Truths
The Super Bowl Halftime Show sure did bring the truth forward! It featured an Oscar winner, a Pulitzer Prize winner, a nine-time Grammy winner, a billionaire, and a cool cat who joins Martha Stewart on her cooking shows. But the crowd feigning fake outrage that CRT is taking over our society only saw one thing, and it wasn’t the magnificent performances on the center stage of music’s biggest event. 

The same crowd has been busy with book bannings, HBCU bomb threats, and attempts to sabotage Black History Month. An Indiana elementary school is allowing parents to opt-out of Black history lessons. Presumably, students cannot opt-out of white history lessons. This type of racism is not just a Southern thing. No burg, town, or ville is immune to the cynicism of hate. So we have to ask . . . .

Will the real leaders make like Slim Shady and please stand up? 

Your students and staffs need your voice and guidance. It’s time to do the right thing. It’s always time to do the right thing, but those angry mobs crashing school board meetings are making your life difficult. Keep in mind, the leaders making rash decisions to appease the loud, yet small, voices of hate will be vilified in the near future. Don’t be part of that legacy.

If you think hip-hop is unimportant or are dismissing it as a fad, you’re not paying attention. Hip-hop has been at the center stage of American pop music for more than two decades. It’s a part of American culture celebrated, imitated, and taken in new directions around the world. It’s one of our great home-grown exports, and we are running short on those.

Many of your students and staff love hip-hop, which is more than just a music genre. It includes fashion, film, food, drink, sports, electronics . . . it’s a way of life, and if you can’t understand that, you won’t be able to understand many of your students (or teammates, colleagues, friends, family). 

But let’s take time to celebrate Sunday’s halftime show, and wow, did Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar put on a show! We saw the great intersection of art and activism as Dr. Dre played piano and Eminem kneeled in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. The New York Times called it “a flash of radicalism and a jolt of elegance.” 
If you missed the halftime show, or want to relive it, you can watch it here. If you’re looking for a good read on the genre, start with 3 Kings. 

Why should you understand hip-hop? As a leader . . . as an involved citizen . . . you have to use your voice to build a bridge that fosters respect and understanding of the lived experiences in your school, workplace, and community.
Tools
You’re not alone, and there is a lot of help.
Apps like Allie integrate with your communication platforms to let team members message for feedback, surveys, content, and training around diversity and inclusion.
CulturePop - DEI by Design - is a microlearning and engagement application for any organization to grow its culture, competency, and connectivity.
Diversio integrates with a company's communication platforms and combines AI, advanced data analytics, and knowledgeable subject matter expertise to diagnose an organization’s DEI pain points, benchmark against peers, and create action plans to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion.
CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion is a CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Their site has a lot of helpful tools to repair and close the gaps.
Catalyst Ed’s DEI Expert Hub connects leaders with experts in assessing, designing, and implementing DEI initiatives.
Setser Group -
Contact us! We’re eager to help you with a DEI scorecard for your organization. 
Triumphs
Let’s celebrate Black History Month with some very recent Black History. This week, Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win a medal for speed skating at the Winter Olympics, taking home the gold for the 500m race. Erin is also the first Black woman to win gold for an individual event at the Winter Games. Watch her remarkable race here and her emotional medal ceremony here. 
Setser Group always seeks self-improvement. We’ve had four teammates complete the DEI in the Workplace certification program with the University of South Florida, an excellent program that we highly recommend.

“Participants learn how building and growing a workforce that includes different races, religions, ages, genders and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities can not only improve broad societal issues but can also help companies develop novel business practices, increase revenue, and improve performance.”

Learn more about the USF Course: Applied DEI in the Workplace by clicking on the image below.
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Are you prepared to stand up and be the DEI leader that your community needs? Learn more at www.setsergroup.com.
 
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