SIF speaks
- By The SIF Team
- Published on April 28, 2021
On April 20, 2021, at 4:00 pm, our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion meeting about our team goals was canceled. We received a note with the option to gather informally without an agenda as most of us wrestled with our emotions of anxiety, hope, anger, and frustration. Over the last year and a half, our team has been more intentional about our DEI learning and have come to understand the impact of the world around us and how it can carry with us even at work. We have learned that creating safe spaces at work can help during trying times. Although team members might not have the same need, the option to meet informally is one in which anyone can show up and take as much space as they need. At 4:30 pm, we were still waiting to hear the jury’s verdict on Derek Chauvin's trial. There was a sudden stillness in our Zoom call – a moment in which we shared a deep appreciation of our humanity. As the end of the working day came, some team members dropped off but others stayed on. There were four of us remaining at the end. We all absorbed the news with quiet relief while acknowledging that real justice would mean George Floyd being alive.
