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The Lens - November 2023
City of Iowa City sent this bulletin at 11/09/2023 10:00 AM CST
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November 2023 |
The Lens is the City’s newsletter to expand on conversations on equity, inclusion, belonging, and
access.
Human Rights Commissioners deliver Racial Equity and
Social Justice checks to this year's recipients
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(Clockwise from top right: Al-Iman Center, Wright House of Fashion, Neighborhood Centers of
Johnson County, Natural Talent Music, CommUnity Crisis Services, Houses into Homes)
Members of the Human Rights Commission had the honor of distributing funds to this year's recipients
of the Racial Equity and Social Justice grants in person.
Houses into Homes: Expanded the Youth Volunteer Academy to include a curriculum that visits
important topics connected to social justice, starting with trust-building and an examination of identity.
Mariam Girls' Club: Created a mini library at Al-Iman Center that serves young children to provide
them with the opportunity to read and learn about characters through stories about children like
themselves.
CommUnity Crisis Services: Has partnered with two underestimated community businesses that
distribute African and Mexican foods to be culturally responsive to consumers of the food pantries.
Wright House of Fashion: Put together a racial equity and social justice fashion experience called
the Big Dreams Fashion Festival.
Natural Talent Music: Is working to expand the diversity of performers, styles of music, and venues in
which entertainment is presented in Iowa City.
Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County: Are piloting “CommUNITY University” a neighborhood-
level approach that embodies representative leadership, collaboration, and growth mindset with the
willingness to try new things.
*Not pictured:
Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa: will purchase a SMART Board for its newly built
computer lab and hire instructors to host free educational workshops for community members.
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Great Plains Action Society: will host its seventh annual Truthsgiving - a night of truth-telling, music,
and laughter celebrating Indigenous culture and history.
The Platinum Rule approach to diversity
Treating others as we want to be treated - also
known as The Golden Rule - is generally
considered a common-sense way of practicing
respect. However, adopting this attitude may do
more harm than good when trying to be
respectful toward others different than us. Many
factors, such as culture, life experiences, and
socialization, heavily influence one's idea of
what it means to be respected.
For example, in American culture silence in
conversation is generally seen as disinterest. In
contrast, in some East Asian nations, silence
can be used to show agreement and
receptiveness. Knowing what makes another
person feel seen and respected has been coined by author Thais Compoint as ‘The Platinum Rule:’
treating others as they want to be treated rather than assuming they want to be treated as we do.
The ‘Platinum Rule’ is one of the many topics discussed in Compoint’s book, Succeed as an Inclusive
Leader: Winning Leadership Habits in a Diverse World. The book sheds light on habits that can be
adopted every day, everywhere, to create an inclusive culture while boosting workplace performance
by focusing on helping individuals develop into more inclusive and aware leaders. Compoint uses
contemporary research and real-life examples to drive home the point that when everyone works on
mitigating unconscious bias, navigating cross-cultural differences, embracing diversity, and supporting
work-life integration, engagement, and productivity increase.
Being conscious of one’s background when interacting with others is essential in the workplace. In
an article for LinkedIn, motivational speaker Tim Crowley emphasizes this idea and reiterates the
importance of Compoint’s ‘Platinum Rule,’ saying, “to truly honor your team’s diverse culture and forge
an inclusive workplace environment, you must set aside the Golden Rule, and adopt, instead, the
Platinum Rule.” While companies are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of equity,
diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies and practices, many take a superficial approach that does not
accomplish their goal of making their workplace more inclusive or equitable. When everyone, including
those in the C-Suite, takes the time to get to know where others are coming from and how that
influences their needs and expectations in the workplace, that demonstrates the highest respect and
the most authentic form of inclusion.
There are steps individuals can take to encourage an environment of inclusion and respect. Though
these ideas may seem obvious to many, regular reinforcement of them demonstrates a commitment to
a positive workplace culture for all:
1. Recognize and reward those who uphold EDI standards and hold those who do not
accountable, including leadership.
2. Provide ongoing opportunities for EDI training for everyone, again, including leadership.
3. Review your company’s mission statement and check in with team members to see if they
feel it is being met and what improvements can be made; encourage an honest and open
conversation.
Overall, fostering an environment where people are secure enough to be authentically themselves or
voice their genuine thoughts and feelings is paramount to enable mutual respect. With honest
communication and intentional action, everyone wins and is treated as they want.
Beyond the Land Acknowledgement
November is National Native American Heritage
Month. One way to honor Native American history
and culture is by using a land acknowledgement.
A land acknowledgement is a statement
recognizing and respecting the ongoing
relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the
land.
Land acknowledgements have become
increasingly common at public events. However,
these acknowledgements evoke mixed feelings
among Indigenous leaders. Some feel they are
meaningless and simply performative. Kevin
Gover of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and
undersecretary for museums and culture at the
Smithsonian Institution says he hears land acknowledgments as something that “goes in one ear and
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out the other. … There used to be Indians here. But now they’re gone. Isn’t that a shame?” Dr. Len
Necefer, an Indigenous Studies scholar and CEO of NativesOutdoors, says, “It feels like a box-
checking activity, like people are doing it to signal their politics.”
Others say land acknowledgments can cause actual harm. They can be “a very painful denial” of how
Indigenous people were violently removed from their lands, says Michael Lambert, an enrolled citizen
of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and associate professor of African Studies and Anthropology
at the University of North Carolina. They can remind Native people of the gulf between their
understanding of and relationship to the land and that of the dominant culture: “Landscapes’s
elements make up the blood, bone, and flesh that animate our bodies. When we die, we return to the
land and turn into the trees, rocks, and water that once gave us life. The phrase ‘on stolen land’ can
unknowingly erase these cultural views,” Len Necefer wrote in the journal Outside.
Similarly, they can obscure complicated history and differences in belief between Native peoples. Dr.
Necefer notes, “For some Indigenous people, while the land is important, bodies of water—rivers,
lakes, and the ocean—hold significantly more cultural relevance. For other tribes, the dream world
may be a much more central component of their lived experience. I have yet to hear a water or dream
acknowledgment on one of my conference calls.”
Land acknowledgments can also burden Native people; after the non-profit Native Governance Center
began developing resources on how to draft a land acknowledgment, it received many inquiries from
organizations expecting free labor: “Can you read this? Can you do this? Can you help us research?
… It’s important to understand that when you put that upon Indigenous people, it can create a lot of
additional stress,” Apryl Deel-McKenzie, Native Governance Center program manager, cautioned.
Some Indigenous leaders, however, feel land acknowledgments have value, but only if they lead to
something more. Cutcha Risling Baldy, of the Hoopa Valley Tribe and Associate Professor of Native
American Studies at California State Polytechnic University, says that the land acknowledgment is only
the beginning; “Now it’s time to think about what that actually means … What are the concrete actions
you’re gonna take?” For example, Risling Baldy paused after reading a land acknowledgment at a talk
she gave to ask audience members to support an Indigenous community garden in the area. She
included a QR code and gave time for audience members to use it. As a result, the garden received
more than $200. Similarly, Shotgun Players, a Berkeley, Calif., theater company, begins its
performances with a land acknowledgment but also pays a voluntary land tax to the Sogorea Te’ Land
Trust. The company donates space and tickets to the Trust and plans to recruit more Indigenous
talent.
Summer Wilkie, a Cherokee Nation citizen and University of Arkansas Student Coordinator for
Indigenous People, believes the key must be action. “We need action to restore Indigenous rights to
the land. Action is the form of acknowledgment needed to support the rights and well-being of
Indigenous people. We all return to the land, eventually.” The Native Governance Center has
published an action guide, which can be found here.
To learn more, watch the video of Megan Red Shirt-Shaw’s “Beyond the Land Acknowledgement:
Higher Education, the Occupation of Native Nations, and “Land Back” here. It was recorded as part of
The Lens series on Aug. 31, 2023.
Check out past programming
Miss one of our monthly programs? Many are recorded and available. Check out the list below.
"Don't Say Gay" program to address Iowa’s new anti-LGBTQ+ education law (October 2023)
ADA:33 - A Celebration of Rights and Responsibilities (July 2023)
The Rich History of Emancipation Day Celebrations in Iowa (June 2023)
Panache Before the Shoah: The Effect of Jewish 1930s Refugees on Iowa City’s Progressivism
(May 2023)
Book Talk - Water Tossing Boulders (April 2023)
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