S L E A R N E D I N D I V E R S I T Y , E Q U I T Y , A N D I N C L U S I O N

Last year AAGO partnered up with Valencia College

Peace and Justice Institute to facilitate a DEI Leadership Academy, a series of workshops designed to create a safe space for engaging in difficult conversations and to cultivate a healthy and accountable workplace culture where inclusive excellence is centered Thirty-seven of our members participated and completed the 4-part leadership academy with the intention of fostering a community where all voices are heard and valued and each person has an equitable opportunity to grow and thrive.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are related concepts, but they have distinct meanings:

Diversity refers to the variety of characteristics that make individuals unique such as race ethnicity gender sexual orientation age socioeconomic status and abilities It is about creating a mix of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences in each group or organization

Equity refers to fairness and justice in the distribution of resources and opportunities It is about ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background has equal access to the same opportunities and resources and that any barriers to that access are identified and removed

Inclusion refers to creating a culture where people from all diverse backgrounds feel valued, respected, and supported It is about creating a sense of belonging and a positive work environment where diversity is celebrated and leveraged to drive innovation and success It is also about actively engaging and empowering individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or underrepresented.

Words by Ricardo Alicea, CPM, CAPS, CAM