What a privilege to have spent a hot three weeks in Memphis, Tennessee, with the 2024 Class of the Tennessee Governor’s School for International Studies. I was overjoyed to return to the city where some of the world’s greatest industries have been launched serving the noble cause of freedom joined with prosperity. Which led us to consider the future your generation can bequeath to your descendants. There are some mighty, simple lessons I’ve drawn that ought to inspire you to make a positive difference in the lives of everyone you encounter. I’d like to take you on a tour of the future world you may wish to inhabit.
Somewhere during my ninety-year journey I developed a three-line, fifteen-word personal action mantra.It goes like this.
“Look unflinchingly at the past. Apply it to the present. Then pivot to the future.”
So when I think about diversity in 2025, I think about pivoting for renewal, not merely defending the diversity past or doubling-down on current diversity strategies. That’s why my currentADR column series is entitled Renewing Diversity.As circumstances of the past few years have made abundantly clear, the diversity movement is long overdue for renewal, lest it relegate itself into footnote status in the long course history.
) 1 or 2 issues that are personally most vital to me in 2025.
For decades at the end of the Fall semester, faculty, staff, and students from colleges and universities in the nation leave the campus to enjoy the winter holiday. This year, many of them left with a sense of uncertainty, unsure how lives would be when they return in the spring.I live in New Mexico—an immigrant and woman friendly state. I work for a public state university that, for over a century, has proudly opened its campus to faculty, staff, and students of various backgrounds. Most meaningfully, I work for the Division for Equity and Inclusion that runs programs to ensure everyone is treated with respect and dignity. My personal motto–Inclusive Excellence—aims to understand, respect, appreciate, and value each individual’s background and what they bring to our community. Inclusive Excellence is not just vital to my wellbeing as well as my professional growth, it is vital to our nation’s strength and world leadership.
Proven Strategies for Building a Diverse, Inclusive, and Thriving Workforce Environment
Building a workforce that reflects diverse perspectives is essential for any organization aiming to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Diversity in hiring enhances creativity and innovation and strengthens the organization’s ability to connect with a broader customer base. By implementing inclusive recruitment practices, companies can create an environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute their best work. This article explores practical strategies to foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace, ensuring that your organization remains dynamic and forward-thinking.
1) 1 or 2 issues that are personally most vital to me in 2025.
I am personally invested in combatting the attack on DEI that is targeting policies and practices in academia and in the workplace—corporate America and government and the deliberate misrepresentation that DEI and meritocracy are dichotomous. When ERON failed, the right was not blamed for the good old boy, tap on the shoulder, it’s not what you know but who you know selection process. But DEI is blame for a door that fell off a plane and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
My second issue is the voices on the far right and the far left drowning out the voices of the centrist and moderate on both the left and the right. Both the extremists talk at each other, not with each other. The far right refers to anything left of center as Marxist; and the far left refers to anything right of center as fascist.
In the age of rapid global changes and persistent uncertainties, leadership has become a critical beacon guiding humanity through uncharted waters. From ecological crises to technological disruptions and social divides, our chaotic times demand not just decision-makers but visionary leaders who prioritize the collective well-being and long-term sustainability of our world. True leadership lies in forging authentic connections while remaining steadfast in purpose, balancing the immediate challenges with a broader, future-focused vision.
As we move into 2025, diversity in the workplace continues to evolve, shaped by technological advancements, demographic shifts, and policy changes. Organizations are not only rethinking how they support diverse employees but also addressing systemic challenges that impact workplace equity. This report identifies five key trends influencing workplace diversity in 2025: increased funding for digital accessibility tools, the prioritization of upskilling older employees, efforts to deregulate DEI policies under the Trump administration, the impact of return-to-office mandates on minorities, and the regulation of AI tools across industries. Together, these trends underscore the dynamic landscape of workplace inclusivity and the ongoing need for innovation and vigilance.
In recent years American public discourse has often heard the term “transactional morality.” In simple terms it means that getting to a social gol that is deemed worthy of pursuit can be carried on with little or no determined moral constraints. Flexibility is its prime characteristic. And that flexibility can include lies, deliberate misinformation and governmental control of public communication.
I perceive transactional morality gaining an increasing foothold in American society as we enter 2025. In my judgment this trend
must be confronted head-on with a strong counterweight. Such a counterweight is the Global Ethic. which emerged from the 1993 convening of the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago. This 1993 convening celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the initial parliament that was part of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.
“We write history, not erase history.” ~ President Joe Biden
“Deb,” the editor of one of several global publications I write for posed the following question to me and her other columnists who write on issues of culture, religion, race and other issues:
What do you consider the most critical issue facing our nation in 2025?
Wow, where do I start?
Well, after mulling through a list of top of mind burning issues for me, I kept circling back to the first on that list that crossed my mind….banning books altogether or, at a minimum, rewriting ugly aspects of African American history – think slavery – in the U.S.
“When You Stare into the Abyss,
the Abyss Stares Back” ~Nietzsche
The most important event in the new year for the United States will be Trump’s resumption of the Presidency. Will this mean the end of American democracy, as he has pointed to with pronouncements like being a dictator, inciting insurrection, encouraging legal prosecution of critics and Democratic legislators, opposing a peaceful transition of elected power, nominating bizarre people for the highest Executive Branch positions, etc?
There has been much discussion as to what good-thinking people should do. Much of the verbiage concerns self-care, marching around, doubling down on beliefs unpopular with half the American electorate, etc. This reminds me of trigger warnings, safe spaces, and correct pronouns. I’ve been focusing instead on the following:
