Courteny Morehouse, the 2012-2013 co-chair of BGI’s Diversity and Social Justice Committee, reflects on a great year for the committee and for BGI.
Did you know that BGI has a mostly student-run committee that works to increase the integration of diversity and social justice into sustainability and business as a whole? This hard-working group is called the Diversity and Social Justice Committee. Our mission is to raise awareness and integrate these important issues that are the third line of the triple bottom line in business.
In the past we’ve reviewed curricula, produced workshops, hosted thought-provoking social justice speakers on campus, and facilitated community dialogue. This year we have been the delighted hosts of notable speakers like: Nike’s VP of Diversity and Inclusion, Gina Warren, who shared just what diversity work looks like at one of the largest footwear companies in the world; Mijo Lee of the Social Justice Fund NW, who spoke to us on how to be an ally; and Donna Morton from First Power, who shared what it really means to move from “no” to “yes” through active social entrepreneurship.
It is important to us that we reach as many people as we can, either by using technology or by just getting in front of people. Through Twitter and Facebook, we have started an incredible dialogue through our monthly Query Series. And one of our face-to-face efforts included the development of a Diversity and Social Justice Awareness Workshop created expressly for the Boys and Girls Club in Long Beach, WA.
A highlight of the past year was our official Diversity and Social Justice Weekend. The weekend kicked off with a viewing of Cracking the Codes. Throughout the weekend we hosted a number of workshops, storytelling and conversations all related to diversity and social justice at BGI. It was inspiring to see the BGI community working together to hold some of the hardest questions up to the light as we grappled with what it means to be inclusive learning community. (To learn more about this fun event, read my co-chair, Shawna Holman’s, blog post.)
Staying within budget, we were able to offer all of these amazing events, buy educational materials (see below) for the BGI Library and donate a meaningful gift to support the amazing work of Social Justice Fund NW. Through this donation, DSJ has become a part of Social Justice Fund NW’s membership, a partnership that we are excited to grow as we move forward.
As the former co-chair, I am excited to announce and welcome new leadership to the committee! In the spirit of inclusion the Diversity and Social Justice Committee is pioneering cross-program collaboration by incorporating both Metro MBA and OSR co-chairs into DSJ leadership for the first time.
Please join me in welcoming the following BGI all-stars from the Hybrid MBA program; Aric Ho, Dominique Juleon, and Hector Miramontes, from Metro MBA; Jason Puracal and from Organization System’s Renewal’s Organizational Leadership Program; Whitney Thoren.
Together, we share an excitement for the future as we advance social justice, diversity, and inclusion of all peoples at Bainbridge Graduate Institute and in the greater sustainable business community at large!
The materials I mentioned above are listed below:
MOVIES
BOOKS
- The Man Who Lied to His Laptop: What We Can Learn About Ourselves from Our Machines
- Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism (Live Girls)
- Cultural Diversity in the Workplace: Issues and Strategies
We encourage you to access these materials by contacting BGI’s Librarian, Kelly Head.
For some multimedia goodness, check out our 5 min Annual Report. (That’s right, I said multimedia. We’re just that cutting edge!).
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About the Author
Courteny Morehouse served as one of BGI’s Diversity and Social Justice Co-chair in the past 2012-2013 year. Courteny graduated this spring with her MBA concentration in Finance and Local Living Economies with the hopes of combining her Sustainable MBA education and passion for social justice in home town of Oakland, CA.
