Illinois Chiefs of Police Engaging with Communities to Build Trust

The February 2018 issues of Command, The Official Publication of the Illinois Chiefs of Police, talks about their work to advance dialogue with communities of color. Mountains of statistics and studies tilting in law enforcement’s favor haven’t resolved much in the national discourse as police have tried to build bridges to minority communities in recent…

Women’s History Month Salutes Wilhelmina Parker-Bentum

This month the Executive Diversity Services Blog featured a profile of Wilhelmina Parker-Bentum: (excerpted from the full article, here: http://www.executivediversity.com/2017/03/24/womens-history-month-wilhelmina-parker-bentum-city-berkeley-training-officer/ ) “Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business” is the National Women’s History Month 2017 Theme and there is no one more fitting to spotlight than Wilhelmina Parker-Bentum, Training Officer, City of Berkeley. Over the past…

Bubbe’s Chicken Soup vs. Vó’s Brazilian Cha to Cure the Common Cold

Aside from the fact that Lucca’s Jewish maternal grandma is a vegan animal rights activist (which is a whole cultural group in it’s own), “bubbe’s” chicken soup has been trumped by avó’s (Grandma in Portuguese, for Lucca’s paternal grandma) Brazilian cha (tea), simply because it works better to fend off the common cold, or flu,…

Need for diversity and inclusion, implicit bias training with Police Departments

Cultural competence is defined as “the ability of individuals and systems to respond effectively and respectfully to all people in a manner that recognizes, affirms, values and preserves the dignity of each individual.” And while many may in theory aspire to this, changing national demographics, differences in communication styles and expression of values, as influenced…