Sketchnotes – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Day

Way back in August 2019, my workplace closed all their library branches so all staff could attend a full-day of seminars regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion. They brought in experts from Canada and the U.S. I enjoyed the day and learned a lot.

I wasn’t planning on sharing my sketchnotes from the day but over the past 6 months, their lessons have come up several times, so I’m sharing them now in case they can help anyone else.

Mark A. Puente spoke about the societal systems in place that uphold an unequal system. He advocated that we start from the personal – that is reflecting on our own experience and then using those lessons to connect with people that are different from us in our workplace. This will develop our cultural proficiency. From there, we can start to ask deeper questions about the systems in place that make it hard to address inequality.

He shared a chart about the strength of diverse teams. Libraries are quite monoculture organizations but I believe many are actively working towards becoming more diverse. While looking for a couple labels to make the chart clearer for y’all, I found a great article from Co-op Grocers on the stages an organization goes through on its journey to becoming more diverse. I think my workplace is in some level of Stage 4 – the Affirmative Action organization.

Deb Eerkes’ from the HR department of my employer took us through harassment in the workplace. It was really informative and gave us ideas of what to do if we harm others or witness disrespect.

I realize the colour palate and small print of the 5 characteristics that must be meant to quality as harassment in the workplace so I’ve listed them below.

5 Characteristics of Harassment in the Workplace

• Demeaning, intimidating, threatening, or abusive
• Not trivial or fleeting
• Creates a hostile environment
• Reasonably causes offense
• Serves no legitimate purpose

She also went through my employer’s definitions of sexual violence – good knowledge to have in your pocket and I encourage you to seek our your employers policies in regards to harassment.

Jessie Loyer presented on repairing relationships with Indigenous peoples. Her presentation was really effective as she asked the audience a series of very frank and practical questions and then asked us to reflect on what our answers would be. It was clear while I was thinking about my responses about where I was in repairing relations and what I needed to work on.

This is the session I think the most about. The “Positioning Myself” part gave me a lot of food for thought about my upbringing and relationship to my hometown. Place factors so much into our personalities, unconscious choices, and our overall lives. I appreciate that Indigenous cultures honor this and it’s a central part of their relationships and world view.

FYI: Amiskwaskahegan is the Indigenous name for Edmonton. Two books I’ve recently found very helpful for my reconciliation journey are listed below:

• 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo