Who am I? Always me. But how much me, depends on thee. Margarita Diaz I’m always me. Wherever I go, whoever I’m with, I am always the same Margarita. Authentically, me. We use the word authenticity a lot lately, referring to being one’s true self. To me, this is as much about consistency as it is about honesty. If I’m being honest about who I … Continue reading Authenticity and Inclusion
“I need a minute to sort out my brain.” My Second Grader What if I had said it instead of my second grader? What about if your least favorite person said it? We receive and value a statement differently depending on who said it. Authority Bias; Halo & Horn Effects I asked my son a question the other day and before answering, he paused, looked … Continue reading Second Grader Wisdom
We all might be a little too much for some and not enough for others, but most interesting to me is the “enough-ness” of our racial or cultural identities. I am Latina, half Puerto Rican and half Peruvian. Spanish is my first language and Latin music, particularly salsa music and dance, are my passions. I volunteer teaching salsa to elementary school kids to share this … Continue reading I Am Latina Enough
Imagine if we could talk about race the way we talk about cultures. 💭If we felt curiosity instead of indifference. 💭If we acknowledged more readily when something is foreign to us, rather than insist it’s the same. 💭If we got excited at finding out the similarities between us, rather than resentful that we even looked for them. 💭If we questioned why we use certain names … Continue reading Imagine
“Every single one of us is different.” Brad MeltzerFrom the children’s book, “I Am Albert Einstein” As a child, I attended seven (7) different elementary schools before “settling down.” My parents’ journey to provide the best for us involved a few moves, but I had a beautiful childhood filled with love and life-experience lessons on resilience. Some of these lessons involved always being “the new … Continue reading We Are All Different
“Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is, and not as it should be.” Miguel de Cervantes This quote (my favorite) from Don Quixote has been cited, paraphrased and adapted countless times. Is it crazy to see the world as we would like to see it, or crazier to insist on seeing it “as it is”? Our … Continue reading To See Life As It Should Be
Implicit biases affect not just what we do and say, but also what we hear. Diverse in the City™️ Implicit or unconscious biases affect not just what we do, say and perceive about others, but also how we hear and perceive things about ourselves. We know that hidden biases can affect our perceptions of others and our actions towards others. But when we say we … Continue reading A Few Words on Biases
Rather than choosing between “culture fit” and “culture add,” let’s choose the fit, that adds. Diverse in the City™️ “Fitting in” and “adding to” the workplace culture are not mutually exclusive criteria for selecting who to hire, promote, or choose to work with on a project. They are often treated as opposites, though, when talking about affinity bias. “Call out” your bias and “make a … Continue reading “Culture Fit” or “Culture Add?”
Representation is about more choices that truly reflect our diversity, not just racial but cultural too. Diverse in the City™️ Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark’s most famous author, wrote fairy tales with universal themes that could be appreciated at both a child and adult level. Several months ago, we took our son to see a marionette show here in New York City, presenting three of Andersen’s … Continue reading A Not-So-Fair Fairy Tale
Have you been the person who looked different than or was perceived differently from everyone else? I have, multiple times. I have been the only Latina in a predominantly white high school class. I have been one of only two non-black students in a predominantly black elementary school classroom. I have been the only bilingual student in a Spanish-language elementary school classroom in Puerto Rico … Continue reading Have You Been the Yellow Rose in a Red Bouquet?
