As June comes to an end, and with it the end of Pride Month and the month of Juneteenth, I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of celebrations and commemorations. This past month, I was thrilled to join a number of teams in joyful, community-building events.
Also in June, I witnessed specific behaviors that caused identity-based harm to clients and colleagues. A nurse asked a Black physician, “Are you from transport?” A patient’s family member called a male nurse a doctor, and when questioned said that he “looked like a doctor” (unlike the female physician). A trans woman’s peer stated that he will not use her pronouns or her current legal name. And a leader shared that she won’t use “they” as a pronoun for an individual.
So, after participating in the June celebrations and witnessing these individual experiences, I’m entering July reflecting on how we can continue the work beyond our joyful events. How can we harness our energy from these inspirational moments and continue to improve the daily reality of our colleagues, friends, neighbors, and family? Among many other actions, we can:
- Recognize and reflect on our biases and assumptions (everyone has them; it’s what we do with them that makes a difference)!
- Pause after our initial reactions; question that first impulse.
- Gather information by being truly curious, asking open-ended questions, and seeking to understand others’ perspectives.
- Consider how people might interpret our statements or behaviors—and also the impact of our actions.
- Encourage feedback so that we can learn how to better uphold inclusion and belonging.
So, as we begin July, I hope that instead of simply moving on to this new month, we begin to think about all these celebrations as a part of our ongoing journeys, which include self-reflection, renewed dedication, and behavior change. Let’s commit to engaging in consistent work to make true change—individually, on our teams, and in our communities.