Raising our collective voices
February has always been my heads-down, get-to-work time. This year I had every intention to put my head down and work hard once again, but when new policies rolled out in late January, my plans changed. I still intend to work hard—but with my head up and my voice louder.
Here at ELMM, we fully intend to stay true to our core themes of Community, Diversity in STEM, New Perspectives, and Professional Development. As a business supporting women and working parents in STEM, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is at our core.
Allow me to get hyper-semantic for a moment—the antonym to DEIA is uniformity, disparity, exclusion, and barriers (UDEB). That's not the world I want to live in.
If a UDEB world sounds unacceptable to you, let’s get loud together:
Get Informed
Read the full text of the Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing and Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity Presidential Mandates.
Review the ACLU’s response, calling us “to double down on our commitment to equal opportunity.”
Educate yourself on legal context with articles like this one from STBLaw confirming “DEI work remains legal under our current laws and judicial reasoning.”
Get Involved
Be Loud - Share your story and create spaces for others to share theirs. In uncertain times, a reassuring story can make all the difference.
Be a Champion - Advocate for overlooked talent who demonstrate merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination. Get loud about their value.
Be Informed - Despite political pressure, no laws have changed. Do your homework on civil rights protections, company policies, and laws that impact you and your team.
Be Proactive - If your DEI programs are shrinking, find new ways to hold leaders (and yourself) accountable. Let’s brainstorm!
