News

By Lenora Billings-Harris, CSP,CPAE

Diversity and inclusion Strategist & author

Think of a leader in your life who really motivated you to be the best you could be. What attributes or characteristics describe him or her? What habits did he or she have that worked for you? Over the past several years, I have asked hundreds of leaders that question. Here is a sampling of the most frequent answers. He or she:

- Was fair and respectful toward others.

- Had high personal standards.

- Believed in my abilities and potential.

- Helped me believe in myself.

- Encouraged and stretched me.

- Led by example.

- Mentored and coached.

- Asked for and appreciated different points of view.

- Listened to my ideas and others.

- Criticized objectively.

- Had integrity; was honorable.

- Helped me solve my own problems.

- Had a vision.

- Developed a trusting environment.

The specific word, diversity, was rarely used when people described their best, favorite, or most effective leader. However, fairness, respect, objectiveness, and listening recurred frequently.  Read the rest of the article here.

The Diversity Workforce Coalition (DWC) and the NH Health & Equity Partnership will soon accept applications for the Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award.  The award recognizes outstanding efforts of organizations that actively engage in promoting and implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.  All organizations across the corporate, government, community, and not-for-profit sectors are eligible for nomination. 

“There is tremendous value to organizations that have created a workplace where everyone feels welcomed and accepted, and has the ability to share their thoughts and experiences,” said DWC Board President Tina Sharby. “Creating these connections can transform the employee experience—increasing engagement and retention.  With this award, we recognize and celebrate organizations that have excelled in their efforts toward these goals.”

The 2020 winner was Eastern Bank, which was recognized for its exemplary, longstanding reputation of being a social justice advocate and building inclusive environments both within and external to their organization. Finalists also named for their considerable achievements in DEI were Bangor Savings Bank, Five Guys, and Port City Pretzels.

Nominations for this year’s award program will be accepted from November 16, 2020 to February 1, 2021.  Candidates will be selected for a virtual interview and site visit, conducted by Selection Committee representatives, with the final winner announced March 11, 2021.   For more information, please visit: https://www.diversityworkforce.org/Award/Nominations

The Diversity Workforce Coalition is a membership organization comprised of employers and other community members to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace through education, networking, and training of its members and community partners.

The New Hampshire Health & Equity Partnership is a public-private collaborative effort of philanthropic organizations, public health agencies, community based organizations, advocates and others concerned with health equity. 

Media contact:
Tina Sharby
603-621-3417
tsharby@eastersealsnh.org

By DeVry University

The U.S. is projected to become a majority-minority nation for the first time in 2043 and by 2060, 57 percent of the U.S. population will consist of racially ethnic minorities, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This means that companies, business leaders and organizations must create effective solutions to recruit, support and retain a more diverse workforce. While many business leaders may already realize the importance of these population changes, certain companies still struggle to understand the best methods to achieve diversity, how to properly define diversity in the workplace or why diversity is so important.

Diversity and the bottom line

Beyond demographic shifts, diversity directly impacts the financial future of a company, says Meredith Morales, Senior Program Manager of Inclusion Recruiting, Innovation and Solutions at LinkedIn. As a diversity and inclusion consultant, Morales has advised many well-intended leaders who often wish to improve diversity in the workplace but may not fully comprehend the value diversity adds to their organizations.

“I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard people say they want to focus on diversity because, ‘It’s the right thing to do,’ but that’s not what this is about,” says Morales. “Being inclusive of individuals from underrepresented groups is a value add. It impacts the bottom line.”

Read more here.

By Hadley Barndollar 

PORTSMOUTH – The city has begun to take steps to support a racial justice municipality proclamation adopted by the City Council this past summer following the killing of George Floyd and subsequent national outcry.

The proclamation, which was unanimously passed in June and written in concert with the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, includes planned actions such as racial bias training for municipal officials and a concerted effort to highlight Black history in Portsmouth, among other items.

Recently, in a list of demands for elected officials and local governments, the Black Lives Matter Seacoast chapter called on municipalities to follow through on promises made after Floyd’s death.

In her report to the City Council ahead of Monday night’s meeting, City Manager Karen Conard updated on the action taken thus far in support of the proclamation.

“We are at the beginning of what we expect to be an enduring effort to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in our local government and city,” Conard wrote.

The city has established a web page under the city manager’s page to indicate its commitment to racial justice. The web page includes the text of the proclamation, as well as links to resources like the Seacoast African American Cultural Center, Black Heritage Trail, African Burying Ground and the NAACP.

Conard said an interdepartmental staff working group focusing on racial justice, inclusion and equity has been meeting “once or twice” a month since July. The group has 10 participants, she said, and has established a staff website that serves as a repository for useful resources – like videos, articles, presentations or training programs – that any member suggests may be helpful to the discussion.

The city has also scheduled its first mandatory training on diversity, equity and inclusion for Oct. 29 with Jermaine Moore of the Mars Hill Group. Department heads and supervisors have been invited to the training, which will be recorded and re-usable, Conard said.

Various city departments have been participating in roundtable discussions, and individual staff members have attended numerous trainings, including the Urban Sustainability Director’s Network “Driving Towards Equity” series, the International City/County Management Association’s “Building and Maintaining an Equity Mindset in Local Government,” and more locally, the Portsmouth Public Library’s series on “Standing Up to Racism.”

Conard noted one city department is offering its staff members a 21-day racial equity habit building challenge, and another has created an internal online forum to discuss related issues. The Portsmouth library is currently exploring endorsement of the Urban Libraries Council’s Statement on Race and Social Equity, she added.

The city has also joined the Diversity Workforce Coalition, and is evaluating the possibility of joining the Government Alliance on Race and Equity.

Conard said next steps being discussed by the city’s working group include better organizing web resources to assist those in self-education, expanding training to additional staff, hosting monthly brown bag lunches via Zoom to “celebrate differences,” and reaching out to other communities to learn what they are doing in regards to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Diversity Workforce Coalition announces the recent addition of eight new organizations to its membership base. The newest members represent financial services, fine art, apparel, community services, and city government; they include (listed alphabetically): City of Portsmouth, Currier Museum of Art, Life is Good, Morgan Stanley, RiverStone Group, Timberland, Vermont Federal Credit Union, and Work Opportunities Unlimited.

“We’re pleased to welcome this impressive roster of organizations that recognize the immeasurable benefits of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace,” said DWC Board President Tina Sharby.  “The continued success of our important work in this area is further driven by the influx of new members that ultimately help us expand the knowledge and experience of the DWC’s already rich pool of DEI expertise.”

The DWC has grown steadily since its 2012 inception.  Founding members include Catholic Medical Center, Globe Firefighter Suits, Goff Wilson PA, Lindt & Sprungli, Manchester Area HR Association, Northeast Delta Dental, Prime Buchholz LLC, and Southern NH University.

About Diversity Workforce Coalition

The Diversity Workforce Coalition comprises employers and other community members whose purpose is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace through education, networking, and training of its members and community partners.  To learn more, please visit diversityworkforce.org.

What's the best way to initiate a diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategy in the workplace? How do you build a diverse workforce? What resources are available, and how can those in the business community hold themselves and other accountable to their D&I goals?

Members of public are invited to join the conversation during a webinar hosted by NHBR at 11 a.m. Thursday, August 20.  The panel includes Jermaine Moore, Founder of The Mars Hill Group and Diversity Workforce Coalition (DWC) board member, and Tina Sharby, Chief Human Resources Officer at Easter Seals and board president of the DWC. They'll be joined by panelists Jackie Gadsen, VP of Diversity & Inclusion and Customer Experience for Comcast's Greater Boston Region, and Elizabeth Chick, Corporate HR Coordinator for Vapotherm.  The panel will be moderated by Ernesto Burden, VP and Publisher at McLean Communications.

The panel will provide tips for how businesses owners, leaders, HR managers, and professionals can foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Register here at no cost.

On this day 155 years ago, the people of Galveston, TX listened as Gen. Gordon Granger delivered the federal order that “all slaves are free,” and unwittingly planted the seeds for the Juneteenth celebration that is still widely observed to this day.

Juneteenth celebration, 1905

Of course, it was a full 2.5 years before this that President Abraham Lincoln declared in the Emancipation Proclamation that “all persons held as slaves … shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” And it was, of course, roughly 87 years before Lincoln’s address that our country’s forefathers proclaimed “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” And even on June 19, 1865, slave owners in Galveston and beyond refused—some violently so—to honor their freedom.

But none of that could contain the jubilation of the newly freed black men and women of Texas.

As a quote in Hayes Turner’s essay goes: “The way it was explained to me, the 19th of June wasn’t the exact day the Negro was freed.  But that’s the day they told them that they was free … And my daddy told me that they whooped and hollered and bored holes in trees with augers and stopped it up with [gun] powder and light and that would be their blast for the celebration.”

With that, they bravely claimed the day and all those to follow as their own.  Exactly a year later, Juneteenth was born as a means of rejoicing in the historic occasion, and today, we join in that celebration.

We also recognize that the declaration on June 19^th 1865—not unlike those on January 1, 1863 and July 4, 1776, and many others to follow—did not end the oppression of people of color in our nation.  And as we mark the hard-fought victories in the fight to ensure equality for all in our nation, we reaffirm our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  We hope you will join us.

The events of last week are a vivid reminder of how far we are from the ideals of liberty and justice.  We are outraged by the death of George Floyd.  Our hearts go out to the families touched by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, for all the others before them whom were taken too soon, and to all those in our communities who experience violence, marginalization, and discrimination because of their skin color.

It’s not enough to express our empathy for communities and people who are experiencing hate, who are scared for themselves and their loved ones daily.  Now is a time to stand up in solidarity with those who are suffering injustice.  Through solidarity and respect for all, we will be an instrument of change, and with clear communication and determination, we will challenge—and work to eliminate—systemic racism.

“We all come in different shapes and sizes and have difference uses, but we all draw upon the same energy and have the same value no matter where we were manufactured.”

— Tina Sharby, Chairman of the Diversity Workplace Coalition

• • •

Business leaders and other dignitaries from across New Hampshire gathered at the Puritan Conference Center to the fourth annual Diversity Workplace Coalition Diversity Conference.

Sponsored by over four dozen businesses and organizations across the Granite State, the four-hour conference provided a series of talks on building inclusivity in the workplace as well as honors for Eastern Bank for their work going above and beyond to create an inclusive workplace.

Click here for the full story.

The Diversity Workforce Coalition was honored to host an event at Delta Dental focused on hiring and retaining New Hampshire's military veterans. Jo Moncher, state facilitator of the NH Employment Leadership Committee, led a discussion focused on developing a foundation for understanding, hiring, and supporting our military during the event, which also included a networking session.

DWC Board President Tina Sharby speaks about partnerships and resources for Hiring and Supporting Veterans in the workplace.

State Facilitator of the NH Employment Leadership Committee Jo Moncher delivers a presentation on resources for US military veterans seeking jobs, as well as employers looking to hire more veterans.  

DWC Board President Tina Sharby, center, shares thoughts on increasing employment of New Hampshire's veterans with former President/current DWC Board Member John Wilson, right, and State Facilitator of the NH Employment Leadership Committee Jo Moncher, left.