The 2023 International Women’s Day #EmbraceEquity campaign is giving little black square solidarity…
It’s giving safety pin allyship…
It’s giving too little in a time when there is simply too much at stake for gender equity in America and abroad.
I’ve recited lists of names to remind people that real lives have and continue to be at the center of corporate socially responsible investments, community partnerships, ERGs and DEI work…
The #SandraBlands who were murdered for speaking up and being assertive add value to your business and should not have been so easily discarded with layoffs but rather supported through innovation and sustainable pathways and inclusive business models.
What happened to our commitment to them?
Do we not have something more poignant to say as gamechangers, gender equity champions and accomplices to the work?
So in this moment when all of these lives are on the line, and women especially, are waiting for us to show up for them…
What are we supposed to do with a gallery of pictures of people hugging themselves?
How does this dismantle patriarch and build psychological safety and inclusion for women who look like me?
Corporations have been quick to yell out that #blacklivesmatter but slow to find solutions that not only truly embrace equity but actually do well by doing good.
This is cute… but DEI is messy and definitely way more complex than a photo opp. This campaign has missed the mark this time.