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
“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
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 Not Like Me
Our family celebrates Christmas and occasionally Three Kings Day on January 6th. I live in New York City where many people celebrate Hanukkah, so come December, if I know what you celebrate I say “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Hanukkah!” accordingly. I don’t personally know anyone who celebrates Kwanzaa. If I’m in doubt or I’m just not aware what or whether you celebrate, I simply say … Continue reading Celebrating Winter Holidays
