Today's guest was Kate Sims, of the Manchester CT Rotary Club!
In attendance:
Denise, Tony, Ben. Lori, Omer, Mike, Alex, Steve, Braden, Bill, Nancy, Sue, Sharon, Moe, Lisa, Peggy.
Guest: Kate Sims- Manchester Ct Rotary
Ben opened the meeting with the pledge, prayer and a song.
Sharon was congratulated on 12 years of Rotary Service
Tony presented NH Trivia
Mike introduced his guest to speak on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Kate's PowerPoint and conversation presented new looks on how Rotary must consist of members who reflect the community.
Diversity means member in all ways that people differ
Equity is fair treatment for all to access opportunities
Inclusion is creating environments where members can be accepted without bias.
Kate spoke about our Unconscious Bias, how we are hard wired this way and need to be aware of this and move to become more open , engage in dialogues and become more aware.
An online quiz is available at Harvard Project Implicit
Rotary was once seen as " Male, Pale, and Stale" and a decline in membership on the East coast has been attributed to the lack of DEI.
It has taken 36 years with women in Rotary for a woman to rise as the RI president. As Rotarians we are being asked to lead by example, listen for understanding and move our clubs forward.
Our white privilege is not just our internal view but our collective life experiences.
Alex and Tony expressed their desire to spend more time on the topic and have copies of the presentation for review and reflection.
Steve asked how the rules excluding politics in Rotary affect DEI and the projects we work on. Kate agreed that the purpose must be separated from the politics of the presenter. We need to remove labels and act as humans.
Sharon asked on how DEI worked on an international world view level where women are not allowed by culture. Kate answered that she is only versed on North American Rotary goals.
Lisa asked about the expenses of being a Rotarian as an exclusion and questioned the label of white privilege as a personal turn off. She also questioned how we could bring those we serve into the club. Kate explained that we can learn to be aware of how we are hard wired and adopt skills surrounding our inherent bias. Inclusion of those affected by Rotary should also be unpacked as an outcome.
Lori asked if anyone else had read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People who seek to first understand.
Mike agreed that this discussion was important and he would work to make it more a workshop .
Respectfully submitted,
Denise