Appreciating Diversity Within Diversity

At a glance, identifying people as what we see and not what we know about them is easy and natural. This is called categorization. When categorization is a bad thing is when it becomes bias, where we assume things about a person, think differently about them or treat them differently because of what we see. But shared skin tone or gender doesn’t always equate to shared experience. And how people view the world, solve problems and engage with others is unique to them. Our unique journeys are what make diversity so important and powerful.

A. Tonya Odom, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, recently shared her own journey with AFRO American Newspapers. In Our Unique Journeys: Diversity within Diversity, Tonya not only tells her story but also touches on how we can work together to address bias.

Tonya also joined the Baltimore Business Journal (BBJ) for their Leader’s in Diversity Awards ceremony to honor executives and leaders in the Baltimore region who are prioritizing DEI in their organizations and in the community. In her conversation with Rhonda Pringle, BBJ Market President and Publisher, Tonya discusses how companies are rethinking DEI to create a healthy work culture.