00:18:22 Katie Lopes: Hello from Chicago!

00:18:30 Fernando Nucum: Good day everyone!

00:18:36 Jamon Harrell: Hello from Houston

00:18:42 Joanne Schlosser: Hi Katie, and all, greetings from Arizona!

00:18:51 Sarah Stephenson: Hello, hello from Oregon!

00:18:58 Turquoise Peart: Hello from Chicago! 🙂

00:19:12 Saly Ortiz Vicente: Hi from Chicago! let’s connect 🙂 https://www.linkedin.com/in/salyortizvicente

00:19:30 Mya Fisher (she/hers)_Global Equity Forward: Hello everyone!! Greetings to DC metro area!!

00:20:15 Dawn Rose (she/hers): Hello everyone! Looking forward to being with you, on remote location in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan today!

00:20:19 Stephanie Achten: Hello from Madison WI!

00:21:12 Beth Blyler: Hello from the Chicago area!

00:21:33 Katie Lopes: SPRING

00:21:34 Matt Elwell: SPRING

00:21:34 Beth Blyler: Spring!

00:21:34 John Tao: Spring

00:21:34 Stephanie Achten: SPRING

00:21:35 Fernando Nucum: Spring!

00:21:35 Sarah Stephenson: Spring!

00:21:35 Mya Fisher (she/hers)_Global Equity Forward: Spring!!

00:21:36 Sarah Wallisch: spring!

00:21:37 Turquoise Peart: Spring!

00:21:37 Saly Ortiz Vicente: spring

00:21:37 Bill Fride: Spring!

00:21:38 Dawn Rose (she/hers): SPRING!!!

00:21:38 Joy Benz: Spring

00:21:39 Jaclyn Jensen: SPRING!!!

00:21:40 Joanne Schlosser: spring

00:21:41 Crystal DeNoncourt: Spring

00:21:42 Jamon Harrell: spring

00:22:08 Lotus Buckner: Welcome, Everyone! Thank you for joining us today for this Real People Real Talk virtual roundtable on Making Unconscious Bias More Conscious. Please join in on the conversation using this Chat feature. We have three rules 1) Be respectful and open-minded regardless of your perspectives and opinions as we are all here to learn AND unlearn, 2) Be unapologetically candid because if we’re going to meet our goal of learning and unlearning, we need to have real, authentic conversations, and 3) Have fun and let your passion on this topic spill out; it’s a safe space.

00:22:22 Lotus Buckner: Please introduce yourselves – your name, where you’re joining us from and why you’re interested in continuing these critical conversations.

00:23:26 Joanne Schlosser: Hi, i’m here to learn, unlearn and connect to create a more inclusive country. Let’s connect. www.linkedin.com/in/joanneschlosser

00:24:50 TJ Mercer: Fernando you can follow her 🙂

00:24:55 Stephanie Achten: Hi! Stephanie Achten, from Madison, WI. One of my major responsibilities (and passions) is rolling out the DEI/RJ initiatives with the Girl Scouts of Badgerland – WI.

00:25:57 Lotus Buckner: Welcome Stephanie and Joanne!

00:27:34 Christina Danforth: Awesome! Great to be here with all of you. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinadanforth/

00:28:54 John Tao: Hi everyone – John Tao, from Chicago. I also work at HCSC and serve with Fernando on the Asian American BRG leadership team. Here to listen and learn from others 🙂

00:30:35 Lotus Buckner: Lol Dawn

00:31:13 Lotus Buckner: I would love to hear from all the participants here today as well when you have experienced or witnessed biases in society, in the workplace, etc.

00:32:56 Matt Elwell: Reminds me of Argyris’ Ladder of Inference: our beliefs become the filter we use to see the world, which then re-strengthen our beliefs.

00:33:28 Lotus Buckner: Absolutely, Matt!

00:33:50 Crystal DeNoncourt: I am in HR and have done a lot of L&D. I have seen many L&D trainings with examples and the use of white names as the norm such as Sue and John…..more so examples tend to be white male names. I remember the realizing that and making an effort not to this when I create trainings

00:35:39 Matt Elwell: @Crystal, Yes And! I’ve also been trying to make sure scenario character names are gender neutral, so anyone can feel comfortable playing the roles.

00:37:14 Joy Benz: Bias is also natural outside of humans too. My dogs get super excited when they see random Asian women because I’m an Asian woman and I have a lot of friends who are also Asian women lol.

00:38:49 Matt Elwell: There is definitely “Purposefully” Unconscious Bias

00:39:41 Crystal DeNoncourt: @Joy!!!! Yes I love it. It seems so minor and yet it isn’t!

00:40:49 John Tao: I think we also need to talk more about balancing different truths and recognizing we all have our own truths. How we think through that truth as it relates to other people’s truths is important – and helps make our unconscious biases more conscious.

00:41:10 Katie Lopes: @Crystal what a great example of an unconscious bias that influences a learning environment. I’ve started adding “Fulano y Fulana” into my examples when referring to a “John or Jane Doe”, it’s the Spanish equivalent of anonymous names. It’s quite interesting when Spanish speaking employees hear this in trainings now & immediately connect with that phrase instead of “John or Jane Smith”.

00:43:13 Katie Lopes: Question I would pose for the panel: how do you call out unconscious bias in your executive leadership? Do you ask for their permission to share your observations?

00:44:07 Crystal DeNoncourt: @Katie do you people are more vested in learning and have stronger outcomes with that change?

00:44:14 Lotus Buckner: Hate that word, Dawn! I agree, I’ve heard that too.

00:48:46 Crystal DeNoncourt: I think we need to stop tip-toeing around it and just do it. Lean on your allies. Make it the new normal. Make it acceptable. I welcome others to point out things to me. There is no right way or easy way or comfortable way to call things out. I would suggest just to watch your tone and bodily behavior.

00:51:28 Crystal DeNoncourt: @Mya YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

00:52:19 Lotus Buckner: Fun fact: I was a student in one of Mya’s classes…many years ago. She is A-Mazing!

00:57:17 Joanne Schlosser: I agree Dawn, we need to speak out more and call out what we’re seeing and hearing to truly make the change we need to be the bridge

00:58:50 Joy Benz: I’m going to have to disagree with the part where we can just leave an employer because they don’t care about their employees. Some people are in hard spots where they can’t just leave or they might have fear of retaliation. I think it’s easier to say than done.

00:59:55 Joanne Schlosser: Yes, and if white men go from having 98% of the jobs to 95% of the jobs, they feel very threatened. 

01:01:34 Crystal DeNoncourt: I see a lot of lip service. Statements etc but no real actions.

01:02:15 Joy Benz: @Crystal absolutely. And a lot of sympathy but not a lot of actions/changes in the policies/systems

01:02:18 Dawn Rose (she/hers): Thank you @Joy. I completely get that as a reality. No disagreement at all – this is why allies are so important, to give power to people in these hard spots. I acknowledge you for bringing this perspective to the forefront. It is an important consideration.

01:02:41 Crystal DeNoncourt: You have to be in it for the long haul. DEI to me is like world hunger, you can’t solve these issues on a day, week, month, year etc

01:02:54 Joy Benz: @Dawn thank you. I really appreciate your empowerment of others and allyship!

01:04:23 Matt Elwell: In the LGBTQIA+ community we call it Pinkwashing. Everybody shows up in June with ad money and then don’t care about us the rest of the year.

01:04:43 TJ Mercer: Matt!!!!

01:05:06 Joy Benz: @Matt I definitely learned a new term today wow!

01:06:54 Lotus Buckner: Such a great point, Mya!

01:12:46 Crystal DeNoncourt: I am curious how the panel recommends improving the environment within a company. From an HR perspective, we can hire in talent and diversity but without inclusion people will not stay long term if they don’t feel they belong

01:13:45 Crystal DeNoncourt: Yes would love too

01:14:07 Mya Fisher (she/hers)_Global Equity Forward: Mya Fisher

01:14:40 Dawn Rose (she/hers): linkedin.com/in/lawandworkplaceaficionado

01:14:47 Mya Fisher (she/hers)_Global Equity Forward: mya@globalequityforward.com

01:14:52 Joanne Schlosser: I have to jump off, thanks so much for a great discussion

01:14:59 Fernando Nucum: LinkedIn.com/in/fnucum

01:15:01 TJ Mercer: thomas.mercer@slalom.com

01:15:02 Dawn Rose (she/hers): Twitter: @droseconnects

01:15:21 Joy Benz: Thank you all for so much for your time and I hope that we will all continue the conversation in spaces like these and our own space as well. Lotus, thank you for organizing! This was an awesome opportunity.

01:28:33 Lotus Buckner: Dawn, I would love those resources if you’re willing to share.

01:30:20 Matt Elwell: I asked a client if I could invite their participants put their pronouns on their placards for a training I was leading. The client’s response, in a hushed, nervous voice, “oh, we’re not there yet.”

01:30:42 Lotus Buckner: Wow, Matt!

01:31:36 Matt Elwell: THIS! I’d like to hear a conversation about how EI/empathy intersects with DEI. Like, the standard of justice can’t be people you relate to.

01:37:05 Sarah Wallisch: For a long time I had a Bi Pride flag coffee mug that I brought to every meeting (Stealth representation!)

01:37:37 Crystal DeNoncourt: @Sarah I LOVE IT!

01:37:47 Matt Elwell: @Sarah that’s awesome!

01:37:56 Lotus Buckner: Yes @Sarah!!

01:40:58 Crystal DeNoncourt: Thanks everyone. This was fantastic. @Lotus, please do more!

01:49:18 Sarah Wallisch: Thank you!