Pure white light is an amalgamation of the colors in the color spectrum in harmony- is this truly analogous to the populations inferenced? Rather in equity, isn't the particular population referenced another shade in the color spectrum adding to a pure human experience.
With takes such as "it seems being a white woman is not enough diversity" and "all this pedigree stuff", I wonder if the author has more than one chip on their shoulder?
The point of including more views at the table is that we don't know what we don't know. Basic needs and responses are basic at understanding. Nuances are what add the "color". When we assert that what is in power and our understanding is the baseline, we fail to acknowledge the boundaries in which we arrive at that understanding (including the society/times we lived in) and blind spots which we undoubtedly have.
Thank you for your very thoughtful commentary on my article. I was certainly packing in a few ‘chips on my shoulder’ regarding IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and access), for Emergency Management. I think there are two main points I would like to reiterate and not necessarily rebut or refute, but maybe clarify further.
First, as a profession, I believe we have made progress since the 1950’s (or even earlier Civil Defense days), when both emergency management and emergency services leadership (and probably most of the rest of government as a whole) were single-race male dominated professions. Race, Ethnic, Gender and other “pedigree” criteria has slowly but steadily (IMHO) become more integrated into those professions, albeit faster for emergency services than for emergency management. Part of my commentary on this was to celebrate our successes in diversification – and hopefully continued forward movement towards equity and belonging – which we have achieved (and at the same time, hold their feet to the fire of continuing IDEA practices themselves). The past president of the IAEM-USA was a white female, who led the establishing of IDEA practices at the IAEM-USA. The current president – also a white female – has been accused of trying to dismantle those same practices. I wanted to point out that the individual human can make the difference, and regardless of how many “colors of the prism” they represent themselves, they can and must advocate for others. The next IAEM-USA president will be a white male (fyi – we elect a 2VP who moves over the course of two years, into the year they become president, which is how I know who is who) and the year after that, another white female. I choose to judge them all by the content of their character, which should be prismatic.
Second, along the same lines as my belief that “you don’t have to be X in order to advocate for constituents – including other future leaders of your group – who are X”, I think it is very critical that no one “color of the rainbow” be held up for a higher or lower level of support, than another. You hit the nail on the head when you noted that “The point of including more views at the table is that we don't know what we don't know. Basic needs and responses are basic at understanding.” For Emergency Managers it means both we need to listen/hear/act up the needs from all our constituents and we ourselves need to become more belonging in who we invite/sustain/welcome as regulars at our own table.
I hope this helps. I fully appreciate how challenging this conversation can be for any profession, and it can be amplified in a negative way for Emergency Managers; as the public sees us, since we rarely appear during good times. We really do have an end-goal of life safety for everyone. Survival for all. If you have read any of my other rants, you can see I promote that concept, by trying to be funny at some times and serious, otherwise.
I hope at the end of the day, people think of me as being kind.
“The best part of life is not just surviving, but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness.” – Maya Angelou.
Pure white light is an amalgamation of the colors in the color spectrum in harmony- is this truly analogous to the populations inferenced? Rather in equity, isn't the particular population referenced another shade in the color spectrum adding to a pure human experience.
With takes such as "it seems being a white woman is not enough diversity" and "all this pedigree stuff", I wonder if the author has more than one chip on their shoulder?
The point of including more views at the table is that we don't know what we don't know. Basic needs and responses are basic at understanding. Nuances are what add the "color". When we assert that what is in power and our understanding is the baseline, we fail to acknowledge the boundaries in which we arrive at that understanding (including the society/times we lived in) and blind spots which we undoubtedly have.
Hello kristtina –
Thank you for your very thoughtful commentary on my article. I was certainly packing in a few ‘chips on my shoulder’ regarding IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and access), for Emergency Management. I think there are two main points I would like to reiterate and not necessarily rebut or refute, but maybe clarify further.
First, as a profession, I believe we have made progress since the 1950’s (or even earlier Civil Defense days), when both emergency management and emergency services leadership (and probably most of the rest of government as a whole) were single-race male dominated professions. Race, Ethnic, Gender and other “pedigree” criteria has slowly but steadily (IMHO) become more integrated into those professions, albeit faster for emergency services than for emergency management. Part of my commentary on this was to celebrate our successes in diversification – and hopefully continued forward movement towards equity and belonging – which we have achieved (and at the same time, hold their feet to the fire of continuing IDEA practices themselves). The past president of the IAEM-USA was a white female, who led the establishing of IDEA practices at the IAEM-USA. The current president – also a white female – has been accused of trying to dismantle those same practices. I wanted to point out that the individual human can make the difference, and regardless of how many “colors of the prism” they represent themselves, they can and must advocate for others. The next IAEM-USA president will be a white male (fyi – we elect a 2VP who moves over the course of two years, into the year they become president, which is how I know who is who) and the year after that, another white female. I choose to judge them all by the content of their character, which should be prismatic.
Second, along the same lines as my belief that “you don’t have to be X in order to advocate for constituents – including other future leaders of your group – who are X”, I think it is very critical that no one “color of the rainbow” be held up for a higher or lower level of support, than another. You hit the nail on the head when you noted that “The point of including more views at the table is that we don't know what we don't know. Basic needs and responses are basic at understanding.” For Emergency Managers it means both we need to listen/hear/act up the needs from all our constituents and we ourselves need to become more belonging in who we invite/sustain/welcome as regulars at our own table.
I hope this helps. I fully appreciate how challenging this conversation can be for any profession, and it can be amplified in a negative way for Emergency Managers; as the public sees us, since we rarely appear during good times. We really do have an end-goal of life safety for everyone. Survival for all. If you have read any of my other rants, you can see I promote that concept, by trying to be funny at some times and serious, otherwise.
I hope at the end of the day, people think of me as being kind.
“The best part of life is not just surviving, but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness.” – Maya Angelou.