The most important thing I learned through my experiences in Seattle is that my understanding of diversity is limited. I have been uniquely lucky in my life that I have not experienced the marginalization many have experienced, even though I am queer. Furthermore, there are many struggles, experiences, and needs others have that I am woefully unaware of.
During our trip to the Calico Salon, for example, we discussed with the owners (both white, cis women) the things they were doing, and could do, to be more inclusive in their space. As a white person, I felt comfortable in their space and could not provide any suggestions on how they could do better. However, one of my peers who is black mentioned their playlist consisted of all white artists. This did not occur to me, but as a black woman, this was glaringly obvious to her.
Another student asked the staff at the Maxwell Hotel what ethnic hair products they provided to guests and the answer was a surprised “we don’t”. Again, this was something I did not think about, and the fact that this question took the staff by surprise indicated to me they had never thought about this either!
So, above all else, my time in Seattle showed me that my lived experiences may blind me to the realities of others and that having these conversations and going to new places in which different cultures exist does more to educate you than a textbook or class in a college ever will.
Because I learned that experiencing diversity was so much more effective than reading about it, I encourage future students of this course to be brave and branch out of the comfort zone when visiting Seattle. Speak with people in the city, visit stores and spaces you may not regularly go to or identify with personally, and be open to the ideas and perspectives presented to you.
Going forward, I am excited to take what I’ve learned in this course and apply it to my professional work. I have already initiated conversations within my workplace about inclusion and equity. During our visit to Bainbridge Island after we completed our coursework for the day, I noticed employees at an art museum on the island had their pronouns on their nametags. After seeing this, I decided I would propose policy at my next meeting with the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at my job that would allow staff to include their pronouns on nametags and in their email signatures. I spoke about employee resource groups with a staff member at Microsoft and have begun formulating an action plan around implementing ERGs at my job as well. Furthermore, the trip overall inspired me to think about ways in which my organization can do more to support community members who are experiencing food insecurity and addiction.
Personally, I feel I have a more nuanced understanding of the way our culture relegates people in marginalized groups to the background. In general, the needs of people who are differently abled, LGBTQIA+, racial minorities, and gender minorities are not focused on and we often have to advocate for ourselves for the most trivial things, such as safe accommodations or haircare while travelling.
In conclusion, my time in Seattle was immensely valuable and I will cherish the time spent there for many years to come.
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