Firefly Inclusion Solutions

Get ready for our upcoming Q3 newsletter! The latest on culture change and transformational leadership, delivered to your inbox once a quarter. Each quarter, you’ll receive: ?? Exclusive reports from Firefly’s insights ?? Early access to upcoming coaching sessions ?? Updates on the current state of the DEI industry ?? News on Firefly, our team, and upcoming events ?? Subscribe today by visiting our website at fireflyinclusion.com

Tomorrow is the National Day of Mourning, which honors Native Americans who suffered and died due to European colonialism. This Day of Mourning seeks to rectify the historical inaccuracies surrounding Thanksgiving, and educates the public on Native American history and the ongoing injustices the community faces. While many celebrate Thanksgiving with family and gratitude, it’s imperative to recognize the hard truths and historical injustices threaded in the fabric of American history. As the Native American community continues to share the truth about Thanksgiving, our allyship and advocacy is needed to ensure we honor their fight and story. It is imperative that we respond with action! #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #NationalDayOfMourning #Thanksgiving #AmericanHistory #DEI #Diversity #Inclusion #Equity #Thanksgiving

"As a woman of color, I often walked into rooms where I felt out of place." With less than 3% of VC funding directed toward women-led startups, Purvanshi Mehta was driven to co-found Lica World—an AI-powered platform revolutionizing video production by making it more accessible to users. Now, she’s on a mission to empower other diverse voices entering the tech and AI industries. Learn about her journey overcoming challenges as a woman of color and her best advice for women breaking into the field. https://bit.ly/4i67rC8

Today marks Equal Pay Day for Native American women. On average, they earn 48% less than their white male counterparts. This wage disparity results in a staggering loss of over $1,202,200 throughout a 40-year career. The income lost because of this gap could cover nearly 11 months of child care, nine months of groceries, and seven months of housing expenses. To learn more about the pay gap, visit: LeanIn.Org/EqualPay.

Today, on Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor and remember the lives of trans and nonbinary people lost to violence and hate. We commit to building a future where every trans person is safe, celebrated, and free to live authentically. . . . Image description: Graphic reads "Transgender Day of Remembrance" featuring three candles in pink, blue, and white, with flames atop each and a circular text "Transgender Day of Remembrance" surrounding them. The logo includes the URL "glsen.org" at the bottom.

There is this belief that each successive generation will become more egalitarian and enjoy more opportunities than the last. However, in an op-ed for Harvard Business Review, sociologists Marianne Cooper and Lean In’s very own Priya Fielding-Singh discovered the opposite is true when it comes to the movement toward gender equality. They found almost no improvements across generations. In fact, not only are the experiences of women under 30 similar to those of women 50 and older — in some ways, they’re worse. Younger women get stuck in entry-level positions. Compared to men, they’re far less likely to get their first promotion to manager. Sexual harassment is a persistent problem. Despite younger women’s much shorter tenures, a third of them have experienced some form of sexual harassment over the course of their careers — the same as older women. Younger women do a disproportionate amount of housework and childcare. Younger women with partners report that they’re doing the same amount of housework and childcare as older women. Younger women face ageism. Almost half of younger women say their age has negatively impacted their careers — that’s more than any other age group. And younger women are nearly 2x as likely as younger men to report unwanted attention being drawn to their age.

Firefly Inclusion Solutions celebrates La Casa Norte’s 22nd Annual Gala ?Esperanza! We are honored to support La Casa Norte, a vital organization dedicated to uplifting youth and families experiencing homelessness in Chicago. Attending the recent ?Esperanza! Gala, we joined over 400 guests to celebrate and strengthen La Casa Norte’s mission, reaffirming our commitment to building inclusive communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Gala organizers for a remarkable evening. Special thanks to Governor JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton for their inspiring keynote addresses, underscoring the importance of dignity, opportunity, and justice in our city. Their words resonate with our shared vision for a Chicago where every individual can flourish and find a place to call home. Thank you to La Casa Norte for your unwavering dedication and to all the generous sponsors who make these life-changing programs possible. Firefly Inclusion Solutions is proud to stand with you in this mission, and we look forward to supporting your impactful work in the days ahead. Stay tuned as we continue to partner with La Casa Norte, empowering hope and driving positive change in our community.

Retreating from DEI initiatives could cost businesses billions. On November 12th, President-Elect Donald Trump referred to DEI initiatives in higher education as “anti-American.” The agenda and focus of the new administration is clear—DEI is the enemy. This rhetoric, backed by conservative activists with billions to spend, makes one thing clear—we have to push back. For many leaders, it can be a very scary time. In recent months, many brands such as Ford, Lowe’s, Harley Davidson and Target have reversed course and dropped their DEI initiatives. Unfortunately, we anticipate many more will follow this path under pressure from some consumers and over fears of litigation.? However, backing away from this progress will pose economic, litigational, and reputational risks to companies. ?? Swipe to learn more about why DEI is critical for a company’s bottom line. ?? See how you can advance DEI initiatives in your organization through Firefly at www.fireflyinclusion.com

?? Effective inclusion work starts with middle managers. Here's how to engage them.

Jason Rebello (he/him) ??? Good morning from a rainy Chicago on Election Day! Yesterday was a memorable day—I had the privilege of voting alongside my family and watching my 18-year-old cast his first ballot after two hours in line. The support and smiles from the election staff made it all the more special. ?? As we talked about voting, politics, and the future he’s stepping into, one question stood out: “How can we become better human beings, treating each other with respect and dignity?” Whatever today’s outcome, maybe that’s our true call to action: “What can we let go of to move from hate to harmony?” Let’s create the change together. ????? #ElectionDay #ElectionDay2024 #VoteForChange #GoVote #VoteReady #Vote2024 #Harmony #Respect #Future