Welcome to our first Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) issue of MOMENTUM. Of the 52 issues we've published to date, I am most proud of what this one represents as it is a window on our collective knowledge of an important topic and the "momentum" towards a greater good that is already at work across our community.
DEI is never more timely than it is today as we struggle to comprehend the horrors of the recent discovery of buried Indigenous children at a Residential School in Kamloops, British Columbia and the murder of a Muslim family in London, Ontario. Racism is systemic and pervasive and these tragic events only underline how much work we have to do, not only to embrace diversity, but simply to respect and value human life.
As a cross-sector international membership organization, we are in a unique and privileged position to connect with so many organizations, large and small, in Canada and the United States. This access affords us a meaningful opportunity to explore what is happening in 'corporate North America' on a topic as important as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The opportunity is twofold.
First, we have a wonderful learning opportunity from our members and partners because of our access. Equally important, we can leverage our content platforms to share their insights and initiatives with a broader Canada-U.S. network.
So this month, we asked our community to provide us with a brief look at their DEI goals and programs for this special issue. What follows are contributions and reflections from business leaders and DEI ambassadors from 14 organizations based in California, British Columbia, Colorado, Ontario, Michigan, and New York. In addition to the insights our contributors have shared are links to some outstanding organizations and resources - be sure to check these out too.
Thank you to my fellow MAPLE DEI Workgroup members - Anna Innis (Air Canada), Robert Kelle (MAPLE Business Council), Bernardine Perreira (Perriera Wealth Advisory Raymond James), and Sem Ponnambalam (xahive). And thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts. We also wish to acknowledge the contributions of Canada through the Consulate General teams in Los Angeles and New York. We are richer for what everyone has shared.
We hope these examples of DEI programs and personal insights help to inform and inspire your own journey.