D&I Adds New Members
It's been a busy 2018 already for Colonial's Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Steering Committee. The D&I Steering Committee kicked off the new year by welcoming new members Richard Harvey, Angelica Morales, Jenna Nicklas, Jacki O'Donnell, Amanda Pace, Retta Roberson, Boris Sestan, Koen Wade, Marlon Walker and Artis White to kick off the new year. New committee members joined existing members Graham Ashley, Christen Lee, Juan Ordaz, David Starks, Katie Thompson, Miles Thornton and Sabrina Williams who round out the rest of the committee.
With the addition of these new volunteer members D&I will continue to bring together and celebrate the uniqueness of our employees including different ethnicities, cultures, gender, age, sexual preference, experience, education, religious backgrounds and more.
Introducing: Heritage Months
New for this year, D&I launched Heritage Month Celebrations to help Colonial employees learn more about different unique cultures. Heritage Month Celebrations will be recognized by spreading awareness, hosting events, welcoming guest speakers and more.
In February, Colonial celebrated Black History Month in a number of ways including weekly "Did You Know" facts on the Colonial Intranet Homepage, an African clothing day and a potluck celebration lunch in Building A.
The highlight of the Black History Month celebrations was a special presentation by legendary journalist, Bob Ray Sanders. Sanders' speech, "I, Too, Sing America" was named after poet and activist Langston Hughes' renowned poem entitled "I, Too." In his discussion, Sanders spoke about black history in Tarrant County, his career in journalism and more.
March brought us Women's History and Irish-American Heritage Months, respectively. D&I continued to share fun and Interesting information through our weekly "Did You Know" Intranet posts and on Thursday, March 8, employees donned purple and shared photos in honor of International Women's Day. In the same spirit, on Friday, March 16, employees wore green and shared photos to honor Irish-American Heritage Month.
May celebrates three heritage months: Asian-American and Pacific Islander Month, Older Americans Month and Jewish American Heritage Month. Keep an eye out for some really interesting and insightful information on the Colonial Intranet as we continue with our series of intranet banners and look for things to come in the coming weeks as we further celebrate these cultures and demographics.
D&I Champion
Diversity and Inclusion is more than a committee. It's a company culture that creates an environment where our differences are celebrated and all employees from all walks of life feel welcome and a part of something special.
It was recently brought to our attention that Karen Egan of CU Members Mortgage exemplified the D&I spirit, and we would like to recognize her as our latest D&I champion. Karen, we thank you for leading by example in making Colonial a more inclusive workplace.
More Things to Come!
The D&I Steering Committee is just getting started! Keep your eyes peeled for more from the committee in 2018!
