Honoring important DEI heritage dates:

• May marks Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which celebrates the histories of Americans hailing from across the Asian continent. 2022's theme, selected by the Federal Asian Pacific American Council, is "Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration," which builds on a leadership advancement theme series that began last year. Click here to read more about why we celebrate this.
• In recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, members of our BOMA Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion shared their reflections on what Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy means to them. Click here to read their thoughts.
• Slavery Didn't End On Juneteenth. What You Should Know About This Important Day, via NPR News
  

DEI in the News: 

• Most Black Students Don’t Know About CRE. The Industry Is Trying To Fix That: Commercial real estate executives looking to create more awareness of the industry say fixing the issue means going beyond setting up a booth at a career fair. In order to make significant progress, companies must invest the time and money to create strong, lasting relationships with universities. Click here to read the full article.

• What is Deadnaming and How to Avoid It via LifeHacker: Earlier this week, Elliot Page posted a statement on Twitter introducing himself as transgender. In the same sentence, he told us his name and pronouns (he/they). And yet, within minutes, many across both social media and traditional news outlets broke and discussed the news using his deadname and former pronouns. Click here to continue reading.

• Biden signs law making Juneteenth federal holiday: President Biden signed legislation on June 17 to make Juneteenth a federal holiday... Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Its name stems from June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas, issued General Order No. 3, which announced that in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, “all slaves are free.” Months later, the 13th Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery in the final four border states that had not been subjected to President Abraham Lincoln’s order. Click here to read the full article.

• The Meaning of Juneteenth: "These Freedom Day celebrations are always commemorative of the suffering Black people experienced as it pertains to slavery.... But they're always aspirational, right? Because while they're celebrating "freedom," there is a deep awareness that freedom for Black people continues to be incomplete." Click here to continue reading.

DEI Resources: 

• Guidance Document: Diversity for Innovation: The Guide to Developing Diversity & Inclusion as an Organizational Capability