There’s always something good about being first. You get bragging rights from the uniqueness and there is no competition nor comparison to anyone (until the bigger and better Mark 2 arrives). Very few things can beat the feeling of “No one else has done it yet”. And even better, the feeling of “In your face, I did it first!”.
In the Diversity and Inclusion space, there are a lot of things that can be done that no one has done yet. IBM being one of the first to implement an equal employment policy, it would be no surprise that we pioneer other initiatives of similar importance. And by we I mean the several of us idealistic, flower-bearing, butterfly-releasing advocates of diversity.
But nothing has made me happier since Peru than the Cross BRG community – IMA, HANDS, EAGLE and MultiGen. That community has lifted my spirits a few hours a week enough to get me to today. Without those locos, I would’ve been on Prozac by now.
We prepared for the first ever Diversity Week in a frenzy. I remember kinda bragging about it to the Country HR Lead only to be told it was her idea. Awkward…
To those of us with deeply rooted advocacies, this is not out of the ordinary. It’s part of the job as members of the BRG community. To us, it’s just doing what should be done. We needed numbers, we needed like-minded folks, we needed a louder voice. We wanted the world to know about us.
I volunteered to PM the project, for lack of anything to do, for the need to be useful but basically to leave a legacy. I knew I was on my way out.
Squeezing time from our roles and activities, we managed to plan and prepare a week long list of activities, design themes, send out communications and invites and even get a video from the CGM. Donny was a rock star! Ace was a machine! Alpha is consistently dependable! We were doing it and WOW!
But not everything was rosy, EJ was busy and had to be chased. We couldn’t release our comms on time, and HANDS was gone. You’d get more noise from tumbleweeds rolling through a ghost town.
I personally wanted it bigger than it was, not just for the information and awareness drive but because it was my last project. So we scheduled activities across three IBM locations – Eastwood, UP Ayala and Nuvali, plus video showings in Cebu and Naga as well. Don’t get me started on Cebu, it was a mini nightmare to coordinate. We seem to have a member there but not there, and he was more content at seeing his name than doing any work. But because I’m inclusive, I will not judge.
So Diversity Week came and the result – a whopping 400++ sign ups! The dismal Eastwood roadshow got better with my Valentine lollies in UPA and Fei’s support. But the best was Nuvali, not just because of the karaoke and prizes but because of this wonder girl called Jamie. She was a poster child for diversity and her outlook and attitude was what inclusion is all about. IBMers who were not aware of us before now knew what we and BRGs are. It was a lovely feeling.
We met IBMers who could sign and had been working with PWD organizations prior to joining IBM, we met those who had the spirit of volunteerism in them and were just waiting for activities to join, we met single mothers who had legitimate gripes and needed urgent support, we met the interested, the disinterested and those who we need to start meaningful conversations with. I remember somebody signing up for HANDS and thinking he’d be given a PWD sticker and be able to park in the PWD spot. I recall recoiling at his spirited discussion on PWD discounts being higher than Senior Citizens discounts and how he’s so glad to be able to avail of it now. My eye roll hit my skull.
In the spirit of inclusion, we needed to engage and hear everyone out, we saw areas we need to work on and where we could initiate the conversations, I’m thinking shouting matches at some point might be useful as well. We found where our action was needed and where we have already made great strides in, we wanted people to see how far we’ve come. We ended the event with pride in ourselves and the community and the itch to do more. I remember the activities I wasn’t able to join in IMA’s previous years and I regret nothing. We are far greater now!
The Diversity Week was not the work of one, it was a coming together of skills, resources and dedication from a lot of people. Credit goes to Steph, Jeiz, Donny, Alpha, Ace, Mrose, EJ, Tags, Mark, Cams, Dette, Hazel, Tinay and the entire BRG community. It was a happy-sad time for me. Knowing it would just be a matter of time before I said goodbye. I die a little bit inside when I think I won’t have Steph and Jeiz to talk to anymore.
I hope they carry the pride and commitment that went into Diversity Week 2018 to the Diversity Weeks to come. I hope they learn from the lessons of the first and course correct for better.
Diversity Week 2018 was our first small step but I’m confident it will lead to giant leaps for IBM PH Diversity and Inclusion. But I won’t be there.
That little voice inside you 