Skip to main content

Musings on Diversity

MLK & Personal Commitment Diversity: Managing DifferencesDiversity: Managing RepresentationDiversity: Managing the MarketplaceDiversity: Managing Workplace Culture
April 4, 2018

MLK & Personal Commitment

I was a Yankee baby, born in Framingham Union Hospital in Massachusetts. But I was raised a Georgia Peach! So I remember marching in the first parade celebrating the MLK holiday; making arts and crafts to commemorate the occasion; traveling up and down MLK to get to piano lessons or my grandmother’s place. But after those days of my youth,…
April Thomas
Everyone Should Be A Diversity Practitioner Diversity: Managing Workplace CultureLegacy of Diversity
February 27, 2018

Everyone Should Be A Diversity Practitioner

Moving among corporations and their Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs), I seldom see strategies designed to empower individuals at all levels as “diversity practitioners.”  When I do discover such a strategy, I do not find the necessary follow-up to assure that these strategies are applied and practiced sufficiently to build capability with diversity management. Instead, I often see individuals only vaguely…
Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr.
“Best Practices”: A Viable Strategy Approach? Legacy of Diversity
December 14, 2017

“Best Practices”: A Viable Strategy Approach?

Over the years, I have observed that diversity practitioners — whether launching a diversity thrust or building on existing efforts — frequently seek out "best practices" data. They at a minimum consider adopting practices from their findings, or look to qualify to be on a "best practices" list. Is this approach to developing a diversity management strategy effective?   6…
Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr.
Legacy of Diversity Legacy of Diversity
November 30, 2017

Legacy of Diversity

SDMS 360 is pleased to announce our Legacy of Diversity series. Our featured contributor is Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., and our first post is his article, The Shamming of Diversity.  As the Father of Diversity, we thought it fitting to include Dr. Thomas' voice in the ongoing conversation on Diversity Management. While these articles were written several years earlier, they are just…
SDMS 360
UPS and Puppy Love Diversity: Managing the Marketplace
November 8, 2017

UPS and Puppy Love

Photo Credit: Roger on Facebook   I recently discovered the Facebook Page UPS Dogs. It contains videos and pictures of the dogs that UPS drivers encounter on their various routes. For someone who loves dogs like me, it is a treasure trove of doggy cuteness. But what do dogs have to do with diversity? It’s all about Quadrant 4: Managing…
April Thomas
12 White Blue-Eyed Blonde Men Diversity: Managing DifferencesDiversity: Managing Representation
October 27, 2017

12 White Blue-Eyed Blonde Men

Earlier this month, Apple’s Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity, Denise Young Smith, offended many by her words at the One Young World Summit in Bogotá, Colombia. When asked if black women were a priority for her in her new role, Smith responded (partial response below): “Aamna, you also asked me about my work at Apple, or in particular, who…
April Thomas
Diversity Abroad and At Home Diversity: Managing DifferencesDiversity: Managing RepresentationDiversity: Managing Workplace CultureGlobal Diversity
October 27, 2017

Diversity Abroad and At Home

Yesterday, Kenyans went to the polls a second time to elect their president. This was due to the results from the first election of August 8, 2017 being contested and subsequently annulled. As I read about the new round of elections, I came across this quote: The crisis has aggravated ethnic divides within Kenya that many believed were declining in…
April Thomas
Potato? Or Patattah? Diversity: Managing Differences
September 30, 2017

Potato? Or Patattah?

As I watched reports and read commentaries on the professional US athletes taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem, I was reminded of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs: You say “potato.” I say “patattah” You say “tomato.” I say creole, “tamayda.” Oh let’s call the whole thing off. The lyrics tell the story of…
April Thomas
Did Google Pop Another Pimple? Diversity: Managing DifferencesDiversity: Managing the MarketplaceDiversity: Managing Workplace Culture
September 16, 2017

Did Google Pop Another Pimple?

Popping the Pimple We all remember being a teenager, right?  When we had a pimple on our face, and it felt like it could be seen from Mars? Truth be told, no one probably noticed it, but we were so distraught. So our response was to pop the pimple, thinking that would make it go away - only to have…
April Thomas