➤ DI V ER SI T Y, EQ U I T Y & IN CLU SION ( DEI )
We Become What We See JESSICA H. WILLIAMS, PHD Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Associate Professor
Colleagues, We become what we see. What a dynamic statement about the power of our environment in shaping our view of the world. Our Department mission is “Developing leaders to shape tomorrow’s health care” and “We believe our diversity is a source of our strength and strive to understand, value and involve all.” It is imperative that we demonstrate the importance of inclusive excellence. Will Durant so eloquently paraphrased Aristotle with the now famous quote “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Creating a habit of inclusive excellence is neverending work. It requires a willingness to think differently and move beyond the tendency of our current culture of only associating with people who look or think like us. Our work begins by thoughtfully considering the people who are in the room— including dimensions of gender, age, ethnicity, ability, income, geographical birthplace, language, and thought. A quick glimpse of our Department demonstrates the many dimensions of visible diversity, but I think the best part and most inspiring part of our diversity is that which is not seen — the collection of experiences and world views mixed with collegiality.
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H SA FA LL 2020
We are still striving to employ strategies that allow us to hire, retain, and promote diversity. As the newly appointed Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), I find the gravity of this position greater than I ever could have imagined— especially in post-George Floyd America. As a Black woman who grew up in a small town in Alabama, I am all too familiar with the boxes and labels people have and will ascribe to me. My parents, probably like yours, taught me the value of an education and the importance of working hard and diligently for what I wanted. As I worked my way through undergrad at Birmingham-Southern College, then grad school at UAB, I felt the weightiness of needing to succeed, knowing that there were others who were not afforded the same opportunities. On numerous occasions, I have had to prove that I was more than a stereotype. I have often been at the top of the curve and I have struggled through classes, but felt too uncomfortable or ashamed to ask for help when I needed it most. I have been the only person who looks like me in a board or meeting room. I have learned the value of surrounding myself with people of different backgrounds, of overcoming the awkwardness of difference and embracing similarities. I know this can be challenging for everyone, regardless of race. However, I know the weight of George Floyd’s death has served as a wake-up call that we can all do more. I want to use my position and influence to facilitate such discussions and the formation of new relationships in whatever way that I can.
