After the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion webinar

Our guest, Gracie Johnson-Lopez of Diversity & HR Solutions

On Monday, June 29, 2020, we hosted a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webinar with Gracie Johnson-Lopez, President of Diversity & HR Solutions.

This was an important topic during trying times. And boy, having an honest conversation is probably the most impactful thing we can do right now as a community. 

First of all, I want to commend Gracie and the attendees for really “showing up” during our webinar. The fact that we can get leaders from from 20+ different companies into a room and have this conversation with an expert like Gracie says a lot. And big kudos to those leaders who showed up, because they're really trying to make change and move the conversation forward -- while at the same time acknowledging that this is hard work. 

Gracie’s expertise and presentation was not only informative, but also so open, honest, and genuine. When we reached the extended Q&A, we really addressed what was on peoples’ minds. And that's the best service that NextGen Center can provide to our community and leaders - to help make meaningful change. 

There's no question that the work behind the goal of creating a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce aligns well with effective leadership. The skills are similar: listening, open-mindedness, vision, initiative, and taking action. Having difficult conversations with honesty, vulnerability, and curiosity.

And above all, bringing people together. 

Something that really sticks out to me in this context is that change begins with us. And the fact that, as Gracie captured perfectly, this is a humanity issue.

We have to do our best to play our part, move the conversation forward, and keep plugging away because we can all do more. We can all do better. We also need to lead by example so that the next generation will be prepared, skilled, and empowered to sustain the change.

So with that, I’m pleased to say it was an impactful webinar, it was an impactful process, and attendees asked impactful questions. 

I’m grateful. For Gracie and her inspiring work. The Attendees for their inspiring questions. And for the feedback I received afterwards, which I have permission to share:

“It was great; the most honest and open D&I conversation I’ve been to this far (in the last month). Based on hearing from some people on my team, it was very well received and I already have some meetings scheduled about the next steps. One of my coworkers even mentioned that she cried, because she felt like for the first time someone was honest about her experience, although she has not had the opportunity to express it herself.”

In the spirit of expression and learning, I’m also including our Virtual Whiteboard with takeaways from the attendees. Wow!

The Jamboard where attendees shared their one big takeaway from the webinar.