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DEI Commitment & Resources

The Communication Professionals’ Declaration for Diverse and Inclusive Impact

Scope

This declaration is by communication professionals who deliver oral, written, or visual messages that influence perception, build awareness, drive decisions, or affect behavior. Our collective commitment to intentionally supporting diversity and inclusion means acknowledging, seeking, learning about, celebrating, and embracing likenesses and differences, as well as building connections.

Current State

Communication professionals believe that we must proactively speak truth to power and take a “seat at the table.” Our world is shifting, and we must do more than just respond: We must be leaders. We find ourselves with an opportunity to chart the course in our profession and build a culture of respect for all people. This is the moment to proclaim that our field has the resources, networks, skills, and platforms—to make socially responsible decisions. After all, communicators are connectors. It is our responsibility to open dialogue, influence the groups we engage with, and nurture relationships with our members, peer organizations, company leaders, employees, and stakeholders.

Purpose

We must improve how marginalized groups are represented in marketing, news, and media; we must amplify the voices of our members, peer organizations, company leaders, employees, and stakeholders who are members of marginalized groups; and we must provide content that celebrates and supports diversity throughout the communication field.

Mission

We will constantly ask: What specific impact can we have in our organizations and circles of influence? How can we improve diversity and inclusion of race, age, socioeconomic status, disability, neurodiversity, faith, skin color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or national origin? To lead change, we must be courageous and step outside of our comfort zones with intention, conviction, and action. We must use our skills, our compassion, our networks, and our resources to emphasize the decisions we recommend or make.

Vision

The communicator’s role will be a catalyst that encourages dialogue and demonstrates human dignity within our profession. We will: communicate hope, inspire, challenge outdated perceptions, and widen the door of opportunity and accessibility.

We, the undersigned organizations, promise to:

View the Declaration form to sign. 

Join us

Make a commitment to intentionally support diversity and inclusion.  

Take action 

 

Overview

There are many resources which provide information, reports, and insights into diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This is not a comprehensive list. If you use one you'd like to recommend, please let us know. 

Across the wide diversity spectrum, we have organized resources by category: 

Note: you may need to scroll up slightly to view all listings. 


Have a resource to share? 
Let us know!

 

General resources

Business communicators will benefit from information related to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility. 

International Association for Business Communicators

The Centre for Global Inclusion
Serves as a resource for research and education for individuals and organizations in their quest to improve diversity and inclusion practices around the world.

Diversity Action Alliance
Bringing together the world’s top leaders in Public Relations and Communication in pursuit of an urgent and critically essential goal: to achieve continuous improvement for people of color as measured by recruitment, retention, and representation in management.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

Fairplay Talks
News stories and events across the wide diversity spectrum in both the public and private sectors worldwide.

Graduate School of Stanford Business DEI
We are committed to making positive change in the diversity, equity, and inclusion of our community, teaching, and research, now and into the future.

Harvard Implicit Association Test
Harvard University's Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. The IAT may be especially interesting if it shows that you have an implicit attitude that you did not know about.

International Association of Business Communicators

JustWorks Blog Posts

Understanding Microaggressions: 7 Examples and How to Reduce Them

Nonprofit Quarterly
Not only has implications for nonprofit organizations. Content and thought leaders on:

Siemens - Belonging Transforms podcast series
Episode 1: The role of big business in driving diversity, equity and inclusion.
Episode 2: Creating places where we can all belong
Episode 3: How inclusive language creates belonging

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Bias in the Workplace

Articles and resources for thinking about and working with bias in the workplace. 


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Organizations located in the Southwest Ohio/Northern Kentucky/Southeast Indiana Area with a focus on serving diverse populations. 

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Greater cincinnati Area Celebrations, Events & Projects

Ways to learn and become involved.


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Resources for better understanding of and accommodating people LIVING with disabilities.

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Resources for understanding issues impacting gender equality. 

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Resources for understanding generational bias & Diversity. 


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Resources for identifying and understanding LGBTQ+ bias.

National Organizations

Articles, Research & Projects 

NBC News - LGBTQ History Month: The road to America's first gay pride march

Additional Resources

EcoWatch 

Rebekon Consulting

Raleigh Realty

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Resources for identifying and understanding bias and discrimination based on race and ethnicity. 


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Resources for identifying and overcoming Religious bias   


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Information about and resources for considering neurodiversity in the workplace.   

"The word neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD or learning disabilities. The neurodiversity movement emerged during the 1990s, aiming to increase acceptance and inclusion of all people while embracing neurological differences."

CBC News: Canada needs workers — so why aren't more companies hiring the neurodivergent?

Harvard Business Review: Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage: Why you should embrace it in your workforce. 

Harvard Business Review: Autism doesn't hold people back at work. Discrimination does.

Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School: What is neurodiversity?  

HR Brew: People with Autism seek allies in the workplace. Advocates say HR can help

Hubspot's The Hustle Daily Newsletter, How To Manage and Accommodate ADHD at Work

Ologies Podcast episodes (includes other resources in the show notes):

Stanford Neurodiversity Project

Stanford University Research: Neurodiversity at Work

Website: Neurodiversity Celebration Week

World Autism Acceptance Day


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Minority- and Women-owned Businesses 

Greater Cincinnati Area Businesses

10 women-owned U.S. moving companies

Have one to suggest? 
Let us know. 

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We all carry our own implicit biases with us every day, even as we attempt to make casual conversation.

We cannot necessarily see the environments we swim in.

This information is a starting point and a flexible framework for using language that is empowering and respectful. It is meant to help start consideration for best practices and general guidelines; it is by no means exhaustive or definitive.

As the Linguistic Society of America defines it, "Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities."

Terminology that refers to attributes or identities such as race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, religion, age, or immigration or veteran status can adversely overemphasize an identity, feed stereotypes, or be discriminatory.

Conversely, there are times when noting a person’s identity or attribute can be an important affirmation and recognition and needs to be included.

People have complex identities. Language should avoid boxing people into a specific identity.  

For example: 

What this might look like:

Harvard Business Review - Equitable Health Care Requires Inclusive Language
by Nkem Chukwumerije

Word on the Street: How to Respect my Ethnic Name
From an article by Anparasan Sivakumaran, also known as Anpu

Language Principles

The BBC/Worklife published an article that calls attention to language that unintentionally hurts people, "The harmful ableist language you unknowingly use."

Handshake’s Employee Resource Groups identified language principles that would ensures all students are treated with respect and dignity. The list of terms includes concepts to know, expressions to avoid, and words to incorporate into your vocabulary, job descriptions, and conversations with students.

Details, concepts and explanations for creating more inclusive language.

Assessing phrases and words that usually go unchallenged, and changing personal habits requires patience and empathy. Some of these words are harmless and meant to be educational. Others are hurtful; usually said unintentionally without knowledge of their history or implications.

This guide provides principles to remember:

Explains a wide range of concepts: Ableism, Cisgender, Dominant culture, HUGs, Inclusive development, LGBTQIA, Mansplain, Neurodiversity, Pronouns, Transgender, and more. Includes a list of phrases to avoid (and why) from "bossy" to "hacker" to "peanut gallery."

The Conscious Language Newsletter
Offers a range of articles covering inclusive language topics such as: 

Conscious Style Guide

This breaks down exclusive language into categories to raise awareness and inclusivity:

National Center on Disability and Journalism Style Guide

Covers Background of word/phrase, NCDJ’s Recommendation, and any alignment/differences with AP Style

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates

An organization focused exclusively on LGBTQ workplace equality, they have a number of resources and toolkits, including their pronouns guide.   

A Way with Words - a podcast 

Are you in love with language? This podcast examines language through family, history, and culture. The focus is on an understanding that language and respect;  language and fairness; and language and justice are all tied together. Treating people with humanity is a part of really knowing how language works.