f you’re like many in our community, you’ve likely noticed we’ve been quiet over the last year or so. After the pandemic completely upended the way we think about events and connection, we took some time to regroup, reflect and reconsider what we can bring to the community.
Read More2020. *deep breaths* Some say it’s shedding light on our broken systems. Others would argue it’s showing that our systems work exactly how they were built to: pushing violence on Black bodies and only giving adequate healthcare to the folks who can pay for it.
Read MoreConfrontation isn’t fun, no matter who you are. Throw in an added layer of Minnesota Niceness — bleeding into passive aggressiveness more than any of us are willing to admit — and confrontation and pushback becomes borderline unbearable. But, when you have employees avoiding confrontation like the plague, it makes for a toxic company culture that allows negative emotions to fester.
Read MoreIntersectionality. If you’ve found yourself in social justice circles or even in certain Twitter feeds, you’ve seen this word tossed around and used in different ways. Social justice has shifted its focus away from the consciousness-raising groups and community support of the 1960s and moved toward a focus on individuality and self care.
Read MoreI’ve always been attracted to the minimalism of contemporary “white” brands — the understated brunch menu, the essential interior elements of buzzworthy coffee shops and breweries, etc. As a black graphic designer, I’ve often attempted to mask my blackness behind so-called white design aesthetics.
Read Morescrolling through their team online, I did see several Asian males and females and a few polished white males. The recruiter who connected me to the position let me know they had just hired a Colombian man to join their international sales team — but, basically, in the office and on the website, there were no brown people.
Read MoreLanguage is always changing. Sometimes, you’ll say something, and a trusted friend will tell you the word is offensive. But how were you supposed to know? Well, here are some words to get you started in building a more inclusive vocabulary.
Read MoreMy name is Shadon (Shaw-Dawn) Elizabeth Ghassemlou. My first name means, “one who is happy” in Persian/Farsi, and, for the most part, I think I have done an okay-ish job of living up to my name. I was born in San Diego to an American mother from the Iron Range of Minnesota and a Persian father from Tehran, Iran. I grew up in Coon Rapids, Minnesota
Read MoreIf you’re an activist, ally, or advocate, you probably understand and practice inclusivity at every opportunity you find. Maybe you use gender-neutral terms to refer to people before you learn their preferred pronouns. Maybe, if you’re in a position of privilege, you allow other folks to voice opinions before your voice your own. Maybe you actively work to remove ableist language from your vocabulary. And, if that’s the case, maybe it has leaked into your work as well.
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