"Similar minds learn nothing from each other! To improve your mind, choose a friend who has a very different mind than yours."
~
Hello everyone.
And just like that, it's October! Hope you're all doing ok as we move into Autumn.
In this newsletter, we thought we'd share with you some recommendations that we collected from our lovely team during National Inclusion Week.
We all tend to surround ourselves with people that appear similar to us and are drawn to people and things that we are familiar with. This is down to cognitive bias and, while it's essentially unconscious, it can have a worrying knock-on effect when it comes to diversity - both in our personal lives and in our workplaces.
You can learn more about affinity bias and it's effect on diversity in the workplace here.
One step towards counteracting this bias is by broadening our media consumption and so broadening our understanding of people outside of our 'in-group'.
Here is our (absolutely not exhaustive!) list of personal recommendations from the team for you to check out:
'Open Water' ~ Caleb Azumah Nelson
"At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity, Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to find safety in love, only to lose it."
'One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race' ~ Yaba Blay
"Challenges narrow perceptions of Blackness as both an identity and lived reality to understand the diversity of what it means to be Black in the US and around the world."
'Brown Girl Like Me' ~ Yaspreet Kaur
"An inspiring memoir and empowering manifesto that equips women with the confidence and tools they need to navigate the difficulties that come with an intersectional identity. Interviews with brilliant South Asian women of all walks of life, as well as academic insight, show what life is really like for brown women in the diaspora."
'Sitting Pretty: The View from my Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body' ~ Rebekah Taussig
"Writing about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn't fit, Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life."
'The Electricity of Every Living Thing: A Woman's Walk in the Wild to Find Her Way Home' ~ Katherine May
"This tells the story of the year in which Katherine comes to terms with her Asperger's Syndrome diagnosis. It leads to a re-evaluation of her life so far - a kinder one, which finally allows her to be different rather than simply awkward, arrogant or unfeeling. The physical and psychological journeys become inextricably entwined, and as Katherine finds her way across the untameable coast, she also finds the way to herself."
'Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You' ~ Sofie Hagen
"Part memoir, part social commentary, in Happy Fat Sofie explains how she removed fatphobic influences from her daily life and found self-acceptance in a world where judgment and discrimination are rife - drawing wisdom from other Fat Liberation champions along the way."
'Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum' ~ Jennifer Cooke O'Toole
"This intimate memoir, reveals the woman inside one of autism's most prominent figures, Jennifer O'Toole. At the age of thirty-five, Jennifer was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, and for the first time in her life, things made sense. Now, Jennifer exposes the constant struggle between carefully crafted persona and authentic existence, editing the autism script with wit, candor, passion, and power. Her journey is one of reverse-self-discovery not only as an Aspie but--more importantly--as a thoroughly modern woman."
'Sex Education' ~ Laurie Nunn
Since it began, this Netflix series has been incredibly diverse and inclusive, particularly when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community. The most recent series sees the introduction of new trans characters. Creator, Laurie Nunn, has ensured that all characters are played by actors with lived experience of that identity.
And finally... one from my daughter, Matilda:
Heartstopper ~ Alice Oseman
This 4 book graphic novel set, and now Netflix series, is an uplifting LGBTQ+ drama about the friendship and romance between Nick and Charlie - it's about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. And my daughter is obsessed with it!
So go forth and enjoy something a little bit less familiar than your 'go to' reading/viewing. We would love to hear your recommendations of additional recources and will be asking for them on LinkedIn - please contribute with anything that's had an impact on you.
Until next time!
Liz x