By Wendy Barnhart Ross
In the wake of the death of George Floyd and the resulting international protests supporting the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community, STC released a position statement on racism and inequality.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is an important topic for STC Rochester, and we’ve been working behind the scenes for several years to adapt our programs and our outreach to be more inclusive and equitable. In support of DEI, we published an article last year on the subject. We have also included similar topics in our offerings at our annual conference, Spectrum. STC Rochester supports DEI initiatives and technical communicators who want help in their organizations and communities.
STC is creating a DEI advisory panel based on a motion brought to the business meeting in 2019 to consider such a panel. Like other STC advisory panels, the DEIAP will advise the Board on initiatives, statements, and general policy. The Board will have final decision-making authority. Through networking and research, the Board recruited Rochester senior member Wendy Barnhart Ross to chair the panel, and recruitment for the Panel is active now.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for technical communicators can be achieved within the Society and at corporations, but each of us must be willing to learn and use our voices to combat systematic discrimination and implicit bias. Stay tuned to STC and STC Rochester websites for more information on how you can help.
