Tara Lynn: 3 takeaways from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference

I had the chance to attend the Raleigh Chamber’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference earlier this week. It was energizing to be in a room with hundreds of people sharing their stories, life lessons, and knowledge on how we can be a better society. 

As I share a few of the lessons I learned, I do so from the perspective of a white woman that grew up in a middle-class home in a predominantly white suburb. 

Here are my key takeaways:

1. Progress and growth require us to get out of our comfort zones and have tough conversations. We have to give “grace and space” when we have those conversations.

Talking about race, disabilities or inequality can be really uncomfortable. I hate conflict. It puts a pit in my stomach. I can’t stand the thought that my actions or words would unintentionally hurt somebody else; that something I say might come out wrong or be misinterpreted and cause pain. But I have to let go of that fear of being embarrassed or wrong in order to step into these hard conversations. 

We have to put our pride aside and be willing to be made aware of our mistakes, unchecked biases or ignorance. Sure, it would be embarrassing to find out I have been wrong about something or was blind to a bias I had about a group of people. That’s never a good feeling. But it’s a feeling that may be necessary to fix the problem. We have to be okay with being uncomfortable. We have to be okay with somebody challenging us to look at something in a different way. We have to keep an open mind and be willing to be vulnerable.

One of the phrases that was repeated at the conference was “give grace and space.” When having these hard conversations, create a space where people can safely express themselves. Assume they have good intentions. The words may not come out as intended, so offer some grace.

2. I can be a part of the change, but it isn’t about me.

There are so many ways to be involved in creating a work place, social space or community where all people feel welcome regardless of gender, ability, wealth, sexual orientation, race, religion etc. Panelist Clark Rhinehart talked about the idea that with privilege comes responsibility. During a discussion on stage, he recognized the privileges he has been afforded as a white male in America. He talked about the importance of using his voice and access to give power and access to others (and he said it so much more eloquently than I am here!). He wasn’t talking about hiring certain people at your company in order to check a box. He didn’t mean you donate a chunk of money to an affordable housing project and then tell everybody about how generous you are.

Instead, you donate that money and invite the families who benefit from that project to tell their stories. You share those stories with others who are willing to be allies. We must listen to those who are underserved or underrepresented and amplify their voices. Build a platform and hand over the mic.

3.  When we all have equal access, we all rise together. 

DEI Director with Wake County Government, Danya Perry, shared this statistic: “The United States economy could be $8 trillion larger by 2050 if the country eliminated racial disparities in health, education, incarceration and employment,” according to a study by the W.K. Kellog Foundation.

Wow!

Too often, those in power and with privilege are afraid that equity for all, really means less for them. Those who have held on to power for decades and enjoyed easy access to healthcare, money, education and housing know how precious those things are. Why would they want to give that up? But that’s not what this study shows. It’s the opposite! Giving access to all, gives us all better communities.

Think about healthcare. If we all have access to healthcare, good quality healthcare, wouldn’t that make us all healthier as a society? If all children have access to vaccines, medications, mental health support and well visits, imagine how much better all children could learn in the classroom? If all children had access to early childhood education, wouldn’t we expect to see better school performance and higher graduation rates?

Calandra Jarrell, one of the moderators, said it so well: we need to stop allowing the things that make us different divide us. Our differences connect us.

So, how can those differences bring us together to make positive change?

I wrote down several other great points from the speakers like “education is currency” (LaToya Montague) and how offering people a “second chance isn’t charity” (Dennis Gaddy). These were just a few of the many things I learned in just a few hours at the DEI Conference.

Find Out More:

There are many great organizations in the Triangle doing the work to help close gaps in education, housing, employment and more. Check out the Triangle DEI Alliance for more ways you can get involved.

Tara Lynn is a former WRAL reporter and anchor. She lends her 15-plus years in journalism to tell visual stories through love-filled photography for families of all kinds. The mother of three little humans and one senior rescue dog believes in celebrating magic in the little things, the big loves, and the imperfect moments that make the most remarkable memories. Her vision is to help families celebrate and share their love through photography and curated album artwork that become timeless keepsakes connecting multiple generations...because moments often pass in the blink of an eye, and the photographs we take connect us to our memories and our great loves, forever.

You can find Tara Lynn on Instagram at @TaraLynn_andCo and TaraLynnAndCo.com. Learn more about her photography at TaraLynnAndCoPhoto.com.