The Criminalization of Inclusion: Spotlight on Anti-DEI Rhetoric
Wednesday, September 6 // 10 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. ET
Recently, the national discourse on DEI has given rise to anti-DEI proposals, policies and legislation across the U.S., fueling anti-DEI rhetoric and complicating equity initiatives. Continuing to advocate for equity in STEM is vitally important, but how can organizations effectively advocate for inclusion when it may eventually be illegal to have certain DEI initiatives? This Conversation for Change will address the complicated landscape of DEI advocacy within the current climate. We will discuss how to do equity work amid uncertainty and strategies to promote inclusivity.
Watch the video on-demand on NCWIT’s YouTube channel. You can find it, and previous recordings in the series, in the Conversations for Change playlist.
Shijuade Kadree (she/they) is the Director of Tech Equity and the Director of the Tech Accountability Coalition for the Aspen Digital Institute. She previously served as Snap, Inc’s Director of Diversity Strategy, where she worked to embed equity lenses in the culture of the company, for the product, and for the Snap user community. Prior to this role, she worked as the Chief Advocacy Officer for The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York. An alumna of Emory University, where she graduated with a joint degree from the Schools of Law and Public Health, Shijuade is a former defense attorney with Brooklyn Defender Services, and has significant government relations, policy, strategic planning and stakeholder cultivation and engagement experience. As the Chief Advocacy Officer for The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, she was responsible for creating, implementing, and directing the annual legislative and fiscal lobbying strategy to support its powerful programs and to advocate for equity and inclusion of the larger LGBTQ community in New York State. She centers her approach from an unapologetic Black, queer, feminist perspective, believing that when all of those needs are engaged and addressed, all will benefit from the outcome. They have worked with all levels of government, for-profit, and non-profit actors, to ensure that the work being done is thoughtful, innovative, and inclusive, with an explicitly intersectional lens. Shijuade’s legislative and organizational policy drafting and implementation experience, across multiple interests and sectors, informs the incisive and proactive approach to her change-making work. A recipient of multiple awards for her work, she is also a sought-after speaker, panelist, commentator, and moderator. She can be contacted for professional consulting services through her firm, Compass Strategies Consulting. Shijuade resides in Atlanta with their wife, children, and furbaby.
Jeffrey Siminoff (he/him) is Senior Vice President of Workplace Dignity at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, where he and his team provide employers with the tools that center dignity in the workplace and close the gap between what employers believe they are delivering and what employees say they are actually experiencing. Previously, he led global inclusion and diversity teams at top Silicon Valley and Wall Street companies, including Twitter, Apple (where he was recognized as one of 10 men making waves for women in tech) and Morgan Stanley. At Morgan Stanley, where he came out, Jeffrey also led the Pride (LGBTQ+) employee group and served as a Managing Director in the Legal Department, focusing on employment law. Jeffrey is a graduate of Duke University and he received his law degree from Emory University.
About NCWIT Conversations for Change
Get ready for conversations, Q&As, on-demand videos, and more! Fully immerse yourself in research-based recommendations and peer-to-peer discussions to further your efforts in creating inclusive cultures. Please join us live in order to take part in the Q&A. You can view past Conversations for Change recordings here.