Q2 | 2024 Edition

Happy New Year Fellow IREM Members!

Springtime is here, and the DEI committee is blooming with the expansion of new members, innovative approaches for continuous growth, learning, and assisting other chapters with their DEI initiatives. 


This season, we invite you to continue your education with self-reflection and an intention to experience growth through immersive, vicarious experiences. This can be accomplished by joining the committee on museum field trip, by participating monthly committee meetings, and by attending our 3rd Annual Dinner Drinks and DEI event “Celebrating Identities”.  


On April 10th, IREM Maryland chapter will be celebrating National Diversity Month. Our guest presenter, Catherine Hyde, will lead us through a discussion of our own identities and how they are the basis for our sense of belonging. This is an afternoon that will be fun filled with group participation and an opportunity to hear a guest presentation by Kelly Murray of Acadia Windows and Doors.  


We also welcome you to attend our monthly meetings. We meet the 2nd Friday of each month by Zoom. It’s a safe, judge-free space for robust discussions, sharing of perspectives that foster respect, understanding, and inclusiveness. This sense of belonging is the groundwork for our diverse and close-knit committee.



As always, thanks again for your support and we hope that you enjoy this new season and cycle. We look forward to learning and growing with you!



Sharón Turner and Dani Bressler – DEI Committee Chairs – Leading with passion and purpose to make impactful changes.



“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” – Henry James

Register for April Dinner, Drinks & DEI

Featured Articles

The Correlation of Passover and Easter



Passover and Easter are two very different holidays, with extremely unique traditions. However, they fall around the same time intentionally. There are several links that tie these two holidays...

Continue

1921 Tulsa Massacre Anniversary



On May 31-June 1, 1921, one of the largest, deadliest race violence incidents of the United States occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There are many discrepancies as to what happened over...

Continue

Challenges of Disabilities Conquered



Hellen Keller, born blind and deaf on June 27, 1880, overcame the hardships that came with her disabilities and became a foundational historical figure that we reference...

Continue

Did You Know?

It wasn’t until the tragedy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968 that President Lyndon Johnson urged Congress for a speedy approval of the Fair Housing Act. Johnson...

Were you aware that Malcolm X established the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which identified racism rather than the white race as the enemy of justice? Malcolm X commenced the creation...

Did You know that Vice President Kamala Harris is of Caribbean American descent? However, she is not the first Caribbean woman to serve in an elected role; that distinction belongs to Shirley...

Continue

Suggested Readings



To learn more about topics in this issue click here.

Passover & Easter
Fair Housing Month
Tulsa
Activist- Malcom X
Disabilities
Caribbean-American 

“Passover: The Story of Easter from the Beginning,” by Nathan Slegers


“The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921,” by Tim Madigan, Bill Andrew Quinn, et al.

 

“The Story of My Life,” by Helen Keller

Contribute to the 2024 3rd Quarter Diversity Digest.



We welcome new contributors! Feature articles contain 200-250 words. Did You Know? Topics run 50-75 words. If you have a topic to add, or would like to author an article, contact Kara Permisohn kpermisohn@minkoff.com | 301-252-3845 c.

Diversity Digest Contributors


Committee Chair Sharón Turner

Committee Co-Chair Dani Bressler



Diversity Digest EditorKara Permisohn


Authors

Holly Alexander | Dani Bressler | Erika Jones

Kara Permisohn | Sharón Turner

The IREM Maryland Chapter 16 recognizes that there is strength in diversity and is committed to cultivating and promoting an ethical culture where differences are celebrated. We are committed to ensuring that members, industry partners, staff, and guests are valued, respected, and provided access to opportunities regardless of race, age, gender identities, sexual orientation, creed, national origin and/or (dis)abilities. Discrimination and inequality are not acceptable; therefore, we encourage all members to listen and learn as we take this journey together and provide ongoing support to disassemble systemic discrimination. 

Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn