The Road to Radical Inclusivity Presented By The Nascent Group

SEPTEMBER 2020 | VOL. 1

INCLUSIVITY

on this issue What is Inclusivity?

Why is it important to practice inclusivity?

How can you work towards making an inclusive workplace?

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The Nascent Group

“Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It is the key to growth.� ~Jesse Jackson

WELCOME

Editor's Note Lack of inclusivity in the workplace is nothing new to those whom it has affected for years. From wage disparity to lack of psychological safety, these are a few silent injustices that have been endured for far too long.

We must take time to actively celebrate and elevate our communities by not just acknowledging culture in business, but also by Promoting the understanding that the celebration of diversity in business is what creates genuine experiences and sets businesses apart.

I have experienced injustice in the workplace first-hand and if every step that I take with my own company can help to protect someone else from those experiences, then it will all be worth it.If you are interested in actively helping to further the narrative of driving inclusivity in the workplace or would like to provide support via donation to my nonprofit that allows the opportunity to further business development training to minority youth please feel free to reach out to me. I would love to join you in a virtual coffee and a great conversation.

I have always been and will always be a brand ambassador for inclusivity. I challenge you to join me!

About Us Founded in 2011, the Nascent Group LLC is a private hospitality design and project management agency. We create innovative spaces through urban planning, concept renovation and business acceleration for contemporary hotels, restaurants and events. Advocating for human sustainability, we celebrate inclusivity and diversity. We work with businesses to build their brand in establishing sustainable communities through identifying local opportunities.

To learn more about our current project and/or to work with us, kindly contact Cecilia Cuff, our Managing Principal for more information.

Email: Cecilia.cuff@thenascentgroup.com Https://thenascentgroup.com

INCLUSIVITY

CONTENTS SOCIETY + CULTURE + BUSINESS

03 JOURNEY TOWARDS INCLUSIVITY What is Inclusivity?

04 Featured Writer- Anjali Joshi WHY AN EQUAL AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETY IS OUR ONLY WAY FORWARD IN A POSTPANDEMIC WORLD

11

13 INTERVIEW FEATURE

The Nascent Group @thenascentgroup

CULTURE

BUSINESS

CECILIA.CUFF@THENASCENTGROUP.COM HTTPS://THENASCENTGROUP.COM

02

SOCIETY

In Conversation with Tiffany Brown, Founder of 400 Forward

SEPTEMBER 2020 | ISSUE 01

04

HOW BUSINESSES CAN SHOW REAL SUPPORT FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER

Journey Towards Inclusivity

Self-awareness and mutual understanding are starting points on the journey toward confronting the intolerance and inhumanity that racism and injustice engender. Both can be nurtured through courageous and compassionate conversations, sharing resources, and formal learning opportunities.

What is an inclusive workplace? An inclusive workplace is one that values individual differences in the workforce, and makes them feel welcome and accepted. Inclusivity and diversity are moral and legal responsibilities and employers are working hard to give diverse voices a platform. However, employee retention is an issue when the workplaces are not inclusive. Inclusivity is a clear intention translated into policy to recruit people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalised due to factors such as age, race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, physical disability or mental illness.

Above all true inclusivity is a matter of effective leadership and the organisation has to have a true culture of inclusivity and diversity. It is about being open to change and accommodating a wider range of workforce, offering them different technological solutions and platforms, and also flexible working conditions.

Design helps people personalise their workplaces, feel a sense of belonging and feel comfortable, thereby reducing everyday frustration and effort, and hence increasing mental well-being and productivity.

Additionally, it’s important not to conflate diversity and inclusion, as Forbes emphasises. It’s not enough to simply construct a diverse team and expect inclusivity to naturally follow – you must work with employees to help them develop a mindset of inclusion. Without this process, a diverse team can find themselves getting annoyed by their differences rather than harnessing them to innovate and achieve. Organisations need to build teams that work well together from the ground up.

03 | SEPTEMBER 2020

While having a clear nondiscrimination policy is a good start to building an inclusive work environment, discrimination is insidious, and can often be an unconscious phenomenon. A proactive approach is required to make the big institutional changes.

feature

04 | SEPTEMBER 2020

FEATURE

THERE'S NO BETTER TIME FOR CHANGE THAN NOW: HERE'S WHY AN EQUAL AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETY IS OUR ONLY WAY FORWARD IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD

BY ANJALI JOSHI

Today the world stands together against an “external threat” of a virus. The pandemic has disrupted our “normal” and pushed us to think if this catastrophe is our own doing.Is the Coronavirus pandemic a wake-up call for us? A direct consequence of our exploitative and nonsustainable ways of living?

It sure is, but merely combating climate change with Western models of sustainability is not enough. There can be no combating the coronavirus pandemic without racial justice.

Strange as it may sound at the moment, it is imperative for us to understand that the emergence of zoonotic diseases, coupled with many others, directly results from the systemic exploitation and biases that inform the very core of our modern society.

05 | SEPTEMBER 2020

Coronavirus has disrupted our “normal”. An exploration of the origin and prevention of the virus lies in understanding the intricate relationship between climate change and racism.

FEATURE

The Origin Story: The Creation of An Extractive Economy Coronavirus has most of us inside our houses, with food and other necessities available at our doorsteps, which is a luxury available to us thanks to high levels of consumer technology, whose foundation was laid the moment Christopher Columbus set foot in America by exploiting the land and labour of Native Americans and Black people.

The modern American society is built on massconsumerism, hyper-individualism and extraction.

Indigenous scientist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer has propounded the phenomenon of “species loneliness”, claiming humans to be the loneliest species of all, with our deliberate estrangement from other animals and creatures.

Humans have assumed the ownership of a planet that wasn’t ours alone to claim since the beginning.

With the rise of capitalist modernity, we have encroached upon natural habitats and indigenous lands thus disturbing the “harmony with nature”, that is being stressed upon in world conferences on climate change.

Sonia Shah, the author of Pandemic: Tracking Contagions From Cholera to Ebola and Beyond elaborates this as, “For decades, we’ve sated our outsized appetites by encroaching on an everexpanding swath of the planet with our industrial activities, forcing wild species to cram into remaining fragments of habitat in closer proximity to ours. That’s what has allowed animal microbes such as SARS-COV2—not to mention hundreds of others from Ebola to Zika—to cross over into human bodies, causing epidemics.”

Extraction and exploitation also lie at the heart of colonialism. Uncolonized indigenous communities already lived “in harmony with nature” (First Principle of the Rio Declaration 1992). The colonial and neo-colonial roots of our millennia have been delicately poised upon unsustainable means of living driven by the ethos of over-indulgence, exploitation and dehumanization of minority communities and White knowledge systems that have pushed the BIPOC communities to the fringes even as their labour is used to meet the demands of modern consumer culture.

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FEATURE

Mainstream Environmental activism and Racial bias Climate change activism without climate justice is inadequate to bring about tangible transformation. Mainstream Environmental Activism has often failed to capture the complexities and nuance that Climate Change, racial bias, exploitation of indigenous communities is inherently tied together.

Climate justice is not just about trees and plants but it is also about people. Does it also raise questions as to who is making the environmental policies? What communities remain in the margins? Who has been dehumanized historically and exploited as resources?

Elizabeth Yeampierre, Climate Justice Warrior and co-chair of Climate Justice Alliance, who has worked extensively to make the climate change movement inclusive and intersectional, in an interview with Yale Environment 360 has positioned this as, “ Climate change is the result of a legacy of extraction, of colonialism, of slavery. A lot of times when people talk about environmental justice, they go back to the 1970s or ‘60s. But I think about the slave quarters. I think about people who got the worst food, the worst health care, the worst treatment, and then when freed, were given lands that were eventually surrounded by things like petrochemical industries. The idea of killing black people or indigenous people, all of that has a long, long history that is centered on capitalism and the extraction of our land and our labor in this country.” Environmental activism cannot be about just plants and “natural” ecosystems. It also needs to be about people.

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FEATURE

08 | SEPTEMBER 2020 03 | AUGUST 2020

FEATURE

Cultivating An Inclusive Community: Taking The First Steps

Our “normal” has been exploitative based on the commodification of lives and systemic oppression. Would it be worth to go back to it? Or we use this turbulent time, learn from antiracist movements like BLM and create a new way forward?Our “normal” was not sustainable. The evidence is in front of our eyes. There is disease, death, discrimination, violence, hurt and guilt. Everyone has the right to a free and safe life, education, security, work, healthcare and participation in the decision-making process.

What can be done to cultivate an inclusive community?

Identify and unlearn microaggressions and other “subtle” forms of everyday discrimination.

Work towards full access to resources and promote equal treatment and opportunity in every sphere. Non-profits like B Corps are doing a fantastic job by certifying companies on these very parameters and promoting a sustainable economy.

Acknowledge and tackle unconscious bias.

Listen and amplify minority voices. Keep the conversation going.

Talk about race and discrimination in your homes, school and workplaces. Change starts from our inner circles.

Read and educate yourself on the issues and what you can do. Don’t wait for others to educate you. Take proactive steps to listen and unlearn internalised racism.

Support BIPOC-lead businesses and your BIPOC colleagues.

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FEATURE

We actively need more and more people across the world and beyond boundaries joining the wave of change. The possibility and process of systemic change also entail the acknowledgement of the interconnectedness of different forms of oppression. Good news is, many businesses are realizing this and paving the way for change.

While in one part of the world, businesses like The Nascent Group are “reversing the systemic damage of thoughtless business leaders� and moving forward by creating a system that builds communities via mentorship and representation, thousands of miles away, Mariwala Health Initiative, in India, is working towards making mental health accessible to marginalized persons and communities. We are forging a new community and view of the world in the crucible of sustainability and justice.

This is a start and as we move forward, it will be imperative for any company to define their values and prioritize anti-discriminatory practices. There is a need to shut down the extractive economy that harms communities. Change needs to happen from the ground up as we work to rebuild a just and non-exploitative economy. Combating racism cannot be just about performative activism but real change our daily lives. The American corporate landscape is changing. The time is now and the onus is on all of us. What are you doing?

10 | SEPTEMBER 2020

NEIGHBORHOOD

How Businesses Can Show Real Support for Black Lives Matter

By MARIYAM KHAJA, INC. Com

"Experts say fighting institutionalized racism means taking real action and avoiding 'performative solidarity."

As Black Lives Matter protests continue across the country a month after the death of George Floyd on May 25, companies like Glossier and Ben & Jerry's have shown their support on social media, flooding Instagram with blackout squares and Twitter with antiracism messaging in an effort to show solidarity with protesters. Many more companies have made donations to support the Black Lives Matter movement or related human rights associations.

But as businesses rush to align themselves with BLM, certain brands have been criticized for capitalizing on injustice and not doing enough to address systemic racism within their own companies. David Card, the CEO and founder of C42D, a marketing agency in New York City, says brands issuing statements of support should take concrete action to help further the movement while also addressing barriers faced by Black employees within their workplaces. Here's how to do that.

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NEIGHBORHOOD

Avoid Performative Solidarity As an organizer with the Black Lives Matter chapter in South Bend, Indiana, Jorden Giger has advocated for justice in policing, housing, and public education for almost four years. While he says support for the movement is always welcome, he's also weary of "performative solidarity" by companies that speak out only to attract consumers.

One of the most effective ways for brands to support the movement is to donate to related causes, Giger says. Donating to families whose loved ones have been murdered, supporting grassroots activist organizations, or even funding more well-known entities that support Black lives and human rights--like the NAACP or the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation--are also effective.

"Donations matter no matter what kind, even from a small-business owner who maybe doesn't have a whole lot of capital or liquid assets," Giger says.

For example, he adds, supporting the families of Black murder victims "can be as simple as saying, 'Anytime you come here, you can eat for free' if you're a restaurant owner." Giger says that once the national news cycle is directed elsewhere, the families left behind often feel forgotten--support from business owners can help change that.

Make Changes in Your Company As important as it is for companies to donate to and support the wider Black community, experts suggest brands should also conduct internal audits to ensure Black employees are supported, paid fair wages, and represented in leadership positions.

A 2019 report by the Center for Talent Innovation found that only 0.8 percent of CEOs and 3.2 percent of senior executives across Fortune 500 companies are Black. The report also found that Black employees are more likely to face microaggressions and racial prejudice in the workplace, as compared with employees of other races. Card says that addressing these issues requires a twofold approach: Companies need to take an unbiased look at their internal culture and the ethnic makeup of their leadership, and then set tangible goals to achieve more equitable representation across the brand. These moves aren't just about filling a diversity quota. They're about creating a work environment where everyone feels safe to innovate: "Diversity and inclusion are inextricably linked to innovation," says Harry Alford of Humble Ventures. Alford, who is Black, co-founded the Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm to focus on supporting Black entrepreneurs and other minority business owners.

Alford says that underrepresented groups bring with them unique perspectives that help companies grow and reach new audiences. Investing in diversity by recruiting and promoting more Black employees and creating a safe space for employees to voice concerns are important steps to address underlying issues of racism and discrimination within businesses, says Alford. But, he adds, if Black employees aren't valued as people or workers, then they're likely to leave--no corporate statement in support of Black Lives Matter will change that.

12 | SEPTEMBER 2020

IN CONVERSATION WITH

Empowering African American Female Architects and Students: In Conversation with Tiffany Brown, Founder of 400 Forward

A pioneer for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the profession of architecture, Detroit native Tiffany Brown is the founder of 400 Forward, an initiative that seeks, inspires, and mentors the next generation of women designers. Named in light of the licensing of the 400th African American woman architect in 2017, the program aims to familiarize young girls with architecture, giving them tools to address social injustice issues.

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Pushing forward the presence of African American women in the profession of architecture -currently standing at less than 0.3% in the U.S- 400 Forward also provides scholarships and tuitions for study material and licensing exams for African American women in architecture. In order to learn more about the initiative, ArchDaily had the chance to talk with founder Tiffany Brown about the program, diversity in the field, and empowering female architects and students.

IN CONVERSATION WITH

ArchDaily (Christele Harrouk): What was the initial need that led to the conception of 400 Forward? What was the purpose and mission of this initiative?

Tiffany Brown (TB): In 2017, I realized the 400th African American woman became licensed, which is how I came up with the name 400 Forward. That is not a milestone for the last 5, 15, of 25 years, but of all time. This means African American women represent .3% of licensed architects. Through this initiative, I will make it my goal to seek the next 400 with an underlying focus on African American girls. The purpose of this initiative is to bring awareness to this to these numbers, and 400 Forward's mission is to uplift girls by giving them the tools they need to address social issues created by the unjust built environments of our inner-city communities.

AD: How is this initiative contributing to the empowerment of female architects and students? What are the programs you are introducing?

TB: 400 Forward is contributing to the empowerment of female architects and students through mentorship, innovative programming, and financial support. 400 Forward was launched after winning a $50,000 matching grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The programs, support, and multi-level scholarships provided by 400 FORWARD aims to position Detroit's youth to realize their talents in STEAM, and grow the presence of African American women in the profession of architecture through the incorporation of artistic excellence.

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IN CONVERSATION WITH

AD: What does the future hold for the 400 Forward initiative?

TB: I envision 400 Forward becoming an initiative with ambassadors, mentors, and partnerships worldwide committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in architecture and urban planning. A network of women in leadership making sure the design profession reflects the communities it serves.

AD: Can you give us a brief introduction about yourself?

TB: Born and raised in Detroit, MI where I still live, I am a pioneer for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the profession of architecture. I am an educator and public speaker. Raising awareness on how representation in design makes a significant social impact on firm practice, culture, and education is what drives my career. My expertise stems from first-hand experiences of addressing environmental injustices and social issues.

AD: How do you think your position influenced women in this sector?

TB: I think my position has influenced women by encouraging them to stay focused on a goal despite their obstacles and to always display strength in a male-dominated field. I have seen female colleagues of mine cry because a contractor yelled or tried to discredit them at a meeting. We are always expected to be emotional or even incompetent, and more of us are entering a profession where our male counterparts feel we do not belong.

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We must support each other. I surround myself with highly successful women who are in positions where I aspire to be.

Construction Administration happens to be my favorite part of designing the built environment. Because of my experience there along with two master’s degrees, I was promoted to Project Manager. It is important to me in this position to do my part in developing women in leadership the same way my colleagues have done for me.

IN CONVERSATION WITH

AD: What are your biggest achievements and proudest moments?

TB: My biggest achievement is overcoming extreme social and financial barriers to make it where I am today. Architecture was not a likely career path for someone like me. It brought me to many full-circle moments in my life, like studying art in Paris and overseeing construction at the public housing development where I grew up. Being able to provide financial assistance to girls with the same experiences I've had has become my passion. At times I can't believe this is my life.One of my proudest moments was when I witnessed my 9-year-old daughter win a first-place all-around state championship in gymnastics. Making sure she has opportunities that I didn’t have as a child is important to me. I wasn’t exposed to architecture until the 12th grade, but Brynne knows architects and engineers personally. The personal strengths that she displays always remind me of what my purpose is. More on my journey is outlined in a recently released documentary "Design For All." Produced in partnership with Target, it is now streaming on HULU. AD: How do you think architects worldwide should promote diversity in the field? And how do you predict the future of architecture?

TB: The future of the profession rests with architecture firms themselves, which we know is historically dominated by affluent white males. They are currently in most leadership roles and should promote diversity by seeking out and employing a diverse workforce. Providing opportunities for minorities to lead, and not setting them up for failure the way we often see happen. We need to invest in programs like 400 Forward now so we are not in the same position statistically, again, in for the next 50 years.Being intentional with these efforts will give firms the upper hand in the industry and will provide a way to bring unheard voices into design conversations. We will have project teams with a broader range of problem-solving abilities, and that will give architects the opportunity to make lasting changes to neighborhoods, cities, and the larger social fabric of our country.

16 | SEPTEMBER 2020

IN CONVERSATION WITH

AD: Final thoughts for girls who want to venture into this field?

TB: The lessons I've learned throughout my career have become the 7 pillars that girls venturing in this field should remember: Know yourself. To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom. Learn to understand your identity.

You'll feel stronger and won’t fold into what someone else thinks you should be doing. Acting on self-knowledge will drive you and lead you to your calling.

Know your field. Do the proper research and understand what it takes to get there. I didn’t know about the licensing exams for architecture until my third year studying architecture.

Keep learning.

Be confident. This is important beyond the workplace and can take some time and practice to get there. Overcoming self-doubt will take you places you couldn’t even imagine.

Be Professional. Always. Especially when faced with adverse situations. Integrity and selfcontrol display a high degree of emotional intelligence.

Be Present & Active. Sit at the table. Physically and figuratively. Take part in the discussion.

You won't make it to the top by being in the shadows.

Never Back Down. There will always be someone who challenges you or questions your abilities. Be sure to stay focused and stay calm. Remember what you're capable of.

Show them it cannot be done without you. Make yourself a valuable team member.

By: Christele Harrouk, ArchDaily

17 | SEPTEMBER 2020

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