In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to shine the spotlight on an incredible woman who has exponentially supported the ABC community over this past year – Desiree S. Coleman.
Desiree is a corporate executive, diversity consultant, author, and speaker who has helped numerous groups redefine their diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) practices – including our beloved Ashley Burnett & Co. community culture and team.
Her consulting practice utilizes workshops, coaching, equity-focused analysis, organizational assessments, and leadership team consultations to clarify organizational goals and operationalize DEI values.
Over the past year, Desiree has supported our team in redefining our DEI practices through meetings via group and 1-1 sessions with her – and she also held focus groups with our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community to gain feedback and perspective to see where we could improve and do better.
These are some of the areas of focus that she helped us dig deep into as a company:
- Crafting our BIG WHY around DEI, and our commitment to Anti Racism work
- Designing a robust DEI Education Section in our ABC Members Area for all of our program participants
- Establishing a recommended DEI and Anti Racism reading list for our team and community
- Creating more robust scholarships to marginalized communities in need for all of our programming
- Exploring Cultural Awareness and Appropriation, and how we are more sensitive to that important issue and do better as a team and company on that front
- How to address non-inclusive behavior should it arise during our groups, and how to create safer and more inclusive spaces
- Further refining our commitments and devotions to our individual and collective antiracism work, and putting a plan in place for receiving continued support
Among many other valuable pieces…
I’m beyond grateful for Desiree and her willingness to work with us – to help us dismantle our unconscious biases and shine the light on our weak spots as a company, and be willing to work with our team for continuous integration in the coming year ahead.
And, I’ll leave you with this final quote from Desiree’s website…
“Because ally is an action word, it is a role that you will consciously have to choose over and over again. There will be moments where you can opt out with your privilege or move through life unaffected by the things others experience. Likewise, there will undoubtedly be times when you’ll be faced with discomfort or when you are called upon to tackle systems or institutions that seem too large to challenge. This is not the moment to shrink. This is not the time to phone it in. This is when your voice is needed most.”
Thanks again, Desiree – we sooo appreciate your compassionate support and generous guidance!
And friends, during this month and always, I invite you to keep doing the heart-centered inner and outer work necessary to help dismantle systemic oppression – and create a world where we finally experience racial equity and JUSTICE for all.
Always with love,
