by Janice Nakano
Aldridge Pite, LLP
USFN Member (AK, CA, FL, GA, HI, ID, NY, OR, UT, WA)

USFN’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee periodically spotlights professionals promoting diversity and enacting education and initiatives within the industry. Tiana Ball, client service team member for Affinity Consulting, describes why her current thinking towards diversity is one of optimism and how she measures success in diversity and inclusion.

How would you describe your current thinking about diversity and how has your thinking changed over time? 

My current thinking towards diversity is one of optimism. I believe that the more spaces we create - both personal and professional - that strive for a diverse and inclusive audience we have, the more empathetic we as a people can become. Over time, the importance I place on diversity has grown.   I think it is really important to hear other people’s opinions, even if they do not match your own, but so many people today are unwilling to consider other perspectives. I now believe, more than ever, that diversity is critical to bridging the gap that exists between people in our country, as well as to create peace.    

I think that the way I view the solution to diversity has also changed.  When I was younger, I believed that the system had failed me and those like me. I now know that the system hasn’t failed us.  We need a new system.  The system we have is working as it was intended to. It was set up to continuously advance the white man and to make it really hard for the black or brown man to succeed.  Across housing, education, healthcare, jobs, arrest rates, whatever statistic you are looking at show that the browns are behind.  So, the system isn’t failing, it isn’t working to our advantage.  We need a system designed to be equal for women and brown people (and every other race, color, religion/creed, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status) to be given a chance. 

Can you share some examples of how you championed diversity?

I champion diversity in so much of what I do that it was difficult for me to answer this question.  I feel like it is simply part of who I am.  I am a champion in everything from my day-to-day interactions to the way that I use my time and money to help the cause.  I spend a lot of time educating myself so that I can educate my own family, as well as my friends and others I come into contact with.  I advocate for diversity by spreading information, staying in touch with local legislation, and sharing resources with leaders of local companies to help them start initiatives to drive change in our communities.  I also work with a lot of churches in my city to get the message out.  I have attended various protests over the last year, as well as talked with leadership at the NAACP about possible initiatives.  I work with and donate to IMPACT Community Action, a non-profit organization servicing Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, GRIN who serves Gahanna, and WARM who serves Westerville.  I have worked with IMPACT’s committees to plan for initiatives to do community cleanup, food drives, giving out books and free audible accounts, and other resources to help the underserved.  

How would you serve diverse groups or traditionally underserved communities? 

I have traditionally served diverse groups and underserved communities through community service. Even during the pandemic, I have continuously sought out ways to give back to others, whether be time, money, or resources. I think that the better represented the underserved communities are and the more resources they are given, the better chance they have at changing their circumstances. 

What challenges do you think you will face working with a diverse population? 

The hardest challenges I have encountered with creating a diverse workspace/facing a diverse workspace is embracing the different perspectives of those who have “lived life on the other side.” Diversity and Inclusion is about more than simply hiring those who are different than your “standard.” It is about continually working to learn, understand, and embrace the unique things that make those people different and finding the commonalities you all share. Education is really at the head of overcoming these challenges. People who have not experienced what it is to be seen as a person of color or as a woman, not to mention a person who is both, simply do not have the ability to know what that is like in the real world.  They can try to understand, and they can sympathize, but they cannot truly empathize until they have really taken the time and put in the effort to learn. 

Describe your ideal corporate approach to diversity and inclusion. What obstacles do you see in implementing the ideal approach?  

My idea is a corporate environment where diversity and inclusion is more than a slogan, where it is a daily goal or value that is carried out and considered in every aspect of the business. I see many obstacles in the way of implementing the ideal approach. We have to start by expanding our workforce, in every company/firm to be diverse, and that is not easy because the problem is systematic. In fact, I recognize that it is going to be very difficult for law firms and companies to diversify. To give you an example, here at my firm, Affinity Consulting Group, we have made a commitment to hiring a more diverse set of people.  However, most of our consultants and employees are hired with law firm backgrounds, as those people have the expertise we require. As you all know, diversity is lacking in law firms, even today.  So, it is difficult to hire diversely at my firm, because the talent pool is limited.  That goes all the way back, unfortunately, to elementary school.  In order for there to be more diversity in law firms so that Affinity can hire from the optimal pool of candidates, people need to go to college and/or law school and come out desiring positions in law firms.  In order to go to good colleges and law schools, they need funding.  In order to qualify for scholarships and funding, they need to go to good elementary through high schools, and they need the support to be successful from the very beginning, and that just doesn’t exist yet in our country for the underserved.  That said, recent events in our country have begun to open the floor to conversations about real change and as a result of those conversations real change has begun to happen, and that is both encouraging and exciting. 

How do you measure success in diversity and inclusion? 

I measure diversity and inclusion by measuring the tone of the environment. The more diverse and inclusive an environment is the more accepting it is in many aspects. This acceptance often leads to growth and expansion as true diversity and inclusion is becoming more and more of a priority to the new workforce. 

What positive outcomes do you think you will encounter by working with a diverse population?

Advancement of the community, corporation, the staff, and the clientele.
 
How would you advocate for diversity education and diversity initiatives with individuals who don’t see its value? 

First, I would make sure that I myself am open to hearing their point of view. That then allows me the ability to listen to them and point out the similarities, and by extension the differences, that apply based on their point of view with regard to diversity education.  People tend to relate to or understand things better when they relate back to their own personal experiences.  People who don’t believe that diversity education and diversity initiatives are necessary usually believe that because they think that we have equality because all people are entitled to “strive” for the same things.  I would argue that simply because women, for example, are able to strive for the same career positions and salaries as men, does not mean that there is equality in those positions and salaries across men and women.  In fact, it is quite the contrary.  

I have a white friend who grew up poor.  It was his belief that because we were both disadvantaged, our struggle was the same.  He was unable to see that our disadvantages were different because he was poor, whereas I was a poor, black woman.  His struggle was that he was dealt a “crappy” hand of cards.  But my struggle, even today, is the color of my skin.  I talked to him about these differences, and about the unfairness that if my skin was a couple shades lighter, I would be worlds ahead of where I am.  

Another example is that I will oftentimes ask my non-black friends what thoughts go through their minds when they stop to imagine getting pulled over by the police.  Generally, they will respond that they immediately go into crisis management mode to work out in their minds how they can get out of the impending ticket.  They never mention that they are instinctively afraid.  They don’t stop to worry that they could end up dead after the exchange with the officer.  We all have equality in terms of the speed limit, but one time when I got pulled over for doing a rolling stop at a stop sign, when the police officer approached the car, I was visibly shaking.  My fears are founded, because I have very close friends who have done everything they should have done at the stop, but they ended up getting beaten by the police.  In my stop, the officer turned out to be really nice, and he immediately noticed I was upset and talked me through it all, but I have been pulled over where the officer is not as kind, and where it takes me a really long time to get over it and bring my heart rate down after the interaction.  It is against the law to speed, but when you aren’t a person of color, you don’t have to have this additional fear that if you speed you can die.  

So, you see, I am just trying to show them in a context they can understand what is different and why it is important.  If that approach did not work, I would simply recommend resources such as articles, podcasts, TED Talks, etc. to help enlighten them and hope that if they choose to educate themselves, something would stick.  Of course, not everyone is going to be part of the solution, but I do try to help people understand so that they don’t stand in our way. 

How would you handle a situation in which someone made a sexist, racist homophobic or otherwise prejudiced remark? 

Most of the time, I do not respond unless the remark was followed by harmful actions.  This is the sad truth, but circumstances like this tend to play out badly, and possibly dangerously, for people of color, so unless I must, I try to hold my tongue.  As a rule, I do not engage with negatively riled up people. If someone wants to have a conversation with me about their view, and that view happened to be prejudiced, I may be more inclined to have an open discussion. Otherwise, I would not engage.

How has your education/work experience prepared you for working with a diverse population? 

I grew up in a very mixed community, so I have always experienced diversity and inclusion which made me prepared to enter a diverse workforce, as well as one where diversity did not exist.  

Has your background prepared you to be effective in an environment that values diversity? 

My background has put me in a position where survival is based on the expansion of diverse and inclusive environments. So I would say that from my own need of survival, I learned how to effectively maneuver in environments where diversity was a key value as well as environments where it was not a key value.

What specific experiences have you had in addressing concerns about diversity? 

I joined Affinity Consulting Group in 2020, and while the company was not widely diverse, I appreciated that they were striving to become more so.  When the time was appropriate, I started opening up a line of communication with the leadership and sharing my opinion about the ways that the company could take forward strides to truly becoming a diverse and inclusive place to work. In the beginning, I probably held back a lot of what I wanted to say out of fear of not being heard or being seen as a radical.  I am really glad that I spoke out, though, because it has led to internal improvements and even company-wide calls to start and continue the diversity discussion. 

Are you actively engaged in a group or organization that promotes diversity? 

Yes, I am a member of and involved with the NAACP. 

What is the most challenging situation dealing with diversity that you have faced and how did you handle it? 

Championing the need for diversity in spaces where the value was not recognized has been an ongoing battle. I approach it with grace and patience as true change doesn’t happen overnight, rather by the thousands of ripples.

Have you ever realized you had said or done something that may have been offensive to a colleague/co-worker/friend? How did you respond to that realization and what was the outcome? 

One time, I was talking to a family friend.  He is a white man, and I basically argued that he wasn’t in a position to share a valid experience because he is white. He called me out on that saying basically that it was ironic that we were talking about people invalidating the validity of the black struggle, but that by invalidating his viewpoint, I was being narrow-minded.  Of course that wasn’t my intention, and after realizing the nature of my offense, I immediately engaged in an open and educating conversation with the person. The end result was very positive, and we both walked away with a fresh perspective on each other and our cultures. 

How would you ensure you are inclusive of everyone’s viewpoints and what is your approach to understanding different cultural viewpoints? 

I listen to understand not to simply hear.  I also understand that balance is important. It does not require agreement from any party only compliance. What I mean by that is we do not have to agree on each other’s viewpoints, but we can come to a ground to respect the difference and create a safe environment for the differences to respectfully co-exist. 

How do you go about ensuring you are removing bias from your day-to-day work? 

By constantly working to be open and receptive to others’ opinions, cultures, and experiences. I try my best to operate under the mindset of treating others how I wish to be treated. It is a driving force to operate without bias and judgement and to receive everyone just as they are. 

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February 2021 e-Update