This past Friday we had a truly energizing session in the form of panel discussion about diversity and lived experience. The Center for American Progress hosted the discussion where a panel consisting of two SAWIP and two Washington Ireland Program (WIP) team members shared their stories as well as their insights on diversity. I was captivated by the the discussion and I was both amazed and inspired by the stories my colleagues shared.
I found myself sitting in a room surrounded by brilliant young leaders and I truly felt led. The conversation was a difficult one as described by the key note speaker, but in the words of Congressman John Lewis it is ‘necessary trouble’ that we have to get into. My fellow young leaders shared their own stories and described the difficult life experiences that they had been through in terms of facing prejudice and discrimination. However, they used these experiences as lessons and motivation to change the societies that we live in.
The American, Irish, and South African societies all face numerous social problems that have different complexities which makes it harder to find sustainable solutions. It can be disheartening that there are still so many people who are fighting to be acknowledged and enjoy the same rights that their privileged counterparts enjoy. Whilst acknowledging this frustration and anger that so many people feel towards the injustices that occur on a daily basis, the speakers gave holistic insights and suggestions as to the way forward. The core message that I took away from the session was that there is still a lot of work that has to be done and more importantly that we all have a role to play in doing the work.
One of the biggest problems we face is that very few people are willing to have the type of conversations where we talk about the emotive issues and the fact that there is still so much that needs to be done to solve them. So it was fantastic to be in a space where this conversation could take place and also be received so well. Hearing the different stories that the panel had to share was a great way to start the conversation and it led to a robust discussion where we all acknowledged that the issues existed and tried to begin finding solutions.
The speakers highlighted that everyone does have a role to play in finding and implementing solutions. It starts with people first becoming conscious about the issues and then they can begin to inform others. Ideally this should then translate to those informed people taking action and working to reduce the injustices in society. Unfortunately not enough people are doing this so the status quo remains the same. What is needed is that more people become informed and take action. This action can take any form, from calling out others on their problematic behavior to creating change in your home or work environment so as to create more equality. The key thing I got from this is that the biggest reason why things stay the same is because of inaction. Yes there are many complexities and the problem does not have a clear solution but those people who sit back and do nothing are just perpetuating the system. In order for there to be real change, everyone needs to do their part and get into the ‘necessary trouble’
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