what is representation matters

Representation Matters: You Can’t Be What You Can’t See

In many ways, social justice is a matter of fairness. It’s a matter of each and every member of a community being seen, heard, and represented in equal measure.

To quote Aisha Thomas, “until society represents everyone, the questions will always be: ‘where do I belong?’, ‘ do I belong?’”

Representation matters in conversations about social justice. Representation matters, period.

Celebrating Historic “Firsts”

When it comes to representation and historic “firsts,” the United States has a lot to celebrate right now.

When people call something “historic” or say it “made history” we often mean it’s the first of its kind. For example, in 1917, Jeannette Rankin of Montana made history by becoming the first woman to serve in Congress. In 2008, Barack Obama made history by becoming the first Black president in U.S. history.

These historic “firsts” are rarely “lasts.” They often indicate that a powerful shift or change will follow. For instance, in the century since Jeannette Rankin’s “first,” a total of 366 women have served as a U.S. Representative, Delegate, or Senator.

The 2020 election saw many more of these “firsts” that will shape not only the political climate of our country but also the way that we as a people see ourselves.

Creating Inclusive Communities from the Top Down

Building more inclusive communities also means inviting students from all backgrounds to join (and lead!) school clubs.  It means hiring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) in leadership roles at your organization, whether you’re a tiny non-profit or mid-sized university or a multi-national corporation.

It also means making sure that the people in power are representative of the people who they serve. This includes electing leaders who look like their constituents.

NCCJ Values

We may all inhabit the same space, but building truly just and compassionate communities becomes much more difficult if we don’t all feel like we belong.

NCCJ promotes understanding and respect between different groups. We advocate for fair, inclusive and equitable treatment for all people. We value the differences that make each person unique. We believe that celebrating those differences makes our community and our society stronger and more resilient.

The “Firsts”

With that in mind, we celebrate the many “firsts” that this election brought our country, including in our home state of North Carolina:

• In North Carolina , Ricky Hurtado became the first-ever Latino elected to the state’s house of representatives.
• In Delaware, Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender state senator in U.S. history.
• In Kansas, Stephanie Byers became the state’s first openly transgender lawmaker. In addition, Byers – a member of the Chickasaw Nation – is the first Indigenous trans person elected to any state legislature in the U.S.
• In Vermont, Taylor Small became the first openly transgender member of the state’s legislature.
• Michele Rayner-Goolsby became the first Black, openly queer woman elected to the Florida House of Representatives
• Shevrin Jones became the first openly gay person ever elected to the state’s senate.
• Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres became the first openly gay Black men elected to serve in Congress – and Torres is also the first openly gay afro-Latino ever elected.
• Jabari Brisport became New York’s first queer state senator of color.
• Khaleel Anderson, elected to represent Assembly District 31, became New York’s youngest-ever Black lawmaker at the state level.
• Zohran Mamdani and Jenifer Rajkumar, two Indian-American Democrats became the first South Asians to represent the lower house of New York’s state legislature.

• In Oklahoma, Mauree Turner became the first non-binary person elected to the state legislature. They also became the state’s first Muslim legislator.
• In Missouri, Cori Bush became the state’s first Black woman elected to represent the state in Congress
• Dec Haaland, one of the fist Native American women in Congress, was reelected for her second term;
• Yvette Herell, a member of the Cherokee Nation, won her race for the state’s 2 nd Congressional District;
• Teresa Leger Fernandez became the next representative of NM’s 3 rd Congressional District, making her the first Latina to ever do so.
• In Colorado, Iman Jodeh became the state’s first Muslim lawmaker, representing District 41 in the Colorado House of Representatives.
• In Washington State, Marilyn Strickland is both the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress and the first Korean-American Congresswoman in U.S. history.
• At the national level , Kamala Harris made history as the United States’ first woman, first Black person, and first South Asian Vice President-elect.

Each of these “firsts” is a landmark moment in history. Together, they are game-changing.

Why It Matters

Much like representation in popular media, representation in leadership is vital because it send a message to the people being represented that their existence is both acknowledged and valued. Unlike representation in media, representation in leadership also sends the powerful signal that “people like me” belong in the decision-making bodies that set our policies and make our laws. It sends the message that “leaders also look like me – and that means I can be a leader.”

That’s not to say people need to be recognized by others in order to feel validated. But minorities seeing themselves in positions of power plays an immense role in fostering a feeling of belonging and acceptance. Nurturing these feelings in all people is vital for a community united by justice and fairness. The more diversity and inclusion we see in positions of power, the more voices are being heard.

These voices have been speaking, singing, humming for a long time. This election was historic because, as Senator McBride says, minorities who are often underrepresented can now look up to their leaders and think, “this democracy is big enough for me, too.”

Marguerite Ward and Inyoung Choi, “All the history-making moments for diversity and representation in the 2020 election,” Business Insider , November 6, 2020.

Brian Good, “2020 Election Brings a Number of Historic Wins for Diversity,”  DiversityInc , November 5, 2020.

Jeevika Verma, “Local, State Elections Hit Unique Diversity Milestones,” Morning Edition , NPR, November 5, 2020.

Aisha Thomas, “Why Representation Matters,”  TEDxBristol .

Why Representation Really Matters

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Why Representation Matters

Children’s early experiences shape what they imagine to be possible. Here are six strategies for giving them positive, familiar examples of who and what they can be.

Being brave is never easy. For years, I've been a proponent of the idea that we need to help our kids be brave, but frankly, in recent months, I've felt that pushing them to gut through the scary stuff may be too much to ask of developing minds and hearts. As I learn more about how the brain works and how fear can actually get in the way of learning , I'm thinking that maybe we need to talk less about bravery and grit, and talk more about making learning less scary and traumatic. (And while I'm sure we could talk ad nauseum about the ways that standardized tests provoke anxiety and fear , I will leave that conversation for a different post.)

Seeing and Being

When the mother of the child featured in my Helping Kids Be Brave post sent along this new picture, I couldn't help being struck by something about it. Maybe it was in her daughter's stance, in her eyes, or in her mother's acknowledgement that they couldn't take the picture until Jenni went to her room and got a pillowcase to complete the outfit because "details matter." There was something more than a cute kid in a nifty costume, some kind of sureness in her stance and her eyes. This kiddo had latched onto the Star Wars character Rey as a role model for more than just this one picture. Rey was (and is) a new option for Jenni when it comes to imagining herself in the world. This little girl was ready for a fictional mentor, and Rey was there -- and not just there , but featured prominently in a popular blockbuster film. Rey was an available option in a film largely dominated by male characters. (And trust me -- as a former Princess Leia wannabe, I understand the joy of finding a female character who doesn't always need rescuing!) Jenni had someone to identify with, someone she could look to for options when sussing out tricky situations.

Gender matters. Indeed, representation matters, because " If she can see it, she can be it ." Our children's early experiences -- including the hours spent consuming media -- shape what they imagine to be possible for people who look like them, live where they live, or come from where they came from. Simply put, kids determine what they can be based on the examples around them. Our students know it . We should, too.

I grew up in the rural Midwest, and very little that I read, saw, or heard in my classes or in the media represented my reality. There were no buses, subways, or malls where I lived. We were country kids, but not Little House on the Prairie country kids. The women that I saw in the media and read about were either urban or suburban, except for those rural women who always rode horses everywhere and lived on farms. I lived in an apartment and had never even been near a horse. My textbooks, the films I watched in class, and even the tests that we took used examples drawn from a totally different set of life experiences. No one "out there" looked or sounded anything like what I saw "back here." The subtle message I received was that the place where I lived didn't matter, and that my experience didn't matter. 

6 Strategies to Increase Representation

So what can we do to help children recognize that their reality does matter?

• Learn about your own culture and be ready to talk about it. Know why you're who you are because of where you came from.
• Know about the community in which you live (PDF). What’s important about it? What’s special? How does it connect to and reflect the cultures that lived there in the past and today?
• Talk about stereotypes in the media and in the world around us. ( PBS and MediaSmarts both have great tip sheets on how to do this.)
• Think through the instructional materials that you use, with a specific eye toward the kids in your class and the community where you live. Are there positive examples of different races, roles, and levels of affluence? Do you include the full spectrum of gender , or only the binary?
• Take a look around your classroom. Does the decor reflect the languages and cultures of the students who sit in the seats? If not, ask them to help you create something to kick off the new year. Student work makes for great decoration -- and it's free!
• Think hard about your pedagogy . Do your teaching strategies make learning less  or more accessible to some than others? Are there specific things that you can do (or avoid doing) as you welcome all children into your room? ( Teaching Tolerance has some great resources for this.)

Representation matters. What our young people see around them positively or negatively shapes their expectations for themselves and for each other . When it comes to our classrooms and schools, let’s do our part to make sure that they can see themselves and all of their peers as strong, creative, capable, happy, and connected. 

TV and Streaming | Column: Representation matters. But for TV and…

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Things to do, tv and streaming | column: representation matters. but for tv and film, the conversation should be about more than casting..

Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune

Chicago sketch and improv performer Abby McEnany on the set of "Work in Progress," the TV show that she created and stars in.

Chadwick Boseman in a scene from "Black Panther." According to professor Kristen Warner: "while it is great to see Black and Asian and queer characters in Marvel, we can not allow our good feelings about it to prove progress. It proves that Marvel is recognizing that there is money to be made. But it doesn't prove progress because the narratives themselves are still bound by the same logic as before, it's just with different bodies."

Chadwick Boseman in a scene from "Black Panther."

Despite pressure to diversify meaningfully both in front of and behind the camera, TV and film are still guilty of boxing out nuanced stories about people who haven’t been centered by Hollywood over most of its history. “Representation matters” has been the constant drumbeat in response. Kristen Warner is a professor at the University of Alabama who teaches a course on this very topic: How do we assess what we’re watching and the choices being made?

It’s about more than who you see on screen, she said, but how those characters are written. And who’s doing the writing. And what (if any) studio notes they are required to heed — and what’s motivating those notes.

But all too often, the conversation about representation begins and ends with casting, be it in terms of race or ethnicity or disability or sexuality or gender.

“I call that plastic,” said Warner. “The idea being, if I see someone who looks like me on screen — regardless of whether or not that character jibes with my own lived reality — therefore I matter. That just putting these actors on screen is sufficient.

“But that’s just one part.”

If no race was originally specified for a role (or it was originally written as white) then Warner wants to see writers and producers “think about who they hire after they hire them. And think about what that means for us watching that story on screen. Maybe anybody can play that role. But the experiences that are attached to those anybodies matter just as much, when we’re talking about representation, as the fact that we see them. So I’m not just giving you credit for hiring people; you need to think about who that person is .”

“Good” representation doesn’t mean the characters themselves have to be good people. Or unassailably wise and measured authority figures in the form of judges, police chiefs and the like. That’s the trap of model minority depictions that leave little room for human flaws or compromised motives.

“I always talk about Walter White in my class,” said Warner, referring to the protagonist of “Breaking Bad,” the Emmy-winning series about a white suburban high school teacher-turned-drug dealer.

“Nobody looked at this character and said, ‘I just think it’s terrible how he devolves and what that means for white people.’ He’s not carrying the burden of representing whiteness. He was allowed to be complex. There was a permission for this character to be evil and still be relatable. You might not say, ‘I want to be Walter White,’ but that’s not what the goal of representation is. What you want is something that’s an approximation of the world. It doesn’t have to be me .

“But with most marginalized characters, because complexity is often not allowed, you are relegated to so-called good or so-called bad metrics. So if you’re a drug dealer, you are bad and we can’t really think complexly about your characterization. That’s why Stringer Bell in ‘The Wire’ was such an interesting anomaly — his characterization was not wholly rooted in his occupation as a drug dealer, so whether that’s positive or negative is rendered moot because what difference does it make? There’s more to this character than his job. There’s more to this character than whether or not he can convince white audiences to abandon their racist assumptions.”

Other questions Warner wants viewers to consider: Why do stereotypes exist? And to whose benefit do they exist?

“Historically, the stakes were bound in power,” she said. “In being able to build hierarchies and structures so there would be people at the top and people at the bottom. And how do you delineate who is in those positions? You do that by creating a rationale for why some people should be thought of as less than and not be invited to participate in voting or citizenship or certain jobs. So it’s about reinforcing those power structures and justifying why they exist.”

Early media depictions were shaped by this. “Black people were represented through minstrelsy or the image of the mammy, but we had no say in that.” And stereotypes have a stubborn way of lingering. All of this is important context when thinking about representation on screen now.

I asked Warner which TV shows or films she thought were good examples that go beyond surface-level diversity in casting.

“I really like the work that Michelle and Robert King do with ‘The Good Fight’ and ‘Evil’ (both on Paramount+). They don’t assume there’s a monolith of Black identity and they give you this chorus of dissension across generations and points of view. It’s rare to see, quite honestly.

“Taking a slightly different tack, I think a show like ‘Work in Progress,’ which is about queer identity in all of its forms, is also a breath of fresh air. It’s not rooted in a binary of ‘this is a good or bad LGBTQ representation’ because the main character is complex. The show’s approach is: We’re not here to educate you. This is not about us trying to get you thinking about trans folks. You see it, we have conversations around it, but it is accepted by these characters who are sharing with you how they wish to be represented. And I just don’t see things like that. I find it so breathtakingly honest and evocative that, even though I am not a LGBTQ person, there are things about this woman that I completely relate to.”

And what about representation that maybe seems meaningful at first glance, on the surface, but doesn’t go far enough?

“This is going to be unpopular, but I remember the excitement around ‘Black Panther,’ and I’m not saying it’s without specificity, but the focus felt like: Yay, we got it, yay Blackness, yay ‘Black Panther.’ But we also have to think about the context: Marvel’s gonna Marvel. Meaning: What happens to these characters and the choices they make has to be part of the larger MCU, so there’s only so much that is possible, right? There’s a lot of labor that audiences are doing to dimensionalize the film and the characters in ways that it isn’t designed to do.”

But after decades of being rendered invisible by Hollywood, it is meaningful to finally see people who resemble you on screen, especially in major blockbuster movies, right?

“Absolutely. And I do not ever want to dismiss or not recognize that,” said Warner. “These things matter and your feelings about it are valuable. But your feelings don’t translate into progress.

“That’s the bigger thing. I’m also asking people to think deeper and larger. It is valuable for you to see yourself on screen and, yes, that feels good. But that is not the pinnacle. And those good feelings do not dismiss the fact that this is a Marvel film that needs to reach a global audience and needs to adhere to the standards of the company that is producing it — so this is representation with great constraint. How much difference is really allowed?

“So while it is great to see Black and Asian and queer characters in Marvel,” she said, “we cannot allow our good feelings about it to prove progress.

“What it proves is that Marvel is recognizing there is money to be made. But it doesn’t prove progress because the narratives themselves are still bound by the same logic and societal norms as before, it’s just with different bodies.”

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.

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Why Representation Matters

4 min read • november 14, 2021

Always Represented

Image from Unsplash

by Always RepresentED

First, What is Representation?

Representation reflects the demographics of the student body, community, workplace, etc., being served. That said, representation on university and college campuses provides a sense of identity and value, especially to underrepresented students. Adequate representation has a positive impact on the learning and campus experience. It is important to have a diverse student population and have diverse faculty and staff. 

Visibility 👓 is essential; it is key to have a person or group of people that look like you lead by example. Seeing yourself in others with a similar background, culture, class, or skin color helps drive engagement and involvement in academic settings. Having a diverse faculty and staff helps contribute to the cultural life and inclusivity on campus. More importantly, representation matters because it improves student outcomes and provides a sense of belonging. 

When represented in a space, you likely feel seen and heard. A sense of belonging should be one of the driving factors that lead to selecting an institution to attend. There are tons of higher education institutions that promote having a diverse and inclusive campus culture. Still, few are intentionally educating and implementing cultural and traditional programs and events for underrepresented students. Many of us represent intersecting communities and want to be accepted in our fullness in all spaces. Representation drives culture 🤝

So What Does Culture on Campus Feel or Look Like?

Observance of Holidays celebrated by its various cultures and populations. (Juneteenth, Native American Citizenship Day, Pride Month) 🎉

Cultural Cuisine: Having a slice of home and tradition on campus (Southern Food Day. Traditional Mexican Cuisine) 😋

Multicultural Days, Programs, and Events that celebrate cultures represented at the university 🌍🌏🌎

Celebrating and getting to know others from different walks of life, backgrounds, cultures, and ideas is part of what makes the college experience amazing. Half of the value is outside of the classroom. Higher Education Institutions have realized the importance of having a culture-driven campus. The ability to interact and empathize with people who have diverse beliefs, life experiences and backgrounds is important. Representation of cultures also reduces judgment of those who don’t look, sound, or celebrate things as you and prepares students for the future and workforce. The United States of America is one of the most culturally and racially diverse countries. We all are different, even if our skin tone and/or gender are the same. That is why it is imperative to ensure that the college and/or university prioritizes culture on campus.

How Colleges and Universities respond to social issues can positively or negatively impact student life and culture. Colleges and Universities help promote social and economic change through education, awareness, and involvement. The social issues, injustices, and movements that have taken place over the past year and years have directly affected parents and students. Students and Parents are now holding universities accountable for how they respond and can be a deterring factor in selecting, dropping out, or transferring from a university. We polled over 100+ High School students, and they said that “How a University/College responds to social injustices can influence enrollment decisions.” If social change is important to you, consider these questions when searching and applying to a university or college.

Does this university or college stand on its Mission and Values? 🗣️

How did this University or College react to Social Issues and Injustices? 

Also, consider if the university or college has made steps towards change. For example, Has the institution implemented Action Plans to dismantle systematic and cultural barriers? Have they removed racist statues or renamed buildings? These changes take time, but does your university or college of interest plan to change?

Check out responses to social issues from various universities HERE .

Great Culture X Representation Great Student Life

I preferred a semi-laid back university. These rules and policies allowed students to have fun, freedom, and enjoy the college experience with a few limitations. As you embark on the college search journey and process, determining a great student life and culture related to your views and interest will include a mix of preferences.

One thing to Ask Yourself Is:

Do you prefer a laid-back 🍃 , strict ⏲️, or a median ⚖️ environment?

Of course, Colleges and Universities prioritize education and a good college experience, but they also prioritize safety. Colleges and universities have rules and regulations in place for a reason but a few have more than others. There are colleges and universities with strict/limited visitation policies (pre-COVID) and curfews. Also, public and private colleges and universities likely have different sets of rules and policies based on tradition and culture. A student who violates set rules and policies is at risk for suspension and/or expulsion. Once a list is created of your top colleges and universities of interest, please take the time to look into campus rules and policies before making a final decision.  

Some Universities and Colleges tend to stick to values and policies that can be seen as outdated while some are seen as pioneers for change and inclusivity. Find the University that Represents YOU internally and externally! After all, these are all important things to take into consideration for culture fit !

Next, check out this article on picking the right college !

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Why Representation Matters: Black, Latinx, and Indigenous Leaders Share Their Thoughts

We know there is more work to be done in the tech industry where Black, Indigenous, and Latinx colleagues are underrepresented.

Isabel Gonçalves

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Representation matters — it’s hard to be what you can’t see. We know that in our tech industry — Black, Indigenous, and Latinx — are underrepresented and there is more work to be done. We know there is undeniable power in representation.

In mid-September, we hosted our third-annual racial-equality summit, Representation Matters. The week-long virtual event sought to inspire, empower, and elevate our most underrepresented communities in tech and society while energizing conversations about how we can all drive racial equality in our industry, community,  and world.

We understand that while talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not. Watch below a message from our Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities.  We are here. We have always been here. Representation matters, everywhere.

Below are highlights from the weeklong Representation Matters event.

On representation

“Representation matters because we all bring different perspectives to the table, and those perspectives are really informed by our experiences and our identities. So it could be geography or education or family structure or race or sexual orientation. We bring all of those perspectives to the table and those factors inform who we are as people. They also inform how we look at the world. So if those structures don’t incorporate our perspectives, then our perspectives don’t factor into decision making. And if we don’t exist, then policies are developed and they ignore us to our own detrimentment,” said Alphonso David, president of the  Human Rights Campaign .

“(Being part of Pose) was great to see people who were in the ballroom scene be on screen with me and get to watch them flourish the way we’ve always needed to. Although I can’t speak for the many beautiful ancestors that are not here with us today, in 1987 or the 1990s, I know they would be proud because we’re the representation of that. In 2020, moving into 2021, we’re going to constantly be the greatest representation that we can be,” said Mj Rodriquez, actress, singer, and activist.

“If you don’t see it, it’s really hard to envision it for yourself,” said Rosario Dawson, artist, designer, activist, and co-founder,  Voto Latino . “In the acting industry, that’s definitely something I encountered, especially when I saw people who looked like me having very specific relegated roles that too often were the stereotypes in society, that someone that looks like me can only do but so much. It’s critically important to push back on that.”

On the importance of voting and completing the census

“One voice, one count matters and it makes the difference. 2020 is a time to vote and make yourself count on the census, it is of utmost importance for the next 10 years of our lives here in the United States,” said Perla Tamez, National Hubs director,  Hispanic Star .

“People need to vote three times before they’re a voter for life, and what’s going to encourage them to do that with everything else that’s going on in their life? They’re oftentimes just trying to survive. And we see that all the time with the Latino (community), when we knock on their doors, they say, ‘This is the first time anyone’s ever knocked on my door and said my voice matters in this election.’ And when we do that and we follow up, we get someone who starts to recognize their story, their personal situations, are actually just as vital and necessary to be heard as anyone else’s,” said Dawson.

On empowering the community

“Invite us (the trans, nonbinary community) to the spaces in work — whether it be artistry, or a 9-5 workspace, any space — we should be invited. We have minds, hearts, spirits, and we have knowledge, too. Spread awareness, people need to know that there are people out there struggling for no reason, but just for simply who they are,” said Rodriquez.

“All of my advocacy work up to today has really been important to dismantle the injustice, especially for disability individuals, BIPOC, specifically Black with disability, deaf or hard of hearing. Because honestly, when we experience a barrier, there’s an injustice period,” said Storm Smith, producer,  BBDO . She’s also the first Deaf woman to have been recruited by BBDO through the agency’s Creative Residency program.

“I believe that my identity has influenced how I see the world, and it’s also informed whether people see me and how they see me. In some instances, I’m seen as a threat. In other instances, I’m dismissed. But ultimately, I am focused on changing that paradigm, changing that narrative, because we have to fight for those who are multiple marginalized identities because often those are the ones who are left behind,” said David.

On challenging language conventions

“I’m challenged by the idea of a ‘seat at the table.’ I’m challenged by ideas about ‘representation.’ I think we need to interrogate these words and move past them. A ‘seat at the table’ assumes that the table is built in a certain likeness and that a seat is going to be given. That someone should be represented here to represent, to stand in for, to symbolize, to advocate for the folks who are outside of the room. And in the very use of that vocabulary, those terms, we favor a dominant culture. We favor a dominant way of working,” said Ava DuVernay, filmmaker and founder of  ARRAY .

“I don’t want a seat at the table. I want a different kind of table with a different kind of room. The way to do that is to create space for folks and awareness for people who are doing the work,” Duvernay added.

“As a New Yorker, we’ve been told that we’re a melting pot. I’ve grown out of that idea into one I think that’s more appropriate, which is that we are not a melting pot wherein we lose our identity when we come together. We’re actually more of a salad where we keep all of the things that make us distinct and different and powerful and beautiful, and together that creates something vibrant and healthy and necessary,” said Dawson.

On creating equal access to technology

“Our vision is that Native people will be active participants in the economy in an equal way,” said Sarah EchoHawk, CEO of  American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES ). 

“We need to close the racial wealth gap, and that’s about asset building and certainly, that’s something that we’re interested in supporting as well. We work with a lot of tribes because we know that workforce development is tied to economic development. The future of the workforce is, for the most part, in STEM, and STEM really touches all areas within the workforce. So right now the highest paying and fastest growing jobs, the majority of those are STEM fields as well. So that’s really where we are,”  EchoHawk added.

On the power of inclusive storytelling

“Storytelling reflects the truth within the process that will generate tangible change. That tangible change also involves representation, visibility, and the power to influence where people can say, ‘Oh, someone looks like me, or someone has the same, anything that’s similar.’ Oftentimes, someone writes the story for us and [they] don’t really understand what we have, who we are, what we’ve gone through. Give a pen and paper to someone who can write, that’s where the true change will happen in the storytelling. For example, Black Panther, it’s an incredible film, you have the Black community involved. It celebrated who they are and they can see themselves in the film.” said Smith.

“The power of (Black Panther) was that we were able to see Afrofuturism. We’re able to see ourselves in a future where we are centered, where we are validated and applauded and cheered on, where we are our own heroes. My mission is to bring the camera, the lens, the gaze from those who are historically centered and bring it to those on the outskirts, who are existing, thriving, creating, and doing amazing work on the margins. It’s really what  bell hooks  says, bringing the margins to center,” said Janet Mock, writer, director, and producer of the  FX series Pose , for which she  made history as the first  trans woman of color to write and direct an episode of television with the  landmark script, “Love Is the Message.”

“I think that to feel witnessed in a public way — that could happen on the screen or in a book — I think that does a lot to strengthen your identity and to feel like you matter enough to be represented. (Representation) is a given for some people. All your superheroes growing up, they look like you. That’s a given for some people, that’s a privilege. So to have that be happening in such a big way right now, even while it feels the world is ending, it’s such an important aspect of feeling good about yourself and your identity and feeling good and an important asset to being a strong human who can contribute to the world,” said Tommy Orange, best-selling and award-winning author of “There There.” 

Watch the panel discussions below.

There is still work to be done on this path toward Equality, using our platform for these  important discussions  is only one stop along this path. Earlier this year, we established the  Racial Equality and Justice Taskforce  to help drive systemic change in our workplace and community, and we will continue to provide updates on our Equality efforts. Learn more at  Salesforce.com/Equality . 

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Why Representation in Politics Actually Matters

By Sophie Vaughan

At this week's presidential debate, both serious contenders left in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination made a historic pronouncement. Former Vice President Joe Biden committed to choosing a woman as his running mate, while Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said that, "in all likelihood," he would do the same. Online, where most of the discussion currently resides because of the global coronavirus outbreak , reaction to the candidates pledge was mixed. For some who hoped, after four years with an avowed misogynist in the Oval Office, that a woman would be the one to deliver the country from President Donald Trump, the promise was welcome , especially now that the contest has dwindled down to two old, white, straight men. Others saw the gesture as the hollow homogenization of over half the population — just one thing to consider amid other critical criteria upon which to evaluate a future presidential nominee.

But having women in politics — and more broadly, having representation across all identities of race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status — has tangible effects on the health and functioning of democracy, political scientists told Teen Vogue . Indeed, the body of research showing the value of having women run for and attain political office is rich and growing.

The first argument for the equal inclusion of women, and all identities present in America, is basic fairness, says Kelly Dittmar, assistant professor of political science at Rutgers University–Camden and scholar at the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics. “If the system is meant to be a representative democracy, then it should be representative of the many populations it serves, and that includes women.”

Despite the significant gains in the 2018 midterms , women are still woefully underrepresented in American politics. As it stands , women occupy 127 of the 535 seats in the U.S. Congress, or 23.7% of power. For statewide executive offices and state legislatures, the share for women is only slightly better, hovering around 30%. The global average for women’s representation in government is 24.5%, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union , which places the U.S. 82nd of 189 countries on this metric.

“Having women and people of color in political office is beneficial because it’s a sign our political system is open and that everybody can participate no matter their position,” Christina Wolbrecht, professor of political science and director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy at Notre Dame University, told Teen Vogue . If equal democracy is a sign of democratic openness, then our paltry representation of women, and especially women of color , shows American democracy is not an accessible — or healthy — system.

For many, Warren’s exit spawned such a flood of frustration because it reinforced this exact idea, said Mirya Holman, associate professor of political science at Tulane University. “The way she dropped out with a lot of people being supportive , but that not translating into actual votes, reminds people the system is not actually all that open or welcoming to women,” Holman told Teen Vogue .

Setting fairness aside, women are vital to American politics because they bring symbolic power that comes with a cascade of benefits for democracy. Put simply, “It matters because you cannot be what you cannot see,” Jennifer Piscopo, associate professor of politics at Occidental College, told Teen Vogue . Increasing the number of women in political leadership makes it more likely young women and men will see women as both capable of and an equally natural fit for public leadership , Dittmar, the Rutgers professor, pointed out. “This starts to disrupt what has been a white male dominance in American politics, and that is especially true at the presidential level where no woman has served,” she added.

Symbolic representation also provides the crucial ingredient of trust needed for the successful relationship between the governors and governed in any democratic society. In 2016, Piscopo and her research partners Amanda Clayton of Vanderbilt University and Diana O’Brien of Indiana University ran a series of survey experiments asking Americans to read fictitious articles about state legislative committees with varying levels of gender balance that were evaluating sexual harassment policies. The findings showed a resounding rejection of all-male panels that decided to decrease penalties for sexual harassers, with respondents saying they were less likely to agree with the outcome, more likely to believe the process was unfair and the decision should be overturned, and less trustful of the overall results. “When the folks in office are more diverse and gender-balanced we see people have more trust in government and participate in politics more. The paradox is all these stereotypes make it hard for women to get into office in the first place,” Piscopo told Teen Vogue .

Recent research from Wolbrecht and fellow Notre Dame University professor David Cambell also confirms the relationship between representation and trust in government, especially among girls. Based on a national sample of 997 American teenagers, ages 15–18, administered in the fall of 2016 before the election, and then again in 2017, Wolbrecht and Cambell found a drastic decline in how girls, especially those identifying as Democrats, viewed the state of American democracy. In 2016, 37% of Democratic girls thought politics helped meet their needs. A year later that belief had dropped by 20 percentage points.

But when these same teens were interviewed again in 2018, Democratic girls’ trust in democracy rebounded back to 30%, a result Wolbrecht and Campbell credit to the historic number of women who ran in the 2018 midterm elections. Increased faith in politics was especially pronounced among Democratic girls who lived in places where one or more women ran for the U.S. House, Senate, or governor. On the other hand, the trust remained stagnant in areas where there were no women candidates.

This “role model effect” is important not only for trust in government, but also for another critical element of democracy: civic engagement. As Wolbrecht and Cambell write, young women tend to become more politically engaged when they see women engaging in visible, viable campaigns, a finding bolstered by research from Tiffany Barnes, an associate professor of political science at the University of Kentucky. Using data from 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Barnes discovered a direct relationship between women’s representation and political engagement. “Having more women in office, and in visible political positions, is associated with more women engaging in activities like protest or talking about politics, and contacting a representative more frequently,” Barnes told Teen Vogue.

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On a substantive policy level, the evidence shows women’s legislative effectiveness is greater than men’s. And although the backgrounds of women are far from monolithic, women overall bring different, valuable perspectives to the currently male-dominated process, Dittmar said. “We value the experience of someone who has had military experience or lived abroad, so, why wouldn’t we value the distinct experience women have in society?”

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Why Representation Matters in Nursing and Healthcare

Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?

Why do representation and diversity matter in nursing? Although a very complex topic, the answer is simple. Representation and diversity in nursing improve healthcare outcomes.

The National Medical Association completed a review analyzing 16 research studies on diversity in healthcare. It’s no surprise the results revealed patients have better outcomes when care is provided by a diversified healthcare team.

Despite these results, there is still a current lack of representation in nursing. For example, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2019, non-Hispanic, Black nurses represent only 7.8% of nurses, even though 13.4% of the U.S. population identifies as Black or African American.

The review also revealed diverse teams improves:

Diversity and representation don’t stop at gender, race, and ethnicity. The need for representation of nurses who identify as LGBTQ+ , are living with disabilities, or practice different religions are also motivators for creating a more diverse nursing workforce.

If you’re thinking about becoming a nurse or you’re already a nurse, rest assured, increasing representation and diversity in healthcare is a top priority. This article discusses the importance of diversity and representation, barriers to diversity in nursing, and what is being done to improve it.

The Importance of Representation in Nursing and Healthcare

The National League for Nursing defines diversity as “affirming the uniqueness of and differences among persons, ideas, values, and ethnicities.” Studies confirm representation among nurses, providers, and healthcare teams improves patient outcomes and health disparities such as in infant mortality . Representation also breaks down cultural barriers.

The Oakland Men’s Health Disparities Project is an example of how critical representation is in healthcare especially among African American men. African American men have the lowest life expectancy compared to any other group. Although the sample size was a little more than 1,000 participants, the project reported African American men were more likely to receive preventative care services recommended by Black doctors.

— “There is overwhelming evidence that healthcare workers should be hired in proportion to the diversity of the communities that they serve.”

–Karen Innocent, DNP, RN, CRNP, ANP-BC, CMSRN

Diversity and representation are especially important in nursing student recruitment. Karen Innocent, DNP, RN, is an advanced practice nurse and executive director of continuing education at Wolters Kluwer’s Health Learning, Research & Practice. She points out how unconscious bias and structural racism are associated with disparities in healthcare.

“Lack of representation between populations and the healthcare organizations serving the community can result in variability in patient care,” she explains. “There is overwhelming evidence that healthcare workers should be hired in proportion to the diversity of the communities that they serve.”

Innocent continues, “Increasing diversity among nurses and physicians is a means of reducing health disparities because patients have better outcomes with healthcare professionals of the same race.”

Edna Aurelus, DNP, FNP-BC, is an associate professor and alumna of Wagner College. She believes representation “is extremely important because at times it is crucial to approach someone who can be empathetic with one’s situation as well as someone who can understand the person’s viewpoint.”

The American Association of Colleges of Nurses (AACN) recognizes the shortage of a culturally diverse nurse workforce. They believe the active recruitment of men and students from African American, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and Alaskan native backgrounds is fundamental to growing a robust, trustworthy, and skilled healthcare team.

Discussing the importance of diversity in nursing and healthcare is the center of conversation for major stakeholders. Hospitals, prominent nursing and healthcare organizations, and nursing schools are developing strategies to improve and recruit nurses for better representation.

Barriers to Representation in Nursing

Unfortunately, there are many barriers to improving diversity in nursing. One main barrier is the nursing shortage, which is partly caused by a nursing school faculty shortage. The AACN reports that nursing schools turned away 80,407 qualified nursing candidates in 2019. Some nurses argue, if nursing faculty were paid higher wages, more nurses would pursue the role.

Other barriers include:

Aurelus states, “As a person of the underrepresented group serving both in the clinical and higher education settings, I can frankly state that one of the challenges we routinely face is implicit bias.” Implicit bias is when people unknowingly have a stereotype or prejudice and act on it.

What Is Being Done to Improve Representation in Nursing?

COVID-19 shed an unfavorable light on the healthcare disparities among people of color nationally. Professional nursing organizations , the federal Bureau of Health Workforce hospital associations, nurse entrepreneurs and philanthropies, and other stakeholders continue to make strides to improve diversity and representation in healthcare. Here are a few current improvements:

Innocent says that “achieving diversity is a process and cannot be improved unless healthcare leaders commit to addressing the root causes including hiring practices and barriers to admission to schools of nursing.”

Focusing on the root cause helps target systemic issues that improve with specific goals and strategies.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. spends $3.8 trillion on healthcare, or 17.7% of the nation’s gross domestic product. Yet, we hear time and time again, Americans suffer more from chronic diseases than other countries, and African Americans are more likely to die from them. It is more critical than ever to advocate for diversity in nursing.

Diversity and representation are only part of the healthcare crisis. With the continued efforts to increase representation in all aspects of healthcare, especially nurses, diverse healthcare teams will improve the health of Americans and decrease the amount of money spent on healthcare.

It will also improve health disparities and the financial and socioeconomic burdens that plague minority communities today. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Everyone must be on board to create a healthier, inclusive, culturally competent America.

Meet Our Contributors

Karen Innocent, DNP, RN, CRNP, ANP-BC, CMSRN

Karen Innocent is an advanced practice nurse and executive director of continuing education (CE) at Wolters Kluwer’s Health Learning, Research & Practice. She develops continuing medical education (CME) for nurses and physicians. She has been managing the Nursing and Allied Health CE Program for more than 10 years and has led the Lippincott CME Institute since 2011.

Edna Aurelus, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, APRN, RN-BC

Edna Aurelus is an associate professor and alumna of Wagner College. Aurelus earned her doctorate in advanced nursing practice at Arizona State University and a postdoctorate in psychiatric mental health. Aurelus is board certified as a family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She is currently the lead professor for the psychiatric nursing course at Wagner College and author of multiple peer-reviewed articles. She co-authored the book “Trauma Informed Classrooms: What We Say and Do Matters.”

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Transgender

The importance of representation in psychology, the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people..

Posted November 3, 2019

This blog post was written by Damien W. Riggs, Elizabeth Peel and Sonja Ellis.

For over a century, the psy disciplines have sought to grapple with the topics of sex, gender and sexuality diversity. Starting with the work of Freud , and continuing through to the addition of sex, gender, and sexuality diversity into various versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, the psy disciplines have, for better or worse, had a prominent voice in how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender , intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people are understood.

In psychology specifically, early research largely adopted a pathologizing approach, seeking to demonstrate familial ‘causes’ of homosexuality or gender diversity. Whilst there are notable exceptions to this, such as in the work of Evelyn Hooker and June Hopkins, psychology in the mid 20th Century was a breeding ground for theories that were either less than positive or entirely pathologizing of lesbians and gay men in particular. In this same period of time, psychologists played an increasing role in gatekeeping transgender people’s access to services.

In terms of representation, then, psychology’s early forays into the lives of LGBTIQ people were largely negative and served to enshrine within the public imaginary stereotypes about LGBTIQ people that continue to this day. These include assumptions of promiscuity amongst gay men and bisexual people, the view that assigned sex determines gender, the belief that gender and sexuality diversity can be ‘corrected’ through therapy , and the assumption that homosexuality constitutes a mental disorder.

From the 1980s onwards, however, a new stream of psychology developed, one that took as its central aim the affirmation of LGBTIQ people’s lives. Often (though not always) led by LGBTIQ researchers and clinicians themselves, this affirming strand of psychology challenged the stereotypes outlined above, and advocated for change both within the discipline and within society more broadly. In this same time period, psychological associations formed their own groups, networks and formal structures that aimed to recognize the study of LGBTIQ people’s lives as a distinct field of psychology.

In many ways, the second edition of our textbook Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Queer Psychology: An Introduction signals a significant moment in the trajectory of this field of psychology. It serves to highlight how much has been gained since the initial developments of affirming psychological approaches to LGBTIQ people’s lives. It also highlights how much further we have to go, especially with regard to inclusive and affirming representations of the lives of people born with intersex variations, people who have non-binary genders, and queer people.

Central to our book is a focus on representation: how LGBTIQ people’s lives are represented within psychology, how psychology can play an important advocacy role in terms of producing positive and affirming representations of LGBTIQ people, and how psychology itself as a discipline understands its relationship to the field of LGBTIQ psychology. Representation, as we argue, is not simply a matter of more. Rather, it is a matter of better, more and critical representations of LGBTIQ people: representations that challenge the idea that there is one singular LGBTIQ narrative, representations that recognize diversity across the lives of LGBTIQ people, and representations that hold to account the discipline of psychology for its historical (and in some cases ongoing) less than positive representations.

Importantly, and as we suggested in the first edition of our book, a heterosexual and/or cisgender psychologist or researcher can be an ‘LGBTIQ psychologist’. Whilst, as we suggested above, the field of LGBTIQ has largely been led by LGBTIQ people, this does not limit the field to any certain group, and certainly heterosexual and/or cisgender people have made vital contributions to the psychological study of LGBTIQ people’s lives. Indeed, we would suggest that for representation within psychology to be truly inclusive of LGBTIQ people, it requires the voices of all.

In conclusion, we have come a long way within the psy disciplines, and psychology in particular, in terms of the representation of LGBTIQ people. We have, to differing extents, come to understand the harms that have been done, and have sought to be accountable for this. We also know that in some contexts harms continue, and it is the role of the discipline to continue to speak out when injustices occur, particularly those that occur in the name of psychology. As an evidence based profession, we have a strong base from which to counter negative representations, and instead to produce and advocate for representations that take as their central premise the importance of a just world, in which LGBTIQ people have equitable access to wellbeing.

Damien Riggs, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Flinders University and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow.

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Why Representation Matters in the workplace

Representation and diversity in the workplace are more relevant than ever. A 2020 study from McKinsey states that companies that have continued to implement diversity and inclusion initiatives have a better likelihood of consistent financial outperformance no matter the economic climate. Any company that wants to succeed in a modern and progressive business landscape stands to gain from a team that represents a range of races, religions, ages, ethnicities, genders, and the like. Here are some top reasons why representation in the workplace matters: 

Creates a more unified and compassionate team

Diversity in a company’s workforce as well as upper management positions fosters representation in various levels of that company. When we can see elements of our social identity reflected in others we can better relate to, and understand, how they perceive the world. Having diversity in multi hierarchical levels of an organization nurtures a deeper compassion that transcends job titles.

Helps to better understand your audience

Unless your target market has a hyper-focus on certain demographics, then it’s more than likely that your customer base is also diverse. Companies representing these demographics can help offer a better understanding of their needs and pain points. With an array of perspectives, organizations can take steps to improve their existing offers and develop new ones. 

Develops more Innovative Ideas

With a wide variety of talent, companies also gain access to more innovative ideas, perspectives, and solutions. A study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has found that companies with more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenue due to innovation than their less diverse counterparts. When a company puts importance on representation, they can leverage these differences into strengths that can help everyone achieve their goal.

Can expand your customer base

Clients and customers are more likely to do business with brands where they see themselves represented. Not only will having more diversity in an organization help to better understand a larger audience, as explained above, it will also attract a larger more diverse customer base. 

Nova works with clients to audit and evolve their existing recruiting and hiring and retention efforts, and our clients see the impact in the continued diversification of their organizations. Your Talent team likely has limited capacity and, like most organizations, is probably up to their ears in open reqs at the moment.  Get in touch to learn how Nova can support their efforts and create more capacity.  

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The Importance of Representation in Books

 Krystal Kavita Jagoo is a social worker, committed to anti-oppressive practice, who has worked for three academic institutions across Canada. Her essay, “Inclusive Reproductive Justice,” was in the Reproductive Justice Briefing Book.

Emily is a board-certified science editor who has worked with top digital publishing brands like Voices for Biodiversity, Study.com, GoodTherapy, Vox, and Verywell.

Verywell / Catherine Song

National Literary Accolades

The need for intersectionality in books, negative impacts of representation gaps.

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How to Increase Diversity in Books

According to the Brookings Institution, there are more BIPOC folx than Whites under the age of 15 years old in the U.S. (The term "folx" is an alternative spelling to "folks" used to emphasize inclusion of marginalized groups.)

While the United States has a very diverse population, this diversity is not always reflected within children's books.

"Books about White children, talking bears, trucks, monsters, potatoes, etc. represent nearly three quarters (71%) of children's and young adult books published in 2019," reports the Cooperative Children's Book Center.

According to the first Diversity Baseline Survey from Lee and Low Books, 79% of those working in children's book publishing were White in 2015. By 2019, the Diversity Baseline Survey found this number had decreased to 76%. While these data indicate that there has been an increase in employees of other ethnic backgrounds, this change is quite minimal.

Additionally, this small change is disheartening because, despite initiatives such as We Need Diverse Books and the Children’s Book Council Diversity Initiative to improve representation in children's books, it's clear that substantial improvement is needed.

Far too often, folx have decided that "the classics" are the most influential literary works of a certain time period. This perspective often does not bode well for oppressed and marginalized groups.

While some may still believe that the caliber of a book is determined by national accolades, such a view fails to understand the reality of systemic barriers in the publishing industry.

Even when diverse books manage the rare triumph of getting published, they receive less recognition from mainstream channels.

A study looked at 100 National Book Award finalists and 20 winners between 1996 and 2015. The researchers found that of the 23 culturally relevant texts nominated as finalists (culturally relevant refers to "texts that are written about a culture by a cultural insider and engage students within that culture, who would not otherwise not see their culture reflected in a book"), only 5 of those books won the National Book Award.

This research shows that if the value of a book is solely determined by how many literary accolades it receives, it may lead to a lack of representation of the experiences of marginalized folx.

In addressing the need for more representation in children's books, taking intersectionality into consideration is essential.

If you are unfamiliar with intersectionality, it may be a good time to learn more about the work of Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw , who coined the term in 1989 to center the unique experiences of marginalization that Black women face but acknowledges that it is an ever-evolving term that is meant to include diverse experiences of identity.

Identity Markers

Intersectionality is important because even if books depict Black characters—if they only show Black boys that play sports or fight for civil rights—they don't represent the Black folx who are disabled, gender non-conforming, or some other identity.

In a study of three early elementary classroom library collections, the books in each of the libraries were reviewed to determine if the books were representative of diverse identities and experiences. The protagonist of each story was scanned for identity markers. Examples of these identity markers include:

• Language use
• Family structure (nuclear, single parent, extended family, etc.)
• Topics of social significance (i.e., homelessness, incarceration, immigrant/refugee status, etc.)

When reviewing books for the presence of these identity markers, it highlighted the importance of utilizing an intersectional lens when considering diversity in books.

By paying attention to such a wide variety of factors, books can promote diverse intersectional experiences, with the understanding that elementary school libraries often supply books that can act as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors for its young readers.

In a 2016 content analysis from the Journal of Children's Literature acknowledged that children’s books tend to depict protagonists that are "predominantly upper middle class, heterosexual, nondisabled, English-speaking, and male."

This may make it hard for young folx to engage in learning if they are too marginalized to identify with such privileged characters.

Authentic and diverse representation in books has significant impacts for readers, especially given how they influence the way in which young folx come to make sense of themselves and the world around them.

When children read books that only depict one kind of protagonist, it can skew their perceptions of themselves in a negative way. Children may see less value in themselves because of such poor representation, which can potentially minimize, erase, and ignore their identities.

Diminished Sense of Self-Worth Among Marginalized Children

In a study of children’s board books published between 2003 and 2008 for representations of BIPOC folx, it was ascertained that "racial and ethnic prejudices often make it difficult for children of color to develop positive feelings of competency and worth."

Given that books have the potential to help or harm young BIPOC folx in terms of developing a positive sense of self, the issue of representation in books has far-reaching consequences.

Identity Erasure

Critical race theory scholars advocate that "giving voice to the marginalized, counter-stories validate their life circumstances and serve as powerful ways to challenge and subvert the versions of reality held by the privileged."

In this way, it is crucial for all folx to see authentic representations of themselves and others, especially if oppressed, as it may help them to see new possibilities for their lives.

Publishing's Power Dynamics

The issue of representation has a great deal to do with the power dynamics in the publishing industry.

Laura Atkins, Children's Book Editor

Children's publishing, in both the U.S. and the U.K., is dominated by White, middle class women at lower levels, and men at higher levels of management, which inevitably affects perceptions of audience.

Laura Atkins, children's book editor, describes how, in her line of work, books are shaped by the tastes of editors, the culture of publishers, and potentially biased perceptions about who will buy and read books about such diverse experiences. "Children's publishing, in both the U.S. and the U.K., is dominated by White, middle class women at lower levels, and men at higher levels of management, which inevitably affects perceptions of audience."

For this reason, Atkins recommends that "there needs to be more diversity in terms of who is employed. This reliance on stereotypes is more likely to take place when those acquiring and selling the books do not include greater diversity (in terms of race, class, or region)."

Because of this, Atkins advocates for more diverse hiring practices so that publishers may increase their ability to reach a more diverse readership.

Given the gaps with how decisions are made regarding national literary awards, researchers recommend that publishers, writers, academics, teachers, librarians, and readers should explore the books that were recognized by The Coretta Scott King Award, the Pura Belpre Award, the Printz Award, Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award, and the Stonewall Book Award.

In this way, a focus on more targeted criteria for book accolades may increase the diversity of experiences covered, especially for marginalized folx, as national book awards have left a great deal to be desired in terms of recognizing talent across all groups in the U.S.

What Makes a Book Diverse?

From a study of classroom libraries, these following recommendations were made to help teachers choose books that show more diverse experiences:  

• Books with characters that foreground intersecting identities
• Books that provide mirrors for students’ gender identities, family structures, and disability experiences
• Books that reflect socially significant and critical issues in the community, the nation, and the world
• Transitional chapter books with Black boy characters

Especially for those who are invested in teaching, the issue of authentic diverse representation deserves more attention to ensure that all folx feel included when learning.

It is as crucial for privileged folx to read about the experiences of those who have been historically oppressed, as such learning can help prevent atrocities of the past from being repeated in future. Research suggests reading can teach children to empathize with people from backgrounds different from their own and reduce the salience of harmful stereotypes.

A Word From Verywell

Books have the potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of readers, but the issue of representation continues to limit the outcomes for the most oppressed folx.

For this reason, it is important to understand how much change is needed in the publishing industry so that more can be done to achieve this.

Given how little progress has been made in terms of increasing diversity despite targeted initiatives for this purpose, a great deal more investment is necessary from the publishing industry.

Brookings Institution.  Less than half of US children under 15 are white, census shows .

Cooperative Children's Book Center. The numbers are in: 2019 CCBC diversity statistics .

Lee & Low Books.  Where is the diversity in publishing? The 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey results .

Bickmore ST, Xu Y, Sheridan MI. Where are the people of color?: Representation of cultural diversity in the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and advocating for diverse books in a non-post racial society .  Taboo J Cult Ed . 2017;16(1):39-52. doi:10.31390/taboo.16.1.06

Carbado DW, Crenshaw KW, Mays VM, Tomlinson B. Intersectionality: mapping the movements of a theory .  Du Bois Rev Soc Sci Res Race . 2013;10(2):303-312. doi:10.1017/s1742058x13000349

Henderson J, Warren K, Whitmore K, Flint A, Laman T, Jaggers W. Take a close look: inventorying your classroom library for diverse books .  Read Teach . 2020;73(3):747-755. doi:10.1002/trtr.1886

Crisp T, Knezek S, Quinn M, Bingham G, Girardeau K, Starks F. What's on our bookshelves? The diversity of children's literature in early childhood classroom libraries .  J Child Lit . 2016;42(2):29-42.

Hughes‐Hassell S, Cox EJ. Inside board books: representations of people of color .  Libr Q . 2010;80(3):211-230. doi:10.1086/652873

Atkins L. What’s the story? Issues of diversity and children’s publishing in the U.K.   E-rea . 2013;(11.1). doi:10.4000/erea.3537

Newstreet C, Sarker A, Shearer R. Teaching empathy: exploring multiple perspectives to address Islamophobia through children's literature . Read Teach . 2019;72(5):559-68. doi:10.1002/trtr.1764

By Krystal Jagoo  Krystal Kavita Jagoo is a social worker, committed to anti-oppressive practice.

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Why Representation Matters

I love this Ted talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  It is a very entertaining story, told by an engaging, regal woman, but it is also an excellent explanation for why representation matters.  While planning for women's history month I thought a lot about the impact or erasure- how does it impact little girls and women to read accounts of history and see few if any mentions of women and their contributions to what was happening in the world.  It not only communicates that women contributed little if anything to history,  but it also communicates that women were not important contributers to the American story.  When we have one narrative, one perspective, we do not have the whole story.  

As adult literacy educators we can seek out resources to include the perspectives of women, and the cultures of our learners to complement our adult education curriculum.  I hope you wil take a moment to listen to this Ted Talk (one of my favorites), and then think of what we can do as educators to be including more stories as a part of our instruction. 

https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

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Thank you for linking us to this inspiring Ted Talk, Carmine.  It's one of my favorites, too.  As you suggest, engaging learners in crafting their own stories can be a powerful way to honor their culture. Plus, all of us who hear the stories deepen our understanding of the world!

The University of Minnesota Immigration Research Center website houses 375 short videos of immigrant stories that can  inspire and serve as a catalyst for learners to create their own stories.  It would be wonderful to hear from practitioners who are engaging learners in telling their own stories.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition Group

Thank you for this excellent resource Susan.  I watched just one video and I am already thinking about the ways to incorportate this into programming.  Definitely inspiring.

Embracing diversity: Why representation matters on the Reno City Council

This opinion column was submitted by Michaelangelo Aranda, candidate for Ward 6 on the Reno City Council.

As Reno continues to grow, it's important to acknowledge our city's evolution and the changing face of our community. The recent census data paints an incomplete picture: Of the approximately half a million residents in the Reno, Nevada Metropolitan area, a significant majority identify as White. But behind these numbers lies a rich tapestry of cultures, backgrounds and experiences that make our city vibrant and dynamic.

I'm proud to call Reno my home, a city where diversity isn't just a statistic but a lived reality. Born and raised in Reno to parents who immigrated from the Philippines Islands, my journey is woven with the threads of both Filipino heritage and American identity. Like many first-generation immigrants, I've navigated the complexities of assimilation while cherishing the traditions of my ancestors.

Growing up in Reno, I attended schools that displayed varying degrees of diversity. From Title I schools to more affluent neighborhoods, I saw firsthand the power of inclusivity and acceptance. I vividly remember the sense of belonging I felt when my family rented a modest home from Mr. Chang, a Chinese immigrant, in a corner of Sparks. It was there that I found a community that celebrated our differences while embracing our shared experiences.

Now, as a parent and paraeducator at JWood Raw Elementary, I see the beauty of diversity through my children's friendships and interactions with our neighbors from all walks of life. Whether we're walking our dogs in the neighborhood park or exploring the local library, we encounter a mosaic of cultures and backgrounds that enrich our lives and broaden our perspectives.

But conversations with fellow residents have revealed underlying challenges. I've focused my campaign on listening to my neighbors and those conversations have revealed lingering challenges. Addressing those concerns is what motivates me to run for City Council. A Miami transplant shared her initial sense of alienation, while an African American colleague expressed feeling underrepresented and disconnected from local government. These stories underscore the need for greater diversity in leadership, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued.

Consider recent developments in our neighboring city, Las Vegas, where a multimillion-dollar project for an indoor family recreation center was unveiled. Such investments highlight the importance of directing funding to diverse communities, creating equitable access to resources and opportunities. A recent conversation with a neighbor who didn’t at first understand the value of a leadership that reflects the diversity of the community reminded of this importance of this goal. People feel comfortable speaking up to those who look like them. Businesses and organizations gain a better understanding of what a city can offer if their diverse leadership reflects the diverse community.

My candidacy for Reno City Council Ward 6 isn't just about making history as the first Filipino American councilperson; it's about creating a more inclusive and equitable future for all residents. It's about bridging the gap between our diverse communities and City Hall, ensuring that every voice has a seat at the table.

Let's be clear: There isn't a diversity problem in Reno; there's a diversity problem in representation. This isn't an indictment of our current leaders but a call to action for a more reflective and responsive government. By embracing diversity in leadership, we can foster greater understanding, empathy, and collaboration, paving the way for a brighter future for Reno.

Together, let's build a city where every resident feels seen, heard, and valued — regardless of their background or identity. Join me in championing a sense of belonging on the Reno City Council. Together, we can shape a future that reflects the true essence of our community.

Michaelangelo Aranda, SHRM-CP, CHT, is a candidate for Ward 6 on the Reno City Council.

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Female firefighters in Central Texas are proud to be role models, improve representation

When Battalion Chief Ashley Brackett began her firefighting career 10 years ago, none of the men at Travis County Emergency Services District No. 12 had ever worked with a woman.

After she joined the agency as a firefighter, she said, they didn't know if she could do the job and were worried about how to act with a woman on the team. But as she put in the time and effort, she said they realized she was "more than capable of keeping them safe on a fireground."

"Within our own department, the cultural shift was getting some of those senior guys, with firm beliefs in tradition, to understand that just because you are a woman doesn’t mean that you don’t have what it takes to be in this field," Brackett said. "Breaking gender roles has been the name of the game all along. There are men in the world that would never be able to handle the demands of this career."

In Central Texas, there are still just a handful of female firefighters, many of whom never work a shift with another woman. Despite the low numbers, they say the women who came before them knocked down many barriers, and they are proud to serve as role models and to work to improve female representation in their departments.

According to a report by the National Fire Protection Association, 17,200, or about 5%, of all firefighters in 2020 were women.

The Austin and Pflugerville fire departments have a higher percentage of women, with 7.5% and 10.3%, respectively. Travis County ESD No. 12, which serves 95 square miles of northeastern Travis County, has six women, while the Round Rock Fire Department has four, or 2.9% of its firefighters. At the Georgetown Fire Department, which, like many, also provides ambulance service, there are two female firefighter/paramedics. At Lake Travis Fire Rescue, the department has three women out of 100 firefighters.

Being the only woman in her training class to become a firefighter is what motivates paramedic Victoria Piedra to do better as she works to prove herself. One of 10 female members of the Georgetown Fire Department, Piedra, 24, said her male counterparts make up for that by creating a welcoming environment and by not judging her based on her gender but rather her work. But she said she is very aware that she might not work with another woman while on a shift.

More: How Amanda Zurawski has fought for women's reproductive health care in Texas

"I was a little discouraged because I know that I was going to be the only female a lot of the times," Piedra said. "But I feel like I just adapted, and I made sure that I made my presence known."

Austin fire specialist Sara Coon, 39, said that as a woman you have to accept that you are going to be one of a few female firefighters. When there is more than one woman in a station, she said, it is great to have someone who understands and relates to the issues you might be going through as a woman.

"Some of the smaller departments around here only have one female," she said. "I can't imagine (being) the lone wolf that no one understands or gets."

Austin Fire Department spokesperson and firefighter Rachael Lewis, 33, who has worked with the department for four years, said there has been a culture shift, and that women going into a male-dominated profession is now more socially acceptable. According to the Austin Fire Department, 92 of its 1,228 firefighters are women.

Lewis said many departments now have uniforms made for women and bathrooms specifically for them. She said there is a slow but steady increase in the number of women, and that as more join, there will be less judgment.

"The women before us really paved the way for women firefighters being accepted into this culture," Lewis said. "Now we are given a space to be seen as equal. We're given a lot more space to be taken seriously."

Georgetown firefighter and paramedic Priscilla Coffman, 31, has been working for the department for seven years and was the third woman the department had ever hired. Coffman said that when she started, the men were a bit wary and did not know how she would react to them or to the demands of the job. But she said the male firefighters now do a good job of not treating her and the other women differently and of helping make everyone feel like family.

"After I showed that I can do work and I'm not afraid of doing work and putting in the hours, I think then they accepted me as a sister," she said. "It's just overwhelmingly better."

Physical demands won't slow them down

Carrying ladders, hoses, 70 pounds of gear and someone else's body weight can be physically demanding, but the female firefighters said those challenges can easily be overcome by learning new techniques that help those with smaller frames.

"Anybody can do this job as long as you're willing to push yourself," Coffman said. "To me, it doesn't matter if you're male or female, (as long as) you can do the job."

When it comes to lifting heavy stuff, men can rely more on their upper body strength. The women said they have to learn to use quick motions or hold a ladder or person in a different position.

More: Texas Children's opens its Pavilion for Women

Coon said she learned to overcome the physical challenges because at the Austin academy, women who had graduated would come in to help. She said what she learned she now teaches at the academy to help the next generation.

"Having the women before us that would come up and pull us aside … that makes a world of a difference," Coon said. "I teach a lot at the academy, and so being able to pass that on is really helpful (for them)."

Amy Hansen, 29, has been a firefighter with Travis County ESD No. 2, also known as the Pflugerville Fire Department, for four years. She said that when it came to the physical challenges, she struggled with finding ways to get the job done without having anyone to teach her. Once she figured out how to carry a ladder or a co-worker in a way that worked for her, she said, the rest was easy.

A matter of earning respect

Juliana Barajas, 26 a wildland firefighter with Lake Travis Fire Rescue since 2021, said gaining the respect and trust of the public as a woman can be challenging. She said when looking for answers, the public will usually approach her male counterparts. When she explains that she is the crew's supervisor, she said, they still have doubts.

For Round Rock Fire Department driver Misty Walden, 29, the biggest challenge about being a female firefighter is earning respect from those in the station who might have an archaic view of women. Walden is one of four women in the department, the most it has had since 2014.

More: How an Austin church provides extra help for women experiencing homelessness | Grumet

Walden is serving an acting lieutenant while the lieutenant at the station is out on maternity leave. She said that when she started, it was hard making tactical decisions while driving to a scene that the men under her supervision would accept and respect. Now, she said, it's easier as she knows they respect her because she has put in the work.

"If you really work hard, anybody can do it," Walden said. "You just have to be willing to put yourself out there and get uncomfortable so that you can get better."

Advantages of being a female firefighter

Women can have advantages over male firefighters, from being able to access a small entry point to often having a better bedside manner. Whenever they have to answer a call involving a pregnancy or a child in Georgetown, Piedra and Coffman both said they know they can make that person more comfortable than their male counterparts. 

"A dude's mentality, I have come to learn, is solve the problem, do it, leave," Walden said. "(Women) are like, 'Do you need anything else?' Or 'let me help you,' in a nurturing kind of way."

Zulema Dominguez, of Travis County ESD No. 12, said she can connect with female patients in ways her counterparts cannot.

"I take pride in being able to go on a scene and make that female comfortable," she said, "and having that communication with her, because we relate as women."

Coffman said she believes having a female firefighter in the station also might help the men open up about any mental issues they may be having.

"We all have our different strengths and weaknesses," said Coon, of the Austin Fire Department. "As a crew together, the diversity of it is super helpful to (better) serve citizens."

Women rare in leadership roles

According to the National Fire Prevention Association, only several hundred women nationwide hold the rank of lieutenant or captain, and about 150 are district chiefs, battalion chiefs, division chiefs or assistant chiefs.

Coon said it makes sense that there are not many women in leadership positions as female firefighters are still rare. But she said as she works toward a promotion, it can be hard to find a female mentor. The Austin Fire Department has 18 women at the rank of lieutenant, one battalion chief, a division chief and a captain. In comparison, the department has 212 male lieutenants, 35 battalion chiefs, six division chiefs and 72 captains.

"As I'm promoting up through the ranks, I have to figure it out on my own, what works, what doesn't," she said. "Men in this department, a lot of them are our biggest cheerleaders, but I can't do it like them, and so I can't get tips and tricks. But it's just kind of figuring it out on my own."

Hansen, who was the first woman in the Pflugerville Fire Department to be promoted to driver after passing a test and an interview, said she is working to become a lieutenant and thinks she would be good at it.

With children at home, 34-year-old firefighter Cordelia Brazziell of the Pflugerville Fire Department said she is not thinking about being promoted anytime soon but said it is great to have examples like Hansen.

"It makes me so happy to just have that representation," Brazziell said. "It makes me feel like I can do it, too."

As the first female supervisor of a wildfire crew at Lake Travis Fire Rescue, Barajas said she hopes her presence can help bring change.

More: How two women helped Austin become the birthplace of roller derby | Truly Texan

"I very much want to keep encouraging and empowering other women to go for leadership roles," she said.

Brackett, 35, is one of few female battalion chiefs nationwide. She said she hopes to use her position to serve as a mentor to help members of Travis County ESD No. 12 achieve their goals.

"Being a battalion chief is a huge honor and milestone in this career that some people will never have the privilege of attaining," Brackett said.

As acting lieutenant, Walden is closer than most to getting to a position with power to make change.

"I want to be there," Walden said. "I do want to make changes. I do want other females to be, 'Well, she did it; I can do it.’ ”

Representation for young girls

Walden said girls visiting her station in downtown Round Rock are always more impressed to see a woman in uniform than even a firetruck.

"It does my heart good," she said, "to know that there are little girls that are like, 'I want to do that. I'm so happy you do that.’ ”

For Dominguez, the best part of the job at ESD No. 12 is being a role model for girls, including her daughter. She said it is an honor to wear a firefighter's uniform and to see the faces of realization on young girls when they see her in one.

"Being that role model to her and then bringing it out to my community, it's a perk for me," she said. "I'm a role model to other girls, females, women, and allowing them to know we can do this."

Piedra said that whenever she is on call, she makes it a point to talk to any girl who might be staring at her. She said she wants to show them a woman in uniform so they know that could be them too.

Lewis said it is important to plant the seed in girls' minds that they can do anything they want. She said that as part of the Austin Fire Department's recruiting team, she will go out to schools and just be a female presence in uniform.

"I love expressing that to them — to show that representation early to break those barriers," she said. "I love that we can tell them, show them, 'You can do this, too.’ ”

The UAW could make history in the next 72 hours as VW workers vote on union

The UAW is on the precipice of potentially making history this week as some 4,300 autoworkers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee vote on whether they want union representation.

The polls opened at 4:45 a.m. Wednesday. The secret-ballot voting, which takes place inside the plant and is run by the National Labor Relations Board, goes until 8 p.m. Friday, with results expected later that night, according to the NLRB and a Volkswagen spokesman.

Labor experts say if the UAW wins at VW Chattanooga, it will be a historic and hard-won victory, after repeated failures over the past decade to organize foreign automaker plants in the South. For one thing, it would add thousands of members to the UAW. UAW membership is far below its 1979 peak of 1.5 million. The union currently counts almost 400,000 active members and 580,000 retired members. 

"This is a defining moment for the UAW. A victory really sets a precedent and breaks the glass ceiling that you can’t organize auto factories in the South," said Harley Shaiken, a labor expert and professor emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley. "A victory doesn’t automatically translate into a victory at other nonunion automakers, but it sets the standard and the momentum. So victory is a huge gain.”

GOP governors in South resist UAW

If the vote fails, Shaiken said it will be disappointing, but the UAW still stands a chance with other nonunion factories. Last week, Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama petitioned the NLRB to allow them to vote on joining the UAW.

Just hours before voting was to start, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and five other Republican governors in Southern states with nonunion automakers, penned and signed a lengthy letter Tuesday saying they are "highly concerned" about the UAW's unionization campaign, which they said is "driven by misinformation and scare tactics."

"Companies have choices when it comes to where to invest and bring jobs and opportunity," the governors' letter stated. "We have worked tirelessly on behalf of our constituents to bring good-paying jobs to our states. These jobs have become part of the fabric of the automotive manufacturing industry. Unionization would certainly put our states’ jobs in jeopardy — in fact, in this year already, all of the UAW automakers have announced layoffs."

Big wins, temporary layoffs

The letter goes on to insinuate the election of union representation will mean job cuts.

"We’ve seen it play out this way every single time a foreign automaker plant has been unionized; not one of those plants remains in operation," the letter said. "And we are seeing it in the fallout of the Detroit Three strike with those automakers rethinking investments and cutting jobs."

The UAW did not immediately respond to a request for a comment about the letter.

But in terms of rethinking investments, not necessarily. Just days after union members ratified the GM contract, the automaker initiated a $10 billion stock buyback to boost the stock price and return money to shareholders, the Free Press reported . Layoffs are nuanced. GM did say in December it would lay off 1,314 employees at two factories in Michigan due to end of production of two vehicles. GM is retooling one of the plants, Orion Assembly, to build new electric pickups in late 2025. As the Free Press reported , GM said it will offer affected employees jobs elsewhere in the company.

At Ford Motor Co., a supplier issue earlier this year forced it to pause production of the new 2024 Ford F-150 for more than five days at the factories that build the pickup, resulting in temporarily laying off about 5,200 UAW workers.

At Stellantis, the company has trimmed its workforce in recent months, but the overall picture is murky because it hasn’t clarified how many jobs are being eliminated. The company noted that a round of cuts  announced in December for plants in Detroit and Toledo  was significantly smaller than originally described, but a separate round of cuts affecting supplemental workers across company facilities rolled out last month.

None of those temporary layoffs have overshadowed the driving force behind VW workers signing cards on the UAW's website seeking to join the union: The UAW's big contract wins against the Detroit Three last fall followed a 46-day strike.

The union won members a cost-of-living-adjustment, the elimination of wage tiers and bonuses for retirees. Right after the UAW won wage gains of 25% across 4½-year contracts with the Detroit automakers, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and Volkswagen  all offered raises of 9% to 14% to their U.S. workforces .

Therefore, Shaiken said the governors' letter is not likely to sway the vote much, noting that, "the governors have written an ideological statement, not what is taking place in the working world today."

Here's the average pay at VW

The workforce at VW Chattanooga was one of the first nonunion automakers in the country to launch its public campaign to unionize, with 30% of the workers at the plant signing the cards in December. The UAW has declined to say how many employees at the VW factory have signed the union cards, but it has previously stated it wanted 70% of a workforce to sign cards before an organizing committee made up of plant workers filed a petition to take a plant vote.

VW broke ground on the Chattanooga plant in 2009 and has invested $4.3 billion in it over the years, a VW spokesman said. The plant assembles the the ID.4 EV and houses the company's Battery Engineering Lab. It also builds the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport.

Its production supports about 125,000 direct and indirect jobs across the country, he said. The automaker supports employees’ right to decide the question of representation and the NLRB's secret ballot election, the spokesman said, adding that VW believes employees already have a strong voice in the Chattanooga plant.

"Part of being invested in people and their well-being is listening. Everyone has direct access to their manager and our plant leadership is right off the factory floor," the spokesman said, adding that the CEO’s desk is near the plant floor and “anyone can come up and express concern or express feedback.”

The average Chattanooga employee will gross $60,000 this year, the VW spokesman told the media. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the median household income in Chattanooga in 2022 was $57,703. If an employee meets attendance requirements and takes overtime, many will earn $70,000, he said. VW contributes up to 9% toward employees' 401(k) plans, according to its fact sheet at www.vw.com/chattanooga .

Favorable odds for the UAW

The UAW has a history of trying to organize , and failing, in the South, particularly at that plant, which is VW's only plant in the United States. In 2014, the union was confident it would win a vote at the VW plant because it had a majority who had signed cards in favor of a union.

But on Day One of a three-day vote, the Republican leadership of Tennessee mounted a campaign to vote no. The GOP's campaign worked, in part because the former mayor of Chattanooga insinuated that VW would not allocate future products to the plant if it unionized. In 2019, the UAW again narrowly lost a vote at the plant.

But the circumstances for UAW have improved greatly since 2019 vote, said Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He said the governors' letter is unlikely to impact results this time because in an election year, what matters most is that the workers at least get a chance to vote.

"The odds are much more in their favor this time as they only need to increase by 2% from their last vote," Wheaton told the Free Press. "About 75% to 80% of the general public supported UAW in Detroit Three strikes. Losing the election would certainly sting, but it would not be fatal."

Last month  UAW President Shawn Fain told the Free Press  he expects to organize at least one new automaker plant in the country this year, possibly more. Fain said all he needs is one plant to take it to a vote and win to provide the momentum to win more, he said. 

If Fain fails, Erik Gordon, a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, said, "It won't end their campaign to organize Southern plants. They might rethink their approach, but they won't rethink their goal of getting control over all the country's car and truck manufacturing."

More: 2024 GMC Sierra EV pickup increases range, towing capacity with prices starting at $97,500

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Contact Jamie L. LaReau:  [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter  @ jlareauan . Read more on  General Motors  and sign up for our  autos newsletter .  Become a subscriber .

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