Podcast Summary
From admiring Adidas as a child to interning there: Believing in yourself and having supportive mentors can help you achieve seemingly unreachable goals.
The pursuit of personal dreams and ambitions, no matter how seemingly out of reach, can be encouraged and facilitated by unexpected sources. Julia Bond's journey from being drawn to Adidas as a child to eventually interning at the company began with her uncle's vibrant swimming trunks and continued through her high school years filled with fashion experimentation. Despite facing financial limitations, she persisted in her dream of attending fashion school and eventually landed an internship at Under Armour. Her boss there recognized her potential and encouraged her to apply for the Adidas internship, which she initially dismissed as too ambitious. However, she was eventually offered the position and was overjoyed at the opportunity to work for the company she had long admired. This story illustrates the importance of believing in one's abilities and the role that supportive mentors can play in helping individuals achieve their goals.
Internships open doors and provide valuable experiences: Hard work, determination, and a positive attitude can lead to success in the face of adversity. Importance of representation and visualizing/creating in career growth.
Internships can open doors to feasible careers and provide valuable experiences that shape your future. Julia's experience at Adidas as an intern led her to design a successful product, and she was later offered a full-time role. However, she noticed a lack of diversity on her team when she returned, which was a stark contrast to her experience as an intern. This highlights the importance of representation and the challenges minorities may face in certain industries. Julia's story is a reminder that hard work, determination, and a positive attitude can lead to success, even in the face of adversity. Additionally, her experience showcases the importance of visualizing and creating, as well as the power of believing in one's abilities.
Racially insensitive actions in the workplace: Organizations must take all forms of discrimination seriously and address them promptly to ensure an inclusive workplace
Experiencing microaggressions and overt forms of racism in the workplace can be disheartening and isolating, especially for underrepresented individuals. These experiences can be difficult to navigate, especially for those who are new to the organization or the industry. The speaker in this conversation shared an instance where her senior director posted a racially insensitive meme on social media, which made her and her Asian colleagues feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. Despite expressing their concerns to HR, the speaker felt that the HR representative did not fully understand the impact of the senior director's actions. This experience highlights the importance of organizations taking all forms of discrimination seriously and addressing them in a timely and effective manner to ensure a inclusive and welcoming workplace for all employees.
Discovering Unconscious Bias in the Workplace: Unchecked unconscious biases can lead to hurtful situations and disconnection for marginalized employees. It's crucial to actively address and acknowledge these biases in inclusive workplaces where everyone feels valued and heard.
Unconscious bias and insensitivity can lead to hurtful and divisive situations in the workplace, even in creative environments. The speaker, a young black assistant designer at Adidas, shared her experience of discovering a Confederate flag image on the design inspiration wall. She felt deeply hurt and disconnected as a black designer, especially given the brand's focus on black athletes, musicians, and consumers. Despite reporting the issue to HR and expressing her need for an apology and assurance it wouldn't happen again, she felt unheard and unresolved after a month. This experience highlights the importance of actively addressing and acknowledging unconscious biases and the need for inclusive workplaces where everyone feels valued and heard.
Moments of injustice can inspire speaking out against systemic oppression: Recognize the importance of using one's voice and standing up for what is right, despite potential challenges and backlash. Address both overt and subtle forms of discrimination to create an inclusive and equitable workplace.
Microaggressions and systemic racism in the workplace can feel overwhelming and demoralizing, leading some individuals to feel they must "hunker down" and hide their true selves to survive. However, moments of significant injustice, like the killing of George Floyd, can serve as catalysts for speaking out against systemic oppression, even if it means risking personal consequences. Ultimately, it's essential to recognize the importance of using one's voice and standing up for what is right, even if it means facing challenges and potential backlash. The struggle of black people in the workplace is multifaceted, with both overt and subtle forms of discrimination, and it's crucial to address both to create a truly inclusive and equitable environment.
Experience of systemic racism in the workplace: Acknowledging and addressing subtle forms of racism in the workplace is crucial, and collective action can lead to meaningful change.
Systemic racism in the workplace can manifest in subtle ways, leading to a cumulative feeling of being "squashed into" a marginalized role. The speaker, a Black woman, shared her experience of feeling unheard and unacknowledged at Adidas despite bringing attention to small instances of racial bias. Her decision to write a letter and then organize a protest followed by the unexpected large turnout of supportive colleagues, demonstrated the resonance of her experiences with others in the company. This event underscores the importance of acknowledging and addressing subtle forms of racism in the workplace, and the power of collective action in creating change.
Adidas Employee Leads Protest for Racial Equity: Adidas employee Julia led a protest demanding the brand acknowledge and address systemic racism, but the response lacked a genuine apology and commitment to change.
Systemic racism exists within Adidas, and the brand's response to address it must go beyond superficial actions and include a genuine apology and acknowledgement of the issue. Julia, an employee, led a protest calling for Adidas to be actively anti-racist and acknowledge the racism and discrimination they have enabled. The protest gained support, but no significant action was taken by the brand. Julia went on strike, refusing to return to work until changes were made. Adidas responded with a public statement acknowledging the role of black people in the brand's success and their commitment to racial equity. However, the statement did not include an apology or a commitment to stop exploiting black talent. Julia deemed the response insufficient and continued her protests.
Company's response to racial justice protests leads to complex situation: Employees protesting for racial justice face a choice between values and livelihood as company offers paid time off but then requires unpaid leave. Some see this as retaliation, leading to a standoff between employees and management. Employee believes change will only come from within and continues protesting, despite slow progress.
The company's response to employees protesting for racial justice has led to a complex situation where employees are being asked to choose between their values and their livelihood. The company has allowed employees to protest during paid time off for several weeks, but has also implemented a policy requiring unpaid leave once paid time off is exhausted. This has been perceived as retaliation by some employees, leading to a standoff between employees and management. The employee being discussed in the conversation feels that the system is broken and that real change will only come from within the organization. They have chosen to continue protesting outside the building, but acknowledge that the process is slow and that progress may be incremental. Ultimately, they believe that their public protest has led to more movement and change within the company than they have seen in the past year.
Historic Peace Agreement Between Israel and UAE: Israel and UAE announce peace agreement, UAE becomes third Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, Israel suspends plans to annex parts of West Bank, US pandemic death toll surpasses 200,000, progress can be made even in challenging times
Historic events can surprise us when we least expect them. Today, we witnessed the announcement of a peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, marking a significant step towards a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East. This is a development that many thought was impossible, as it makes the UAE the third Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. The agreement also includes Israel's suspension of plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Meanwhile, in the United States, the death toll from the pandemic is estimated to have surpassed 200,000, offering a more complete picture of the pandemic's impact. This is a reminder that even in challenging times, progress can be made.
