We are delighted to share his reflections on what he learned during the process.
"I started working my way toward the BCDSS DEI Certificate when I was serving in various elected positions at the Cluster, because I figured it was essential to be “up on” the current conversations and to check the limitations of my own perspective so that I could better support the diverse cohorts I was elected to represent. Of course, I also wanted to support the efforts of our great colleagues at the BCDSS who continue to develop excellent workshops and events that focus on building a stronger sense of inclusion in Bonn’s academic community.
I do, however, have a confession to make. When “DEI” programs and initiatives emerged as focal points of vitriolic political discourse in my home country and many other parts of the world, I am embarrassed to say that I asked myself a question: Should I push forward with this, or is having a “DEI Certificate” going to tank my career? In the end, I figured, well, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” can not only be understood as sociological concepts, but as moral categories. DEI programs are about more than rhetoric. They are about learning how to better practice the values that we, as members of democratic societies, say we collectively affirm. I figured that my commitments to these causes would be pretty shallow if I backed off now that possessing such a certificate might actually cost me something.
I have learned a lot from the various workshops and events that Dima, the DEI and Anti-Discrimination teams have developed. I highly recommend this certificate to anyone, but especially those who will seek leadership roles in academia. DEI work is actually pretty straightforward, even if it is rarely simple or easy: Is your workspace accessible to everyone? Are you carrying cultural biases that prevent you from understanding the needs of your colleagues or an aspect of your research? Have your friends and colleagues experienced things that make it harder for them to contribute to the community than someone who did not experience those things? And of course, depending on the answers to these questions, what can we do about it? When we move beyond the rhetoric and abstractions and focus on our shared desire to build a place that we might actually like to work and societies in which we can live together more fully, we can see that this work of DEI remains essential."
A big thank you to DEI Coordinator Dima Al Munajed, who regularly organizes a diverse lineup of workshops that help to create a discrimination-free education and work environment for everyone at the BCDSS.