Inviting a SMILE with National Humor Month!
April is National Humor Month...and so much more. Let's smile!
Soap is to the body, what laughter is to the soul
~ Yiddish Proverb
A-maze-ing Laughter is a bronze sculpture by Yue Minjun, located in Morton Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Photo by Shaun Ledding
In the United States, April not only celebrates National Humor Month, but also gets us outdoors with National Garden Month, Keep America Beautiful Month, and National Wildlife Week. It's also Stress Awareness Month, National Volunteer Month, National Poetry Month, and more.
Most importantly, April also brings Laugh at Work Week (first week) and in week three we get National Volunteer Week PLUS Organize Your Files Week. Now that’s something really useful! Take a break and organize your files. (Remember it IS national HUMOR month.)
It is clear that April is a time to destress through laughing, spending time outside, decluttering, and giving back. We call this a play-based approach, and we believe applying this approach to our work lives is crucial to cultivate deeper connections with one another, and to establish new ways of thinking.
We want to know how your team applies a play-based approach to your work.
One idea that could add more levity at work is to create a laughter-humor first-aid kit. Invite everyone on your team to contribute their favorite jokes, pictures, memes, and stories into a digital package that can be shared on glum days.
Learn more about special days and observances in April here!
Psst: You know what can really ruin a Friday? Remembering it’s Thursday.
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Musings for the month
White Affinity Groups: Leading White People in Anti-Racism Practice
It is important that we understand that white women straddle the intersection of oppression, gender identity, and privilege because of their race. These juxtapositions have implications for our work in multicultural and antiracist organizational development. To accomplish real transformation it may take some additional focus on the white folx in the group - both women and men.
One of the leaders in this area is Robin DiAngelo, author of The Facilitator’s Guide for White Affinity Groups. Her comments on a March 2023 racial justice webinar about creating affinity groups where people of color can build community with each other away from white folx received some criticism. While it can seem like affinity groups are about keeping groups separate, in fact affinity groups (AKA: race-based caucusing) are designed to help people ultimately bridge racial divides and bring people together in ways that liberate all.
Frieda E. Smith, our senior advisor and consultant - and white cis-women, is participating in a Facilitating White Affinity Groups Training led by Robin DiAngelo and Amy Burtaine. This eight-week training is to develop leaders with the awareness and skills needed to engage in deeper antiracist work with white people. The class operates on the premise that many white people do not have the skills necessary to engage in cross-racial work. As a result, they often inadvertently cause harm.
The training overview states:
“While we must listen to and learn from BIPOC people, in order to minimize harm, white people must also work together to develop the awareness and stamina to address our specific role in upholding white supremacy.”
An effective white affinity group prepares white people to engage constructively across races by providing the space in which to build the skills to address dynamics such as internalized superiority, implicit bias, guilt, confusion, and resentment.
Affinity groups provide a safe space for white folx without the pressure of being observed by or impacting other groups, allowing for more authenticity and risk-taking.
Frieda, who has done diversity training in St. Louis, Missouri since the 1980’s says, “Working with white folx to dig into our internalized racism and how we benefit from the systemic racism of our society, regardless of how committed we are to do antiracist work, is something I had never experienced.”
Having an opportunity to discuss and share with a group of white folx without feeling I or the group might inadvertently harm or create harm to BIPOC individuals, is both humbling and powerful.
“We need a place where white people can share, experience discomfort and pain, learn and grow in ways that will help us recognize that our whiteness has allowed us to benefit in a society built on a foundation of racism - and as a result racism is an ongoing part of white experiences and benefits - regardless of how much equity work we have done or do.”
Given the nature of antiracism work, we know that our partners and clients hold varying opinions and ideologies on certain topics. Our dedication to celebrating diversity remains steadfast. And we believe it is important to provide a platform for everyone to speak their truth. We encourage you to openly and honestly share with us any questions, thoughts, concerns or differing viewpoints you may have about race-based caucusing or affinity groups. Let's foster an open dialogue where we can all flourish and co-create more multicultural and anti-racist community.
#SelfCareCorner
Manage Energy Instead of Time
What if we focused more on managing our energy instead of managing our time? How can we increase energy boosts in our lives and reduce energy drains? Dr. Julie Pham, PhD, founder of Curiosity Based, tells us:
“I love lists, so I created a list of things I started to do to increase energy boosts and reduce energy drains." These are a few examples:
Delegate
Take time off and mean it
Make time to care
Ask for help
Say no to work I really don’t want to do
Commute less, connect more
Keep unread emails at zero
What’s new at data2insight?
You will find Dr. Crystallee Crain at the intersection of public health and human rights
Welcome back to our featured author series. This month we share a different point of view on advancing social justice and DEI+B efforts.
Check out our latest blog author, Crystallee Crain Ph.D., who is an interdisciplinary public health scholar and human rights activist. She specializes in exposing the layers of institutional inequality and her body of work represents a collective need to strengthen our responses to violence through transformative means.
Dr. Crain is the Founder & Principal Consultant of Prevention at the Intersections, an organization that works to prevent violence through community-based research and people-centered projects.
Learn more about the work that Crystallee does and the resources that she shared with our community by reading our latest blog post.
Book Spotlight
How to Be an Inclusive Leader: Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive by Jennifer Brown
In today's rapidly changing world, creating a workplace culture that is inclusive and values diversity is essential. How to Be an Inclusive Leader by Jennifer Brown is a comprehensive guide for leaders who want to build an environment where everyone can thrive.
Brown, a leading diversity and inclusion expert, provides actionable strategies and practical tools to help leaders develop inclusive practices and build cultures of belonging. The book is filled with real-world examples, case studies, and insights from successful leaders who have implemented these strategies in their own organizations.
