Friendship Beyond Our Feeds
I love my friends. People who make me laugh, who are there for me, who send me random memes or surprise me with a quick “Hey, thought of you!” text. But not all friends are the same.
There are friends I never see but call every week, friends who live close by and meet me for monthly coffee dates, friends from school, church, my neighborhood, work—and even some from travels long past. Each friendship is a unique note in the symphony of my life.
Diversity is Valued When It Is Without Power
It starts with a knock. A quiet and persistent tap at the door.
Diversity.
We crack the door open, just a bit. Enough to let it in but not too much to let it roam. We like to keep diversity close, on a leash, on our terms. We smile at it, maybe even welcome it into the room. “Sit here,” we say. “No, not there. Over here. Perfect.” Always the guest. Never the host. Diversity can stay as long as it submits to our whim. As long as it doesn’t expect anything. As long as it remembers who’s in charge. But what happens when diversity decides not to sit quietly?
Diversity is Valued When It Is Hidden
I once sat in a meeting where the team debated the right amount of “diversity” for a campaign. Yes, you read that right—there was a formula, a perfect balance we were supposed to strike. One voice suggested, “We need to show we’re fair and progressive. But not too much. We don’t want to scare people off.” Heads nodded. The air felt heavy.
Diversity is Valued When It Is Quiet
The conference room is set. Staged at the front are the diversity panel speakers. The speakers are eager, ready to tell the audience of the statistics, the data, the research and their lived experiences. Yet the moderator asks very limited questions and we understand very quickly the intent of the session. “Let’s keep it friendly. We’re here to ‘open the conversation.’ But not too much that anyone gets uncomfortable.”
Diversity I̶s̶ ̶O̶u̶r̶ ̶S̶t̶r̶e̶n̶g̶t̶h̶ Is It.
I once shared with someone that I immigrated to Canada under Trudeau’s “Diversity is Our Strength” initiative. As a newcomer, this message felt like a refreshing departure from the negative views I’d seen in the U.S. A national leader was talking about diversity as a strength—imagine that!
We Tell Stories
I remember the day my son saw a frog for the first time. His eyes were wide, his smile even wider. He was two and a half, and to describe the new amphibian wonder he included words like “sleeemy” and “gweeen.” When we got home, he ran straight to his dad, bursting with excitement. “Dad! I saw a gweeeen fog!” And with each question my husband asked, my son told his story, weaving his tiny, magical world into words.
The School Was Built For
I cannot begin to imagine the pain of telling my son “The stairs weren’t made for you. You’ll have to climb them and climb them alone. There may be a few people who might help, but you’ll have to climb it no matter who is there. People might push you down, insult you as you strive to climb or ignore you completely. But you still have to climb.”
Janklin: The Story Behind the Founder, the Future and the Frog
The Founder. The Future. The Frog.
Learn about the voice and smile behind Janklin. What brought Andrea to found it? What keeps her going? And what does the future hold?
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They might be invisible, but they are real. Cultural Privileges in the workplace exist. What we do with them and how we include other cultures is absolutely essential for your organization’s future.
Inclusion Begins With You
True cultural inclusion begins by engaging with and respecting the Indigenous communities around us. It requires actively addressing local histories of colonialism, supporting Indigenous leadership, and participating in meaningful reconciliation efforts within our own spheres of influence. We have to do better than checking the DEI box if we really want to experience a meaningful and joyful future.
Your Business Doesn’t Need Another Pandemic to Change It - It Simply Needs to Change.
The Pandemic forced so many of us and our businesses to change. It’s time to continue with those changes and create inclusive, diverse workspaces. You’ve proven you can change - now is the time to do it.
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Halloween is a holiday to be creative, but not cringey. Cultural Mindfulness is essential in celebrating cultures and not costuming them.
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Why Denying an Immigrant a job Because of their lack of Canadian Work Experience is Hurting your Company’s Growth.