Design Thinking & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Part 2 (Deconstructing Dominant Cultures Series)
Mar 15, 2021
In our previous episode, I spoke with Vanessa Weathers, Founder and Principal Consultant at Conscious Employee Experiences, to explore design thinking and its relationship to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Today, she joins me again. This time we talk about how people best positioned for leadership roles may be those who have been marginalized. We also discuss how leadership is a title you earn, like you earn trust, and where power is truly rooted in organizations; we explore how to redesign local politics to get the best results and to get people in the right roles; Vanessa dissects how to many accustomed to privilege, equality can feel like oppression; we unpack what may be behind the claim “diversity is white genocide” and how such a mindset and behaviors based on such a mindset can be damaging and threaten the livelihoods and lives of those communities marginalized by systems of oppression and dominant cultures; and she offers us a glimpse into how an experience designer like herself raises a child.
Vanessa Weathers and I spoke on August 22nd of 2020.
But before we jump into the conversation, Aïcha Martine Thiam and I introduce you to The Nasiona Music Series. We begin every episode by showcasing a BIPOC musical artist from our series, which you can explore at TheNasiona.com. Today's musical guest is Samantha Pearl, and she performs her track "Don't Let Me Go," which you can find in The Nasiona's compilation BIPOC musical album, Volume 1: Petrichor.
The Nasiona Podcast amplifies the voices and experiences of the marginalized, undervalued, overlooked, silenced, and forgotten, as well as gives you a glimpse into Othered worlds. Hosted, edited, and produced by Julián Esteban Torres López. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @JE_Torres_Lopez
Please follow The Nasiona on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for regular updates: @TheNasiona
Thank you to Aïcha Martine Thiam for co-producing the Music Series component of the episode, and to Samantha Pearl for being our first musical guest.
Original music for The Nasiona Podcast was produced by the Grammy Award-winning team of Joe Sparkman and Marcus Allen, aka The Heavyweights. Joe Sparkman: Twitter + Instagram. Marcus Allen: Twitter + Instagram.
The Nasiona Magazine and Podcast depend on voluntary contributions from listeners like you. We hope the value of our work to our community is worth your patronage. If you like what we do, please show this by liking, rating, and reviewing us; buying or recommending our books; and by financially supporting our work either through The Nasiona’s Patreon page or through Julián Esteban Torres López's Ko-Fi donation platform. Every little bit helps.
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