybe you do, too. Still, I look for inspiration because of the discipline of writing this every week. 

I found some inspiration this morning when I learned that the winery tasting room in downtown Highland Park, run by my friend Matt Phillips, was a safe haven for 40+ parade-goers escaping the violence. In the spirit of the kindness of strangers, I share this short news story about Matt and Lynfred Winery. Any one of us may have done the same thing, but Matt did. 

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

• GE Appliances Is Working to Hire 1,000 Refugees at Its Louisville Factories by 2023
• Slack’s Bold Bet on Training Formerly Incarcerated People to Be Tech Workers
• PayPal CEO Improved Results By Investing in His Call Center Workers
• Hootsuite’s Office Gets an Inclusive Redesign
• Sandra Douglass Morgan Becomes the First Black Woman to Be Named an NFL Team President

To learn more about Miguel Joey Aviles, visit: https://www.migueljoeyaviles.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

I spent two days this week on a retreat with my mastermind group. We’re a bunch of varied founders who come together to learn and support each other as we build our businesses. The theme of this retreat was “communication” and one of the sessions I enjoyed was on communicating with ourselves when we’re triggered by something someone says at work.

We started by learning our individual fear response - mine is flight - and then self-reflecting on the various comments that have triggered that response at work. We then practiced getting triggered (and recovering from it) in pairs. The magic is in the tool we learned to recover from the triggers. Our facilitator, Pavini Coakwell Moray, taught us a technique to ground ourselves, expand, and let the body settle the mind.

There are so many reasons people get triggered at work but I can promise you that the overturn of Roe is a big one. I hope that your organization is having internal conversations on what the overturn of Roe can mean in terms of programming (consider listening sessions), employee benefits, privacy, communications, and more. Brace yourself for business implications like these.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Allyson Felix Launches a Child Care Initiative for Athlete Moms
2. Marriott International Launches “Bridging The Gap” Hotel Development Program
3. Google Will Let LGBTQ-Plus Merchants Tag Their Businesses in Maps
4. Walmart Expands Health Services to Address Racial Inequality
5. Walgreens Aims to Add Diversity to Drug Trials Through Stores
    

For more information on Seema Jain and Seva Global, please visit: https://www.seva-global.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week I had a bunch of planning meetings in anticipation of upcoming keynotes. About 80% of the time, the client advises: “As a heads up, our employees are generally pretty conservative.” I’ve heard this from clients in many industries: financial services, energy, manufacturing, commercial real estate, and more.

Still, they’re willing to learn – and admit what they don’t know. Recently I had an attendee from a “conservative” industry send me a private email hours after the keynote sharing a recent experience being called out on their own microaggressions towards others, and looking for some additional resources to be better informed in the future.

I appreciated this email so much because it required some vulnerability for that person to reach out to me, share an embarrassing experience, and ask for resources. It also showed humility and curiosity, both of which are essential to the work of DEI.

I appreciate that you take the time to read 5 Things – because we’re all still learning. The discipline of writing 5 Things every week is part of my own learning journey.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. The NFL’s First Out Trans Cheerleader Readies for Her Carolina Panthers Debut
2. Ms. Marvel Is the First Muslim Superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
3. Ben & Jerry’s Launches Multi-State Billboard Campaign to Support Trans Youth
4. Biden Administration to Pay White House Interns for the First Time in Recent History
5. 220 CEOs Demand Immediate Action From the Senate to Reduce Gun Violence

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Happy Pride! I’m going to be honest here…to me, life as a gay person in America right now feels like whiplash. On one hand, we’re seeing rainbow everything and everywhere this year – from products at IKEA and Target to tweets like this from the Marines. It’s so extreme that I’ve seen posts decrying the commodification of pride. They’re not wrong. And also, I really love rainbows.

This week, Equality Institute Associate Facilitator Darnell Adams and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI:

• Unilever Is Skipping Rainbow Merchandise & Pride Floats. They’d Rather Make an Actual Difference
• Members of Ukraine’s LGBTQ Community Who Sign Up for the War Have Taken to Sewing the Image of the Mythical Beast Into Their Uniforms Just Below the National Flag
• Shonda Rhimes Launches Two New DEI Initiatives With Netflix
• Virgin Atlantic Makes History With New Change to Employee Dress Code
• Slack Will Teach Your Co-workers How to Pronounce Your Name

5 Things / Pride Paradox blog show notes: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-pride-paradox

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Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

 I discovered that there were a lot of really inspirational actions being taken to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world, but typical news stories focus more on negativity. I decided to begin sharing what I consider to be "good vibes" each week in an effort to provide a little bit of hope -- to others, and to myself! 5 Things caught on quickly and now thousands of leaders around the world receive 5 Things and share them with their organizations, families, and friends.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

John R. DiJulius III and David D. Murray, President and Vice President of Consulting, respectively, The DiJulius Group, recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week, we're diving into the push for debt-free degrees for employees, Uber's latest commitment to accessibility, and retailers' commitment to Diwali!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Inclusivity Strikes Back: Star Wars Edition!
2. Uber Says: Accessibility, Full Speed Ahead!
3. Representation Index: Time for Inclusivity Check!
4. Degrees Without Debt? Yes, Please!
5. Diwali Delights in Retail

Good Vibes to Go: 

Bernadette’s Good Vibe to Go: It’s almost Halloween, a time when cultural appropriation can go very badly. Check out these tips for an inclusive Halloween, from our friends at The Diversity Movement. 

John and Dave's Good Vibe to go: Lead with humility! It's a skill you can develop and it goes a long way towards being an inclusive leader.

Read the Stories.

Connect with John R. DiJulius III and David D. Murray.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Vivian Acquah (she/her, Certified DEI Trainer and Coach and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week we’re talking about Spotify's remote work win, Jessica Campbell smashing NHL barriers, changing tables changing lives, and more! 

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Student Loans Benefit Rolls out
2. Flying High on Inclusivity!
3. Changing the Game with Changing Tables!
4. Jessica Campbell Breaks the Ice
5. Spotify’s ‘Work From Anywhere’ Stays!

Good Vibes to Go: 

From Bernadette: It’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month! Check out this article from the World Economic Forum: How neurodiversity in the workplace can drive business success.

From Vivian: Think about ways you can empathize with someone else. Apply active listening. Read other stories. Be genuinely interested in someone else to learn from someone else's lived experiences and perspectives. Amplify empathy!

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-over-sharing

Connect with Vivian Acquah: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivianacquah/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Erica Vogel, Author: Advice from Your Trans Aunty, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about women leading in the NFL, voting rights never going out of style, and, of course, legacy privilege getting the boot. 

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Levi's: Voting Rights Never Go Out of Style
2. Women Leading NFL—And Winning!
3. Bye-Bye, Legacy Privilege!
4. BoA Boosts Teller Pay
5. Outing Isn’t an Option Anymore

Good Vibes to Go: 

There are a number of Jewish holidays coming up – and Rosh Hoshana just wrapped. Learn the dates and some tips for your team in this LinkedIn post by Nate Shalev. 

Erica’s tip: Be kind to trans folks; escort them to public bathrooms; talk to them using their correct names and pronouns. Before you ask an invasive question, particularly about bodies, ask yourself if you would be uncomfortable with someone asking you that same question. And if so, don’t ask!

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-service

Connect with Erica Vogel.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Jessica Pettitt (she/her), author of Good Enough Now, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is all about LA comedy embracing neurodiversity, Phifer shaking up employee health care, Microsoft getting serious about inclusive AI, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. LA Comedy Show Embraces Neurodiversity
2. Phifer Transforms Employee Health Care
3. Microsoft Focuses on Inclusive AI Development
4. Synchrony Offers On-Site Therapy Sessions
5. SheDrives Empowers Trans, Women Riders

This week’s good vibes to go:

From Bernadette: Get Smarter in Seconds by watching this YouTube series by Blair Imani. Learn about Juneteenth in 90 seconds, about Ramadan in 30, and ADHD in a minute! 

From Jess: Be more curious…always look for something that you don’t already know so you can find beauty and novelty in something new and interesting. What are you doing that you’ve never done before? What are you learning and are you challenging yourself so that you can create a better community?

Read the Stories

Connect with Jessica Pettitt. Her next book comes out on October 8!

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Michael Iannelli (he/him), Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Ablr, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about BSL at Nissan, baby-wearing statues in the UK, unplugged Australians, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Permission for Australians to Unplug
2. London Statues Now Include Baby-Wearers
3. Connecticut Claps-Back to Florida
4. BoA’s Crisis Support
5. Nissan Employees Learn BSL

This week's Call to Action:

Is your organization’s website fully accessible? I know ours isn’t fully there – but we’re working on it…connect with Ablr to get your own free website accessibility assessment. 

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-cruising

Connect with Mike at Ablr and on LinkedIn. 

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Chris Simmons (he/him), Trailblazing Diversity Leader, Author & Keynote Speaker, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes! This week our conversation is about neurodivergent inclusion at EY, a more accessible Yelp, Harry Potter, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Yelp Expands Accessibility Features
2. Don’t Tell J.K. Rowling
3. EY Sees Success with Neurodivergent Inclusion
4. Non-Binary Runners to Earn Prize Money
5. New Monuments Pay Tribute to Black Women

This week's Call to Action:

Read my friend Julie Kratz’s article in Forbes: How PWC Measures the Impact of Inclusion.

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-hang-on

Connect with Chris Simmons via his website and LinkedIn.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Karl Dunn (he/him), Author of How to Burn a Rainbow, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about up-front tuition funding, increased safety for women travelers in India, Pottery Barn’s latest collection, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. DNC Showcases Diverse-Owned Businesses at Vendor Fair
2. Pottery Barn Expands Accessible Products
3. IndiGo Airlines Improves Safety for Women
4. Stress Relief for NYC Transit Workers
5. Trane Offers Up-Front Funding for Tuition

This week's Call to Action:

Read this great article by Tom Geraghty: Psychological safety should support DEI, not replace it.

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-joy

Connect with Karl Dunn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karldunn/ and https://www.karldunn.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

In a special episode of 5 Things in 15 Minutes, Sandy Diaz Haley (she/her), Founder & Principal SDH Communications, and I chat about change management through a DEIB lens. Join us as we discuss Sandy's 5 key elements of communicating DEIB for change:

1. Know your audience and what's in it for them.
2. Who is delivering your message, the tone, and the timing?
3. What channels are you using for maximum reach?
4. Ask for and listen to feedback.
5. News should be more than just sharing information - but also be about celebrating wins and successes.
    

This week’s Call to Action:

Read this article by Bernadette Davis: Keeping it Civil: Managing Contentious Conversations in the Workplace 

Connect with Sandy Diaz Haley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-diaz-haley/ and https://www.sdhcommunications.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Davey Shlasko, Founder and Director, Think Again Training & Consulting and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about lessons in love for autistic people, inclusive design at Virgin Media, pickleball in prison, standing firm on DEI—and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Love Lessons, Autism Edition!
2. Inclusion, Designed to the Nines!
3. Celebrities and Companies Pledge Wildlife Support
4. Pickleball: Serving Redemption in Prison
5. Apple & Costco Stand Firm on DEI!

Good Vibes to Go: 

Bernadette’s GVTG: Watch ALOK’s new special (comedy and poetry) on YouTube. It’ll make you laugh and make you think!

Davey’s GVTG: Be mindful of jumping to an assumption about what level of solutions are required for any big challenge. Thinking about what I can do as an individual or what we can do as a small organization might be exactly what’s needed instead of waiting on big policy changes. 

Check out the Cross Class Dialogue Circle, which is a nonprofit community-based project that brings people together across differences of socioeconomic background and financial experiences to build relationships across those differences.

Read this week’s stories.

Connect with Davey Shlasko

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Jay Baez-Sanchez (she/her), DEI Enthusiast, and Anthony Papini (he/him), Director of DEI at ActiveCampaign and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about the first Black African to win a Tour de France stage, Barbie’s new dolls, inclusion at the Emmy awards, and more! We’ll also be talking about the development of ActiveCampaign’s new Junior Platform Certification Program.

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Biniam Girmay Wins Tour de France Stage
2. Barbie’s New Inclusive Dolls
3. Indigenous Actresses Get Emmy Noms
4. Track and Field Gold Medalists Get Paid
5. Canada's First Female Chief of Defense

This week's Call to Action:

Check out the Black Barbie documentary on Netflix! It’s super entertaining and brought me some good vibes. 

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-holding-space

Connect with Jay Baez-Sanchez (she/her), DEI Enthusiast, and Anthony Papini (he/him) on LinkedIn.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Molly Vetter (she/her), Senior Pastor, Westwood Church, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. Molly and I were friends at college and she was a strong and visible ally and advocate during the United Methodist Church’s recent decision to lift bans on LGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex weddings. She shared some of that story with us. 

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. 80% of Mattel Games Are Color-Blind Accessible
2. First-Ever Nursery at Olympics Athletes Village
3. Caroline’s Carts Debuting At Walmart
4. JPMorgan’s Second Chance Agenda is Working
5. NPS’s First-Ever LGBTQ Visitor Center Is Open

This week's Call to Action:

International Allyship Day is August 8 and my friend Julie Kratz is hosting an event live in NYC or virtually. The event will bring together industry-leading organizations to share best practices and help others develop their own unique Allyship programming. Get the details here. 

Read this week’s stories.

Connect with Molly here: www.westwoodumc.org or @revmollyvetter on Insta 

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Deidra Green (she/her), Director of DEI at European Wax Center recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about a new dub of the Avengers movie, Ben & Jerry’s new ad campaign, trans representation at the Olympics, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. The Avengers to be Dubbed in Lakota
2. Ben & Jerry’s Urges Activism
3. Nikki Hiltz, a Trans Non-Binary Runner, Heads to the Olympics
4. Minnesota is Stepping Up Its Inclusivity Game
5. More ERG Leads Get Compensated

This week's Call to Action:

Lily Zheng has released a new LinkedIn Learning course called “A Playbook to Achieve Equity Anywhere” and I learned a thing or two. Check it out!

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-managing-yourself

Connect with Deidra Green on LinkedIn.

Visit the European Wax Center.

Deidra’s book recommendations: The Courage to be Disliked and The Life Brief

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

In my first-ever solo episode, I answer the question posed by Rita from my team: "What's the future of DEI?" The answer for me is simple: it's becoming Inclusive 360, which is the name of my book. Listen up for more.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Risha Grant (she/her), The BS Finder, International Speaker & Bestselling Author and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about Disney’s new ride, a historic pardon, and inclusion at the Tokyo Marathon, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Tokyo Marathon Adds Non-Binary Category
2. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Opens at Disney
3. Christopher Street Station Gets Renamed
4. President Biden Pardons Thousands of Gay Men
5. Anthropologie Launches Adaptive Apparel

This week's Call to Action:

Watch Origin, Ava Du Vernay’s latest film. It’s now on Hulu and “explores the mystery of history, the wonders of romance, and a fight for our future.”

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/flow-state

Connect with Risha Grant: https://www.rishagrant.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Happier Employees = Lower Turnover at IKEA
2. Thailand Approves Marriage Equality
3. Record Employment for People With Disabilities
4. Doris Burke Calls NBA Finals
5. Miss Maryland USA Breaks Barriers

Call to Action:

Too hot out there? Stay cool inside and check out these movies by and about trans people to watch this Pride month

Read the stories:  https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-gayborhood

Connect with Kit Lim (she/her), DEI leader and coach.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Scholastic Publishes Pride Guide 
2. Claudia Sheinbaum Breaks Glass Ceiling in Mexico
3. Planet Fitness Affirms Trans Inclusion
4. FIFA and Citigroup Expand Parental Leave

This week's Call to Action:

GRACE is a transgender-led national nonprofit organization that’s creating videos featuring conservative and center-right parents standing up for their trans children. Watch and share this first video of Eric Childs, Operation Iraqi Freedom combat Veteran – and father to a transgender teenager. He also happens to have conservative values. 

Read this week’s stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-trojan-horse

Connect with David Smith: www.workplaceallies.com

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Trans Woman Awarded Best Actress at Cannes
2. Melinda French Gates Pledges $1B for Women
3. Major Accessibility Updates Coming to Airports
4. MLB Adds Negro League Stats
5. Boston University Renames Dorm

This week's Call to Action:

It’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month! Remember, Pride started as an act of rebellion, and Pride parades are still forms of protest in many places. Learn about Pride around the world through Outright International. You can learn about how Pride was celebrated in 100 countries last year and some background information on the status of LGBTQ+ inclusion in those countries.

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-cringe

Connect with  DEI Advisor Denise Wells: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamldwells/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This Week's Good Vibes:

1. ‘Sesame Street’ Introduces TJ, the Show’s First Filipino American Muppet
2. FDA Paves Way for More Gay and Bisexual Men to Donate Blood With New Risk-Based Assessment
3. Dartmouth Health on How to Reduce Hiring Bias, the Power of DEIB Statements
4. Airbnb Let Its Workers Live and Work Anywhere. Spoiler: They’re Loving It
5. For Kids, Going Under Anesthesia Can Be Scary. This Nurse Made a Video Game to Ease Fears

Call to Action:

Watch this PBS Special “Rising Against Asian Hate” narrated by the fabulous Sandra Oh. The special “sheds light on the struggles, triumphs, and achievements of AAPI communities.”

To learn more about CurieDx and Dr. Canares, visit: https://www.curiedx.com/

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-ageist

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This episode originally aired on May 16, 2023

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. SFMOMA’s New Exhibit Celebrates Inclusion
2. Kaylynne Truong Becomes the First Vietnamese Athlete in the WNBA
3. Frontier Co-Op’s Values-Driven Approach
4. Liechtenstein Passes Marriage Equality
5. Apple Products Grow More Accessible

Connect with Bernadette: www.BernadetteSmith.com

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-karen

The first 5 Good Vibes podcast subscribers who mention the podcast in their outreach to Lisa Flick at the Radical Optimist Collective will get 20% off an immersive learning journey supported by our team in Montgomery as part of our work with Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy sites. Email us via our website: https://theradicaloptimist.com/contact/

This week's Call to Action:

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) was last week. Get your organization a free accessibility assessment by our friends at Ablr, who train visually impaired folks to perform accessibility audits (among other amazing things).

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Daniel Downer (he/him), Senior Facilitator with Equality Institute, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about Planet Fitness flexing compassion, Sweetgreen serving up support, rides, roofs, and relief for evacuees, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Planet Fitness Steps Up Relief
2. Sweetgreen Serves Up Support
3. Rides and Roofs for Evacuees
4. Even More Equality
5. Grindr Builds Families

Good Vibes to Go: 

Bernadette’s GVTG: For those who enjoy standup, check out Michelle Buteau’s latest Netflix special, filmed at Radio City Music Hall…she’s the first woman to film a comedy special at Radio City. I loved it. 

Daniel’s GVTG: Check out his top tips for keeping your DEI relevant this year and beyond!

https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-absurdity

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. WNBA Players to Fly Charter Flights
2. American Cancer Society to Study Black Women
3. Japan Airlines’ New CEO is a Woman
4. Sesame Place Is More Inclusive of Neurodivergence
5. Kate Spade Promotes Mental Health Awareness

This week's Call to Action:

Speaking of mental health awareness, I’ve developed a “bag of tricks” to manage my own in times of acute stress. Here are some great quick tips I learned from Ana Del Castillo that you can try in-the-moment: 6 Ways to Regulate Your System

https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-reconnecting

Connect with Lisa Demmi: www.lisademmi.com

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Title IX Protections More Inclusive
2. Potawatomi Nation Reclaims Ancestral Land
3. John Lewis Partnership Publishes Interview Questions Online
4. United Methodist Church Lifts LGBTQ Bans
5. Opting Out of Mother’s Day
6. This week's Call to Action:

Speaking of belonging, my friend Rhodes Perry, author of Imagine Belonging, is hosting The Belonging Circle: A Gathering for Inclusive Leaders, Visionaries, and Changemakers on June 6. Learn more and register here.

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-the-belonging-buzzword

Connect with Karmen Smith: https://www.karmenmichael.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

PBS Kids Adds ASL to Six Shows

Delta Continues to Invest in Employees

Korean Company Uses Korean Names

Retail/Grocery Employees to Have More Protections

Dell Sees ERG Success

This week's Call to Action: Join my next DEI Double Feature: The Belonging Buzzword. I’m hosting it with Michelle Silverthorn on May 8 and you can join right here! 

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-unique-wisdom 

Connect with Joel Davis Brown: https://joeldavisbrown.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Singapore Enshrines Flexible Work in Law
2. Allstate Managers Get Connections Budget
3. Ashley for State Rep!
4. NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Sets Records
5. Wisconsin Includes Asian American History

This week's Call to Action:

Read this article in HBR by Lily Zheng: What Needs to Change About DEI — and What Doesn’t.

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-i-lied

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. USCIS Now Offers Gender X
2. Shift from Autism Awareness to Acceptance
3. First Arab Woman Graduates from NASA 
4. Innovative Trans Employment Project
5. First Watch Employees Get Caregiver Benefits

This week's Call to Action:

Book recommendation time! Check out The Boldly Inclusive Leader by my friend Minette Norman. There are some great stories in this book that illustrate principles of inclusive leadership. Minette has seen A LOT!

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-gratitude

Connect with Anne Bonney: www.yourchangespeaker.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. LGBTQ+ Inclusive Curriculum in Washington
2. Big ROI on Child Care Benefits
3. “Hop” Showcases Authentic Disability Representation
4. Federal Forms to be Updated for Better Representation
5. Yurok Becomes First Tribal Nation to Co-manage Land

This week's Call to Action:

March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility. My good friend Rhodes Perry created a checklist on how to show up for your TGX (transgender and gender expansive) colleagues. It’s a great personal and professional resource. 

Read the stores:

https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-good-trouble

Connect with Julie Pham: https://curiositybased.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Women’s Hockey Continues to Set Records
2. Malcolm X Gets His Recognition in Nebraska
3. Four-Day Workweeks in France and Germany
4. To Increase Diversity, Hire Differently
5. Stolen Artifacts Returned to Japan

This week's Call to Action:

If you like 5 Things, then check out “5 Ally Actions”, Karen Catlin’s weekly newsletter that’s been around for 6 years! Subscribe here to get “5 everyday actions to create a more inclusive workplace.”

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-watched

Connect with Naeema Arrastia on LinkedIn and visit Red Rabbit. 

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Racial Diversity Leaders to Higher Box Office ROI
2. Tyson to Hire 42,000 Migrants
3. Walmart Teaches Compassion
4. Inclusive Bridal Dresses
5. It’s OK to Say Gay

This week's Call to Action:

It’s Women’s History Month! Learn about some amazing women by exploring the inductees of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. The 2024 class has its first trans woman, Sandy Stone. 

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-code-switching

Connect with Latia Vaughan: https://www.latiavaughan.com

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. The North Face Incentivizes Customers to Learn About Race
2. Land O’ Lakes Makes Life Easier for Caregivers
3. Norway's Sovereign Wealth Fund Requires Gender Diversity
4. Cole Brauer Sails Around the World
5. The Philadelphia Eagles Partner with Popcorn for The People

This week's Call to Action:

It’s Ramadan! I found this article by Sharanika Akter, A Ramadan Guide for Your Workplace, helpful, and full of great tips for everyone. 

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-doubling-down

Connect with Bryan Samuel and www.findingmyself.org

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are this week's good vibes:

Walmart Creates a Pipeline for AI Talent

Charlotte Tilbury Promotes Women in Motorsports

New Jersey to Recognize LGBTQ+ Businesses

Unilever Hires People With Disabilities Behind the Camera

Historic Donation to Albert Einstein College of Medicine

This week's Call to Action:

Learn about Nex Benedict, the non-binary teen in Oklahoma who was bullied and beaten by classmates and later died. Oklahoma legislators are currently considering 54 anti-LGBTQ bills. It’s a really tough time to be a young trans person. 

Read the Stories: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-outside-of-hr

Connect with Lisa Mulligan: https://www.thecultureministry.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Katherine Longhi (she/her), Inclusive Culture Consultant at Limitless Possibility, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week, our conversation is about Starbucks serving up parental leave perks, justice literally taking the stage, Walmart’s game-changing visual interpretation initiative, and more!

Here are this week's good vibes:

1. Starbucks Serves Up Parental Leave Perks
2. Justice Takes the Stage—Literally!
3. Walmart Provides Visual Interpretation
4. Breaking Up Is Hard to Hide
5. Hasbro Plays to Win on Innovation

Good Vibes to Go: 

Bernadette’s GVTG: Listen to this short National Public Radio segment about President Jimmy Carter’s “legacy of advancing progress for Black women.” I wasn’t previously aware of the appointments he made and the opportunities he created. 

Katherine's GVTG: Get uncomfortable. One way is to read the book White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao

Read the Stories.

Connect with Katherine Longhi.

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/