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The Importance of Belonging

By Dr. Beverly Kuhn P.E., PTOE, PMP posted 03-29-2022 07:46 PM

  
Several years ago, I came across a quote by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy that struck a chord in me. “Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice heard,” (www.lizandmollie.com). At the time, ITE was embarking on its exploration of diversity, inclusion, and equity and their intersection with transportation. After reading that quote from Liz and Mollie, I reflected on a pivotal moment I had early in my college career that still haunts me today.

I was a sophomore in an entry-level civil engineering class and one of about five women in the class of at least 50. Early in the semester, the professor took it upon himself to announce to the students that one of our classmates, a woman named Karen Walrond who happened to be the only Black female in the class, was from Trinidad and Tobago. I had met her earlier in the semester and was intrigued to hear of her heritage, as she seemed to have no accent that I could discern. I also wondered how she felt being singled out in a room of her peers who did not look like her.

The following year, I took another class from the same professor. Once again, Karen was in the class. Once again, the professor felt compelled to share her heritage to the class of still mostly white men. I struggled to understand why he made his proclamation. Was it to laud the diversity of the class? Was it to make her feel included? I never knew his motivation, but as a woman in the class, I bristled at him pointing out the obvious. What I knew about Karen was that she was smart, friendly, funny, and worthy of being part of  the civil engineering profession, just like every other student in our class.

I reconnected with Karen years later when she spoke at a luncheon for women hosted in our community. After graduating with her civil engineering degree, she went on to law school and practiced international law for several years. She is now an author, activist, and a leadership coach (learn more at www.chookooloonks.com). She has left the engineering profession and has charted a different path. In one of her podcasts, she talks about how she learned to turn off her accent as a child when she was in the United States. I was saddened by that admission. Shouldn’t we all feel comfortable embracing our heritage and the color, flavor, and perspective it brings to everything we do?

ITE believes that differences in background and experience enrich the culture and experiences for our membership as they do for the communities in which we live and work. Because personal experience and identity shape how people see the world, greater inclusion will provide a more thoughtful, open, and integrated sharing of ideas and experiences across our entire global membership.

We welcome all people with an interest in transportation to our organization where they can be valued and active participants. We promote, support, and develop a diverse membership that reflects both the demographics and cultures of the communities we serve and the varying disciplines of professional transportation practice. We also support and encourage our members to incorporate strategies in their daily practice that allow for equitable access to transportation options. In the end, we all deserve to belong. Reach out to me on the ITE e-Community or on Twitter: @BeverlyKuhn.

This is the president's message from the April issue of ITE Journal.
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