Category: Diversity & Inclusion

Today commemorates National Freedom Day—an observance that honors the signing of a resolution that proposed the 13th amendment to the United States Constitution on February 1, 1865.  President Abraham Lincoln signed the resolution to outlaw slavery.

Major Richard Robert Wright Senior, a former slave who founded the National Freedom Day Association, played a crucial role in creating the observance. Major Wright—a community leader in Philadelphia who was active in education, the media, business and politics—hoped to see a day that would be dedicated to celebrating freedom for all Americans.  That day came with the first commemoration on February 1, 1942.  Then in 1948, President Harry Truman signed a bill to proclaim February 1 as the first official National Freedom Day in the United States.

So, what does National Freedom Day mean to me?  Over the past few years, I’ve learned a lot about my privilege as a white guy…and Tim Wise’s White Like Me was instrumental in the beginning of my journey.

Click here for an overview of Tim Wise’s “Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son”

A few years back, I was scheduled to attend the White Men and Allies Learning Lab hosted by White Men as Full Diversity Partners in Arizona.  While I had read a few books on diversity, including Beyond Race & Gender (see blog post link), I knew I needed more.  So, I picked up a copy of The Loudest Duck by Laura Liswood—Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders.

Liswood describes “Diversity 1.0” as “assembling Noah’s Ark”—bringing 2 of every kind into the workplace.  She points out that if you want to create more diversity, you can’t just play the numbers game. You have to shape the attitudes and tendencies of people in the organization.

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