Gay men are naturally fashionable. Black men are the best athletes. Asians are the model minority.

These are just three examples of positive stereotypes, or subjectively favorable beliefs about certain social groups. And, just as negative stereotypes can be harmfully inaccurate, so too, can positive stereotypes. The trope about Asians being the model minority, for example, largely stems from the idea that Asian Americans have achieved socio-economic mobility through superior education. The problem with this positive stereotype is that it undermines the Asian American and Pacific Islander AAPI community as a monolithic group protected from systemic racism in America. The inconvenient truth, however, is that the AAPI community faces discrimination and persecution while society falsely insists they are protected.

CBS News recently reported, for example, that in 2020, the New York Police Department had recorded an 867% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes compared to 2019. And, when Donald Trump repeatedly and unapologetically described COVID-19 as “the China virus” in March 2020, the US’s Stop AAPI Hate coalition recorded more than 650 incidents of discrimination in just one week.

The fallout of COVID-19 and racism continue to expose America’s ugly roots, and the work we must continue to do to be better. Center for Executive Excellence stands in solidarity with the AAPI community, and we are offering our platform as a space for leaders to learn about how to create safer, more equitable workplaces for everyone.

Please join us on April 28th for the panel discussion, DEI In Action: A Conversation with Practitioners and Leaders, followed by a half-day Re:Imagine Leadership Summit: Bridging the Inclusion Gap through Transformative Leadership. The panel includes DEI practitioners Samira Salem, Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, CUNA, Armond Kinsey, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Atlantic Health System, Monica Davy, SVP and Chief Culture Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Vizient, Inc., Sarah Hassaine, Global Director of Diversity, ResMed, Markus Achord, Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Sunrun, and will be moderated by Arthur Benjamin, Senior Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Tinuiti.

Former NFL running back Terrell Fletcher will open the Re:Imagine Leadership Summit on April 29th, Sarah Hassaine and I will facilitate workshops on bias in the workplace, and our Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Tony Baron will close the Summit with a keynote on bridging the inclusion gap through Transformative Leadership. You can find more information about these events here.

We know that it will take much more than words to alleviate the pain. But, we also know that organizational leaders play a key role in driving positive change, and we will continue to commit ourselves to use our platform, power, and privilege to create a better, more just world for everyone.

Question: What role will you play in driving positive change when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion?

Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!