On June 22nd, a group of Young Erie Professionals sat down with Tesha Nesbit Arrington, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Erie Insurance and owner of Phoenix Rising Coaching. The conversation centered on implementing meaningful diversity and inclusion efforts personally and professionally, especially in light of the current Racial Justice Movement sparked by the murder of George Floyd. We also discussed the myth of "work/life balance" and instead striving to set boundaries and priorities to accomplish your goals at work and home. Many members were curious about educational resources to help further their understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. During the conversation, Tesha mentioned the following resources members can use to begin or continue their learning:
Books:
- Waking Up White And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
- White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
- White Fragility: Why It's so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
- Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
**Note from Tesha: with books, it can be helpful to have a facilitator to ensure the dialogue is open, respectful and balanced in participation. Using discussion guides (if available) is also very helpful.
Podcast:
Videos:
If you missed the live event, you can watch our entire conversation over on our YouTube Channel.
