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s I reflect on this historic day in the United States, I am overwhelmed at the tremendous unprecedented time in our nation. We have elected our first female, woman of color Vice President. We have a record number of women in the 117th congress. If the candidates are confirmed, we will have a group of leaders in Washington DC who will comprise almost all the various dimensions of diversity. According to https://www.whitehouse.gov/ priorities: President Biden will deliver bold action and immediate relief for American fam- ilies as the country grapples with converging crises. This will include actions to control the COVID-19 pandemic, provide economic relief, tackle climate change, and advance racial equity and civil rights, as well as immediate actions to reform our immigration system and restore America's standing in the world. As it pertains to Racial Equity, the website goes on to say, The promise of our nation is that every American has an equal chance to get ahead, yet persistent systemic racism and barriers to opportunity have denied this prom- ise for so many. President Biden is pu@ing eq- uity at the center of the agenda with a whole of government approach to embed racial justice across Federal agencies, policies, and programs. And President Biden will take bold action to advance a comprehensive equity agenda to deliver criminal justice reform, end disparities in healthcare access and education, strengthen fair housing, and restore Federal respect for Tribal sovereignty, among other actions, so that everyone across America has the opportunity to fulfill their potential. In 2020, many of us as diversity and inclusion leaders were called on by our respective lead- ers within corporations to help them navigate through a time of civil unrest brought on by the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others. We saw many issue statements of solidarity, develop strategies and imple- ment actions to ensure their organizations were responding effectively to the unrest. But as we move forward in 2021, we have a higher call to action as diversity leaders, ambassadors and others who are passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion. As we move forward, equity is a priority for this nation, not a response or a reaction. We must ensure that we have strategies in place that go beyond the surface, addressing the systemic issues that exist within organizations
Celeste Warren
Vice President, Global Diversity & Inclusion Center of Excellence
This is Our Time...
and other institutions. We must take an in- depth look at our people, our processes, our systems, our policies and our practices. Takingthisin-depthassessmentwillbedi- cult. Raising issues to gain buy-in and support will be even harder, because it will involve changes that may not be well-received. But we must have courage, we must have resilience and we must hold our heads high as we do this work which we are being called upon to do. I'm encouraged with the change that is upon us and the opportunity we have to make an indelible mark on our nation's history.
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